Speaking at the conclusion of the fair, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, Wendy Wen, outlined how the fair has always evolved to stay close to the market. “This year was a special fair for us marking the 20th anniversary, and as always, we made sure the show provided the market with the right features at the right time. We invited more local designers to educate buyers on interior trends this time, and it was also pleasing to see that these buyers were still showing strong demand for overseas brands, particularly those from Europe with a long heritage.”

Strong demand for overseas bedding & upholstery brands from domestic market continues

European bedding & towelling brands are doing particularly well in the Chinese market at present, with the German company, Curt Bauer with over 200 stores in China, as one of those that had a successful fair. “This is a very important fair, not only for China but also Asia,” explained Managing Director Michael Bauer. “Many people come here from other countries to have a look or to buy something, but overall it’s a good platform to tap into the Chinese market.”

This market still holds much potential according to exhibitors. Maria Antónia Alves, Senior Sales Manager of Mundotextil, Portugal said, “The quality and design of products is very important for Chinese buyers so there is still that demand for European brands. Our brand and quality & design are what separate us from other exhibitors here and give us an advantage.”

Upholstery fabrics from Europe also remain popular with Chinese buyers. “We saw so many buyers coming to our booth that we didn’t have enough people to handle the traffic,” said Chandler Chen from Italian exhibitor Dream Fly Fabric, producers of high-end curtains and wall coverings. “Consumers here are paying more attention to product quality and design nowadays, and we believe demand for high-end products in China will keep rising in the future.”

British exhibitor MYB Textiles returned to Intertextile for the second time, and benefited from the repeat experience according to Hazel Ritchie. “We’ve had quite a few orders placed and repeat buyers from last year have come back,” she said. “Being here in 2013 proved to us the demand for our products is present – there really is demand for high-end European products in China, and definitely in the larger cities. We’ve got dozens and dozens of contacts here this year, including a lot of interior designers and showrooms.”

Country & region pavilions attract buyers from around the world

This year’s country and region pavilions from Belgium, India, Italy, Korea, Taiwan and Turkey, and the new Morocco Pavilion were popular with exhibitors and buyers alike. “All of the exhibitors were very happy with this pavilion,” explained Mark Vervaeke from Fedustria, the Belgium Pavilion organiser. “In general they were satisfied with the number of visitors coming mainly from China, Korea, elsewhere in Asia and the Middle East, and they feel they met the right contacts here,” he continued.

“The Morocco Pavilion has been popular; our products are of good quality and at an affordable price in the mid-range to high-end sectors, and there’s a demand for that here,” Ahmed Abarkha from Morocco Pavilion organiser Marocexport outlined. Texprocil, the organiser of one of the two Indian Pavilions, was also satisfied as Joint Director Ravi Narayanasamy explained: “It’s been good for our exhibitors here. The visitor turnout has been pleasing, and it’s been good to meet new buyers from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Italy, the UK and the US, as well as our existing Chinese customers. We’re satisfied with the outcome of the pavilion, and we’ll probably come back bigger next year.”

Carpets & rugs and wall coverings gain prominence as fair expands its product offerings

In recent years, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles has expanded from its traditional offerings to include a full range of home textile products. This reflects the recent increased demand in the local market, particularly for carpets, rugs and wall coverings, as well as for the current ‘whole-home design’ concept trend. Carpet and rug exhibitors noticed a definite increase in demand for their products, including Aviva Enterprises from Pakistan. “As a carpet manufacturer it’s beneficial for us to be here,” Faisal Ali explained. “Carpets and rugs are more of a luxury item in China, so at this fair we get to see more high-end buyers. We had good business at last year’s fair and we’ve gotten repeat orders this time around from these same buyers. China is a good market to be in; there’s lots of potential here and more capacity to grow.”

Ashish Sharma from Sharda Exports of India was in agreement. “There is huge potential in the Chinese and Asian market as people are getting more and more attracted to home decoration items, of which rugs are an important part. The demand has been increasing due to the rise in sales of new houses, residential buildings and malls here in China.”