XXXLutz takes over Porta: What does that mean for furniture buyers?

XXXLutz takes over Porta: What does that mean for furniture buyers?

The Austrian furniture giant XXXLutz has taken a strong step towards market leadership with its recent takeover: the purchase of the German Porta Group, which operates around 140 locations in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, signaled the next large wave in the furniture industry. With this acquisition, XXXLutz will significantly expand its market shares. However, the ongoing expansion could not only have positive consequences for consumers, such as today reported.

Although the purchase price remains secret, the number of employees concerned is given as around 6,000, which now expect a new employer under the red armchair from XXXLutz. The industry is alarmed because the Association of the German Furniture Industry criticizes that this takeover will further strengthen the already high market concentration. Such dominance could negatively influence both the variety of offers and the prices for furniture, which is made clear by both industry experts and association representatives, such as FOCUS Online explained.

The planned takeover still requires approval by the Federal Cartel Office. Consumers now have to expect increasing prices, since the market power of XXXLutz and the associated reduction in competition beyond the price level remain pure speculation. While some experts are optimistic that scale effects could possibly lead to cheaper offers, voices from the furniture industry warn of the effects that such a takeover could bring. Porta's sales are around 1.14 billion euros, which underlines the dimension of this takeover and further makes the effects on the market uncertain.