We are almost there! In a month, The European market for kitchen furniture will be issued. Meanwhile, read an article about the Kitchen furniture market in Germany, written by Aurelio Volpe.

1. 28 WF - March 2015 www.worldfurnitureonline.com
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MARKETS
KITCHEN & BATHROOM
itchen furniture consumption in
Germany is recording a small
growth of about 1-2 percentage
points. Trend is different among compa-
nies, with some players performing +5%
growth or more (Ballerina, Brigitte,
Sachsenküchen, others) and some big
and mid-sized players registering a loss.
Low end of the market is pretty flat, mid-
low is suffering, while upper end is per-
forming well.
Building permits in Germany witness a
rise of 3% in the construction of
detached and semi-detached houses.
This can be a driver for kitchen furniture
consumption growth. Average price of
kitchens in Germany is around Eur
6300 (+2% on the previous year). Price
is higher (Eur 7000-10000) for kitchens
offered by kitchen specialists. For exam-
ple Küchen Treff sales are mostly in the
range of Eur 5000-11000, with frequent
promotions (when purchasing, you
receive a discounted high end appliance
or a worktop). Kitchens bought in furni-
ture chains are usually priced at Eur
2300. Price is Eur 6700 for kitchens
sold in traditional furniture stores. Most
of German mid-sized kitchen furniture
manufacturers offer a price range
including seven different levels.
WHERE TO EXPORT?
German export of kitchen furniture is
growing towards France, Belgium, the
K Netherlands and China. Export growth
in 2014 was only +1%, because some
traditional markets for German export
such as Austria, Italy, Spain, East
Europe and Russia are not performing
well.
Brigitte is well established in France in
the mid end of the market. Nobilia regis-
tered a record Eur 180 million in France
last year, and it became the third brand
on the French market after Schmidt-
SALM and Mobalpa-Fournier (Fournier
is now negotiating with Nobia group to
by Aurelio Volpe
CSIL International Market Research
KITCHEN FURNITURE MARKET
IN GERMANY... AND MORE
buy its Hygena stores in France). Nobia
signed on October 30th 2014 an agree-
ment for the sale of Hygena Cuisines
SAS to the French kitchen company
Fournier Group. The Hygena brand is a
well-known kitchen chain in France that
offers complete flat-pack kitchen solu-
tions at attractive prices. Installation
services are sold as part of the total
offering. Hygena kitchens were previ-
ously manufactured in Germany but
Ballerina

2. since 2013 they have been produced in
the UK. Companies well established in
the Chinese market include Nobilia in
the retail market and Allmilmö in the con-
tract market.
KoelnMesse is partnered with China
National Hardware Association in organ-
izing CIKB – China International Kitchen
and Bathroom Expo. The fair’s third edi-
tion will take place from 21 to 23
October 2015 at the Shanghai World
Expo Center. An agreement has been
signed among Warendorfer Küchen
(CoBe Capital group) and World View
Kitchen (Xiamen), that with its 400 out-
lets is among the leading players in the
Chinese kitchen furniture market.
Signals of growth are registered also in
Switzerland, United Kingdom (from local
manufacturers, while imports are suffer-
ing), and Turkey. Market is decreasing in
Italy, France and, at least in the first
semester, in Spain. The Dutch market is
stable (even growing during the last
months of year, according to some
sources), after years of strong
decrease.
Concentration is growing in most of the
markets: Mandemaakers and Ikea alto-
gether are rising their market share in
Netherlands (Mandeemakers sells a lot
of German manufactured kitchens), as
well as Howdens Joinery in UK (where
Italians and Germans are lowering their
shares), Scavolini, Lube and Veneta
Cucine in Italy.
MORE BRANDS FOR KITCHENS
German kitchen furniture market has
always been ruled by purchasing
groups, and nowadays they are trying to
diversify their proposal through new
brands: Reddy for MHK, “Eligo” for
Küchen Treff, Liva for
Garant’s Küchen
Areal. Also kitchen fur-
niture manufacturers
are increasingly fight-
ing in the market with
more brands: Ewe
(Austrian branch of the
Nobia group) intro-
duced the Intuo brand few years ago for
the mid upper, design oriented market.
In Italy, Lube launched the Creo brand
last year for the lower end of the market.
Big players (Nobilia, but also Alno,
Nolte, Schüller…) frequently allow to do
more business, but it seems (source:
Markt Intern survey, January 2015) that
mid sized players are “best friends of
kitchen specialists”, according to 11 cri-
teria of trade satisfaction: Ballerina,
Rempp, Zeyko, Bauformat Rank are top
positioned.
WORKTOPS
Most of worktops sold in the German
market are laminate, especially when
delivered directly by the kitchen furniture
manufacturer. Solid surface worktops
hardly increase in the German market,
while engineered stone is growing, at
least for kitchens priced over Eur 8000
up to Eur 10000. New ceramic work-
tops are made from Juma and Lechner
and address a luxury market (in a Eur
20000 kitchen, ceramic worktops
weight around 15% of total price).
MORE COLOURS IN THE KITCHEN
Although with different hues (white grey,
ice white….), some 50% of German
kitchens sold are “white”. Neverthless
German manufacturers are introducing
new palettes of colours. In sinks, there
is a trend for ceramics as well as steel
and solid surfaces, just like for work-
tops, with steel and solid surface sinks
still enjoying great popularity.
Sinks are frequently coloured today.
“Subway” by Villeroy & Boch is available
in 12 colours, and the flat variant for
flush-mounted installation is available in
ten colours. Alongside with classic
wooden tones and white hues, bright
plain colours are on offer again. Blue
and its hues, emerging from a decade-
long ban, is once again available, as it is
warm red. For kitchen fronts, grey is
popular, with a spectrum ranging from
“concrete” to dark anthracite to “greige”
- a blend of beige and grey. Black will be
a new trend. Wood is still on demand but
almost only veneered (exceptions:
Oster, Team 7, Kornmüller).
Trendsetter colours include Magnolia
(Sachsenküchen), Ivory, Satin Grey
(Nobilia). New woods: Eucalyptus
(Störmer Küchen) but oak is still number
one.
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www.worldfurnitureonline.com 29March 2015 - WF
Zeyko
Rempp Küchen