Furniture as a Business Forum addresses lucrative business models

19 / 11 / 2019

The 19th Forum of Directors of Small and Medium Enterprises "Furniture as a Business" took place at the Mebel 2019 international exhibition at Expocentre on November 19-20. The forum is an annual event organised by the Imperia Congress and Exhibition Company jointly with Expocentre AO for heads of small and medium furniture manufacturers, distributers, and retail chains.

The purpose of the forum is to find the best business development ways and study new effective business models that could be used by furniture business owners. Experts come to the forum to analyse the current situation on the furniture market and its development prospects.

Forum Producer Dmitry Motylkov said in his opening remarks that an average growth rate of the global furniture market exceeded 10%. Russia saw a similar growth just once, in 2013-2014. It was followed by a decline, which domestic companies were tentatively recovering from. In the opinion of experts, the only way small furniture enterprises can survive in the future is to apply exclusive business techniques such as individual approach to customers or designer furniture.

"The increasing topicality of exports for Russian furniture companies is an interesting trend," he said. Domestic furniture is exported to Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, and Japan. This opportunity should be seized, and new sales channels should be developed. Exports of bedroom furniture, matrasses, and upholstered furniture are growing most rapidly, he said.

Alexey Lopukhin, the moderator of the forum’s analytical session and Director of Mebel. Investment. Retail gave a detailed description of the domestic furniture market.  After the premium segment plummeted 50% in 2018, new companies emerged in the market and occupied the niche, and some of them were demonstrating impressive dynamics, he said. Same as last year, sales of medium-priced furniture are prone to significant fluctuations. There are upward trends in selling of budget products. 

The Furniture as a Business Forum included numerous master classes and coaching events in addition to the Purchasing Centre for Retail Chains™, which hosted individual talks between furniture chain procurers and factories on the supply of furniture and component parts. This is an opportunity of furniture market actors to establish business contacts and broaden their business.   

The Mebel official website: www.meb-expo.ru/en/.

 

Press Service, Expocentre AO

 

 


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