With the Dutch furniture company Easy Sofa, we're looking back on the past year and looking ahead at the year to come. We spoke with COO Mirjam Snapper, to discover the beautiful milestones of this year, in addition to the challenges they have certainly faced in the past year.
From left to right: CFO Silke Hoevers, COO Mirjam Snapper and owner Sylwia van Verseveld.
What were the main milestones and successes of the past year for Easy Sofa?
'We actually had a wonderful year, in which the many trade shows and home shows we did were the undisputed highlight. The year started for us with a successful ímm, where, due to the absence of many other suppliers, we gained very valuable new contacts, especially in the field of distant exports. This resulted in many direct sales, which was a new way of working for our organisation. Very fun and educational! 2024 is also the year we had our full focus on Scandinavia and France, and not without results.
In addition, we had several home shows in a completely redesigned showroom, and closed the exhibition year with the always valuable Brussels Furniture Fair. The past few years have taught us that these contact moments are not always obvious, which is why we very consciously enjoyed the interaction, frenzy and energy on and around the fairs and house shows together.'
What challenges did you encounter and how did you tackle them?
'It was really hard work and it certainly didn't all happen by itself, but by continuing to invest in large, richly decorated stands and lots of new models, we really stood out from the crowd in our segment this year, as a result of which our existing customers embraced us and many new customers found us. Once the coin has landed in the right direction, such a decision seems quite logical. However, in the moment when you say "yes" to hundreds of metres of expensive exhibition space in a country whose market has completely collapsed, or decide to add colour to a beige landscape, you can only hope that you are right and that everything turns out well.'
What are your main goals and priorities for 2025?
'Full steam ahead! We want to stay close to our customers with beautiful new products that our customers can give their own twist to. We are also rolling out our new chair collection further in 2025, which is a wonderful addition to the existing Easysofa range. We are also building heavily on our internal organisation to continue to meet the demands of the increasingly discerning consumer, which our customers and therefore we have to deal with. This starts with the right people in the right place, and we also pay a lot of attention to process optimisation and automation. To get the year off to a good start, we will participate in the Maison&Objet in January, where we expect a lot from the international playing field. We will be present with the entire crew and are really looking forward to this French adventure!'
What trends and developments in the market are influencing your strategy for the coming year?
'Capitalising on the right design language and colours is a playing field that we are very comfortable with, and here sustainability will have to and will start to become an important part of 2025. With the acquisition of Basta and our collaboration with a fully green logistics partner for B2C deliveries, we have taken the first steps in the right direction here - and this is something we will keep building on.'
What do you hope will be different next year from this year?
'Due to the reduced demand in the market, there is a lot of production capacity available, and this quite often results in unrealistic pricing and false promises. Little sustainable, but disruptive in the market process and destructive to regular trade. Also, 2024 was not a good outdoor year, mainly due to the bad weather of course. We have a brilliant outdoor collection with multiple labels for both the mid and mid-high segments, and this is where we will work hard in the new year.'
More information:
Easy Sofa
[email protected]
www.easysofa.com
The Netherlands