FRANKFRUT, GERMANY — Stability, consistency and quality – these are the attributes with which the three consumer-goods fairs – Christmasworld, Paperworld and Creativeworld – open their doors in Frankfurt am Main at the end of January. The new business year for the festive decorations, paper, office supplies, stationery, hobby, handicrafts and artists’ materials segments has begun well. “Our trio of fairs remains strong and extremely stable with registrations having been received from 3,000 exhibitors – despite the fact that the economic climate outside Germany is rather turbulent. This is a great success for international events of this kind and a positive portent for both exhibitors and visitors”, says Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH.
All three fairs are set to benefit from the particularly good economic situation in Germany and this is reflected by a positive business atmosphere. “Employment has reached a new high while unemployment has fallen to the lowest level for 20 years. This has not been without an impact on domestic demand for paper and office materials”, says Braun commenting on developments in the sector. Nevertheless, significant downturns are clearly visible when looking at the rest of Europe and the world market. “The mood outside Germany is much more subdued and this is reflected by the echo from our customers in South Europe and Asia”, adds Braun.
Christmasworld study: Christmas is always in demand
Christmasworld offers a good example of the economic climate in Germany. In this case, too, demand is having a positive influence on developments in the sector. This is illustrated by a study by the GfK market research institute commissioned by Messe Frankfurt, according to which over 90 percent of Germans celebrate Christmas and one in three of them says it is “extremely important” for them. “Christmas is the most important festival of the year in Germany and decorations play a leading role. Candles are the most popular decorative element for the Germans”, summarises Braun. For 85 percent of respondents, candles hold first place ahead of Christmas baubles (77.2 percent) and a real Christmas tree (76.9 percent). “We are perfectly positioned with the range of products at Christmasworld where dealers and buyers can be sure of finding the right assortment to meet demand next Christmas”, continues Detlef Braun.
Thus, Christmasworld is the undisputed highlight for the sector and trend-setter when it comes to festive decorations for Christmas and all other festive occasions of the year. “As the biggest international order platform for the sector, Christmasworld is a must for buyers from the retail and wholesale trades, and for decorators and designers”, comments Stephan Kurzawski, Senior Vice President, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition. With around 950 registered exhibitors, including all key players and numerous new exhibitors, it is set to build on the high level of the last event in 2011.
Paperworld: quality creates stability
The paper, office supplies and stationery sector has begun the year with a positive outlook. Thanks largely to increased domestic demand, the sector enjoyed an estimated economic growth of 6.4 percent to reach total sales of € 17.367 billion in 2011. According to the IFH Retail Consultants, Cologne, the rate of expansion was particularly high in the fields of office-communication paper and writing utensils. “The upswing in the German paper, office supplies and stationery sector is due to the great resilience of the German economy. Slight signs of weakness are to be seen in export sales as a result of the unstable situation in the rest of Europe. Thus, the consistent figures for Paperworld are extremely encouraging”, says Stephan Kurzwaski on these developments.
1,800 exhibitors from 70 countries have registered to make presentations at this year’s Paperworld in Frankfurt am Main. Nowhere else in the world can trade buyers expect to find an assortment comparable in terms of both breadth and depth. A decisive factor for the success of the fair is not only its high degree of internationality but also the high quality of the event. “Paperworld exhibitors score with high-grade products because the trend to durability and quality has gained ground in the paper, office supplies and stationery sector”, says Kurzawski. A high level of quality awareness among consumers is one of the factors contributing to the stable development. Parallel to this, consumers are also becoming increasingly trend conscious. Thus, with its trend show, Paperworld is the ideal venue because it takes place at the beginning of the year, which is exactly the right time to present future-oriented trends for the coming season.
Creativeworld: a successful start to the second year
Following the première Creativeworld in 2011, the trade fair for the hobby, handicrafts and artists’ materials sector is all set for a second successful edition. Hall 4.2 is fully booked up and all key players of the sector have registered to make presentations in Frankfurt am Main. Altogether, 230 companies are showing a wide range of new products and creative ideas. The demand for hobby and creative products remains high and the trend to handicrafts continues unabated whereby products for specific occasions, such as Christmas, weddings and Easter, are particularly popular. Young handicrafts enthusiasts are especially keen on creating individual pieces of jewellery. “Our exhibitors cover the entire spectrum of products for the sector. In addition to a wide range of handicrafts products, Creativeworld has lots of room for high-grade artists’ materials and shows innovative ideas for the coming season in a special exhibition”, says Stephan Kurzawski. The sector can look back over a stable sales period and anticipates an increase of around two percent for 2012.
Association of events generates new impulses and synergies
The decision to hold Hair and Beauty as a stand-alone-fair in May has strengthened the association of consumer-goods events and is sure to generate new impulses and synergies. “This move means we have brought our three world fairs closer together in terms of content”, explains Kurzawski. Now, exhibitors can expect greater international attention for their products and have the opportunity to make contacts to representatives of other sectors. Retailers and wholesalers profit not only from more innovations and trends but also from greater inspiration and, therefore, can obtain an impression spanning a variety of different segments.
