Imm Cologne 2008 Again Sits Solidly as World-leading Furniture Show

Imm cologne 2008, running from Jan. 14 to 20 in Cologne, Germany, is considered one of the world's leading furnishing shows and a centerpiece of the furniture sector in Europe. The world-class event drew to a close successfully amid ample praise from high-profile visitors and industry professionals, who generally rated the show as the standard by which others should be measured.

Wolfgang Kranz, executive vice president of Koelnmesse, the show organizer, explicitly lauded the cosmopolitan nature of the Imm Cologne 2008 by saying that the furniture fair was a resounding success in terms of its world-class product range, with Cologne being the "top address on a worldwide scale," a feature clearly approved by the visitors and reflected in the much higher turnout. Kranz added that the number of visitors obviously rose this time around, especially those from Europe, the key market for German and European furniture suppliers.

"Imm Cologne has presented the furniture world with a really spectacular display of home furniture concepts and furnishing ideas. For the German furniture industry it was both a powerful and spirited start to 2008," said Dirk-Uwe Klaas, chief executive officer of the Association of the German Furniture Industries.

Significant Global Presence

The Cologne fair attracted 1,251 participating companies from 53 countries who showcased a wide range of top-quality, design-oriented furniture that spanned virtually every style, class, flavor-including traditional home furnishings and avant-garde pieces.

The German furniture show was truly cosmopolitan-with some 65.8% of the exhibitors being from outside Germany. Among the foreign suppliers, Italians topped the group with 125 participants, followed by 77 Dutch and 74 Danish counterparts. The contingent from China and Hong Kong together came in fourth with a combined 70 suppliers, of which 51 came from China and 19 from the former British colony. There were 24 suppliers from Taiwan at the show, and if counted together with those from China and Hong Kong, the second-largest supplier group happened to share a characteristic: Chinese ethnicity.

The fair saw some 107,000 visitors from approximately 130 countries during the seven-day event, representing a slight increase from 105,984 visitors from 128 countries recorded in 2007, with the share of trade visitors clearly rising by about 6%. Clearly more Dutch, Austrian, Belgian, French and Swiss visitors showed up at the show in January, and the same increasing trend also was true of the visitors from the Middle East, South America and Africa.

Market experts observed that Imm Cologne 2008 perfectly brings together businesspeople from both the supply and demand sides of the furnishings sector; and for the industry and trade, it is an ideal business-oriented platform, as well as being a productive stage for the exchange of ideas, concepts for architects and designers.

Sub-brand Concept

The sub-brand concept, implemented for the first time at the show, proved to be a complete success. Some creative mind came up with various "sub-concepts" tagged as "imm smart" and "imm prime" to more clearly structure the Imm Cologne 2008. In other words, visitors saw, instead of haphazard arrangement of furnishings, more organized groups of products. As a result, Imm Cologne has become a trade fair of short distances," said Thomas Grothkopp, executive director of the Federal Association Kitchen, Furniture & Furnishing Retailers in Germany.

More than a mere show of products, Imm Cologne keeps close to its heart design as a key component: "informed by Cologne" once again probed the future to bring to the present for visitors and buyers alike a view of the trends for the forthcoming season in terms of color, material, style and pattern. The products presented by 15 young designers may be regarded as the main act that marveled visitors with uninhibited creativity, innovation, and talent.

Designed Kitchens

Along the same line, design-oriented kitchens have become the latest fad sort to speak, since a kitchen outfitted with color-coordinated appliances of every description, regardless of frequency of use or even necessity, is increasingly becoming a meeting place for socializing and partying, while the well-to-do homeowner clearly can rely on a fully-equipped, top-line kitchen as a showpiece, a trophy. On the other hand, those who have chosen culinary art as hobby, which to some may be as relaxing as socializing, would find such well-equipped kitchens as necessary as dental hygiene. Imm Cologne 2008 saw the return of kitchen-related equipment under the name "art of kitchen," which was an eye-catching stand that deeply impressed visitors with state-of-the-art equipment and advanced technologies.

One of the eight sub-brands was "imm smart," which emphasized self-assembly and flat-pack furniture. Apparently no product segment in the furniture sector is selling better than self-assembled and flat-pack items. Imm Cologne was on top of such trend, displaying these DIY and space-saving furnishings in the "Smart Basics" and "McFashion" stands, all of which appeared well-thought-out in design, high-quality.

Top Designers

World-class top designs were displayed at "imm pure," a distinctive sub-brand, where many highly-renowned designers, trend-setters and materials experts in addition to a great many international furniture brands provided topics for discussion, as well as conversation pieces.

Besides, modern living room and bedroom furniture for sophisticated tastes formed the focal point of "imm prime," another sub-brand. Furniture products displayed in this sector covered a wide range from the revolutionary interpretation of a wall cupboard made in Germany to glamorous interior furnishings of the 1930's from Italy, from the trendy Zen sofa bed from Thailand to the antique-styled multimedia furniture from the U.S., from hand-carved Alpine dining room furniture from Austria to Belgian avant-garde furniture.

Ecological

"Green" furniture is a hot line today. Many furniture products, exhibiting at the fair, featured natural materials and were produced via environmentally-friendly processes, recyclable, and are disposable with minimal environmental impact. Increasingly savvy furniture makers and designers are concentrating on turning out items that leave behind minimal ecological damage, conform to global green standards, and feature impressive life cycles, with such characteristics becoming part and parcel of the new generation of upholstered furniture.

Having been a presence for more than 20 years at Imm Cologne, Carl Hansen & Son is one of the oldest producers of fine furniture in Denmark, generating mainly wooden tables and chairs designed by Hans J. Wegner.

"Hans J. Wegner, the company's signature master designer, passed away in 2007 at the age of 92," says Torben Agerbak, area sales manager of Carl Hansen & Son. "The association between Wegner and the company dates back to 1949 and its first hallmark piece-the legendary 'Wishbone Chair'-was introduced in 1950; after which a substantial number of various chairs were unveiled on after another, with nearly all gaining the status as classics and sought-after as collector items all over the world."

From then on, Carl Hansen & Son has produced furniture products designed only by Wegner. "Wegner is esteemed as one of the world's master designers in the furniture industry. Our furniture designed by Wegner has been regarded as permanent and gained popularity from generation by generation. For instance, the 'Wishbone Chair,' the company's typical chair model, is still quite popular in the market today." Agerbak notes.

'Wishbone Chair,' with arm, back and feet made of natural solid wood and seat of woven straw rope, seems the company's representative furniture model featuring simplicity, compactness and stylishness.

Handmade Craftsmanship

Most of the company's furniture products are heavily labor intensive in terms of manufacturing processes, which mean that they are mostly hand-made. "Since the products need a large portion of human labor, so their output is limited. Usually we generate only 100 pieces for each chair or table, with each priced at above 3,000 euro," Agerbak points out. One fifth of the company's products are sold at home and the remaining 75% are marketed to upscale consumers in Japan, the United States and the other countries in Western Europe."

Currently Carl Hansen & Son boasts a workforce of around 175 persons and most of them are experienced craftsmen excellent in producing hand-made furniture. In addition to wooden chairs and tables, it also produces chrome-plated steel sofas and armchairs accompanied with leather or fabric cushions. "The assembly and upholstery of our sofas and armchairs are all made by hand as well," Agerbak says proudly. "The upholstery of the three-person sofa may take more than two working days for a skilled craftsman to complete."

The company has exposed itself in Imm Cologne since the inception of the fair and been one of the long-time devoted exhibitors. "The fair has offered us a broad and effective channel to connect buyers from all over the world and helped us reach the world trend for the furniture industry," Agerbak remarks.

Italian Leader

Occupying an exhibition area of about 600 square meters in Imm Cologne 2008, Natuzzi, a leading Italian furniture manufacturer, intrigued visitors with its eye-catching furniture setting, which delivered the typical "Natuzzi Total Look" concept of sofas, armchairs, tables and related furniture accessories, including lamps, rugs, wall units, coffee tables, etc.

"Natuzzi was founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, president and chief designer of the company, and has today developed into the world's leading maker in leather upholstery with 8% market share in the sector," proudly said Giacomo Ventolone, communication director of the company. "Natuzzi is now the largest furniture company in Italy with turnover of 735.5 million euro in 2006, with major sales outlets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Americas."

A posh assortment of Italian design and attention to details, Natuzzi furniture products breath a stylish ambience. Following the concept of Pasquale Natuzzi, the company always pursues beauty and quality for the fabrication of furniture, which is based on rarity of material and finishes, which are tastefully color-coordinated.

For instance, the company's 'Brera' chair is a quintessential classic, with solid wood frame and Lancaster upholstery, customizable in 16 different colors to suit various needs. "With so many choices, our clients can devise their own color scheme by matching a Natuzzi sofa with a same color chair," explained Mina Ciccarone, a sales support official for the company's markets in South & West Europe.

'Sofia' chair is another model with a modern look, where space may be an issue but style is not an option. "Designed with a metal chromed frame and an all-round upholstered seat, 'Sofia' is also available in 16 different Lancaster leather colors to fit the needs of customers and be integral part of a Natuzzi ambience," Ciccarone added.

Upbeat About Asia

Today Natuzzi has seven factories in Italy and five abroad (two in China, two in Brazil and on in Romania). "In recent years, the company has spared no efforts in developing the market in Asia," Oliver Heil, director of company's operations in Asia Pacific area, emphasized. "The company has opened several stores in Taiwan to sell Natuzzi furniture and established in 2006 its Asia's headquarters in Shanghai."

"Currently Europe is Natuzzi's largest market, followed by the U.S. and Asia is a potential one," Heil affirmed. "China is now the most promising market for many manufacturers around the world and its growing affordable consumers are numerous."

As of the end of 2007, Natuzzi employed a total of more than 8,000 persons in Italy and abroad, including over 150 in-house R & D professionals who develop more than 100 new models per year, in different styles, coverings, and colors to help set new furniture trend in the world.

Natuzzi's products are handmade by expert craftsmen committed to high quality standards. By controlling the supply of over 90% of raw materials and semi-finished products, the company can guarantee delivering the ultimate quality at competitive prices.

Just like what Pasquale said, exclusive models that emanate a style built on simplicity and good taste, on pleasure of life that aren't only aesthetic but also reflect delight in craftsmanship and the indulgence of comfort.

Handmade in U.K.

Claridge Upholstery Co., established in 1983, is a unique British handmade leather furniture manufacturer. "Almost every manufacturing step of our furniture is made by hand," Stephen Claridge, the founder of the company, said proudly. "We assure a very high standard for our furniture made by highly trained craftsmen who use only selected materials."

"We only use the finest leather, springs and our frames are solid beech with the majority of the show wood being mahogany, giving the products a look of days-gone- by but made with modern techniques for quality and comfort," said Claridge.

"Unlike furniture mass produced by machine, our products are made almost all by hand and that is time consuming. So, we can turn out only one couch a day. Nevertheless, our products are often bought by our customers as family heirlooms that are passed from one generation to another," he states.

With workforce of only 14 persons, the company generates about one million British pounds in production value a year on average. "We have difficulty in finding workers because young people today prefer to work in the high-tech sector. The handmade furniture line has obviously been shrinking for about 10 years in the U.K. and now only few such furniture factories can be found in the country, and Claridge may be the only handmade leather furniture company showing at Imm Cologne 2008," he said.

Upscale-oriented Strategy

The company focuses its products on the upscale consumer markets in Europe and began to explore the Asian markets about a decade ago, mainly South Korea and Taiwan. "Our craftsmen take pride in their work-seeing the trade as a calling and not merely a job; while the company sees the fabrication of handmade leather furniture virtually as a divine mission, so we will be loyal to making traditional furniture as long as the company can survive," he insisted.

Colonial Furniture

With a history of 13 years, Handicrafts is an Indian manufacturer and exporter of colonial furniture. "We have attended Imm Cologne for four consecutive years and the fair is good for furniture manufacturers to promote their products in the European market," Rajeev Johari, manager of the company, noted. "Global competition is steep, so it's necessary to showcase products in international shows to build exposure."

Handicrafts produces Indian-style traditional wooden furniture and exports 75% of the products to Europe and 25% to other areas, mainly the U.S. "Our products are processed by both machine and hand, with the former accounting for 75% and the latter 25%," Johari pointed out. "Our customers in Europe prefer furniture items in various patterns in small sizes while the ones in the U.S. like large-sized furniture."

The company ships a maximum of 40 containers of furniture products per month, which are generated by 300 workers at its three factories in India. "In recent years we have seen declining profits. So, we have to develop new models each year to survive; while Imm Cologne is quite helpful for us to maintain the market share in Europe," Johari said.

Taiwan to China

Over the past decade, the number of Taiwanese exhibitors attending Imm Cologne has been dropping obviously but vice versa for their Chinese counterparts. Zhejiang Henglin Furniture Co. is a dynamic Chinese furniture manufacturer and works fairly closely with Taiwan. "Our company was established in Anji of Zhejiang Province more than a decade ago, producing various chairs, mostly sofas, armchairs, office chairs and loungers," notes Mei Yiming, deputy general manager of the company.

"We learned the manufacturing technologies from Taiwanese chair makers who moved their production lines from Taiwan to Anji, who have gradually formed clusters there," Mei states. "Our Taiwanese counterparts are very good at design and management and they have transferred some of the know-how to us. However, we still need to import some high-end components from Taiwan."

Zhejiang Henglin has five plants in China and boasts monthly shipment of 500-600 containers generated on OEM basis by a total of some 1,600 employees. Europe is the company's major market and the U.S. will be its next overseas market target. "We are planning to explore in the future not only the market in the U.S., but also the one at home," Mei disclosed. "Recently we have come under rising pressure from price hikes in raw materials, the appreciation of renminbi (Chinese yuan), and growing competition from counterparts in Southeast Asian nations, particularly Vietnam and Malaysia."

To gain more market niche, the company has recently tried to develop own-designed chairs. "This year was our fifth time at the Imm Cologne, where we displayed newly developed products, hoping to impress our existing clients in Europe and to attract new clients as well," Mei said.

First-timer at Imm Cologne

Omexey Enterprise Co. is a Taiwan-based supplier new to Imm Cologne. "This is our first time attending the fair because we intend to explore the market in Europe," Morgan Chou, vice general manager of the company, says frankly. "Our major market has been the United States, which has in recent years been experiencing an economic downturn that has obviously impacted our business."

Omexey was established in Taiwan in 1996 and moved most of its production lines to China several years later. Now the company still has a plant in Taiwan, but has seven in China with workforce of more than 3,000 persons there. To circumvent the anti-dumping duty imposed by the U.S. government on wooden furniture manufacturers in China, the company has recently set up a plant in Vietnam to generate such products.

Omexey offers a wide variety of furniture products made of different kinds of materials. Today the company ships about 600 containers of furniture products a month and more than 90% of them are sent to the U.S.

Memory-foam Items

Chen Chi Hsiang Industry Ltd. (CCH) is a typical Taiwan-based manufacturer, turning out memory foam for furniture items. "Our company has a history of more than three decades and has provided more than 70% of the products to domestic market and less than 30% to overseas buyers," says Sunnie Liu, the company's export manager.

CCH is now one of the only few foam makers that still operate in Taiwan. "We produce only high-end foam and import the raw materials from Japan. To explore more market niche, we now offer foam beds, sofas, and office chairs," Liu noted.

"About four years ago, we started to feel the obviously cooling business climate in Taiwan, and saw our business at home tumble by approximately 50% in 2007. So, it's a matter of life and death to explore overseas markets," Liu stressed. "This is our third time attending Imm Cologne and we hope to attract more European buyers."