Showroom and London Fabric Enter the Fray, Intohome Moves to September

London - The U.K. furnishing fabrics and home textiles show calendar is now busier than ever with the launch of ShowRoom, the home interiors exhibition taking place at Manchester''s G-Mex Centre from 28-30 April, 2002.

The new event appears to have helped push Intohome into September, with London Fabric, another recent addition, being held for the second time in February. For the interior design market, January''s Design Interiors continues to impress, while shows like Decorex and Focus add upmarket weight to the autumn schedule.

With backing from the British Interior Textiles Association (BITA), ShowRoom will feature more than 110 companies, including Ashley Wilde, Bedeck, Coelima, Coloroll, Curtina, Evans Lichfield, Fryetts Fabrics, Prestigious Textiles, Rectella, Sleepdown, Style Furnishings, Thomas Frederick, Tyrone Textiles and William O''Hanlon.

BITA director Adam Mansell said member firms were overwhelmingly in favor of a venue in Manchester with an April/May timing. "The city is a more much vibrant and lively place for entertaining customers than the NEC," he said. "With a focus on bedding and curtains, the new ShowRoom exhibition will demonstrate what U.K. companies can offer."

According to exhibition organizer Simon Boyd, the event has been structured to reflect trends in the retail sector. "We are committed to working closely with our exhibitors to ensure the event reflects their needs," he said.

The Homelife Showroom section will feature soft furnishings, furnishing fabrics, curtains and window treatments, wallcoverings, throws, table-linen, rugs and decorative accessories.

The Body and Soul Showroom will house bed-linen, quilts, filled products, towels and bathroom accessories. Alongside these two areas will be a Designer Forum and Trend Area, with key furnishing trends for 2002/03 identified by trendhub.com. Held at Birmingham''s National Exhibition Centre in January, and hard on the heels of Heimtextil, Design Interiors features some of the more upmarket suppliers and distributors, particularly of upholstery fabrics.

Running alongside the Furniture Show and several other home-based events, the event has grown to a comfortable size for the U.K. market, with more than 160 exhibitors covering high-end domestic and contract fabrics, floorcoverings, wallcoverings, furniture and decorative accessories.

Also moving upmarket is Lister Corniche, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, which is now aiming for top-end customers who want the English look. "Design Interiors is the only show at which we exhibit," said business development director Chris Worrall. "The event has a good upmarket feel, with a high standard of product and an exceptional quality of stands.

"Our relaunch as Lister Corniche has been well received. We are doing exceptionally well on taffetas and also on cushions. And customers are not questioning prices so much at present, which is an encouraging sign."

Philip Edwards of fabric supplier Academy Clairtex, Tredegar, Gwent, explained that Design Interiors is a good domestic show for the company. "We are working fully with our sales team to build up domestic business. That''s working: sales were up 30-40% in the U.K. market last year compared with 2000.

"Unfortunately, the U.K. does not have a single show that caters for the needs of exhibitors such as fabric suppliers that are working on both home trade and export sales," Edwards continued. "May is the only time of year to service customers for autumn. But in autumn, the trade is very busy at Decosit and TIP."

He commented that some of Academy''s suppliers and weavers had one of their best ever exhibitions in January. "That''s good news. Domestically, everybody is happy, particularly with the decline in sales of home computers, for example. U.K. consumers are now looking to refurbish, and this trend should continue right up to Christmas.

"We have also seen an amazing resurgence in color, which has been dominated by an upturn in the fashion industry. As 95% of our end customers are women, it is essential to put these fashion colors into our collections."

First-time exhibitor Prestigious Textiles of Bradford, West Yorkshire, said Design Interiors was much better than expected, both in terms of visitor throughput and orders taken on the stand.

Managing director Trevor Helliwell commented: "The show has broadened our base considerably, especially in the cut-lengths market. A good cross-section of buyers found their way to our stand, including those representing major groups. There was also a high turnout of delegates from London and the South East of England, with plenty of new accounts in the higher-end bracket."

Meanwhile, London Fabric, now in its second year, aims to fill a niche as the international trade fair for upholstery fabric, leather and trimmings. Held at the stylish Commonwealth Institute in central London, "it is the U.K.''s equivalent of Decosit or Proposte," said event director Caroline Haye. Launched last year by the British Furniture Manufacturers association, London Fabric is aimed at upholstery manufacturers, wholesalers, interior designers, architects and specifiers. With this year''s event held at the end of February, more than 45 exhibitors attracted around 800 visitors - about the same as in 2001.

The show featured key U.K. upholstery fabric weavers Hilden Manufacturing, Art of the Loom and Denholme Velvets, as well as principal overseas suppliers from Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Turkey, India and the U.S.A.

The number of leather suppliers showing at London Fabric also increased considerably reflecting the current strong demand for leather from upholstery manufacturers.

Exhibitors praised the focus of the show and the high quality of visitors. All the U.K.''s key furniture manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers attended London Fabric and were keen to see more exhibitors in 2003.

Haye said the show''s medium-term objectives are to have up to 150 exhibitors with an increase in the number of international visitors. She commented: "I was very pleased with the outcome of the second London Fabric. There was a good response from exhibitors who experienced the event as a very focused show, allowing them to meet high caliber buyers. Quite a few exhibitors provisionally booked their stand for next year, and I was also approached by a number of potential new exhibitors. "Exhibitors enjoyed having time to spend with their customers. Visitors also appreciated the fact that the product selection was adapted to the U.K. market," said Haye.

Previously held in May, the more established Intohome trade show will now run from September 1-4, 2002 alongside the Autumn Fair and Housewares exhibitions at Birmingham''s NEC. The move follows feedback from exhibitors and visitors, said exhibition organizers Trade Promotion Services.

BITA had previously sponsored Intohome, billed as the leading annual trade event for the home textiles and soft furnishings market, but the association has apparently switched allegiance to the new Manchester show. It is unlikely that member companies will exhibit at both exhibitions.

TPS said the timing switch, which would give Intohome exhibitors cross-market business opportunities and access to the high visitor volumes of the Autumn Fair, had been under consideration for some time.

"Following extensive research with exhibitors and visitors to Intohome 2001, it became clear that the British textile industry favored a change of date to coincide with the Autumn Fair," said Intohome director Kevin Burnal. "September is a good time for buyers in the home furnishings sector."

He added that the next Intohome already had a "substantial number" of confirmed bookings from overseas manufacturers and distributors.

The Autumn Fair attracts more than 30,000 buyers from the U.K. and overseas, and focuses on gifts, greetings and stationery, art and framing, design-led gifts, home accessories and house wares. F&FI