JSWB show hosts many international buyers
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, November 9, 2008
SHANGHAI, China — Exhibitors at the second annual JSWB Shanghai Furniture Sourcing Fair opened their doors to an estimated 24,300 buyers from around the world in September, according to official show results.
Of these, 2,736 were overseas buyers from 94 countries, including the United States, which sent 270 representatives to the show, making it the largest international contingent.
The Sept. 11-15 show at the JSWB Global Home Furnishings Center outside Shanghai featured 375 exhibitors showcasing new product in a wide spectrum of styles and categories.
At its three-story showroom, Universal Furniture launched its Better Homes and Gardens collection, tied in with the two-year-old Chinese version of the magazine.
Case goods and upholstery producer Alexandre International launched a 20-piece transitional upholstery collection. Its freestanding showroom also had space devoted to its case goods as well as a floor dedicated to Century Furniture products.
Natuzzi, which didn't open its showroom in time for last year's show, was ready this year with a full line of transitional and contemporary leather and fabric sofas and sofa beds.
Most of the show's product mix was Western-style furniture, aimed at a growing number of wealthy Chinese consumers looking for high-quality products.
Fairmont Designs featured a mix of largely traditional, Western-style case goods and upholstery similar in style to what it sells in the United States. Some of the products have European design influences, or more transitional British West Indies themes. But many of the goods are scaled slightly smaller to fit into the homes of Chinese consumers.
About 15% of the product in Fairmont's JSWB space was new, said Chairman George Tsai.
Along with international accounts, Fairmont saw many domestic buyers at the show. Like other showrooms in the 2.1-million-square-foot complex, the 32,000-square-foot space is a retail store during the rest of the year.
Tsai said the JSWB location has exceeded his expectations in retail sales. In the first year alone, it represented 55% of the company's sales in Shanghai, where it has four other stores.
“You have a larger space to display your line,” he said, adding that Zou Wenlong, president of the JSWB Global Sourcing Center, has done a good job of promoting the venue. “We can do some export business here and some retail. From a cost standpoint, it's very effective.”
Alexandre International also drew domestic and international buyers at the show. It also views the showroom primarily as a retail location, largely because the complex is fast becoming a furniture destination for many area consumers.
“This location is good,” said Wendy Lin, an art director for the company. “When the customer comes in they are looking for furniture. This is a furniture village.”
Alexandre had six stores in China as of mid-September and plans to have 10 by the end of this year and 20 by the end of 2009. Of the current stores, Lin said, the JSWB location is the best-performing.
The first two days of the JSWB show were open to the trade, while the last three were open to both the trade and consumers.
Among the U.S. buyers shopping the show was a team of four buyers from Swansea, Md.-based Cardi's Furniture. Co-owner Nicholas Cardi Jr., who was at the JSWB show for the first time, said he was visiting a mix of current and prospective vendors. He found the show's layout a little confusing, but was impressed nonetheless.
“It's a fabulous retail concept,” he said. “No one could pull that off in (the United States).”
He also said he would likely return to see the facility built to completion in 2012. Developers plan to expand the complex to nearly 8 million square feet, making it one of the largest home furnishings centers in the world.
An executive for Lacquer Craft Mfg., parent of U.S. companies Universal Furniture, Legacy Classic and Craftmaster, said the trade show/retail concept works well here.
“You have your buyer time and your guest time, which is good for the industry because it exposes consumers to a lot of furniture,” said Phillip Siler, Lacquer Craft vice president of sales and marketing. “If you look at the quality of the complex, it's top notch.”
Stylution has a freestanding three-story showroom at the complex showing mattresses and a largely transitional line of case goods it produces at its Dongguan-area manufacturing facilities to the south.
Stylution Group Chairman Jack Chen said the location of the JSWB venue — at least an hour-and-a-half drive from central Shanghai — was not the best. As a result, he indicated, business has been a little soft the first year but said consumer traffic remains strong on the weekends.
He also believes the show is helping the company attract franchisees to support its growing network of stores in China. Stylution now has about 500 stores in China, 80% of which are franchises. It ultimately wants to double that number to 1,000, Chen said.
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