At the ongoing Cologne International Furniture Exhibition in Germany, well-known Chinese home appliance and home furnishing companies such as Haier, Qumei, and Muse attracted a lot of attention. Chinese brands are accelerating their European market layout and enhancing their overseas visibility.
      Located in Hall 10 of the exhibition, the Nordic brand's Streets showroom is renowned for its luxurious lounge chairs and sofas, which are known for their comfort and have attracted numerous professional customers like in previous years. Unlike before, the service team that negotiated with these merchants included several Chinese people from Qumei Home Furnishings Group, which successfully acquired this brand last year. Wu Nani, Vice President of Qumei Home Furnishings Group, told reporters that in the past, most Chinese home furnishing companies were agents behind internationally renowned brands. Now, Qumei has solved its export channel problems through overseas mergers and acquisitions. She said: As we deepen our understanding of the demand in foreign markets, we will gradually try more export methods in the future, including opening Qumei brand stores overseas.
      Chinese dormitory supplies brand Muse has reappeared in Hall 9 of the Cologne Convention and Exhibition Center this year. It is understood that after several years of exploration, the Musco Cologne store, which opened at the end of 2014, achieved a rapid growth in performance last year, with sales growth exceeding 120% in the first 11 months of 2018.
      Mr. He Yu, the manager of Muse (Germany) Co., Ltd., said: We are well aware that it is very difficult to establish a foothold in the European market, but building a brand requires time and unremitting efforts. Only by going through such strict tests can we truly become an international brand.
      Chinese home appliance giant Haier made its debut at the exhibition this year. Thomas Wittering, General Manager of Haier (Germany), told reporters that a smart refrigerator launched by Haier at this exhibition is priced at 3999 euros, which is almost twice the price of similar products from the famous German home appliance brand Miller. This indicates that Haier has entered the high-end brand category in Europe.
      Vitellin stated that Haier will invest 1 billion euros in the European region to expand marketing. In 2018, Haier also announced the acquisition of Italian home appliance company Candy, with the aim of strengthening Haier's layout in the European market and expanding its global brand cluster.
      The Cologne International Furniture Fair in Germany is recognized by the industry as one of the three major international furniture exhibitions, and this exhibition will be held from January 14th to 20th. According to data released by the organizers, the Cologne International Furniture Fair received 125000 professional visitors last year.