GERMANY - In the 2015 financial year, German kitchen-furniture manufacturer Nobilia-Werke, one of the largest in the world, surpassed the sales mark of €1 billion for the first time, with total revenues of €1,018 billion. 

It represents growth of 7.6% compared to 2014. Growth in 2013 and 2014 had been moderate, at 2.8% and 2.5% respectively.

The company attributes the latest improvement primarily to strong export business. Export turnover, with a plus of 14.7% to €427.3m, increased at a much greater rate than domestic revenues, which were up by 3% to €591.1m, and the export quota therefore rose to 42%.

Shares in the various export markets remained mainly the same. France, with a share of 42%, remains the main export market, followed by Belgium with 14%. Turnover generated in Austria in 2015 declined slightly, lowering that country’s share to 12%. Revenues achieved in the Netherlands (5%), Denmark (3%), Switzerland (2%), China (2%), Sweden (2%) and other countries (8%) remained virtually unchanged. Nobilia reports high growth rates in Great Britain and Spain, but those countries’ shares in turnover were unchanged, at 3% in each case.