50th Heimtextil offered delivers strong impetus for new furnishing season
With a content-driven programme, the 50th edition of Heimtextil delivered strong impetus for the start of the new Wfurnishing season. Sustainability was placed firmly at top of the agenda, outshining all other topics. 63,000 visitors gathered information about the major themes dominating the international industry from 2,952 exhibitors at the world’s leading trade fair for home and contract textiles. As expected, the unusually early date led to a drop in visitor numbers.*
“The industry is currently facing huge challenges. And some of those taking part at Heimtextil have really felt this. However: Exhibitor satisfaction has remained at the same high levels as last year**. And visitor satisfaction has even increased from 93 to 95 per cent. In addition to the early date, the reasons behind the reduced visitor numbers are mainly down to strong consolidation of specialist shops and developments in the stationary retail trade in the direction of ecommerce. The trend has also experienced an economic slowdown,” explains Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt. “This is in line with the fact that as many as 34 per cent of our exhibitors rate the current economic situation in the sector as poor, compared with just 18 per cent the year before,”.
