Hülsta

• Heiner Goossens
• Martin Multhaupt

The Hülsta -Werke Hüls GmbH & Co. KG is a German furniture manufacturer based in the city wage. The term Hülsta (own spelling hülsta hülsta plants ) is derived from the name of the founding family sleeve and the corporate headquarters city wage and is a registered trademark.

The company was founded in 1940 as a workshop in the city wage (North Rhine -Westphalia) and has since been in the same place in the family. The product range is produced exclusively in the Western Munsterland and shipped worldwide for sales in retail. In the context of the Hüls group of companies, a supplier industry has developed.

Hülsta is part of the Hüls group to which, among others, Rolf Benz, Ruf Betten and Parador belong.

Production and sales

Under the brand names hülsta and now! by hulsta design, produce and distribute the works Hülsta furniture all device areas. With hülsta the company operates the premium retailers while now! by hulsta was designed for the " Young Living ". Furniture hülsta are sold by 300 dealers. At the company's headquarters in the city wage are 6,000 square meters of exhibition space on which products are presented. Additional product exhibitions are located in London, Moscow and Shanghai. Export focus of the company are Europe and Asia ( mainly China and India here ).

History

Alois sleeve opened in 1940 with 10 employees in Münsterland city wage (North Rhine -Westphalia ) is a joinery and thus laid the foundation of the company. 1953, Karl sleeve, son of Alois Hüls, joined the company. The sleeve furniture plants specialized in the production of bedroom furniture. The brand name hülsta was established in 1959. After crossing a wooden engineering degree in 1960 Karl sleeve took over the management. The hülsta brand was founded in 1961 registered at the Patent Office in Munich.

With continuous doors at Intermat Hülsta cabinet system replaced the usual 1962 so far top and bottom cabinets. The hülsta brand was internationally protected in 1964. Hülsta opened a second manufacturing facility in Heek (North Rhine -Westphalia, Münster ). With Hülstamat Hülsta introduced the first bedroom cupboard into cultivation in the market. Hülsta produced in 1965 the first spring wood frame under the range name Rumat. In Ottenstein (North Rhine -Westphalia ) 1967 Hülsta opened a third production facility. With Allwand the company launched the first residential furniture program on endlessly with free screened front on the market. At the same time came the modular system with the residential program Universa. The Hülsta headquarter moved in 1969 in the industrial area Stadtlohner Wenningfeld to. Hülsta furniture brought in 1970 a youth program on the market. Alois sleeve died on 28 April 1970. The first edition of the book means "Exemplary Living " was released in 1975. The company established in 1983 at its headquarters in the city wage a new training center for sellers and technicians from the furniture trade. Hülsta in 1985 by Stern - brand profiles with 58% of the best known manufacturers furniture brand in Germany. 1986 established the segment of the company's home office. Karl Hüls in 1987 received the Order of Merit First Class.

Ludwig Hüls, third of four sons of Gertrude and Karl Hüls, joined in 1993 as a technical manager in the total Hülsta -Werke one. Under the name now! by hulsta leads Hülsta a 1994 first brand furniture in driving segment. For the first time, the company hired as a co- sponsor of the ATP tennis tournament, " Gerry Weber Open " in Halle. Hülsta reached in 1998 by Stern - brand profiles an awareness of 49%. Hülsta established 2000, the soft techniques for automatic and silent closing of drawers and doors. Karl sleeve 2001 he received the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and died on 5 October the same year. With dining tables and chairs Hülsta expanded in 2002 to its range, the segment " food ". The Gerhart- Hauptmann-Straße in city wage was renamed " Karl -Hüls Street " in 2003. The LGA Bavaria awarded the company in 2004 as the first and only furniture manufacturer, the label " premium quality". The company was included in the compendium " Brands of the Century ".

The location initiative " Germany - Land of Ideas " under the patronage of Federal President Horst Köhler awarded Hülsta the award "Selected Landmark 2007". The furniture manufacturer was one of 365 excellent for every day of the year organizations to represent innovation and sustainability in Germany.

As part of a reorientation Hülsta has merged 2008/2009 works and some of the production outsourced, according to the company, among other veneer production and cutting. As part of this restructuring Zulieferungsbetriebe took over previous Hülsta employees. A group own veneer factory took on the task of several smaller suppliers.

An international print and radio campaign took place in 2010 to mark the 70th anniversary of the brand. The Hülsta -Werke be run by the third generation of the family sleeve. Ludwig Hüls as managing director for technology of the company.

Marketing

Hülsta invests around 6 % of its revenue (2009) in advertising and promotion. For marketing mix includes means books with lifestyle- oriented design, print campaigns in the form of advertisements and supplements in the national and international press and public websites. The company turned two TV campaigns in the years 2003 and 2006.

Core target group hülsta are set to upper price level potential buyers aged 40 years and older who are looking for durable, timeless furniture in the middle. now! by hulsta targeted with lorry mounted enabled furniture primarily to Ersteinrichter aged 28 to 35 years. Both brands have an independent market presence with their own campaigns.

In addition, the furniture manufacturer planning events organized by dealers. At the company's headquarters in the city wage find the " days of living " instead, which are aimed at trade and end user. For marketing mix also includes sponsoring activities in the fields of art, music and sports. According to a survey Hülsta is Europe's best known manufacturers furniture brand (Source: GfK, Nuremberg). In the German market, the level of awareness was between time at around 60 % and in the premium segment at 80 % ( Source: Institute for Demoskopie, Allen Bach).

Corporate Design

The logo of the brand hülsta consists of the lettering " hülsta " in black on a white background and a stylized H in white on black background. For now! by hulsta is the word "now! by hulsta " used in white on a black background. The brand logos are in lowercase, discontinued the program name of the conventional Hülsta collection in capital letters.

Patents

Hülsta has more than 220 national and international patents for inventions in the furniture market. This includes, for example, the damped self-closing drawers based on smooth-running guide rails with Quadro ball bearings, the Hülsta sells under the name " hülsta SoftFlow ". 2008 reported a Hülsta high-gloss surface that cures in seconds under UV light, for a patent. The lacquer technique called EverGloss set the standard for the serviceability of high-gloss surfaces.

Awards

The Hülsta range is excellent " quality premium " LGA Bayern with the Blue Angels and the seal of approval. In 1982, eleven products received by the Stiftung Warentest, the marks "good". Test winners were among others in 1999, the base frame All Flex, 2006, the Children and Youth Desk Xpert ( "very good " ) and 2009 Mattress Top Point 4000.