The sofa is transliterated from the English "SOFA" and is also a foreign product. In 1840, the sofa was introduced to China from Britain with the Opium War, but the popularity rate was not high. In the 80s of the last century, the cost advantage of raw materials in Europe and the United States was no longer there, and many overseas Chinese and foreign businessmen began to set up factories in the coastal areas of China to produce furniture, and the OEM OEM production model developed rapidly. Founded in 1982, Gujia Home Furnishing (hereinafter referred to as "Gujia") has caught up with the dividends of the first batch of sofa production, and has now developed into an industry leader.
 
According to the statistics of the domestic economic database Wind, Minhua, Gujia, Huadali and Zuo Furniture accounted for 4.12%, 3.36%, 2.35% and 2.27% of the domestic sofa market share respectively, forming the first echelon. Although Gujia ranks second, it has strengthened itself through a series of acquisitions in the past two years, and its revenue and net profit growth in 2017 have exceeded 40%, which has the potential to catch up with and surpass Minhua.
 
In 2018, Gujia strengthened its capabilities through a series of mergers and acquisitions, following the acquisition of the German sofa brand Rolf Benz and the acquisition of a 51% stake in the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Italian sofa brand Natuzzi in China. In addition, as early as 2012, Gujia reached a cooperation with La-Z-Boy, the first international functional sofa brand, and became its exclusive agent in China, trying to share the market share with Chivas Regal, a functional sofa brand under Minhua Holdings.
 
In China's sofa industry, Gujia also plays an important role. It not only led the drafting of China's sofa industry standard together with the left and right furniture, but also reached a partnership with the Training Bureau of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China and won the title of "Athlete's Designated Sofa of the Training Bureau of the General Administration of Sports" to provide logistical support for athletes participating in the London Olympic Games.
 
The sofa is mainly composed of padding, frame, fabric, support system (springs and bandages), and the padding and frame are important factors that determine the longevity of the sofa. In order to save costs, many small-scale sofa factories in China often add lime powder to the sponge to make the so-called "pseudo-high-density sponge", while the advantage of large factories is that the sponge production is relatively stable and will not add bad ingredients. The sponge used in the Gujia fabric sofa is sourced from the largest sponge factory in Asia, the East Asia Sponge Factory. The sponge of the sofa cushion generally reaches more than 30D, and the top layer of some sponges also adds 1-2 cm of latex, and the quality of the filling is at the medium to high level.
 
In terms of frame material, the Gu family mainly uses Northeast pine. Pine is the most common material for sofa frames, but because the texture of pine is relatively soft, the hardness and nail holding power are not as good as better quality birch, beech, etc., so it often appears in fabric sofas below 6000 yuan, which is a more cost-effective choice. In addition to pine, some of Gujia's sofas are also made of E1 man-made panels, which are generally environmentally friendly.
 
In the sofa industry, Gujia is known for its multi-category management and control capabilities. According to the statistics of the Changjiang Securities Research Institute, Gujia's sofa SKUs are close to 800, nearly 600 higher than the third-place Zhihuashi (Minhua). In terms of fabric sofas, there are also many styles of Gujia, the style involves modern, Nordic, American, etc., and the fabrics also have a variety of options such as cotton and linen, flannel, and microfiber fabrics.
 
In terms of price, its fabric sofa is mainly divided into three price ranges: less than 5,000 yuan, 5,000-10,000 yuan, and more than 10,000 yuan. The price below 5,000 yuan is generally based on 3-seat sofas, with simple color matching, suitable for small families. The price of 5000-10000 yuan is mainly modular sofas, and some styles have functions such as cushion adjustment and storage, and the color matching and modeling are also more abundant. However, its frame is still dominated by Northeast pine, and other brands of fabric sofas above 8000 yuan are generally equipped with birch and other better load-bearing wood, so Gujia's 5000-8000 yuan style is relatively more worth choosing. There are fewer sofa styles above 10,000 yuan, the design style takes the elegant route, and the filling materials are also added latex and down, making it more comfortable to sit on.
 
As of May 2019, Gujia has 5,470 stores in China, which is convenient for purchase. In terms of after-sales, Gujia provides a 3-year warranty on all components of the sofa, and also provides a 90-day return and exchange service, which is a good service level in the industry. However, at present, the implementation of service policies in various franchised stores is different, which is a common problem in the industry, so it is recommended that users indicate the model, material, service and other information in the contract when buying sofas, so as to better protect their own rights and interests.