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ISSUE: May/June 2009

China International Furniture Fair:
Great Expectations

At the recent China International Furniture Fair (CIFF)- held from March 18 to 21, 2009 – buyers and exhibitors were all smiles as the industry converged at one of the largest shows in the Asian furniture circuit. Their expectations were not disappointed as CIFF displayed some 500,000 sq m of new products and exciting developments.



“The furniture market situation in the UK is in one word, weird. You would expect that people would be reluctant to spend and keeping all their money in the bank in the current state of affairs. The opposite is happening. Amazingly, they are taking their money out of the banks and investing in home improvement. In this slow growth environment, my business has gone up a modest five percent but I am thankful, considering the global market situation now.”

LAURIE WILLIAMS

Managing Director,
Metal Beds Ltd, UK

“I am a distributor in Australia. Orders are still coming in but terms have changed. My customers, who are mostly retailers and chain-stores, are now asking for smaller quantities and lower prices. They are still expecting value for money, so thankfully they are not asking for impossible rock bottom prices.”

MARK ROBERTSON

Managing Director
iQue Living Victoria, Australia

“We are a wholesaler in New Zealand and I am in China looking for leather sofas to import and sell in New Zealand. The market in New Zealand is difficult at the moment because everyone is not buying, preferring to keep their assets liquid. To combat the situation, we are looking at giving our customers better prices, vis-à-vis better value. We will also do more in terms of promotion and marketing activities this year. After all, what good is an excellent product if no one has heard of it?”

KIERAN KAVANAGH

Director,
Global Living Christchurch, New Zealand

“I am an importer, serving my own home market in Italy. My main customers are retailers. I have noticed that their demands have changed somewhat. Due to soft demand, they have been asking for lower prices and longer credit time. They want to reduce stock inventory so they are ordering in smaller quantities each time. At the same time, they are still particular about quality. The industry is really toughening up.”

PANOZZO GIANNI

Beverly Srl Schio, Italy

“Normally we buy from US suppliers that are willing to give us small quantities because we cannot buy in bulk being a medium sized retailer. This year, however, we have decided to come to China on our own and source for stock. As our customers are more frugal now, we have to match their price expectations and China is a good place to get quality at reasonable prices. Our customers’ demands have largely remained the same but they are really conscious of quality now.”

LYNN BARLOW

Barlow & Bishop Knoxville,
USA

“I would like to see the Chinese government do more to help the furniture industry. Being an importer, distributor and retailer, I am trying to look for alternative markets to buy from like Malaysia. I find that prices in Malaysia have gone down and it is a good environment to do business. Prices in China are stiffer: what cost US$100 a year ago still costs the same amount this year. On top of that, Malaysian furniture products have a slight edge in quality: most of their furniture is produced with some level of automation. As a result, they produce consistent quality.”

SRINIVASAN

Managing Director,
Golden Alliance International Trade Zhejiang, China

Current issue:
March/April 2010

To Gather Again In March
Every March, the international furniture community gears itself up for a jam-packed calendar. Starting with MIFF in Kuala Lumpur and to finish with the CIFF-Office Show at the end of March, buyers and suppliers gather in Asia for the latest products and designs the region has to offer. This is in the form of more than a dozen exhibitions running back-to-back.

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