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A Schimmel dealer told me that Schimmel has a policy in effect for its U.S. dealers. This policy applies to new pianos only.

He told me that Schimmel will not allow another German-made piano brand to be sold in the same showroom as their brand. This dealer is able to carry both Bosendorfer and Schimmel in his showroom because Bosendorfer is made in Austria. However, Steingraeber, Sauter and other German-made pianos would not be allowed if he wanted to continue carrying the Schimmel franchise.

I wonder if that is true.

There are very few markets where a manufacturer could afford such a policy. Even then...I doubt it.

I doubt it too.
Maybe times have changed, but when I had my store I sold August Forster, Wilh. Steinberg, Grotrian, Sauter, Bechstein and Schimmel side by side. My non-German brands were Kemble and Bosendorfer.

I did a search for Schimmel dealerships in the US, and a lot of them do mix Bosendorfer and Schimmel, but this is the only one that seems to sell other German brands

I don't think it's true. They would disqualify themselves by doing that and they know that people will find out after all which would raise questions (Are other pianos better? Not necessarily. Different? Yes. )

Pianoworks used to sell them next to other German brands.

And I found a couple of others without a real effort:
http://europianosnaples.com/

http://www.litchfieldpianoworks.com/showroom/index.cfm

http://www.peregrines-pianos.com/content/upright-pianos

I know that when I bought my Schimmel,the dealer also had Blüthner and Bechstein.(this was last year)

Gosh, this is all very confusing.

I have never known a piano dealer to say anything that wasn't true.

I think Faust Harrison carries both Schimmel and Bechstein.

LOL. Furtwangler

They do, pianoloverus. However, the Bechsteins are in their Manhattan and White Plains showrooms, while the Schimmels are in their Huntington Village (Long Island) showrooms.

I am inclined to agree with you, wimpiano. I doubt that Schimmel would have enough clout in the U.S. market to enforce such a policy.

I also know of a dealer that sells Sauter, August Forster, Bechstein and Schimmel pianos in the same showroom - at least he did until a few months ago. I don't know about now.

Steinway can enforce a (virtually) Steinway-only policy in the U.S., but they are probably the only company that can get away with it.

That said, I received a PM from a trustworthy dealer that what the Schimmel dealer told me was true. Perhaps this is a very recent development. We shall see.

OP referred specifically to US dealers.

Pretty sure they have Schimmels in Manhattan.

Okay, you live in NYC, and I don't. I defer to your knowledge on this matter.

The Faust Harrison salesman told me that the Schimmel models which interested me were only in the Huntington Beach, L.I. showroom. That doesn't necessarily mean that ALL Schimmel models were only in Long Island.

I have Sauter and Schimmel in my showroom right now. There is no such rule.

Okay, I'm convinced - that Schimmel dealer lied to me.

Rich - when did you pick up the Sauter line? Congratulations.

yeah Rich,do tell!!!

We have had Sauter on our showroom floor for quite some time. This is nothing new but thank you for the congrats.

I also want to give some perspective to my last comment. I think I should have given more explanation. Having a "rule" and having a general policy or way of doing business are two different things.

For instance, Yamaha and Kawai generally do not share a showroom, but there are several dealers in the USA that carry both lines. Steinway generally does not share a showroom with Yamaha, but there are several dealers that have both lines. Do you understand my meaning here?

This dealer you spoke with could have been telling the truth as he/she sees it, but the fact remains that there is no "rule".

I hope that is better clarification.

So did I, which one is not in the US? (Naples is in Florida)
edit: sorry, peregrines is indeed in London..

I don't think Schimmel is afraid of an artistic comparison, I do think that they are aware of market share and have made efforts to gain as much as that as they could. Influencing how much exposure a competitor gets is one way to help achieve greater market share and keep a dealers inventory budget focused on Schimmel.

As I said earlier a dealer has confirmed with me that they are prohibited from carrying another German brand and they will observe that clause in their agreement. I wish them the best and hope that music lovers everywhere will be able to benefit from a robust selection of the worlds piano makers in their area.