Texworld and Apparel Sourcing draw 15,034 buyers

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Published
Sep 25, 2014

The two trade shows in the Paris-area Le Bourget exhibition centre that took place September 15–18, increased attendance by 5.16%, attracting 15,034 visitors from 109 countries.

"We are delighted by this increase, which could have been higher because many visitors were unable to come due to the Air France strikes," said Michael Scherpe, president of fair organizer Messe Frankfurt France, which sees the spike in visitors as proof "of the excitement in the consumption of fashion in Europe."

Both fairs together hosted 1,166 exhibitors for this edition and increased the number of European visitors by 4.39%. Attendance from Asia also increased (+18.32%), while numbers from the Americas remained stable, despite more Brazilians attending the show (+10%). Visitor statistics for Africa suffered a decline of 11%.

The return of Japanese buyers (+9.5%) especially caused the surge in attendance from Asia. More buyers from South Korean (+33%) and Hong Kong (+21%) also walked the aisles. While now more focused on purchases for its domestic market, China sent 8% more attendees to this edition.

The two show's top six countries for attendance either maintained the same level or sent more buyers. The changes by order of the attendee ranking are: Italy (+23%), France (+4%), Turkey (+4%), Germany (+3%), Spain (+1.5%) and Great Britain (+1.5%).

The organizer also notes the growing presence of three countries showing double-digit growth, with Ireland in the lead at an increase of 22%, Poland with 20% more attendees and Norway with a 25% rise. Buyers from Bulgaria are also increasingly interested in the fair, with 64% more of their industry professionals walking the aisles.

Texworld will hold its first Turkish edition Texworld Istanbul from November 4–6. The next editions of Texworld Paris and Apparel Sourcing will be held February 9–12.