Footwear federation happy with GDS
17/03/2009
The Düsseldorf fairs, GDS and Global Shoes, drew to a close after three days on March 15, with what the organisers called “a predominantly positive summary”.
According to preliminary calculations, more than 31,000 buyers came to the Düsseldorf exhibition centre over the three days, suggesting a drop of 6% compared to a year ago.
Almost half the visitors to GDS came from outside Germany, with 91 countries represented in all. At Global Shoes, 60% of visitors were from overseas, with people from a total of 52 countries coming through the door. Nine out of ten visitors polled rated the trade fairs and the collections on display as positive or very positive, and 85% stated in a representative survey that they felt they had seen the latest trends in the industry at GDS.
Commenting on the outcome, event director, Kirstin Deutelmoser, said: “The quality of our visitors was very high. All important buyers were represented but with smaller teams in terms of headcount. The atmosphere in the halls was very positive and characterised by constructive talks. The avid interest taken in our fashion shows and lectures was compelling evidence of the great demand for information retailers have at present.”
Ralph Rieker, chairman of the Central Federation of the German Shoe Industry (HDS), commented: “GDS has shown that the sector needs a constant in difficult times, a constant that brings together retail and industry as an effective and personal communication ‘enabler’. And despite all the in-depth conversations and discussions, retailers did not fail to place orders in Düsseldorf. GDS has entirely fulfilled the expectations of the German shoe industry considering the overall economic climate. The three days of the trade fair are now behind us and together we can build on it.”
A total of 1,110 exhibitors from 38 countries presented the latest shoe and bag styles at the events. At GDS 1,870 collections were presented for autumn-winter 2009–10 alongside trends for the current season.
The next GDS and Global Shoes will take place from September 11–13.
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