MOVING INTO
GLOBAL MARKETS
W
.SCHILLIG is based in Ebersdorf, near the German town of Coburg, and has been making furniture since 1949. W.SCHILLIG claims to make only the finest leather furniture, and the company’s sofas typically sell for between €2000 and €3000. Consumers are willing to pay this much for traditional German attributes like well-thought-out design, solid construction and first-class workmanship. “Our core competence is our extreme reliability,” says Mr Stammberger. “If you look at the market where we operate, you will find very few
sofa makers who sell worldwide. It is German quality and reliability that has helped us to achieve our percentage of export sales.”
Comfort W.SCHILLIG’s upholstered furniture undoubtedly looks classy, but the styling is always in harmony with practical considerations. The number one priority is comfort. “A sofa is a key piece of furniture. It is the centre of the living room and a place where people want to feel at their ease.” Comfort is built in to the design of, for example, the “enjoy” and “brooklyn” sofas
Willi Schillig is famous for its stylish and comfortable leather furniture. Joseph Altham interviewed W.SCHILLIG’s CEO, Erik Stammberger, to find out about a company that has applied German engineering to the manufacture of sofas. that the company showed 2011 at the international furnishing show, imm Cologne and the Hausmesse. The “enjoy” sofa is equipped with adjustable arms and back, and the seat depth can also be altered. The USA is W.SCHILLIG’s largest export market, and sofas like “relaxx” and “humphrey” evoke the timeless appeal of classic American design. In general, W.SCHILLIG’s furniture tends to have what Mr Stammberger calls a “cosmopolitan look” that can be appreciated as much in Hong Kong as it is in New York.
