Elmar Duffner new President of the Association of the German Furniture Industry

GERMANY – The Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM) has a new president: The general assembly elected Elmar Duffner in a video conference as Michael Stiehl’s successor.

The 60-year-old Duffner is the managing director of Vivonio Furniture GmbH in Munich and acted as VDM president from 2008 to 2014. His term of office is three years.

“In my new role, I would like to help ensure that the high level of performance of the German furniture industry is perceived even more strongly by the public. Our domestic furniture manufacturers – many of them real hidden champions – offer the highest quality and show the very best resilience in the Coronavirus crisis,” said Duffner. His focus is particularly on the new label of origin “Furniture Made in Germany”, launched by VDM on August 1st, which stands for quality furniture from German production. “Current developments in the industry show that consumers are increasingly reflecting on the importance of furniture and furnishings as a feel-good factor. Aspects such as origin, quality promise and sustainability play an increasingly important role when buying furniture.

The German furniture industry has so far been comparatively robust in the Coronavirus crisis. After a drastic drop in sales in the wake of the lockdown in the spring, demand picked up again surprisingly quickly. In addition to the kitchen furniture industry, providers in the living environment also benefited from the greater focus of consumers on their own home. In the summer months, the sales trend increasingly stabilized. For the month of August, the official statistics already show an increase in sales of 1.2 percent compared to the same month last year. From January to August 2020, the roughly 500 German furniture manufacturers generated sales of around 10.7 billion euros, 7.8 percent less than in the same period of the previous year. For 2020 as a whole, the industry is expecting sales to fall by up to 5 percent.