COLOGNE, Germany – The IMM Cologne furniture market, held in January, logged more than 10,000 visitors from 104 countries for the 2026 show with more than 57% of visitors from abroad, and officials noted the four-day event’s B2B-only format is “perfectly geared to the market’s needs.”
After a hiatus in 2025, IMM Cologne kicked off 2026 as one of the earliest European trade fairs for the calendar year and hosted 339 furniture exhibitors from 28 countries in the entry-to-mid price range segment. Officials noted that planning is already underway for the 2027 fair to be held Jan. 19-22 next year.
“In a challenging market environment, efficiency is what counts above all. This is exactly why we’ve created a focused B2B sourcing platform with IMM Cologne 2026: an event where visitors can quickly gain an overview, make strategic purchasing decisions and establish new contacts. And that is exactly what exhibitors and trade visitors used the event for,” says Matthias Pollmann, vice president trade fair management at Koelnmesse.
Cologne officials said that attendees included purchasing associations, retail chains, the wholesale and specialist retail trade, e-commerce companies and mail order businesses.
Companies attending the event included ALDI, Alliance Verband, Amazon, BDSK Handel, Einrichtungshaus Ostermann, Einrichtungspartnerring VME, Europa Möbel Verbund, GARANT Holding, Hans Segmüller Polstermöbelfabrik, IKEA, IMG Group, Krieger Gruppe, Möbel Boss, Next, POCO, porta, Westwing, XXXLutz und Zurbrüggen Wohn-Zentrum. The largest visitor groups in Europe came from Belgium, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands, said officials.
See also: Strong representation from Asia, Europe expected at IMM Cologne 2026
“Cologne is the ideal location for a trade fair for us: excellent transport connections and an attractive venue for our global customers. Deciding to participate in IMM Cologne in 2026 was definitely the right move for us: We’ve established valuable new international business contacts,” said Fritz Bleilinger, sales manager for the German-speaking region at Manwah.
“We’re very satisfied with the visitor numbers and the excellent responses from buyers,” said Nermin Terzic, sales director at Rattan Sedia. “We hope that Bosnian-made products will continue to expand their presence and successfully establish themselves on the international market on a sustainable footing.”
Furniture from 28 countries
Officials emphasized that IMM Cologne 2026 was “deliberately designed to respond to current market realities that include changes in supplier relationships, revised sourcing strategies and the growing importance of international procurement markets. According to German foreign trade statistics provided by IMM Cologne, imports now account for approximately 60% of the German furniture market and particularly rapid growth has been recorded in imports from China, which rose to €2.4 billion between January and September 2025, with approximately 30% of German furniture imports now come from China.
“The line-up of exhibitors at IMM Cologne reflected these developments with a strong international presence: Companies from 28 countries, including manufacturers, distributors and OEM specialists, presented market-ready solutions, covering price points from the entry level to the mid-range segment. Suppliers from Asia were particularly well-represented, with China emerging as the clear leader with 252 exhibitors,’ noted officials.
National brands from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Japan, Romania, Taiwan and Turkey also attended, officials said.
“IMM Cologne 2026 has shown how important it is to adapt event formats to market conditions. We’re grateful to exhibitors and visitors for the trust they have placed in us,” said Bernd Sanden, IMM Cologne’s director. “It has given us the encouragement we need to continue developing the trade fair’s profile for 2027.”
For the 2027 edition of IMM Cologne, interested companies are already able to register and benefit from the early-bird rates. This offer is available until April 30. For further information and to register, visit www.imm-cologne.com.
