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WHO’S NEXT and PREMIERE CLASSE opened the trade show season at Porte de Versailles Thursday September 3rd… to end Sunday with a record attendance! 57,733 buyers visited hall 1, showing a significant 36% rise in the attendance compared with January 09 and 5% compared with September 08, which had already been an exceptional session. |
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A STRATEGY THAT PAYS OFF…
The new consistent trade show organization and the grouping of the PREMIERE CLASSE and FACE shoe offer aroused general satisfaction that favored a purchasing atmosphere. The high-quality selection, the innovative space design changes and the synergy between exhibiting brands also made this session a very successful one. All these factors, together with the exhibitors’ creative efforts, favored an extremely positive atmosphere and aroused the buyers’ enthusiasm and curiosity. |
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WHO’S NEXT’S WOMENSWEAR OFFER (400 BRANDS): RECESSION TIME IS OVER! In all the WHO’S NEXT areas devoted to women, the feeling was the same: the buyers’ and exhibitors’ dynamism is a sign that the recession could end very soon. The buyers want to move on and have gone back to impulse buying, leaving aside their commitment to one brand in particular. ET VOUS’s Michel Robin was surprised by the crowd in the aisles and the number of new buyers from various countries. The brand enjoyed exceptional results and praised the new layout, as well as the “bright, friendly and unpretentious” space design. Same feeling at CHARLIE JOE’s who hadn’t enjoyed such a successful trade show in years. New buyers placed 50% of the orders. The brand manager, Philippe Rossi, and brand agent Barbara Colas (ONE TEASPOON, NUMPH) praised the brand selection, especially in the FRESH area, filled with innovative and fresh products. For LAURENCE DOLIGE, this last edition was a true success. Madame à Paris’s designer launched her own eponymous brand during the trade show, managing to attract her former customers as well as new ones, including many Italians and Spaniards. Very popular with a great majority of buyers, her collection is one of the season’s wonderful surprises. |
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WHO’S NEXT’S URBAN OFFER (230 BRANDS): "MAGIC IS BACK!" Everybody’s unanimous… This session symbolizes a new momentum. The presence of brands enjoying a powerful image such as ED HARDY and TWEETY BY CATHY GUETTA played a large part in this phenomenon. While ELEVEN’s Dan Cohen claims this was one of the best sessions ever for his brand, with the presence of Japanese who placed orders, Katya Jaud, representing brand SALSA enjoyed the trade show’s relaxed, healthy and professional atmosphere. She especially appreciated the new layout and the constant traffic in the aisles, and says she mostly welcomed French visitors: big names of the retailing industry that don’t usually attend the trade show and who were eager to purchase. For the brand new Teddys brand, AMERICAN COLLEGE USA, exhibiting for the first time, the trade show was a great opportunity to make contacts, and the immediate after trade show led to concrete orders. |
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PREMIERE CLASSE (490 BRANDS): NEW LOOK, NEW DYNAMISM In September 09, on top of the new shoe space shared with WHO’S NEXT, PREMIERE CLASSE changed its appearance… Lowered to 1.70 meter, the stand partitions gave added space and visibility to the trade show, making the visit all the more pleasant. Another important fact: collections appeared more concentrated; brands are more than ever focused on their « best » accessories. This season, many new exhibitors came to PREMIERE CLASSE after trying other trade shows. MARIE-LAURE CHAMOREL or CLAIRE PAIN, just as MELISSA’s Nadia AAGUIDA, were very pleased to have moved from WHO’S NEXT with the support of both trade shows’ sales team. They all praised PREMIERE CLASSE’s excellent energy and the high-quality customers. According to Nadia, "The world’s leading department stores were present, next to key designers. They all managed to comprehend the brand’s personality, something usually difficult to define”. PREMIERE CLASSE gave all these brands the opportunity to present their true DNA, more than anywhere else. Buyers wise, the NOMAD LOUNGES were one of the trade show’s highlights, bringing visitors very efficient and innovative fashion information through accessories seen as iconographic medium or adorned with flowers. |
| GLOBAL ATTENDANCE ANALYSIS
(WHO’S NEXT + PREMIERE CLASSE) > FRANCE The 36,095 buyers confirm the rise in French attendance initiated in September 08. However, compared with September 08, a reversal of trends can be witnessed: the French province is now more represented than the Paris region, with 59% vs. 41%, showing a renewed enthusiasm and commitment from the province retailers. > EUROPE European buyers (excluding France) rank first with 74.5% of foreign attendance for both trade shows, i.e. 16,130 visitors. Worth noticing, a sharp increase of Southern Europe, with + 23 % for Italian visitors, who as usual, represent the greatest part in the foreign attendance with 4,327 buyers. The Spanish attendance is also increasing with + 17.5%, just as the Portuguese attendance with + 41.6%. The Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium are also widely represented with respectively + 26%, + 25% and + 20.9%. > ASIA Asia is the second most represented continent with 12 % of foreign attendance and 2,624 buyers, that is a 16 % increase. While China and Hong-Kong have enjoyed a significant 25 % rise (585 buyers) and Korea 10% (328 buyers), thanks to the promotion campaigns led by WHO’S NEXT and PREMIERE CLASSE in both countries. Japan, is the 4th most represented country on both trade shows, with a 4 % increase, going from 1,158 to 1,205 visitors. > AMERICAN CONTINENT The American continent is also on the rise with + 3.9%. While the United States show a 9.7 % drop in attendance because of the current economic situation, Brazilian buyers (followed by other Latin American countries) are now more dynamic than ever and motivated by the trade shows’ promotion campaigns as part of the Sao Paulo Fashion Week held last June. They represent a 9% increase. > MIDDLE EAST For three seasons now, the Middle East has made the news and now represents 3.7% of the foreign attendance, i.e. 818 visitors. Important buyers from Dubai were mostly present, followed by Israel and the United Arab Emirates. > AFRICA African visitors represent 1.8 % with 398 visitors, showing a 13 % increase compared with the same session last year. > OCEANIA Buyers from Australia, Caledonia, New Zealand and Polynesia have shown a true enthusiasm for the Parisian trade shows, and were far more present than they usually are. Their number went from 176 to 302 visitors. |
| UPCOMING TRADE SHOWS PREMIERE CLASSE October 2nd-5th 2009, Jardin des Tuileries, Paris FAME TUILERIES BY PARIS SUR MODE October 2nd-5th 2009, Jardin des Tuileries/Espace Castiglione, Paris WHO’S NEXT & PREMIERE CLASSE October 11th-13th 2009, Dubaï, Dubaï International Exhibition Center WHO’S NEXT & PREMIERE CLASSE January 23rd – 26th 2010, Porte de Versailles, Paris |
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