The increased participation, purposeful visitation and positive vibes received at the Heimtextil, held recently in Frankfurt, proved a perfect beginning to 2016 for the home furnishing industry. As per the organizers, there were over 69,000 trade visitors (2015: 67,861) and 2,866 exhibitors (2015: 2,723) from across the world converging at the event. This time, near about 400 Indian home furnishing exporters participated in the show, and many in discussion with Apparel Online, accepted that this year’s fair and buyer visitation was more beneficial than the previous year, setting the tone for business in 2016. As usual very few Indian exporters focused on a particular theme or story in their product line and most of them were having mixed collections to appeal to a larger buyer segment.
Mumbai-based Sumangalam Exports, a regular participant at Heimtextil is satisfied with this edition of the event, “I would rate this year’s Heimtextil successful since there were more visitors and exhibitors compared to last year. Messe Frankfurt also made the effort to promote the trade fair through celebrity appearances. We had a good range of visitors from Western Europe, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Australia. Another positive sign for Indian companies was the good number of visitors from Russia that were interested in Indian products. Non-traditional markets also offer an opportunity,” shared Pranav Ghelani, Marketing Director, Sumangalam Exports.
Participating for the first time at the event, Kaushal International, Delhi was also satisfied with the visitors he received. “Our focus on display was quilts, and buyers liked our products; the only issue I saw was pricing. Overall it was a good experience for us as we met buyers from various countries,” says Ajay Verma, Proprietor of the company whose collection was based on colours that are popular in Europe. Many more participants agreed with the above opinion but like all other fairs there were some participants that met less buyers compared to their expectations and so were not too happy with the buyer footfall. Rajiv Bahl, Proprietor, Design East, Delhi, who showcased rugs at the event informed, “For us the fair was slow, but we cannot really pinpoint whether it was due to slow international markets or any other reason.”
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The overall business scenario remains quite challenging, as the main markets for Indian home furnishings of Europe and the US have been experiencing a slow down for almost a year. In this scenario, prices are becoming critical and India is losing out to Pakistan and Bangladesh since they have duty-free access to EU and also their currencies are weaker vis-à-vis the Indian Rupee. China has also devalued its currency with the objective of making its exports cheaper. Indian exporters do face a difficult situation, but what keeps them in good stead is emphasis on quality and reliability in deliveries.
5 orders on the spot
Detlef Braun, CEO, Messe Frankfurt was of the opinion, “The positive economic indicators also boosted discussions between suppliers and purchasers.” Few Indian exporters also expressed the same opinion as they were not only able to meet good number of buyers, but even the mutual discussions about business in coming months were also positive. “On the basis of feedbacks and whatever I discussed with buyers, I must say that it is a good beginning of 2016 and more orders should come in, be it from Europe or any other international markets. Buyers were enthusiastic and asking for various products, which reflects positivity,” reasons Samarth Sangal, CEO of textilestock.in, Delhi who booked five orders within the fair and met more than 50 good buyers. According to him, floor covering was most appreciated and demanded product at his booth. “As it was my first experience of this event, I found buyers are quite serious here and they decide immediately and believe in closing the order on the spot. Next time we will participate in a bigger way,” he added. But there is a different point of view also, as Pranav observed, “Most of the buyers we interacted with do not see a recovery soon. It will be the most efficient and financially strong companies that would eventually ride through this lean phase in global economies.”
As far as particular product or range is concerned, buyers liked most of the products displayed by Indian exhibitors. Few Indian companies also launched new collections/products at the event. Amber Home (India), Mumbai displayed many products and claimed that Fouta/Hamam Towel collection was liked by existing as well as new customers. “Table Cloths packed in Jars were a hit at our booth,” says Nimish Shah, Director of the company. He added that his approach was more towards sustainability, following the theme of ‘Save Our Planet by Making Home Textile from Recycled Yarns’. The company used recycled PC yarn wherein 80 per cent is cotton and 20 per cent is polyester. The company has also reduced some dyeing processes for the sake of environment.
On the other side Anil Madaan, Madaan Overseas, Panipat displayed a mix collection rather than focusing on one particular story or theme and he was happy with the overall response at the fair. “We displayed bed covers, curtains, cushion, etc. Most of the buyers we met were from Europe, and a good number of buyers came from Italy,” informed Anil. Gurgaon-based Panache (India) International having specialization in leather cushions also displayed accessories in hard goods. Gitanjali Khokha, Owner of the company informed that buyers appreciated their products, though the fair could have been better in terms of buyer visitation. Few other participants also shared that they focused on regular designs and did not experiment much on fabric as cotton-based products still seem to dominate the demand.
