Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Durham Furniture to Make Debut at Cologne Trade Fair
January 12,
2018 by Larry Thomas in Business Strategy, Industry 
Durham Furniture, a producer of solid wood bedroom and occasional furniture, will exhibit for the first time outside of North America next week when it opens its booth at Imm Cologne, the international home furnishings trade fair in Cologne, Germany.
The company said its 1,300 square-foot space will help grow sales in the European market, noting that it recently partnered with a sales agency that specializes in representing North American furniture producers in Europe and Russia.
The Cologne show takes place Jan. 15-21.
“We had a very positive year in 2017, and the addition of the IMM show to our market roster and our new sales agency partnership sets a strategic plan in place as we continue our momentum into 2018,” said Luke Simpson, president and CEO of Durham. “The home furnishings market in Europe is largely untapped from a North American manufacturer’s perspective, so we are very confident there is a large opportunity for our brand and unique product designs.”
The show space, located in Hall 5.1, space A-002, will include some of Durham’s best-selling collections, spanning a wide range of price points. Highlights include several new occasional groupings launched at the October 2017 High Point Market, as well as top-selling bedroom collections PerfectBalance, Prominence, Front Street, Defined Distinction, and Cascata.
In addition, the company will show pieces from the popular licensed group Mount Vernon George Washington Architect, a collection inspired by George and Martha Washington’s famous estate in Fairfax County, Virginia.
“As one of only three Canadian manufacturers exhibiting at the show, IMM is a great opportunity for us to spotlight our exceptional North American solid wood quality story with this new and diverse market,” said Simpson.
“Not only are we planning to make new business contacts in the retail sector, but we are also targeting the wholesale, contract and direct-to-trade marketplace. We are quite excited about the endless growth opportunities this fair offers our business and future,” he added.