"Heimtextil, after four successful trade fair days in Frankfurt am Main, dropped curtains in style. In spite of the snow, ice and storms, particularly on the first and last days of the trade fair, almost 70,000 trade visitors from across the world attended the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles and were won over by quality and variety of the exhibited products as well as the trends of the new season. Growth was driven primarily by Brazil, China, the UK, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and UAE."
Heimtextil, after four successful trade fair days in Frankfurt am Main, dropped curtains in style. In spite of the snow, ice and storms, particularly on the first and last days of the trade fair, almost 70,000 trade visitors from across the world attended the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles and were won over by quality and variety of the exhibited products as well as the trends of the new season. Growth was driven primarily by Brazil, China, the UK, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and UAE. A total of 2,963 exhibitors from 67 countries presented their new textile products and designs across 20 halls and were highly satisfied by the orders they received and business contacts they made.
Detlauf Braun, CEO, Messe Frankfurt, highlighted the positives following the end of the trade fair, “The figures speak for themselves. Heimtextil grew once again in 2017 in terms of its visitor and exhibitor numbers. But it’s no longer about quantity and hasn’t been for a long time. I am especially pleased about the high quality of the products exhibited as well as the intensity of discussions between purchasers and exhibitors. Frankfurt is the international meeting place and beating textile heart of the interiors industry.”
Andreas Klenk, CEO, Saum & Viebahn said he returned to Heimtextil at the right time: as successful positioning gave their new profile and product orientation. The feedback from visitors was positive and they were able to acquire both export and domestic contacts.
Textile Design: The eye feels too
It is not just the feel of a material that determines its appeal – something that was also obvious at Heimtextil with the great interest shown in textile design. The colourful fabrics and varied designs by well-known designers and young talent were popular and attracted a lot of attention: “For me as a designer, Heimtextil is extremely interesting, in particular because I can see myself designing bed linen, pillows and other home textiles in future in addition to wallpaper”, says star designer Michael Michalsky, who presented his new wallpaper collection at the trade fair. “At the world’s leading trade fair, competitors are present in great numbers. Here, I can experience marketing of products at close quarters and get direct feedback.” And it was not just designers that showed great interest in the globally unique design offer at Heimtextil. Exhibiting companies also used the creative hotspot to acquire new designs for their upcoming collections.
Trend towards more materiality
An end to bare walls and cold floors: home textiles celebrated their comeback in private homes. Curtains, carpets and decorative cushions are decorating people’s own four walls and lending them a personal note. “We can also confirm the trend towards more materiality. In addition to our new wallpaper products, we have seen an increased interest from visitors in our new fabric collections”, said Andreas Zimmermann, CEO, Zimmer + Rohde. This trend is boosting orders at Heimtextil, “The quality of visitors was very high. We met very high-quality, good international purchasers and excellent potential new customers. We are therefore very satisfied with our attendance at Heimtextil.”
Sleeping as a lifestyle
After nutrition and fitness, sleeping will be the next big lifestyle theme. This was proven by the numerous innovations seen in the bed segment. Mediflow from Hamburg, for example, presented an improved version of its water pillow capable of full adjustments for firmness and supportive effect. Robert Kocher, European CEO, Mediflow, said, “This year, we had lots of new customers at our stand who had heard about us and wanted to know more about our products or even ordered them directly. Visitors primarily came from the Middle East, China, the eastern European region and Scandinavia. We also enjoyed intense discussions with American and German customers. This is also the great strength of Heimtextil. It is not just about sales, but also communication and establishing relationships or simply getting direct feedback on our products”.
The next Heimtextil, international trade fair for home and contract textiles, will take place from January 9-12. 2018 in Frankfurt am Main.
