A solid increase of 14 percent in the number of visitors at the consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt

A solid increase of 14 percent in the number of visitors at the consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt New visitor record – 169 nations in Frankfurt Consumer-goods industry back on the upswing The four consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt am Main ended today, Tuesday, 1 February 2011, with a double-digit growth in the number of visitors. Altogether, the four events – Paperworld, Creativeworld, Christmasworld and Hair and Beauty – attracted more than 107,000 trade visitors, an increase of 14 percent over the previous year (93,9391).

“That was a great performance by four powerful trade-fair brands. Over 107,000 trade visitors or 13,000 more than last year clearly demonstrated the unrivalled position of these marketing platforms as international trade fairs for their sectors”, said Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt GmbH, summarising the successful development of the four consumer-goods events in Frankfurt. Around 48 percent of buyers came from outside Germany, from a total of 169 nations (2010: 142). “Thus, these trade shows are more international than ever before”, added Braun. The number of visitors from Germany also rose by more than ten percent.

A total of 3,257 exhibitors from 72 countries, i.e., 70 exhibitors more than last year (2010: 3,187²), presented their latest products and trends for the fields of paper, office supplies and stationery, hobby, crafts and artists’ materials, festive decorations, hair cosmetics, hair- dressing and beauty salon supplies. This year’s top five visitor nations were Italy, France, The Netherlands, Great Britain and Switzerland.

A positive atmosphere and dynamic ordering characterised the five days in Frankfurt am Main. Important contributing factors were the improved economic situation worldwide and, in particular, the up- swing in Germany, which has been of great benefit to the retail trade. Thus, buyers proved to be in the mood for placing orders and also more willing to experiment.

The outcome was high levels of satisfaction on both the exhibitor and visitor sides, which resulted in an extremely positive assessment of the current economic situation in the sectors covered by all four events. Three quarters of all exhibitors said they were pleased with the course of their business at the fair. This value also increased on the visitor side and was even higher than the rating given by the industry. Exhibitors and visitors were agreed in their opinion of the economic outlook. All-in-all, the consumer-goods sectors are taking off into the new business year with the benefit of a good tailwind. “The mood among both exhibitors and trade visitors at Paperworld and Creativeworld was first-rate. There were many interesting new products and marketing campaigns. The focus in the private and creative segment was on consumer trends. Particularly noticeable were the efforts being made by suppliers and the specialist trade to draw attention not only to products but also to the benefits for the 17 million office workplaces in Germany”, said Thomas Grothkopp, General Manager of the German Office Supplies Association (Bundesverband Bürowirtschaft – BBW) in the German Home and Office Association (Bundesverband Wohnen und Büro e.V. – BWB). Horst-Werner Maier-Hunke, Chairman of the Association of the Paper, Office Supplies and Stationery Industry (PBS-Industrie- verband), confirmed this assessment on behalf of the industry. “I have only come across satisfied partner companies here at the fair. The mood is overwhelmingly positive and you can’t help but notice the optimistic view being taken of the future.”

“After four years, we wanted to present our products at the inter- national platform again – and there is no better platform for this than Paperworld. We have held numerous very good discussions and the mood is positive. Visitors are interested and the financial pressure seems to have eased somewhat. Sustainability is a very important issue for customers”, said Matthias Schumacher, Director International Sales & Key Account Management, explaining the return of tesa SE, Hamburg.

Particularly encouraging was the excellent response to the new Creativeworld, which took place as an independent trade fair for hobby and artists’ requisites for the first time this year. “Creativeworld was very lively and made a great impression. The mood among both manufacturers and retailers was good. Launching this independent, international trade fair was very much in the interests of the sector. It has given the market new impetus and an upbeat image”, said a delighted Manfred Pulst, Chairman of the Hobby Creative Association (Verband Hobby-Kreativ e.V.) about the debut of Creativeworld.

This year’s Christmasworld was another complete success. “For us, taking part in Christmasworld has paid off fully yet again – customer quality is excellent and remains high”, said Nic Duysens, General Manager of Nic Duysens e.K., Germany, confirming the development of the world’s biggest trade fair for festive decorations.

Hair and Beauty 2011 was also a hit for its sector. “This has been an outstanding fair with a surprisingly large number of extremely interested visitors, modern competitions and active exhibitors. There was something for everyone, from beginners to experts. Hair and Beauty is a fair where you immediately feel at home, just as hair- dressers like it”, said Andreas Popp, President Central Association of the German Hairdressing Trade (Zentralverband des Deutschen Friseurhandwerks), conceptual partner of the event.

On the whole, longevity and quality are more important than price and spontaneous purchases. Things brighten up in the case of writing utensils, however. The colours range from petrol via black- berry to beige – singly or combined. The trend is towards rhinestone or wood applications, especially for ball-point and fountain pens. Sustainability is a key factor for all office supplies with the focus on recycled products, as well as processes using sustainable timber production for paper manufacturing. For example, pencil bodies or notebooks are made of recycled paper, which is distinguished by elegance and attractive ornamentation. Dust in the office environ- ment is also tackled, e.g., with suction devices on shredders.

The focus in the creative sector is primarily on decorating oneself and the home. Particularly popular is home-made jewellery. Now, sophisticated materials, such as leather, felt and modelling clay are being used while jeans are given a new lease of life with rhinestone applications and t-shirts decorated using new template techniques. Knitting, embroidery and crocheting are enjoying a revival, inter alia, with the aim of customising furnishings.

When it comes to Christmas decorations, the trend conscious will bank on cool blue or berry shades. Playful creativity is very popular and the range of figures stretches from pets to UFOs. However, traditionalists are not neglected with classic baubles and stars dominating the range of shapes. Wood, willow and wool are the materials of choice. And, for Easter, consumers have the choice of chicks and hares either in trendy pink, lilac, orange or turquoise or traditional light green, yellow and orange.

Extremely natural and variable – that’s the direction being taken by tomorrow’s hairdressing and beauty trends with, for example, smooth being mixed with frizzy or curly hair. Additionally, more curls and volume are in coming – also supported by extensions or braided hairpieces for the perfect party outfit in the evening. The bob remains an extremely variable cut for those with a preference for classic looks. The dominant colours are red and blond, frequently with shades of pink and violet, mainly on the cool side. For men, quiffs à la Elvis are to be seen with short sides, a short neck and long hair on top. Besides the nude look, make-up trends are dominated by cheer- ful summer colours for the eyelids and covers the complete spectrum from yellow, via blue, to green and pink.

Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s leading trade fair organiser, with approx. € 450 million* in sales and more than 1,770 employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2010, Messe Frankfurt organised 88 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany. Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Centre. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent. For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com