The 2021 Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles wrapped up successfully last week, with exhibitors and visitors alike praising the boost to their business the fair provided and the opportunity to meet in-person once again, while expressing optimism for the coming year given strong domestic demand in recent months. 219 exhibitors presented their latest products to 18,951 buyers at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center from 17 – 19 March.
Commenting on the outcomes of the fair as it wrapped up, Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd said: “Providing certainty to the industry in a time such as this is important, so we are glad to have been able to hold the Spring Edition as planned this week after the previous fair last August. Now we look forward to this year’s Autumn Edition at the end of August, and are hopeful that it will be possible to have more international participation in the physical fair by this time.”
“We are also optimistic of the opportunities that will be present at the fair following the success of this week’s edition. It is clear from the companies participating here that the domestic market is in good shape. In fact, many reported that business increased during the pandemic as people spent more time at home, with domestic sales actually increasing in the last quarter of 2020 and this continuing into the first months of 2021. Most companies we have spoken to this year are confident that this strong demand will remain in place for the remainder of 2021 at least,” Ms Wen concluded.
Debut Home Textile Products for Campus & School Zone provides extra market possibilities for exhibitors
The fair once again featured a number of special areas, including Chinese regional pavilions from Nantong, Pujiang, Huzhou and Zhenze, the Zhejiang Feather & Down Association pavilion, and a new Feather & Down Product Zone. Also appearing for the first time was the Home Textile Products for Campus & School Zone. This area was created to fill a gap in the domestic market for quality interior textile products produced specifically for schools, as rapid growth in this segment has led to uneven standards.
Exhibitors in the zone commented on the current situation in this segment. “The current demand for student bedding is high. There are around 8 million new university students and 16 million secondary school students each year, and nearly all university students and 70% of secondary school students need bedding, equating to over 19.2 million sets needed each year,” Mr Shi Xiangyu, Department Manager, Yantai Pacific Home Fashion Co Ltd reported. Mr Chen Zhengping, General Manager of Jingsu Yale Home Textile Co Ltd added: “At present, the sourcing of bedding for students is mostly done without uniform quality control standards and regulations. This has led to a high level of distrust among students and parents of the bedding collectively purchased by schools.”
Exhibitors’ comments
“The overall result this edition is good. The quality of the fair within the industry is high, and as it’s held here and abroad we also exhibit at Heimtextil too. New customers come to visit our booth every time we exhibit here, and we will usually cooperate with them after the fair. The pandemic has had a big impact on our overseas market and orders, however domestic sales are increasing. Both in China and overseas the market awareness and demand for down products is increasing gradually, and many customers purchasing raw materials will now also ask for environmental certifications, and have more health and sustainability requirements towards the products.”
Ms Linda Hu, Sales Manager, Anhui Million Feather Co Ltd, China
“We can reach some big brands in China through this fair, such as Tmall who approached us to discuss cooperation. Chinese consumers’ quality of life has improved, so they are now asking for products such as pure silk and linen, while functional products are also quite popular. The pandemic did not have much impact on home textile companies, but rather, as everyone stayed home during the pandemic, they now have higher quality requirements for interior products. The trend of home textiles in the post-epidemic era is still focused on technology and bedding, while companies with R&D efforts and well-managed supply chains have more advantage.”
Mr Leo Chen, General Manager, Yantai Pacific Home Fashion Co Ltd, China
“Coolist focuses on natural vegetable oil as the base material, and uses innovation and research to produce high-end environmentally friendly bedding. In the future, the development of carbon neutral and bio-based materials is definitely a major trend, and we are very optimistic about the rapid growth of the market in China, Europe and the US. During the pandemic, consumers’ purchasing habits changed. They are more interested in safe, environmentally friendly and innovative products. In the post-pandemic era, we need to operate from a service and innovation perspective rather than manufacturing in order to sustain our growth.”
Ms Eva Lin, Product Development Manager, Zhangjiagang Coolist Life Technology Co Ltd, China
“We supply to large European and American department stores such as Walmart and Target. This fair is very popular with the whole industry supply chain, and given the challenges at present, we treasure this opportunity to communicate with customers face to face. Buyers usually need to touch the fabrics in person. Many domestic companies are enthusiastic about exhibiting here, and we’ve been really busy this morning, many new and old customers came to our booth.”
Ms Weiqing Peng, Trade Department Supervisor, Wujiang City Yunjie Textiles Co Ltd, China
Buyers’ thoughts
“We are an American company doing wholesale and online sales of home textiles. I think the fair is very well managed, and it helps me quite a lot because I can find something new that can inspire me, as well as find new business partners. The exhibition being held as scheduled also helps companies to recover quickly. The pandemic had a pretty big impact on our offline supermarket chain sales, but has boosted our online sales, and we will focus more on this sector going forward.”
Ms Jane Xing, President, Xj Evermore LLC, USA
“Our company is an agent for Italian printing materials. In the post-pandemic era we are very optimistic about the personalised custom printing sector, which has become very popular abroad but is not yet in China. Consumers here now have more and more requirements for patterns and colours in their home textiles.”
Mr Liqiang Song, President, Shanghai Inmei Industry Co Ltd, China
Fringe programme views
“I come to the show every year, not only to learn about the latest trends, but also to see new product developments from our partners and to seek new cooperation opportunities. Sustainable fabrics is a hot topic, so I wanted to come and learn more about new materials and fabrics in this session. I have heard about this new type of fabric before, but it was usually used in clothing, but I think it also has potential to be applied to home textiles. Environmentally friendly textiles is a very big trend, in China and around the world, so it is something we are looking for while doing product development.”
Ms Amanda Du, Senior Supply Chain Manager, EABU Product Management, JD.com, China
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA). The next edition of the fair, the Autumn Edition, will take place from 25 – 27 August in the same venue, and also concurrent with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Yarn Expo, CHIC and PH Value.
