As 'German Week' draws to a close, thoughts turn to next week and the NEC.

The impact kitchen show Living Kitchen has on attendance at IMM Cologne has been clear in the past two days. You couldn't say it is quiet – there are far, far too many visitors in the aisles for that – but it is noticeably less busy than 2011, when numbers were swelled by visitors to the sister event who moved into the furniture halls after completing their kitchen business.

Exhibitors looking for UK visitors seem happy, remarking that the retailers are looking for 'something different'.

And different is what the NEC will be later in the week. No sprawl of 15 halls to cover – five is much kinder on the feet – and the products will be different. The absence of more than 40 companies that are only showing at the AIS Furniture Show along the road at Cranmore Park, will obviously have an impact on the overall product mix at Interiors UK, and how retailers – non AIS members especially – divide their time.

Time for the airport.

Pictured is Bretz's Oldman armchair

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