With over 559,700 square feet of exhibition space spanning 15 halls, EuroShop, the world’s leading trade fair for capital goods in the retail trade held Feb. 16-20 in Düsseldorf, Germany, was a raving success.
Taking place every three years, the event’s 2011 showing included more than 2,000 exhibitors from over 50 countries.
Photo credit: Larry Kulchawik
“The conversations we had with exhibitors and retail experts prove that EuroShop is the unrivalled No. 1 trade fair worldwide for all retail investment needs,” reported Hans Werner Reinhard, deputy managing director, Messe Düsseldorf. “Companies deliberately align their product innovations and product portfolios with the EuroShop dates.”
Premiered at EuroShop this past February was a new dedicated platform called the Lighting Designer’s Zone, catering to the growing number of designers who specialize in lighting concepts for retail. Occupying 178,680 square feet of net exhibition space, the lighting segment included the complete spectrum of modern lighting technology and design for store lighting.
Presented were uses of light for promoting sales, light as an emotional design tool in store design, and light for corporate concepts to energy-efficient and sustainable architectural lighting.
Responding to demands from both exhibitors and attendees, EuroShop 2014 changed show days from Sunday to Thursday instead of Saturday to Wednesday.
The trade fair also announced its first satellite event to be held in Shanghai, China, in 2015. Kicking off the event at the C-star Lounge designed in a typical Chinese style, EuroShop will host C-star to target the Chinese market next year.
Expansion into the Middle Kingdom is a sheer necessity, according to Düsseldorf’s trade fair operators.
“In all of China, there is currently no high-quality national event similar to EuroShop. Yet China is a country where the retail trade – whether high-street retailers or e-commerce – has been growing fast and steadily for many years now,” said Werner Reinhard, who will also serve as chairman of Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd.
Between 2009 and 2012, overall sales in China rose from € 1,600 billion to over € 2,500 billion. By 2015, China is set to become the world’s second biggest consumer market after the U.S.
Conducting a survey among 1,440 EuroShop exhibitors in June 2013, Messe Düsseldorf confirmed the significance of the Chinese sales market. Seen as major marketing tools, over half of all respondents indicated existing operations or plans for a market début in China.
Survey results supported a EuroShop-powered retail exhibition in China.
“With C-Star, we can contribute our vast expertise in the organisation of retail trade fairs. Moreover, as organisers, we know how to export established trade fair formats to China,” proclaimed Werner Reinhard. “I am confident that C-star will provide internationally operating companies with an attractive trade fair platform that will facilitate their development on the Chinese growth market.”
To be held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre Co., Ltd. (SNIEC), Shanghai is the hub of one of China’s economically most powerful and forward-looking regions.
Following the structure of EuroShop, C-star 2015 will be divided into four areas: Shop Fittings, Lighting, Refrigeration and Store Design; Retail Technology; Visual Merchandising and Marketing; and Exhibition Stand Construction. Targeting retailers and retail services, C-star will be organized by Messe Düsseldorf in partnership with experts from EHI Retail Institute.
Continuing to grow in popularity, EuroShop’s expansion to the Middle Kingdom may be the first of many.
