Portugal’s trade show offers European touch on manufacturing, design
Cindy W. Hodnett// Executive Editor of Brand Development// July 17, 2023 Upholstery Brooklyn
PORTO, Portugal — Upholstery, case goods, accent décor, lighting, and textiles were center stage at the annual Portugal Home Week show last month. So were discussions about the home of the future, sustainability and sourcing opportunities with Portuguese manufacturers that could provide solutions for U.S. buyers exploring new international partners.
Held in the Alfandega Congress Center in Porto and organized by the Portuguese Assn. of Furniture and Related Industries (APIMA) and Aicep Portugal Global, the third annual Portugal Home Week included the Home Show and the Home Summit, a combination of product and exhibitors as well as educational sessions that overviewed forecasts about the future of the home furnishings industry in Portugal and beyond.
“The Home Show of the third edition of Portugal Home Week showcased the best and latest innovations of approximately 50 premium companies of the Portuguese Home Row,” said Gualter Morgado, executive director of APIMA. “This year, more than 200 international guests attended the event, including countries from traditional markets such as Spain, France, the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, but also from emergent markets like South Korea and South Africa.”
Morgado said the the furniture and home products featured at Portugal Home Week have continued to gain wider recognition on the international market since the inception of the event. He added that buyers at this year’s show said they were impressed with Portuguese craftsmanship and sustainability practices, as well as the quality and finishes of the products shown.
“In 2022, an extremely challenging year for economies all over the world, the Portuguese Home Row companies grew 12% compared with 2021 and exceeded the best pre-pandemic results,” Morgado explained. “For 2023, we anticipate the possibility of surpassing the 2 billion euros barrier in exports.”
Adding that 2022 was a year of growth across 10 main markets, Morgado said the U.S. is the country where export growth has been the greatest over the last few years.
“The United States is the third most relevant market for Portugal, having registered a year-on-year variation of 27%. In the past five years, the U.S. didn’t even figure in the top five markets, but last year reached third place, standing, along with South Korea, among the most promising markets for Portuguese products.”
According to APIMA officials, the Portuguese Home Row alone is responsible for 7% of all exports of the Portuguese economy. Exporting companies included in PHR feature furniture, bedding, home textiles, lighting, decorative and utilitarian ceramics, and tabletop products.
Bedding manufacturer Colmol was one of the exhibiting companies during Portugal Home Week. Andre Soares, vice president of sales, Europe, said that the event exceeded his expectations.
“We spoke to buyers from many different countries including France, Korea, the U.S., Portugal, Spain, and Poland, and designers from Los Angeles and New York,” Soares noted, adding that Colmol introduced several new bedding products at the event.
“We launched a new mattress with a plush comfort and special ice fabric, and a mattress made with Repreve fabric made from recycled plastic bottles,” he said. “Today at Colmol, we are thinking about environmental issues to lead the way for sustainability.”
Production time is currently four weeks at Colmol, described by Soares as a mid-high end mattress business with good/better/best range. Currently, the company is producing 500 mattresses a day, but expects to increase capacity in 2023.
“We are increasing our volume with the acquisition of new machines to be able to produce around 800 mattresses a day in the next few months,” Soares said. “We sell a tailor-made solution for our customers that meets the rigors and demands of today’s market.”
Laskasas also introduced new product at Portugal Home Week and additionally welcomed buyers and attendees to the company’s factory. At the event, the Decker modular sofa, available in multiple configurations, showcased Laskasas’ customization capabilities, as did the Edward modular sectional for sister company, Domkapa.
“Everything is handmade, built from scratch, and highly customizable,” said Antoine Neto, trade specialist. “We have a short lead time and upholstery options that can accommodate as many as 12 people.”
Décor company Claraval debuted Sound-Made Ceramics at Portugal Home Week, and company spokesperson Fabio Caldas said the event was “truly remarkable.”
“We had the opportunity to engage with numerous buyers and industry professionals who showed great interest in our products, and it was an excellent platform for networking and showcasing our world-first Sound-Made Ceramics, a really innovative concept and revolutionary way of producing ceramics,” Caldas said. “Through computational design, 3D printing and traditional ceramic fabrication, we transform sound into fluid, harmonic and unique Fine-Art Ceramics.”
Caldas added that Claraval is equipped to work with U.S. buyers and is actively pursuing partnerships.
“Our company has a robust production capacity that allows us to fulfil significant orders,” he said. “While the exact number of pieces we can produce per day depends on various factors such as complexity and size, we have the ability to scale our production to meet the demands of the U.S. market, since our main market for our group’s other brand is precisely the U.S. This means that we already have very experience exporting our products to the U.S.A.”
Cacio Sublime Furniture showed the Plana collection, solid wood case pieces with options of lacquered or glass tops, all produced in Portugal. A family-owned company in business since 1955, Cacio currently offers oak furniture pieces featuring rustic to modern styles in multiple collections of living and dining rooms and more than 200 catalogued products.
Zagas Furniture featured new bedroom and living room collections for Portugal Home Week including Statera case pieces and Mooza accessories that are “design oriented and for a higher-end market,” according to officials. Company representative Jorge Ribeiro said that the response was strong to the product launch.
“We have had good feedback from the U.S. market,” Ribeiro noted. “We’ve been manufacturing in Porto for 75 years, and now we’re trying to branch into the U.S. market as well as South Africa.”
MAB showcased a whole home presentation at the Portugal Home Week event. Rui Barbosa, general manager, said that MAB is a family-owned business with a focus on designing and producing a distinctive line of custom furniture with unique metalwork and upholstery materials.
“We have 40 years of experience and offer a full concept for houses, including furniture, bath and closets,” Barbosa noted. “We work with the U.K. and throughout Europe, as well as with the U.S.”
Salma Furniture is also expanding into the U.S. market through shows including Maison & Objet in Paris and the BDNY show in New York. Officials noted that the company’s hallmark is creating “statement pieces that last a lifetime,” and for the Portugal show, Salma debuted a “bold, not shocking,” dining table and chairs crafted from oak and ceramic materials.
Tabula also showed new dining options.
“We’re a second-generation company that has been in business for 50 years, and our core business is dining tables,” said Luis Silva, sales manager for Tabula. “We can fabricate wood and metal inside our facility and customize as requested.”
For Morgado, the third edition of Portugal Home Week met APIMA’s goals of allowing exhibitors to start and continue their conversations with an international audience.
“The Portuguese companies offer a unique combination of tradition and innovation, as well as competitive prices that are very attractive to several international markets,” Morgado said. “We received excellent feedback, proving that this event is not only relevant, but necessary, especially as the Portuguese Home Row gains further recognition on an international stage.
“We needed a platform where people from all over the world could discover the Portuguese brands and their solutions in depth, in their home country, and in their sphere of influence,” continued Morgado. “The participating companies reported a deeper interest in their solutions, and more openness and willingness to visit their premises, while visitors were positively pleased with the design and quality, as well as the care we put into making our products and our production as sustainable as possible.
“We combine a strong and proud culture, great craftsmanship, excellent finishes and high-quality materials with fresh design, innovation, and a strong focus on sustainability,” Morgado concluded. “We are very proud of what we do, and it shows in every piece we make. I believe the world is finally beginning to acknowledge the relevance and the unique value of what is made in Portugal.”
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