The leading furniture fair held every spring in Poznań has both supporters and detractors. Some producers and distributors have not exhibited for years and maintain that the trade fair formula is already passé. Others-first and foremost Polish producers-consider the fair a place to meet with their own distributors. Foreign producers without representative offices in Poland are only occasional exhibitors in Poznań, but certain new trends are developing. Poland is now a destination for not only producers and distributors from Western Europe, a trend encouraged by European Union accession, but also those from the Far East. This year, Poznań hosted a number of Chinese producers of furniture and office designs-inexpensive and often similar to Poland's domestic products. Their expansion westwards via Poland may be faster than many expect.

The Poznań fair has long facilitated furniture producers with a way to evaluate opportunities in the sector, both on the domestic market and abroad. Visitors include distributors from Western Europe, mainly Germany, in search of interesting products that are less expensive than those produced at home. Polish firms have long sought furniture sales opportunities abroad-and not only in Europe. Poland is a major European furniture producer, and the potential of many Polish factories is not fully exploited. Over the past 10-15 years, a number of office furniture producers have also joined the market whose designs sell successfully in developed countries. Domestic competition and declining demand have forced Polish producers such as Nowy Styl, Balma, Mikomax and Profim to step up the search for foreign markets. Today, Nowy Styl exports 60 percent of its output and Balma has trade representative offices in Germany, while Profim and Mikomax sell in Great Britain and Germany.

This year, Poznań hosted first and foremost Polish producers and their wares. The largest stand of over 2,500 square meters belonged to Grupa Nowy Styl, a leading Polish and European office and restaurant chair producer. "In recent years, the range of products and brands has expanded so much that we have decided to share them with our distributors. This is also an opportunity to present new brands to our Western and Ukrainian partners," says Adam Krzanowski, co-owner of Nowy Styl.

Nowy Styl is constantly looking for expansion opportunities. The company, with an annual production volume of 6 million chairs, a network of 10 production plants in Poland and five distribution companies worldwide, continues to introduce new brands. A few years ago, the firm acquired the upmarket upholstered furniture brand Eljot and merged with the Austrian office furniture producer Bene to become Bene Nowy Styl. This year, the group has introduced Stylistica, its latest brand featuring wooden tables and chairs for home and restaurants. After Eljot sofas and armchairs, this is yet another home furnishing line. The Stylistica collection was inspired by the architecture and style of European cities and regions. Polish and Italian designers have combined tradition and modernity. Cracow chairs and an Alsace table incorporate exclusive designs for Stylistica by Paolo Galeotti. The Polish premiere of the Quo Sideo brand of office chairs also took place in Poznań. This range is addressed to the most demanding customers and equipped with state-of-the-art technical solutions-created by European designers such as Claudio Bellini, Jurgen Karlsholm and Krajan Hamelink. The new brand, unlike the economically priced chairs associated with Nowy Styl, are intended for well-off customers. BN Office Furniture-another new brand by Grupa Nowy Styl-includes the Easy Space and Primo Space furniture lines for modern offices. The group's auditorium furniture system Vision, designed by the Charaziak Design studio, was awarded a medal at the fair. The chairs may be used in regular conference rooms and theater-style-rooms.

A completely new brand of upholstered furniture featuring a sophisticated modern design was launched by Polish office furniture producer Balma. The Noti upholstered furniture collection is based on Balma's existing production capabilities, but represents a novel furnishing choice for the home and office, says Ryszard Balcerkiewicz, the owner of Balma. He says this new line is the result of cooperation with well-known Polish designers Piotr Kuchciński, Jerzy Porębski, Grzegorz Niwiński and Jerzy Langier. Mula armchairs and sofas were designed by Kuchciński and incorporate designs that can easily rival those by other European designers. The creator of the design focused on its lines, proportions, the selection of material and workmanship. The collections Mula, Trisos, Slim and Estinto are designed for the connoisseur who appreciates the beauty of furniture.

New sofas designed by Tomasz Augustyniak were also presented by COM 40. One of these models, the May, can be used in any home, office or waiting room.

The ABC Formy Siedzenia factory in Swarzędz near Poznań presented its Plio lines of folding chair and tables for conference rooms, designed by Daniel Figureon. ABC Formy Siedzenia is actually a local producer of Swiss office chairs by Sitag.

"The Plio line was wholly manufactured in Poland," says Marcus Vonhausen, the president of Sitag Polska. "Our Polish factory for metal elements makes it possible for us to produce this kind of furniture. This will also enable us to reduce the prices of products sold on the Polish market. We want to maintain the high quality of our products and reduce prices to remain competitive." The firm's Parlando chair, designed for bars and cafes, is equipped with an ergonomically profiled backrest.

The factory Profim from Turek presented a number of Komo, Dream, Kala chair prototypes and new Jet in Poznań, including upholstered office furniture. On June 1 Profim began cooperating with the German firm Sedus, one of the best-known office chair makers in Europe. "Our cooperation with Sedus is no accident," says Profim Board Chairman Ryszard Rychlik. "Our company philosophy corresponds with that of Sedus. We are also interested in building a top-standard brand. Sedus was an inspiration for our firm and now we are working together on the Polish market. Sedes models will complement those by Profim available in Poland. Our collaboration takes us one step beyond standard product distribution: some chairs will be assembled in our factory for the firm's German partners, who attach great weight to quality. This is unprecedented in the history of Sedus, which has never outsourced its production to another company."