Gerster Export Manager Says Growth is Coming From New Markets
July 9, 2001
Frankfurt, Germany РWilgund H̦rmann, export manager the German curtain specialist Gerster for North America and Great Britain of, said that the positive sales at the company in recent years is mainly due to the strong increase of its exports to new markets.
Hörmann said she is satisfied with activity in North America. Exports to the U.S. have increased by 35% in the last year alone, continuing the trend of the past three years in which Gerster made turnover jumps of 25% and 35% on passementerie and accessories sales alone (but not on curtain fabrics, however, for which the American import taxes are too steep).
Hörmann ascribes the company's success in the U.S. to a 12-year relationship with a permanent sales partner there, and to the color range. "We have tripled the number of available colors and geared the colors to the market needs," she said.
She called the U.K. a promising market in development. "Two years ago, we established the first contacts at Intohome. Now, we are doing good business in the U.K. Of course, the strong pound sterling is a great help."
After a temporary standstill, caused by the economic crisis, exports to the Asian markets have resumed their growth. Russia has been doing better too this last year. Another market that continues growing, slowly but surely, is the Czech Republic, where the company has been active for four years.
She said business with the Netherlands is also solid. For Germany, however, and for most of its neighboring countries, the trend is only slightly positive.
"Spain, where we ran a pilot project for a while, has been discontinued for the time being," Hörmann said.
With a 350-member workforce and state-of-the-art technology, Gerster is a major European player in the branch of curtains and passementerie. In addition to curtain fabrics, the company also offers a readymade "self-service" curtain program under the brand name of "Happy Home." Passementerie (satin bands, fringing, braid, macramé trimmings, draped curtain holders, and tassels) is increasingly being supplied in complete combinations, in styles ranging from classical and rustic to modern and avant-garde. With a production of roughly 50,000 kilometers a year, Gerster is one of the leaders in the production of curtain bands.
In 1882, Gustav Gerster founded the original workshop, which already started its first mechanization in 1903 and continued to grow under the second generation. In 1913, a new factory was built at the current location.
When World War II broke out, the third generation took over. After the war, the company was reorganized and soon benefited from the economic revival. The factory was extended several times, while investments were made in the most recent technologies. Under the fourth generation in the eighties, a broad-fabric weaving mill was set up with advanced computer-controlled air-jet and rapier looms. Later, the mill was extended with a new hall of approximately 2,500 square meters and equipped with large embroidery machines.
In 1995, the company opened a subsidiary in Poland and built an EDP-supported warehouse. Two years later, another foreign branch followed, this time in the Czech Republic.
Today, most E.U. countries are integrated in the company's extensive distribution network. Gerster has corporate partners in Switzerland, Norway, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Russia.
In addition to fairs in the E.U., Gerster is present at trade fairs in the U.S.A., the Far East, and Eastern Europe.
Hörmann said she is satisfied with activity in North America. Exports to the U.S. have increased by 35% in the last year alone, continuing the trend of the past three years in which Gerster made turnover jumps of 25% and 35% on passementerie and accessories sales alone (but not on curtain fabrics, however, for which the American import taxes are too steep).
Hörmann ascribes the company's success in the U.S. to a 12-year relationship with a permanent sales partner there, and to the color range. "We have tripled the number of available colors and geared the colors to the market needs," she said.
She called the U.K. a promising market in development. "Two years ago, we established the first contacts at Intohome. Now, we are doing good business in the U.K. Of course, the strong pound sterling is a great help."
After a temporary standstill, caused by the economic crisis, exports to the Asian markets have resumed their growth. Russia has been doing better too this last year. Another market that continues growing, slowly but surely, is the Czech Republic, where the company has been active for four years.
She said business with the Netherlands is also solid. For Germany, however, and for most of its neighboring countries, the trend is only slightly positive.
"Spain, where we ran a pilot project for a while, has been discontinued for the time being," Hörmann said.
With a 350-member workforce and state-of-the-art technology, Gerster is a major European player in the branch of curtains and passementerie. In addition to curtain fabrics, the company also offers a readymade "self-service" curtain program under the brand name of "Happy Home." Passementerie (satin bands, fringing, braid, macramé trimmings, draped curtain holders, and tassels) is increasingly being supplied in complete combinations, in styles ranging from classical and rustic to modern and avant-garde. With a production of roughly 50,000 kilometers a year, Gerster is one of the leaders in the production of curtain bands.
In 1882, Gustav Gerster founded the original workshop, which already started its first mechanization in 1903 and continued to grow under the second generation. In 1913, a new factory was built at the current location.
When World War II broke out, the third generation took over. After the war, the company was reorganized and soon benefited from the economic revival. The factory was extended several times, while investments were made in the most recent technologies. Under the fourth generation in the eighties, a broad-fabric weaving mill was set up with advanced computer-controlled air-jet and rapier looms. Later, the mill was extended with a new hall of approximately 2,500 square meters and equipped with large embroidery machines.
In 1995, the company opened a subsidiary in Poland and built an EDP-supported warehouse. Two years later, another foreign branch followed, this time in the Czech Republic.
Today, most E.U. countries are integrated in the company's extensive distribution network. Gerster has corporate partners in Switzerland, Norway, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Russia.
In addition to fairs in the E.U., Gerster is present at trade fairs in the U.S.A., the Far East, and Eastern Europe.