Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
With just six weeks to go until Exclusively Housewares 2012 gets underway, the organisers say visitors can expect to see several new key market trends emerging.
According to show director Simon Boyd: “We’re seeing more companies take on licensing deals which bring designs that started off on greeting cards or in films into housewares, and onto kitchen textiles.
“In small domestic appliances we see ever more power-efficient products being introduced and generally more ‘better for the environment’ materials being used; even new print technology is influencing the types of products and colour ranges on offer.
“You also get a sense, with export sales becoming much more important as the UK economy still struggles, that being ‘British’ or ‘Made in Britain’ is being taken much more seriously,” he adds, “especially in this double whammy Jubilee and Olympic year – many exhibitors are finally really selling their British heritage with pride.”
The show, which runs June 12 to 13 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, will host 120 exhibitors – with many more brands being represented – and is one of the largest specialist gatherings of housewares and tabletop suppliers in the UK.
For the fourth year running, it has issued invitations to a key group of around 20 overseas buyers. This year it includes representatives of department store chains and speciality housewares retailers from Switzerland, Estonia, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Italy, France and Russia. They will be accompanied by the leading housewares trade press editors from their countries.
“The Exclusively Housewares organising team feels it’s worth the investment to research and invite a reputable and interested group of international buyers to the show each year,” says Boyd.
“We then set up face-to-face networking for our exhibitors’ export representatives and ensure the buyers see and enjoy the show. It’s a great way to showcase the UK industry.”
Key sponsorship for 2012 has been undertaken by De’Longhi, which will be staffing the Buyer’s Lounge with its own baristas. In addition, Imperial has teamed up with partner DuPont Teflon to produce this year’s free show bags, and will also be sponsoring the show’s tea and coffee trolleys via its brand Eazigrip.
