Anniversary: 75 years XXXLutz

The Lutz Group celebrates its 75th birthday. On 31 October 1945 Gertrude Seifert founded a cabinet maker's workshop in Haag am Hausruck in Upper Austria. The small craft business gradually developed into a furniture dealer, which began to expand strongly when her sons Richard and Andreas Seifert joined the company in the 1970s. Today, the Lutz Group, with its various distribution channels (including XXXLutz, Möbelix and Mömax), operates more than 320 furniture stores in 13 European countries and has an annual turnover of EUR 5.1 billion.

XXXLutz opens its most modern store in Eugendorf (A)

The XXXLutz furniture store in Eugendorf has been open since 5 November 2020. It is the second largest XXXLutz furniture store in Austria and is intended to be a "best of" that combines all the Group's knowledge and experience from 13 European countries. Lutz invested around EUR 38 million in Eugendorf. The existing Möbelix furniture store at the location was also completely renovated. With its reopening at the end of the year, the XXXLutz Group will then have all its three divisions at the location.

Volker Heinrich: Hans-Hermann Schenk retired

The Hamburg oriental carpet importer Volker Heinrich announces a change in the management. After more than 40 years with the company, Hans-Hermann Schenk went into well-earned retirement on 31.10.2020. His tasks are taken over by Thorsten Heinrich, the 2nd managing director who is leading the company together with Volker Heinrich.

Steinhoff: Markus Jooste sentenced to millions

Former Steinhoff board member Markus Jooste has been sentenced to a fine of ZAR 162 million (approx. EUR 8.6 million) by a South African regulatory authority. At the end of 2017, Steinhoff's holding company, which at the time also included the furniture chains Kika/Leiner, Poco and Conforama, had fallen into a deep crisis following the reporting of irregularities in its balance sheet.

Six new XXXLutz furniture stores in Hungary

XXXLutz took over six Kika stores in Hungary last year. They were reopened on 15 October under the brand name XXXLutz, now offering completely new and larger ranges. During the conversions, special emphasis was placed on presentation and decoration. The new XXXLutz furniture stores were opened in Budaörs, Györ, Pecs, Debrecen, and two in Budapest.

Exhibition "In Women's Hands", Milan

About a dozen female artists and designers were invited to exhibit their work in the exhibition "In Women's Hands". The show, curated by Gisella Borioli, according to the official press release, "brings together designers and architects of very different ages and backgrounds: from decorative items to sculpture to architecture, each woman presents her own being and her work."

The exhibit by Francesca Gasparotti from the SoFar SoNear design studio in Milan features a carpet from the "Ghashgha'i meets Bauhaus" collection. This collection was designed by SoFar SoNear for Zollanvari. The exhibition is open until 29 October 2020 in the MyOwnGallery in Milan.

Messe Frankfurt postpones Heimtextil and Ambiente

Messe Frankfurt is replanning the first quarter of 2021. As a result, the Heimtextil fair will move from January to May. "The current travel restrictions and the renewed rise in infection figures currently represent a major hurdle for our very internationally oriented event," says Detlef Braun, Member of the Messe Frankfurt Management Board. For this reason, Heimtextil has been postponed by four months and is now to take place from 4 to 7 May. The Techtextil and Texprocess trade fairs will be held concurrently.

Domotex Asia: 23.000 visitors

Despite Corona, Domotex Asia had a remarkable number of visitors. The fair was held from 31 August to 2 September as a hybrid event both on site in Shanghai and on the internet. Some 800 suppliers exhibited in Shanghai on over 100,000 m2 of exhibition space, attracting an impressive 23,000 visitors. On Twitter, the fair received over 300,000 views.

Domotex Hannover 2021 postponed to May

Domotex Hannover 2021 will definitely take place – in May. From 18 to 20 May, Deutsche Messe AG will be hosting the world's largest international trade fair for floor coverings. This decision has been made after consulting with various exhibitors and visitors. "There has been extremely positive feedback on this, and we are confident that many participants will revise their cancellations for January," says Alexander Wurst, Senior Vice President International Trade Fairs at Deutsche Messe AG. At the usual Domtex dates in January, the organisers are planning to host a digital fair including hybrid elements.

Oriental Weavers founder Mohamed Farid Khamis passed away

Mohamed Farid Khamis died on 19 September at the age of 80. Khamis founded the Oriental Weavers Group in 1979. Today all companies including subsidiaries employ more than 22,000 people worldwide.

Khamis also founded MAC Carpet and Oriental Weavers USA, among others. The group is also active in tourism, housing, industry and agriculture.