Last week we partnered with the British Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, Bulgarian Branch Chamber of Woodworking and Furniture Industry and the Bulgarian SME Agency, to bring 14 leading furniture companies to Manchester.
The delegation visited Spring Fair in Birmingham and then came to Manchester to meet with companies in the region, including Rische Group and Belcasa Concept. They also attended our sold-out Property and Construction Lunch, with over 80 attendees, hosted at Manchester Hall.
The delegation was made up of furniture producers and interior designers looking to connect with businesses in the UK in similar areas as well as property developers and architects. You can see the full list of the companies who visited here.
The furniture industry in Bulgaria is widely developed and is in line with the leading European countries in terms of technological park, software and availability of qualified personnel. Two exhibitions are held in Bulgaria: one is EXPOMEBEL, held annually for furniture, and the other is biannual and is for materials and machinery for woodworking - TECHNOMEBEL. At present, more than 200 companies, 17 vocational schools and one university are members, and the Bulgarian branch chamber of woodworking and furniture industry (BCCWFI) is the only official representative of employers in the sectors of Furniture Manufacturing, Woodworking, Manufacture and Supply of Machinery and Materials for the Woodworking and Furniture Industry.
Both sectors account for nearly 3% of the GDP of the country. Over 55 000 people are working in the furniture and woodworking companies that are export oriented. More than 80% of the furniture production is being sold abroad and this is thanks to the excellent quality to price ratio.
If you would like to be connected with any of the above companies or are interested in being involved with future projects to the above, please get in touch with our Trade Team, international@gmchamber.co.uk.