Americans attract buyers in China
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, June 1, 2008
Guangzhou, China — Chinese exhibitors were the largest contingent at the 21st China International Furniture Fair. But the show lived up to its international reputation thanks to a strong showing of U.S. and other foreign companies.
Among the U.S.-based exhibitors were Ashley, ArtCraft Furniture, Lifestyle Enterprise, Universal and Kinwai.
Universal was here for the first time showing a line of mostly contemporary upholstery, home entertainment and occasional furniture. It also had some traditional bedroom and dining room.
The company's booth mostly attracted buyers from the Middle East and from the domestic China market seeking franchise opportunities. (It offered to give the Chinese buyers rides to its showroom at the 3F fair in nearby Dongguan, a show held the same week that had more of a domestic focus.)
Ashley also showed here for the first time. Its two-floor, 4,500-square-foot space had a mix of traditional and transitional upholstery, bedroom, dining room and occasional.
Shari Wanek-Wagner, vice president of international marketing development, said the show attracted buyers from China, South Africa and the Middle East. She believed the show was important, particularly since Ashley wasn't getting many Middle Eastern buyers at the Shanghai or High Point shows.
Based on the number of buyers from the Middle East and other parts of the world, she said, the company will likely show at Guangzhou again.
Kinwai saw buyers from China, Europe and the Americas. Its product mix mostly included contemporary bedroom, dining room and leather upholstery. Many items were scaled for the China market, said sales representative David Clark, who added that buyers also could get pieces in traditional U.S. sizes.
ArtCraft Furniture — a new U.S.-based division of Chinese manufacturer Ningbo Art Furniture — showed a line of mostly transitional dining and home library pieces as well as antique reproduction chairs and occasional pieces with hand-carved frames, distressed finishes and wood tops with heavy grain patterns that contrasted with cream-colored bases.
Other international companies showing at Guangzhou included Spain-based Colono Mobiliario, Singapore-based Koda and Malaysia-based Rubelli.
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