Beijing textile show records 40% growth

By Mark Armsden BEIJING Covering more than 11,500sqm of exhibition space, the second annual Intertextile Beijing - China International Trade Fair for Apparel Fabrics and Accessories took place at the China World Trade Centre March 26-28. With more than 300 exhibitors, the show was 40% bigger than in 2001, and had a strong international flavour with approximately half of the exhibiting companies coming from overseas. Numbers on the visitor side reached 13,118 trade buyers recorded over three days. In 2001 Intertextile Beijing shared a venue with the CHIC apparel show which was open to the public. As a consequence the fair attracted 18,000 people, but this was a mixture of public and trade buyers. Exhibitors commented on Chinese consumers' increasing quality-consciousness in fashion and remarked there has never been a better time for foreign companies to break into the market. "This is our first time at a trade fair in China," Hong Kong's Pacific Textiles general manager Mr Kevin Kong said. "Our aim is to promote our company image and then gather market information, such as pricing and product range. We are very satisfied." Visitors too remarked upon the importance of Beijing as a venue for textiles and apparel. The Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA) brought a buying delegation of 40 to the show from and were pleased with the outcome of their visit. "This is the second time we have organised a buying tour to Beijing for Intertextile," TGMA trade promotion officer Mr Tichatorn Suttisoontornwong said. "It is our job to provide our 500 members with up-to-date information about the apparel and textiles industry, and Intertextile Beijing is a great place to collect information."