GERMANY - The furniture industry and furniture trade in Germany are currently suffering from the current coronavirus restrictions.

While 85 percent of industrial companies have applied for short-time work due to a lack of orders, the majority of furniture stores are still closed. There are exceptions only for smaller stores with a sales area of up to 800 square meters .

In the run-up to the consultations scheduled for this week between the federal government and the federal states, the economic level associations Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM), the Trade Association for Furniture and Kitchens (BVDM) and the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (ZGV) are calling for further secured easing to resume economic activities. In a joint statement, the organizations refer to the positive experiences so far, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia.

It should be noted that the opening of shops in North Rhine-Westphalia has not led to any complications and that all protective measures for staff and customers in the sense of the Infection Protection Act have been implemented in an exemplary manner by the trade. While the coronavirus protection regulations of the federal states allow one customer per 10 or 20 square meters of retail space, many large furniture stores report measured values of over 100 square meters per customer. Customers adhere to the requirements of hygiene protection, ensure that there is sufficient space between them and willingly accept the instructions from the staff.

With a view to the further discussion, BVDM, VDM and ZGV are in favor of area-independent opening concepts. Such a view is also supported by the decision of the Bavarian Administrative Court, which regards the classification of the 800 square meter limit as unconstitutional. Secure opening concepts are not based on the size of the furniture store, but on the coherence and consistency of the measures taken. The controls of the regulatory agencies in North Rhine-Westphalia have proven the practical suitability of the protection and hygiene measures in the past week, which provides a good template for the other federal states.