Exporting to Germany

Question

Our client designs and manufactures children’s storage such as bookcases. They turnover £400K and already sell to Australia, US and online to other countries. Is there a register of distributors they can access?

Answer

Dear Diana,Thank you for your question.I have passed it on to my colleague in the Commercial Section of the British Consulate General in Dusseldorf to respond to.In the meantime, your client may be interested in Ambiente, which is a major event in the household goods sector. It will take place in Frankfurt in February 2013. UKTI can provide grants for small to medium sized UK companies who would like to attend this event.Please see this link for more details http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/eventssearchext.html?country=%2Feurope%2Fwesterneurope%2Fgermany&sector=%2Fhouseholdgoodsfurniturefurnishings&x=12&y=15 Regards,Jennie

Answer

There is unfortunately no German register of distributors that specialise in children’s furniture. The majority of furniture sold via the specialist nursery and children’s retail trade is more for babies and small children, i.e. cribs, cots, changing cabinets, wardrobes, highchairs etc. Furniture such as bookcases is more likely to be sold via mainstream furniture stores.
Many furniture stores in Germany are members of a purchasing organisation. Commission agents are also active in the market.
The main trade fair for the children’s sector is Kind+Jugend that is held annually in Cologne. The next fair is scheduled to take place from 13 – 16 September 2012.

Export Action Plan