Shanghai, April 10th: Asia’s landmark event for the furniture industry is getting ready for business in autumn, when it will open its doors from 12-15 September in Shanghai.As the first significant international event after the summer break in Europe, Furniture China returns with 1,600 exhibitors on 220,000 sq.m. exhibition space.Featuring Asia’s best designs and quality products, the show is expected to draw over 70,000 visitors, including 12,000 international buyers.
In an attempt to balance growth, available exhibition space and visitors’ convenience, the organisers have appointed two venues to take pressure from the overbooked Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).The new venues, Pudong Exhibition Centre and the ShanghaiScience & TechnologyMuseum, are located at a maximum of ten minutes’ drive from SNIEC.All venues are connected by shuttle buses and are most convenient to reach by public transportation or taxi.
The lack of exhibition space will be relieved in 2008 with two additional exhibition halls scheduled to be finished at SNIEC, adding 23,000 sq.m. of floor space.Three more halls, with a floor space of 35,000 sq.m. will be completed in 2009 and another set of three in 2010.It is expected that the 17th China International Furniture Expo in 2011 will become a show of about 350,000 sq.m., then being the world’s second largest furniture show.
Despite the show’s name, Furniture China’s exhibitors are increasingly international, with many companies from Southeast Asia taking part, shifting the focus from “China-made” towards “Asia-made”.Exhibitors from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have confirmed their participation.Support from Western countries is also growing, with Italian, French and American companies targeting the domestic high-end market, as well as international buyers from China’s neighbouring countries.
A survey revealed that most visitors are visiting Furniture China because of its broad range of exhibits and the high quality of exhibitors, the majority considering Furniture China as a “must-visit” event.When comparing Furniture China to other exhibitions in China, visitors highlighted the quality of exhibitors’ and products’, the venue’s excellent connection to the airport and public transportation and the services offered by the organiser.
In an attempt to further upgrade services for exhibitors and visitors, Furniture China has launched the b2b platform www.furnitureinchina.com, providing a 365-day on-line forum for the trade, offering exhibitors and visitors ample opportunities to get into business ahead of Furniture China Exhibition.
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For further information contact:CMP Sinoexpo, Ms Yolanda Xu
yolandaxu@cmpsinoexpo.com
tel +86 21 6437 1178
The Status of China’s Furniture Industry
and its Imports and Exports
The last three years have witnessed the continuous increase in yearly production of China’s furniture industry and the growth rate for exports has shown a decrease year by year. It reflects the growing consumer potential for China’s domestic market. Signs of a slow down of furniture export growth have appeared.
The top ten importing countries for Chinese furniture are: US, Japan, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Holland, Korea, France and Spain (Hong Kong and Taiwan regions not included).
The major production bases of China’s furniture for export are the “Zhujiang River Delta” in South China and “Yangtze River Delta” in East China with the former accounting for 40 per cent of China’s furniture exports, totalling US$7 billion and the latter for 45 per cent, totalling US$8.3 billion. Both regions have traditional superiority for export.
The growth rate of the furniture industry in East China in 2006 was 47.5 per cent, slightly higher than the 40.4 per cent in South China.
The dragon head area of China’s furniture industry is “expanding from the south to the north”, namely from “Zhujiang River Delta” to “Yangtze River Delta”.The next hot spot will be the Bohai rim region, covering Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and North East China area.
The slow down of exports is caused by the following three reasons:
- The continuously increasing labour cost in mainland China
- The appreciation of RMB currency
- Chinese government policies to encourage increase of imports and decrease of exports to balance trade.
According to China Customs statistics, the total volume of China’s imported furniture for 2006 is US$800 million, up by 17.14 per cent compared to the previous year. China has a much bigger market for European furniture. China is now among the biggest markets for European luxury products. However, slow furniture exportation to China is mainly caused by the growing strength of the Euro.For instance, in the China market, a set of ordinary sofas imported from Europe will cost as much as an ordinary car. Therefore, the future development of European furniture depends on manufacturers producing furniture at more competitive prices.