Given the global economic slump, it's increasingly challenging to sustain high manufacturing costs in Norway. One world-renowned manufacturer is turning its eyes to China. CGTN’s Johannes Pleschberger reports from Alesund.
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00:00One of the world's most sold chairs is looking for new markets.
00:07Given the global economic slump, it's increasingly challenging to sustain high manufacturing costs in Norway.
00:14This chair is very time-consuming. It takes approximately 20 minutes to fully assemble because it needs precise craftsmanship.
00:25During the COVID pandemic, lots of people redecorated their homes, but then furniture sales went down and are only slowly starting to pick up.
00:35Norway's largest furniture producer, Ekkornes, is hopeful its top-line turnover will increase by 40% in the next four years, thanks to Chinese customers.
00:46We have very strong relationships with many dealers in China, and now we also see that the opportunities are greater beyond what we've been able to do so far.
00:57While Scandinavian furniture exports are much smaller than China's, the sleek and timeless designs from countries like Denmark and Norway have earned a strong reputation worldwide.
01:08It's no surprise that these chairs manufactured on the Norwegian coast are becoming a popular choice in Chinese homes.
01:17China could soon become Ekkornes' number one market, which doesn't come as a surprise since the company was bought by the Chinese Shumei Group six years ago.
01:27Particularly the chairman of the Shumei Group has a very good eye for quality furniture, and we feel very strong support in our development.
01:37Meanwhile, Ekkornes is modernizing parts of its stressless product line, focusing less on leather.
01:44We see a strong trend in moving more towards textiles, particularly sofas.
01:52One thing, however, remains the same. The production and assembly will continue to be based on the Norwegian west coast.