We keep saying it over and over again, but the health crisis and widespread teleworking may be the worst time for the office furniture industry. Indeed, companies have stopped spending that individuals, at their homes, have not continued to provide. Often for lack of resources. The gap is significant for the sector, and even legendary brands like Hermann Miller have started sounding the alarm bells.
Thus, new offers, more flexible and adapted to the new situation, began to flourish. For example, Home-Work by Sketch, a portal allowing teleworkers from the same company to pool their purchases of professional furniture. Today, we are interested in the offer of the young Belgian startup Enky. His idea ? Allow teleworkers to rent professional furniture. By paying only a monthly fee. Enky’s “as a service” furniture: how it works but above all, why it will work.
Rental, a solution that seems appropriate
According to a study carried out by the Vias Institute in September, 27% of teleworkers surveyed said they did not have a specific space. 39% of them say they don’t even own an office chair. The result ? A monumental leap in musculoskeletal disorders. According to Doctor Recchia, 87% of the French population suffer from it. It is based on this observation that the young Belgian startup has launched an offer aimed at teleworkers. “At this end of the year period, teleworking remains the rule in Belgium,” explains Aïssa Laroussi, CEO and founder of the company. She adds that “the current health crisis has made us realize that we are going through an important transformation, and that the practice of teleworking will intensify in the future, and this in a sustainable way”. Basically: the culture of teleworking will take root. Enky is offering to equip at a reduced price. With an offer that allows the user to rent the furniture.
An offer that seems adapted to the new constraints
Les télétravailleurs peuvent commencer à utiliser les services d’Enky à partir de 39 euros par mois. La location est faite pour une durée déterminée. Les périodes allant de 6 à 36 mois selon le site. Ils peuvent ensuite s’équiper en bureaux, chaises ou lampes. La gamme est relativement large, surtout concernant le premier produit nommé. Après avoir fait leur sélection, les utilisateurs sont livrés à domicile et des professionnels. Qui assurent l’installation des produits sélectionnés. La société assure que cette installation est faite « dans les règles sanitaires ». Enky assure également s’inspirer de son expérience dans le domaine. Elle propose en effet le mobilier en location depuis 2019. Elle continuera avec ce nouveau service à proposer des meubles uniquement fabriqués en Europe. Elle souligne également que les solutions sont entièrement flexibles et sont toutes pensées dans un concept d’économie circulaire.
As a reminder, the circular economy is a new economic model that aims not to produce waste. It integrates the concepts of green economy, economy of use, economy of functionality, performance and industrial ecology. The circular economy operates in a loop, thus dispensing with the notion of “waste”. Its objective is to produce goods and services while greatly limiting the consumption and waste of raw materials, and non-renewable energy sources.
New office furniture offers therefore continue to proliferate. In order not to perish, the sector must reinvent itself at full speed. And as often in these cases, it is small companies, more flexible and innovative, which are the first to provide solutions.