Lehoo Cup Sofa Design Contest a First for China's Furniture Industry

Being the first event of its kind for sofa designers, the Lehoo Cup China Sofa Design Contest 2008, held on March 17 during the 19th International Furniture Exhibition (Dongguan), drew intense attention from furniture makers both in China and overseas.

The contest, organized by the China National Furniture Association (CNFA), the Anji County (Zhejiang Province) Government, and the Lehoo Holding Group, attracted entries by top sofa chair designers from all over China.

Lehoo, itself a leading Chinese sofa manufacturer which had more than 40 new models on display at the exhibition, emphasized that sofas should be both comfortable and artistic, and that Chinese furniture makers should strive to turn out fashionable, high-end sofas that conform to global trends.

CNFA chairman Jia Qingwen noted that the aim of the new contest is to strengthen the competitiveness of China's furniture industry and encourage manufacturers to create innovative products with greater added value. The event, he said, can serve as a platform for the exchange of personal ideas and industrial information among furniture makers.

Jia stressed that it is essential for the country's furniture producers to upgrade themselves by developing design-oriented, value-added products instead of the traditional low-end OEM (original equipment manufacturer) items.

In the Lehoo Cup contest, winners received gold, silver, and bronze medals and were invited to show off their creations at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center in Pudong, Shanghai on Sep. 10-13.

Chen Baoguang, vice chairman of CNFA, reported that last year's Lehoo Cup for chair design was highly successful, drawing 1,376 entries. Items chosen for the final judging were displayed at the accompanying exhibition, and their creators were reportedly invited to join the Lehoo Group's R&D team.

As a top furniture maker, Lehoo is committed to helping develop the furniture industry in China. Group chairman Zhu Weihua revealed that Lehoo will pour 200 million renminbi (RMB) into the reinforcement of its R&D effort and the upgrading of its production facilities.

The company markets its products both at home and overseas. Annual exports now amount to about 1.5 billion RMB, and are expected to continue growing steadily in the future.