Furniture market benefits from new interest in beautiful living
Our daily lives are marked by the desire to individualise and this is a driving force in our industry. The trend towards focusing on our own needs and creating our own distinctive profile extends into our homes. In reaction to the digitisation and the fast pace of everyday life, we furnish our homes as private oases of calm. Safe havens in which personal well-being is supported by appealing, functional design.
This interest in beautiful living is nothing new. But the more threatening people find the world around them, the more they value a home into which they can safely withdraw. Along with this vague sense of menace, consumer confidence has also risen – a combination which seems to strengthen the furnishings market and renew the interest in beautiful living with lasting effect.
The furniture market: a review in figures
In the last two or three years, this new interest in beautiful living has also been felt by furniture manufacturers and furniture stores. This is clearly reflected in the numbers: in 2015, the German furniture market recorded a turnover of 19.9 billion EUR. The market last achieved this figure in 2003.
In the first half of 2016, German furniture industry sales reached 8.9 billion EUR, 4.9 per cent higher than in the same period in the previous year. Axel Schramm, President of the Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM), said at the association’s annual business press conference in August that furniture “Made in Germany” is valued particularly highly. Approximately one third (31.7 per cent) of German furniture goes straight to foreign markets. This proportion has doubled since the turn of the century. As the most important interiors show in Germany, imm cologne is a key driving force for design trends in the industry and a vital, international platform for trade.
But it’s not just trade visitors from all over the world who make the pilgrimage to Cologne in January, home lovers and design fans have long since discovered the trade fair for themselves. They come looking for specific information about new products and seek the latest inspiration for their own homes. Traditionally, there have been particularly original ideas in the design segments. However, in addition to a wide range of information available in the Sleep area, visitors to the Smart halls 7 and 8 also quickly find suitable inspiration for practical interior design ideas. This area is also expected to develop further in the next few years. Here, Koelnmesse aims to create a unique springboard into a commercially successful future, particularly for export-oriented companies.
Globalisation of the furniture market as an opportunity
Some furniture manufacturers are still somewhat sceptical about the globalisation of the furniture market. The right balance does not always appear to be struck between opportunities and threats. For imm cologne, globalisation presents a great opportunity. Every year, furniture manufacturers come to Cologne from all over the world to present their new products to the trade, visitors and representatives of the international media. “In total, we are anticipating 1,300 exhibitors from 50 countries to attend the imm cologne and LivingKitchen trade fair duo. Today, about 70 per cent of exhibitors come from abroad. In Cologne, the world does business with Germany, which is still one of the strongest sales markets in the world. But the world is also more and more engaged in global trade here. More than 40 per cent of our visitors already come from outside Germany, and there are more every year”, says Gerald Böse, Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Future “stars” of the furniture scene are born at the trade fair and then go on to achieve success on the world markets. Product designers such as Sebastian Herkner, who designed “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” in January 2016 as guest of honour, not only presented his idea of the future of modern living with his house. He also exhibited his new products for the first time in the fully furnished installation – including the Mbrace outdoor collection from Dedon, a lamp from Pulpo and a bed from Schramm. In January 2017, New York-based designer Todd Bracher will present his vision of home living and product ideas in “Das Haus”, and thus build a cultural and aesthetic bridge across the Atlantic.
In terms of design, imm cologne 2017 will be presenting some interesting new exhibitors, including Gloster, Nanimarquina, Möller Design, Roche Bobois and Meridiani. Young brands like Design House Stockholm have also identified the interiors show as their own industry highlight. The Scandinavian label will be exhibiting at imm cologne for the first time in 2017, with the aim of benefiting from the trade fair’s international network and presenting its distinctive designs to visitors. Perhaps after their appearance at imm cologne, Design House Stockholm’s innovative items of furniture will also make the leap into our living rooms.
Good prognosis
Furniture experts at the Institute for Retail Research (IFH) and the retail consultancy BBE Handelsberatung, both based in Cologne, anticipate growth of just over two per cent in the furniture market in 2016, meaning an increase in the total market volume to 20.3 billion EUR. There’s a good outlook then for furniture manufacturers seeking to expand internationally. The new interest in beautiful living is proving to be long-lasting. And there’s scope for it to grow.
Article and images courtesy imm cologne.
For more information visit imm-cologne.com
