The 2018 Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles concluded on March 16th with positive business outcomes generated. Being held during the peak sourcing season for home textiles finished products in China， the three-day show attracted 12% more buyers than last year. A total of 20，870 visitors （2017： 18，596） from 68 countries and regions came to source a wide range of finished products including bedding， towelling and table & kitchen linen. 232 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions（2017： 204， eight countries and regions） including well-known international brands such as Cotton Council International and Asahi Kasei as well as domestic big names like Ruyi， Sunvim and Yueda participated and praised the show as one of the most effective trade platforms at this time of the year for home textiles industry.

“Thanks to the revitalized market conditions in China and the increased number of buyers， our exhibitors have had a successful show. Not only did they receive onsite orders and make contact with new clients， but they also valued Intertextile Shanghai as a channel to build up their brand so as to expand their business network in China. Apart from the stronger Chinese market， another reason for the buyer increase this year was the large growth of the four concurrent fairs. This resulted in a more diverse buyer profile with increased demand from different textile industry sectors，” Ms. Wendy Wen， Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt （HK） Ltd. said.

High-end products full of innovation

During this edition， the exhibits mainly focused on bedding， towels and other products. Overall， there has been a significant breakthrough in product design， R&D; and innovation. The booth design has also showed a trend to the households.

In the exhibition， Hongliu occupied an area of nearly 500 square meters. Its digital printing series of bedding weaving with the most advanced MS digital printing machines adopts imported custom active inks with clear printing. Datang Princess made its debut this year， positioning the product in a new Chinese style， using many elements of Suzhou gardens. Menglan attached great importance to research and development， and its products are more abundant than before. The style is simple， elegant and light luxury. The person in charge said that these changes are based on a survey of the consumer market. Now Menglan has begun to focus on the young consumer market and conduct research and design based on their taste and preferences. Ruyi launched a set of bedding valued at more than 40，000 RMB at the booth. It was introduced that the product was made from cashmere and silk， and used its special “Ruyi spinning” process， mainly for high-end and gift markets. MUJI exhibited in the form of households this year， showing towels， bedding and home accessories.

This year， a total of 7 home textile industrial clusters appeared at the show. In addition， JD.com deepened its cooperation with the exhibition and adopted an open exhibition area to connect with home textile companies and exhibitors.

Fringe programme brought insight to fairgoers

Apart from concrete business outcomes， the fairs fringe programme， including the Intangible Cultural Heritage Zone and a series of forums， further enriched the three-day show. Fairgoers were fascinated by the presentation of unique and traditional textile production and processing techniques from Chinese ethnic minorities in the Heritage Zone. While the forums that discussed topics from consumption upgrade to the newest technology applications were another success as they provided extra opportunities for industry players to share their insights and learn the latest developments.

Exhibitor opinions

“We came to the fair to gain exposure and to promote our brand. Since our products are rare in the market and are a perfect substitution for traditional materials， most of the buyers that visited our booth were interested. We succeeded in promoting our brand and letting more industry players know about it. We are really satisfied with the visitor number. People from different sectors with different products in different price ranges are all here. It does help increase our reputation in the industry.”

- Mr. Wang Siqi， Representative of Fibers Sales Dept.， Asahi Kasei Advance （Shanghai） Co.， Ltd.， Japan

“We are happy with the visitor number this year as we made contacts with a lot of manufacturers. Most of them are our target users. The fair has always been helpful for our Council as we can connect with existing clients and explore potential new customers at the same time.”

- Ms. Allisa Lau， Senior Manager， Chain Supply， Chain & Consumer Marketing， Cotton Council International， USA

“We exhibit in Intertextile Shanghai because I believe that it is the premier show in Asia at this time of the year， and it has a wide global reach too. We hope to establish our brand and reputation here at the fair and in China. Our products received very strong interest from Chinese buyers. Overall， we had a very busy show and we are satisfied. We have worked with some major Chinese companies and they came to see us again this edition， but nearly all of the visitors that have come to our booth this time are new to us.”

- Mr. Trevor Beuth， Managing Director， The Australian Alpaca Bedding Company Pty Ltd.， Australia

“The reason we come here is that its the largest show in Asia at this time of the year， and the Intertextile brand is very famous in Japan. We met almost 100 customers every show day， including manufacturers， brand traders and wholesalers. This show helps us to know our customers better and expand our business in China. The Chinese market is developing rapidly in recent years， so attending this show is a good start for us and the result is beyond my expectation.”

- Mr. Tetsuo Tosaki， Manager， Tamurakoma & Co.， Ltd.， Japan

“Among our visitors， 80% are our existing clients who placed orders directly and the remaining ones are new clients who are interested to be our franchisees. It is surprising that we have received such a huge amount of orders in just two show days. Nearly 90% of our existing clients we met at the show placed orders， and weve met more than 10 potential franchisees. This is really a fruitful show as it helps us to connect with old customers and establish new business.”

- Mr. Sunwei， Marketing Manager， Shanghai Yueda Xiangyun Home Textile Co.， Ltd.， China

“This edition we showcased towelling and bedding products especially designed for the 2018 spring season. Intertextile Shanghai is one of the most important platforms for us to launch new products for the year. On the one hand， many suppliers and brand buyers are looking for new items during this peak sourcing season. On the other hand， many quality buyers and decision makers are invited to the show. The visitor flow is high so we can both enhance our brand popularity and receive orders after the show.”

- Mr. Gao Qi， District Manager， Sunvim Co.， Ltd.， China