Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles begins in Aug

24 Feb '14

4 min read

After a highly successful 2013 fair, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition returns from 27 to 29 August 2014, and will be held again at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Last year’s event featured 1,321 exhibitors from 31 countries and regions, and 39,189 buyers from 91 countries and regions.

The exhibitor presence from 31 territories represented a new record for the fair, and signifies that the Asian market, and in particular China, remains an attractive destination for overseas suppliers.

Following on from the success of 2013, promising economic figures out of China bode well for exhibitors at this year’s Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles. In the first 10 months of 2013, the country’s imports and exports grew by 7.6% compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

Meanwhile, domestic sales of mattresses rose by 24% last year, compared to a worldwide average of just 9%, as consumers continue to spend more on foreign-branded home products.

Premium European products remain popular with domestic buyers

Based on the high interest from buyers in the international areas at last year’s fair, this demand for foreign brands is expected to continue. Overseas trends are increasingly influencing purchasing decisions in the domestic home textiles market, and high-end brands in particular can benefit from the recent surge in demand for luxury items.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Asia’s largest home textiles trade fair – is designed to allow overseas exhibitors to take advantage of key sectors in the domestic industry, with the returning European Hall being one example of this. The strong demand in China for premium European products led to its creation last year, with exhibitors from 16 different EU countries taking part.

Of those buyers at the fair looking for products from overseas, 33% expressed a preference for European items, ensuring exhibitors in this hall were overwhelmingly positive about taking part. “We were absolutely satisfied with our participation,” commented Edward Wilkinson, Sales Manager, Abraham Moon & Sons Ltd, UK – an exhibitor in the European Hall in 2013. “We have noticed an increase in demand for European products in China, so this fair has been extremely successful for us.”

Bedding and towelling is a particular growth market in China at present. As incomes in the region rise, consumers are looking more for premium products in this category, and top international brands such as Curt Bauer, Martinelli, Marzotto and Mundotextil were just some examples whose products were successful last year.

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