The 13th international exhibition of furniture and interior design, Baltic Furniture 2008, to be held on 2–5 October 2008 at the International Exhibition Centre in Kipsala, will feature the awarding of the Baltic Furniture Manufacturer Design Award 2008 in three categories: Industrial Design, Unique Design and Design Idea.

The aim of the Baltic Furniture Manufacturer Design Award 2008 competition is to highlight the achievements of the Baltic furniture manufacturers in the field of design, to foster development of furniture design and cooperation of furniture manufacturers with designers, to improve recognisability of manufacturers of industrial and unique furniture on domestic and international markets through boosting exports of furniture.

The competition is organised by the International Exhibition Company BT 1 and the association Latvijas MÄ“beles (Latvian Furniture).

The Baltic Furniture Manufacturer Design Award 2008 may be contested by samples of furniture design developed in the period from October 2006 to October 2008 by Baltic furniture manufacturers, designers and students in furniture design. Competition entry may be an item already in production. The nomination Design Idea invites to participate free of charge students of educational programmes in design, designer groups and designers under 36 years of age from the Baltic States and other countries. Applications will be accepted by 15 September 2008 (more information at www.balticfurniture.net).

Competition entries will be judged on 2–3 October by a professional international jury consisting of Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Russian designers; Latvian, Russian and German journalists from leading interior magazines; teaching staff; furniture manufacturers and dealers.

The jury will judge competition entries according to aesthetic considerations, functionality and usability (ergonomics), technological solution, quality, market potential, innovation used in development.

Organisers of the exhibition will give a grand prix award to a product manufacturer and a prize to the best product manufacturer in each nomination.

Prizes will also be given and events covered by cooperation partners and information sponsors of the competition from Russian ELITE. Teritorija Interjera, Domus, Novij Dom, Ideji Vašego Doma, Project Baltia, Tatlin, Proekt Rosija, Proekt International, Proekt Klassika; from German Möbelmarkt; from Latvian Dizaina Studija, Latvijas Architektūra, AD Baltii, Dienas Bizness, Bizness & Baltija, DF, Multiprese, Interior, www.e-mebeles.lv, www.1180.lv, www.reklama.lv; from Lithuanian Namas Ir Aš and Centras; as well as by Estonian media.

Prize winners will be announced and awarded on 3 October 2008 at 12:00 at the International Exhibition Centre in Kipsala.

Baltic Furniture 2008 exhibition with its accompanying activities and competitions will take place during the project Design Month in Riga managed by the Riga City Council. This project will feature various events and activities throughout the whole month of October in Riga.

The fair, Baltic Furniture 2008, is held by the International Exhibition Company BT 1 in cooperation with the association Latvijas MÄ“beles, Riga City Council, Latvian Designers’ Society, Baltic Architecture Centre, Latvian Investment and Development Agency and Estonia’s Wood Processing Association Eesti Puutööliit.

Since 1993, Turkel Fair Organization Inc., has been organizing trade fairs on a wide spectrum across the four continents, including such countries as Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Baltic Republics, Poland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Spain, Latvia, Romania, Tunis, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Ghana, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria, Venezuela, Canada, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Tatarstan.

Turkel organizes around thirty trade fairs each year and the biggest in its class international exhibition of fur- and leatherwear “LeShow”, which is annually staged in Moscow, is a kind of the company’s business card. Read more »

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c47688) has announced the addition of World Furniture Outlook 2007: With Furniture Indicators for 60 Countries to their offering.

There is an increasing degree of openness in the furniture sector world-wide. The growth in world furniture trade has two determinants: the increasing openness of the markets and the growth in world consumption, which has also affected the developing countries since the mid-80′s, with the emergence of hundreds of millions of consumers with levels of spending similar to western ones. Developing countries are therefore potential customers for middle and upper-middle range furniture produced in industrial countries. Read more »

Research and Markets has announced the addition of “World Furniture Outlook 2006-2007″ to their offering.

There is an increasing degree of openness in the furniture sector world-wide. The growth in world furniture trade has two determinants: the increasing openness of the markets and the growth in world consumption, which has also affected the developing countries since the mid-80′s, with the emergence of hundreds of millions of consumers with levels of spending similar to western ones. Developing countries are therefore potential customers for middle and upper-middle range furniture produced in industrial countries.

This report provides an overview of the world furniture industry with basic data (production, consumption, imports, exports) and scenario 2006/2007 for 60 furniture markets. The growth of furniture imports and the role of furniture exporting countries in the world marketplace are also considered. Prospects of world furniture trade in 2006/2007 and forecasts on the evolution of furniture markets in the 60 countries (selected according to their contribution to production and international trade of furniture) are based on the analysis of furniture industry dynamics and of macro-economic indicators. Read more »

The highly competitive office furniture market has seen little consolidation so far, but the myriad of small companies in the sector already see a positive effect from rapid office space development, especially in the regions outside Prague.

There are about 200 major office furniture suppliers on the Czech market, but small furniture suppliers, who offer made-to-order office furniture, constitute the largest portion. “According to our estimates, there are around 3,000 furniture producers in the Czech Republic,” said Tomáš Lukeš, secretary general of the Association of the Czech Furniture Manufacturers (AČN), noting that data on the exact number of active producers is unavailable. Various sources put the number between 2,500 and 4,000. Major players in the Czech furniture market include Ahrend, Interior PFD, Techo, Steelcase, Vitra Koncept and Samas Česká republika.

The market is healthy with net sales and exports both on an upward trend. The production of wooden office furniture grew to Kč 1.38 billion (E 48 million) last year from Kč 1.26 billion in 2004. Metal office furniture production recorded a similar increase to Kč 1.27 billion from Kč 1.15 billion on the year. The Czech Republic exports more office furniture than it imports, and last year imports recorded a slight decrease. On the year, the export of wooden and metal office furniture rose last year to Kč 721 million and Kč 594 million, from Kč 610 million and Kč 500 million, respectively. Imports dropped to Kč 312 million in 2005 from Kč 314 million for wooden office furniture, and to Kč 243 million from Kč 248 million for metal office furniture in 2004.

While there are no results available for this year’s market, there’s no indication that the there will be a drop in production, according to AÄŒN’s LukeÅ¡. Ahrend, for example, has witnessed increased demand. “We’ve already exceeded last year’s results,” said Helena Kudláčková, customer support team leader at Ahrend, adding that the company expects a “big” increase in revenues this year, declining to give specific figures. Last fall Ahrend acquired a 75 percent stake in its rival, Techo, and became the leader in sales on the CEE market. Both brands continue to operate on the market, and the two companies seek to complement each other, with Ahrend offering luxury furniture and Techo catering to mass demand. Read more »

Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Friday morning he had to interfere in the criminal case over the Russian furniture trading company Grand so as to attract independent investigators to it.

“I had to bring in an investigator from the Leningrad region who has no connections with the law enforcement system and the customs service in Moscow,” Putin said.

“Investigators of the prosecutor’s office worked well, wrote the entire volumes, and the court will understand what jurists they are,” Putin emphasized.

Meanwhile, he recalled that the presumption of innocence is effective in Russia. “Several suspects were arrested, they are not guilty, until a verdict is passed. Until this I believe it wrong to declare them guilty,” he pointed out. Read more »

Vietnamese furniture exports fetched over half a billion dollars in the first four months of 2006, a 7 percent year-on-year increase, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Industry experts hope that furniture export revenue would exceed the US$2 billion mark by year’s end.

The European Union market, projected to remain on a healthy development track with increasing demands for second and third quarters, bought up $150 million in furniture made-in-Vietnam.

Furniture export companies should scale up trade promotion, notably in the untapped EU markets such as Latvia, Slovenia and Slovakia, experts said.

Vietnam’s furniture exports quoted a record US$1.4 billion last year with US and EU as its main customers.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33958) has announced the addition of The Furniture Industry in the European Union (Volume II): EU Enlargement Countries + Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine to their offering.

This report offers a comprehensive picture of the furniture sector in Central and Eastern Europe, providing trends in furniture production, furniture consumption, furniture imports and exports in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Factors determining the demand for furniture are examined, as well as furniture distribution channels and furniture prices.

For each country the furniture supply structure is analysed, with data on furniture companies and employment. Profiles of the main furniture manufacturers and distributors, with turnover, production facilities, employees, exports and product mix, are provided. Read more »