Trade speaks Italian in Kiev

Interior Mebel 2017 have just opened the doors and it’s been more than a start: it’s been a real takeoff. In a country with an unstable economy, a devalued currency and still problems on the border, the signals launched by the furniture market are very positive and Made in Italy is an undisputed protagonist.
Kiev means Ukraine as Moscow and St. Petersburg mean Russia: the trade system is all concentrated here. If Kiev restarts, the whole nation benefits from it.

The Ukrainian furniture trade is composed by three main groups: Freedom (undisputed leader with 5 showrooms in addition to the one in partnership with Visionnaire), Rimini Company and Dominio. These three giants have monopolized a significant exhibition area at Interior Mebel with several individual stands customized with the collections of the major Italian furniture companies: from Cassina to Porada, from Selva to Arketipo, from Rugiano to Poliform, to name but some.

This virtuous oligarchy is now well coordinated to meet more articulated requests related to projects, where the “customization” is the keyword, flexibility and speed are essential skills. Even companies that represent the most important Italian brands are gearing up to better embrace the design world needs, as confirmed Maxim Topchi, young and enterprising CEO of The First, a delegate agency in Ukraine for brands like Selva, Lema and FontanaArte.

Because of the wide public recorded since the opening, Interior Mebel 2017 actually marks a positive turning point, a change of direction from the last two editions that had slowly but steadily recovered to grow. A mixed audience – as usual for exhibitions in East Europe – made of retailers, importers, distributors, agents, privates and young interior designers, attracted by an interesting program of workshops and conferences held in the central Auditorium.
Interior Mebel 2017 confirms a positive trend in the sector; it indicates the correct ways to find suitable local partners, demonstrating how the economic crisis may hide unforeseen areas of development and  new opportunities.