Texworld to remain a sound business platform

18 Feb '09

3 min read

Decrease in visitor traffic, but prestigious buyers who, thanks to their pledges of orders or their firm orders, allowed exhibitors to hope for a significant boost to their sales figures.

This best sums up the atmosphere at this 24th Texworld show. With 13 733 visitors as opposed to 16 340 at the show in February 2008 and 15 952 in September 2008, Texworld is holding up against the worldwide crisis.

“All the exhibitions in the textiles & clothing sector have posted a drop in numbers of visitors since the start of the year of between 15 and 20%,” remarks Michael Scherpe, President of Texworld. “With a drop of 15% we are facing the challenge well.” Even more so when considering that this drop is less substantial if only visitors from Europe (-12%) are taken into account; it is in fact those from America (-28%) and Asia (-35%) which drag this figure down. The consistency of French, Belgian, Swiss and Dutch buyers should be noted as the total number has only decreased by 0.4% to 2%.

As everyone is aware, the global financial crisis encourages professionals to reduce their teams and their spending. This does not prevent exhibitors at Texworld from declaring their satisfaction (more than 70% of them in the flash survey that is traditionally conducted on the last day of the show).

Numerous visitors were welcomed at their stands and their order books have been filled nicely. As it is, the majority have remarked on the quality of their clientèle, that is, clients coming from major clothing brands or retail chains who knew exactly what they wanted and what Texworld could offer them: quality and creativity at the most moderate prices on the market.

The number of buyers with very considerable buying power has more than doubled this time around.

The exhibitors have therefore increased their purchasing power thanks to these buyers with substantial budgets. The loss in visitors is further concentrated on smaller accounts. An increase in buyers' loyalty has also been noted, they are therefore becoming regular visitors to the exhibition.

Texworld, which sets store by professionalism, is continuing its strategy and will remain a sound business platform, thanks to careful selection of exhibitors (660 at this show) who match the expectations of the market perfectly. The quality of their products does not cease to assert itself, their creativity increases ever more in appeal and all this at the best prices on the world market. These exhibitors, who frequently come from very far away, know how to ready themselves for the demands of the West, in particular by increasingly offering organic fabrics and clothing and recycled fabrics.

Once again young designers or pattern-makers, selected by their colleges and invited by Texworld to present their expertise, have received countless proposals for collaboration, work placements or fixed employment, thus attesting to the importance of easing contact between them, the future of the profession, and helping exhibitors as well as visitors.

Texworld is an accurate reflection of today's global textile industry, which is the best response to the economic crisis for
professionals in the branch.

The next Texworld show which will present trends for autumn/winter 2010/2011 will be held at the Paris Le Bourget exhibition centre from Monday, the 14th to Thursday, the 17th September 2009.

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