Swiss furniture retailer Beliani is positioning itself as a fast, digital-first challenger in the home furnishings market, with ambitions to become the "Zara of the furniture industry". Founded in 2009 by brothers Stephan and Michael Widmer, the company sells exclusively online, bypassing physical retail and intermediaries to keep prices low.
© Beliani
Beliani has achieved annual sales growth of around 25 percent since 2014 and was recently named by the Financial Times among Europe's 300 fastest-growing companies. Now active in 19 European countries, it employs more than 700 people, with major operations in Poland and Germany, while Switzerland remains its strongest market.
The company offers a broad, affordable product range sourced directly from global manufacturers. Quality is centrally controlled, with Beliani reporting a returns rate of just three percent. A key differentiator is its use of artificial intelligence to manage the product portfolio, replacing up to a third of its assortment each year based on real-time sales data. Poorly performing items are removed quickly, mirroring fast-fashion practices.
Beliani sells through its own channels and platforms such as Amazon and Galaxus, and plans to expand onto Temu's local marketplace. As traditional furniture retailers consolidate and close stores, Beliani expects online demand to continue rising, reinforcing its asset-light growth strategy.
Source: www.tagesanzeiger.ch
