EDITOR’S COMMENT
Andrew Kidd EDITOR
Ready, steady, go January’s annual flurry of exhibitions is about to get under way as a host of shows get the year started with a bang Passport at the ready? Taxi booked for the pre-dawn trip to the airport? Hotel details checked? A book in the hand luggage in case of delayed flights? If the preparations are all complete, you’re ready for the plethora of January shows. In the way that small children look forward to a December visit from a certain gentleman in a red suit, the start of the year wouldn’t be the same without being reacquainted with Frankfurt, London, Hannover, Cologne, the NEC (and Paris for some) as thousands of exhibitors at Heimtextil, Top Drawer, Domotex, imm Cologne, the January Furniture Show and Maison et Objet vie for your attention. Domotex has already given a taste of what to expect with its Innovations@domotex
monthly
Editor: Andrew Kidd January 2017
Interiors
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selection and hopefully the others will be equally awash with new products. Meanwhile, Headlam says its post-EU referendum prices rises have had no impact on demand. As has been said before, flooring is an infrequent purchase and the average consumer doesn’t know the cost of carpet or laminate. If the increases mean the carpet is £31 per sqm rather than £29.99 it doesn’t seem to matter. But it does perhaps beg the question of whether retailers have been charging as much as they could. The British Furniture Consortium’s 2017 manifesto is unlikely to have been on Theresa May’s festive reading list (even though it contains many good points on Brexit, such as employing Europeans, access to the single market and changes to trade rules). But one item that perhaps should be higher up the agenda is updating the flammability regulations. This has been ongoing since 2008 and there isn’t even a government implementation timetable. Victoria spending £20m on Australian underlay firm Dunlop won’t directly affect UK retailers but it’s bound to have left some UK companies disappointed that Victoria’s funds haven’t headed in their direction.
T: 01565 631 397 E: jbird@interiorsmonthly.co.uk Better your business: New products specifically designed to maximise your margins. Visit:www.tcsimports.com
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