Largest-ever Singapore market draws 17,838
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, April 10, 2006
Singapore — Asian furniture makers looking to boost exports found a receptive audience at the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show here earlier this month.
The show drew 17,838 visitors from 112 countries, mostly from Asia but also from Europe, the Middle East and North America. U.S. attendees accounted for 6% of the total with about 1,070 visitors, mostly from the wholesale and retail trade.
The show covered over 400,000 square feet at the Singapore Expo, featuring 505 exhibitors from 29 countries, the largest event in the market's 23-year history.
Some exhibitors were clustered in pavilions that highlighted countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. There also was a strong showing of China- and Singapore-based exhibitors.
Products ranged from leather and fabric upholstery to case goods and occasional.
Vietnamese case goods manufacturer Tien Trien offered five new bedroom collections, plus several new dining and occasional groups. Its main customers were wholesalers looking for new source factories.
Despite what he described as relatively low U.S. attendance, CEO Tien Nguyen said he expected the show would boost the company's U.S. sales. About half its overall revenues currently come from the United States, and Nguyen wants to see that rise to 80% within two years.
To attract U.S. interest, Shanghai, China-based case goods manufacturer Hong Kong Overseas Furniture showed a Mission-style oak bedroom, dining and home office collection that includes executive desks and creden-za/hutch units. Other new pieces included glass-door bookcases, consoles and chests.
"This show is a good way to expand our U.S. customer base," said General Manager Annie Delcour, noting 40% of current sales are from the United States. "We are looking to grow that percentage. We know America is a big market."
France-based case goods maker Country Corner also looks to grow its U.S. business above the current 15%, said Victor Le Broussois, director of international sales and marketing. The company also sells in Italy and Australia.
Country Corner offered some new French-country-inspired dining sets made in Vietnam from recycled pine, with highly distressed, multi-step finishes and color options.
Diretso, a Pampanga, Philippines-based manufacturer, showcased several new upholstery items with abaca frames and Belgian-made fabric. Its main customer base at IFFS comes from Australia, which represents about 35% of its business. It also saw buyers from Europe, which accounts for another 40% of sales.
The United States represents just 6% of its business, but officials expected the show to help boost that figure. "We are absolutely optimistic we can do more business in the U.S.," said Diretso spokesman Jan Krenn. "There is this rich clientele there that wants this type of furniture."
Netherlands-based Hamefa showcased new oak and pine casual dining and occasional sets in whitewashed finishes, produced in its factories in Bulgaria, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The looks appeal to buyers from Europe, which represents about half its business, as well as New Zealand, Australia and Japan. About 30% of sales come from the United States, including retail and wholesale business.
Europe and the United States also are strong markets for Singapore-based case goods manufacturer Koda. This show is a good way to reach those and other markets, said Vice President of Marketing Ernie Koh.
The scaling and straight lines of Koda's furniture give it a contemporary look that would appeal to European buyers, but its use of solid-wood components and walnut and ash veneers should appeal to U.S. customers, he said.
"We do not want to call ourselves price driven," Koh said, noting IFFS brings Koda customers from Canada and Scandinavia as well. "We want to be design and service driven."
U.S. retailers here visited existing vendors and scouted out new resources for container-direct business, and wholesalers did much the same with sourcing partners.
"We look for inspiration and other suppliers to diversify our line and find things that already fit (within the existing product mix)," said Kevin Sypolt, chief operating officer of wicker and rattan specialist Padma's Plantation, who made his fourth visit to IFFS.
"You don't want to miss anything," said Padma's Plantation President Renee Maria Fanjon. "My only concern is that I saw a lot of sameness."
Palecek President Allan Palecek said he has been coming to this show for a number of years. "We look for trends more than new suppliers," he said. "In my case, it's to see what isn't being done, to look for that new idea."
U.S. exhibitors here included Fine Furniture Design & Marketing, Furniture Classics, Sauder, Sunbrella, Hekman and Woodmark, who use IFFS to expand business beyond their main U.S. customer base.
