This year’s spoga and gafa trade fairs in Cologne, which cover timber garden furniture, attracted more than 48,000 trade visitors from 101countries.
The shows had 1,179 exhibiting companies from 55 countries .
The event’s first “Outdoor Furniture Centre of Excellence” was described as an outstanding success. Charles Vernon of Gloster Furniture, who was one of the 17 companies from nine countries to initiate the project, said: “It was a bold move by the fair, a great jump forward. The centre should be expanded next year to include additional companies with a high claim to quality.”