Dynamic

Anyone who visits Vifian in Schwarzenburg encounters an energetic, dynamic company that is operating at full steam in three different areas: home furniture, office furniture and individual interior fixtures. The latter division has been gaining importance again over the last few years, especially since the Eurozone crisis. Hannes Vifian: “Switzerland’s retail furniture trade is under a lot of pressure right now. The competition from abroad is pretty fierce. You can complain about it as much as you want, but in the end you just have to accept it and find new ways to manage. In our case, that means focusing more on individual interior fixtures.” You realise you’re talking to somebody who is used to strategic, analytical thinking and has a sense of the bigger picture. And that’s hardly surprising, given that Hannes Vifian ended up running the business out of the blue. “In the late 1980s, I actually wanted to go to New York and be an investment banker. But in 1987, Black Monday put an end to all that, and that’s how I came to be the fourth generation of my family to run the company.” And you can tell that Hannes Vifian enjoys it. As for the new course he has plotted for the firm in individual interior fixtures, he has no misgivings about collaborating with other companies.

VIFIAN: The family-run company has been cultivating traditional craftsmanship for more than 100 years. Besides keeping everything neat and tidy, its modular storage and furniture systems provide solutions for individually designed living space as well. The company has profound expertise in production and sees its commitment to new developments as a keystone of its day-to-day strategy. As a result, it is constantly coming up with new ways to combine tradition with innovation.

Photos: René Ruis (1), Vifian (3)
Text: Anita Simeon Lutz

Vifian Möbelwerkstätten AG
Freiburgstrasse 28
3150 Schwarzenburg
Tel. 0041 (0)31 734 24 44