Planned June market in Calgary cancelled
Retailers apparently prefer Las Vegas
Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, February 15, 2007
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The first Connections West furniture market, announced for June in Calgary, Alberta, has been canceled, an apparent victim of mounting support for the Las Vegas Market by furniture retailers in western Canada.
The event will be rethought and moved to Las Vegas, probably next year, according to Furniture West, the factory association here that created the market and organized previous markets in western Canada.
Furniture West Chairman Terry Clark said retailers have voted with their feet.
“Even small independents from places like Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and Hay River, Alberta, were seen in Las Vegas (in January). They stayed away from (the January) Toronto (market), choosing instead to go to Las Vegas,” he said.
Also, about 30 Canadian furniture suppliers participated in the winter Vegas market. Among them were Magnussen Home, Hamilton & Spill, El Ran, Amisco, Bermex and its Dinec subsidiary, Dynamic, Dynasty, Dutailier and G. Romano.
“This seems to be where everyone wants to hang up a shingle and do business,” Clark said.
Furniture West said it is talking to the World Market Center in Las Vegas about leasing an as-yet-undetermined amount of temporary space in the WMC’s Pavilions, which the association would then offer to its members. When the first such show will be held and other details are still being worked out.
Joe Malko, president of Furniture West, said he will survey members to determine their interest in participating and their space needs.
In a written statement announcing the Calgary cancellation, Furniture West said, “The globalization of the furniture manufacturing industry is dramatically redefining the buying pattern of western Canadian retailers of home furnishings. In making plans for Connections West ’07 in Calgary, the sudden changes in North American markets, including the emergence of Las Vegas as an important event for the trade in western Canada, could not have been anticipated.”
Clark noted that even the smallest retailers can now put together mixed containers of imported furniture and bring a variety of goods to their floors without difficulty and huge surcharges.
The idea behind Connections West was that it would be a platform for retailers and senior factory executives to discuss a variety of issues and review product plans. The goal was to build relationships, not write orders.
That thinking drew praise from some manufacturers and retailers but was widely criticized by sales representatives.
“It was a bit of a cultural shock to those who don’t want to change,” said Malko, adding that he talked to people from all segments of the industry and found support for the concept insufficient. “It wasn’t for want of trying,” he said.
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Planned June market in Canada canceled
Mar 4, 2007
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