VIP Retail Flooring Tour at DOMOTEX: January 17, 2011

One of the benefits of attending DOMOTEX for visitors from North America is getting a firsthand look at how flooring is sold in Europe.  Not just on the DOMOTEX fairgrounds, but also - thanks to the VIP Retail Tour taking place January 17, 2011 - in local Hannover, Germany, retail stores.

The VIP Retail Tour, sponsored by DOMOTEX, officially started in 2010 when we explored several DIY stores in Hannover.  Following a successful DIY retail store tour at DOMOTEX last year, we are happy to announce the return of the program which offers North American buyers a closer look at the retail floor covering market in Germany.

We have lined up three different retail businesses that sell flooring and are located in and around the city of Hannover:  Tedox, a value priced retailer selling a full range of products; Kibek, a mid range retailer selling floor covering and other home decorating products, and SCHLAU Groβhandel, a high end wholesaler for the designer trade.

I expect this tour to be particularly informative.

The Hannover Flooring Stores VIP Retail Tour will take place on Monday, January 17th and will last about 2 ½ hours. Transportation to and from the fairgrounds is complimentary; translators accompany us for each tour and we will meet with store managers for a true insiders' perspective on retailing in Germany.

We offer three Tours to choose from: one departing at 9:30am, at 12:30pm or at 3:30pm. Space is limited so please reserve your spot at your earliest opportunity by letting me know or Jim Gould.

Here is additional information on the stores we will be visiting during the Hannover Flooring Stores VIP Retail Tour on January 17, 2011:

VIP Retail Tour Retailer: Kibek

Kibek is one of the world’s leading commercial traders in the field of carpets and floor coverings. The business was founded in Elmshorn, Germany in 1951 by Walter Sachau. The 14 retail stores across Germany provide the largest selection of floor coverings in the German market. Each Kibek store has over 30,000 carpets, 1,000 rolls of wall-to-wall carpeting and many shelf meters of home accessories and home textiles. The Kibek store in Elmshorn, with its 20,000 m² of sales area, is in fact the largest carpet store in the world

VIP Retail Tour Retailer: Tedox KG

Founded in June of 1972 as Teppich Domane Harste, tedox KG is a rapidly expanding home improvement retailer with over 80 stores across Germany. In addition to carpets and other floor coverings, tedox offers curtains and textiles, wallpaper and paint, lamps, tools and DIY supplies, household goods, interior decorating materials, furniture and a wide range of special items – a rich product range which makes tedox unique throughout all of Germany. tedox stores boast an average floor space of about 3,200 square meters (approx. 34,450 square feet) featuring some 15,000 retail items. More than 14 million customers a year shop at tedox.

VIP Retail Tour Retailer: SCHLAU Groβhandel

The SCHLAU/HAMMER Group operates 13 SCHLAU wholesale stores in northern, western and eastern Germany. Painters, floor and parquet layers, specialist stores and specialist retailers throughout Germany rely on SCHLAU to find the goods they need. The company offers skilled tradesmen and craftsmen one of the biggest and most varied selections in the field of interior and facade design and is thus one of the leading wholesalers in this segment. In addition to the SCHLAU wholesale markets, the Group also operates 180 HAMMER retail stores for interior design.

Please let me know if you have any questions. To reserve a spot on one of the VIP Retail Flooring Tours taking place on January 17, please contact Jim Gould via phone at 314-812-2700 or email at jgould@floorcoveringinstitute.com or me via the contact information below or email: kleon@hfusa.com.

Jim and I look forward to seeing on one of the three VIP Flooring Retail Tours taking place on January 17 during DOMOTEX 2011.

~ Katherine


Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

Souk Deluxe at DOMOTEX 2010, Hall 20

Souk Deluxe brings exotic inspiration to DOMOTEX 2011's handmade rug trend display in Hall 20.

A souq or souk is an Arabic word that typically designates a market or central bazaar where local merchants set up items such as textiles, spices and jewelry. One of the most well known Souks is located in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh.

Inspired by this concept, world renowned designer and contemporary rug artist, Jan Kath, has created a special presentation and trend display at DOMOTEX appropriately named SOUK Deluxe. At Souk Deluxe you will find the highest quality of handmade carpet - created by 17 companies belonging to the world's "knotted rug avant garde" - prominently displayed in a sort of three dimensional format.

As you can see from the photo below, the rugs are displayed in various platforms that allow visitors to view the pieces from different angles which further ties in the concept of a souk because none of the platforms are perfectly aligned.

According to the recent press release,

"The underlying concept for Souk Deluxe in 2011 is a “Rug Wave” – a wave that washes the latest innovations and trends in hand-made carpets onto the market. The visual impact of the stand design communicates both elegance and creative energy."

You can read the entire release Souk Deluxe: Hand-made carpets of the highest quality. It details the source of inspiration as well as how the displays contribute to the overall effect.

The concept of Souk Deluxe is for buyers, designers and other industry members to view the latest new products in the handmade sector as well as network with their peers and exhibitors in the neighboring booths. This special presentation in Hall 20 is not to be missed. It will be as elegant and stylish as only Jan Kath can create!

I can't wait to experience it myself and look forward to hearing your reactions.

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

Shaw Contract Group at DOMOTEX 2011

Great news!  Shaw Contract Group has returned to DOMOTEX after a long hiatus.  They will be located within the CONTRACTWORLD forum in Hall 4 with award winning designs prominently displayed in their booth space. Shaw is interested and excited about networking with global buyers.

Shaw will also be engaged in a panel discussion during which they will talk about their journey to sustainability and their commitment to Cradle-to-Cradle design.

As a key component of DOMOTEX, CONTRACTWORLD is emerging as the largest forum for European architects, interior designers, and planners to share ideas, network with manufacturers and be exposed to new trends in their industry.

As Jim Gould explains in his November 3rd, 2010 interview with TalkFloor's Dave Foster [link to MP3], CONTRACTWORLD will have a noticeable theme of environmental sustainability that will include special presentations and panel discussion with prominent architects and designers and leading global manufacturers. One of these manufacturers will be Shaw Contract Group.

[You can also access Part 3 of the interview with Jim Gould via this link.]

More information will be forthcoming regarding specific speakers at CONTRACTWORLD, but we are working on bringing in expert industry leaders in the Cradle to Cradle model. Stay tuned for new developments.

In the meantime, take a look at this Forbes interview about designing Earth-Friendly products with William McDonough, renowned architect and creator with German chemist Dr. Michael Braungart of the philosophy of Cradle to Cradle Design.  It explains the concept of C2C and how Shaw has taken huge leaps to improve production of their carpets while keeping the environment safe.

Welcome Shaw Contract Group to DOMOTEX and CONTRACTWORLD 2011! We look forward to learning more about sustainability and Cradle to Cradle design.

~ Katherine


Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432