Design company G.A.D, Gotland Art & Design is following the plan that the company set out in connection with last year's listing. However, the war in the Middle East and the increased uncertainty it has entailed have affected both the company and the design industry as a whole. “The whole world is affected by the new war. It creates concern and that in turn creates less willingness to buy. The anxiety means that people hold a little tighter to their wallets. Even though we have financially strong customers, decisions can be postponed and they wait. It applies to the entire industry. We do not feel that it is sinking, but demand is more subdued. However, it is worse for those who are volume producers. We are not so affected,” says CEO Håkan Nilsson in an interview with Finwire. During the first quarter of the year, the company reported revenue of SEK 5.4 million and a net profit of SEK -1 million. “We are following the scaling plan that we have laid out, and the quarter was in line with our expectations. Interest in our products has been very strong in connection with trade fairs and we have brought several new resellers on board. It is moving in the right direction,” says Nilsson. In the report, G.A.D writes that it brought in five new resellers during the quarter, including covering a blank spot in the form of Malmö. “I think that at present we are fairly comprehensive, but there are gaps where we may need to complement. Then this is always changing, but geographically we have strengthened ourselves, and in the right way,” says Håkan Nilsson and emphasizes the importance of being on site so that customers and potential new customers can ask questions and see the furniture in reality. “We need to be close to the customers, so this is very important to us. The service and having our partners talk about the craftsmanship is important,” says Håkan Nilsson. G.A.D has been listed since December 19 last year. Now that the design house is listed, it is also easier to use own shares in connection with acquisitions. At present, however, the focus is fully on organic growth, according to Håkan Nilsson. “Acquisitions are not relevant right now, but of course there are interesting players for us. However, we see that we have a lot of opportunities with the current GAD. We can grow a lot just in Sweden,” he says. The export market remains interesting for the design and joinery company. Among other things, it has received positive feedback from a trade fair visit in Finland. Furthermore, G.A.D is entering the area of contract, which involves projects for the public sector and private business. “We have been very visible in this during the first half of the year and it is clear that it will become a significant area for us. It is a gradually growing area,” says Nilsson.