GDS REVIEW
Strong demand for Comfort Footwear
T
he Dusseldorf Shoe Fairs GDS – International Event for Shoes & Accessories and GLOBAL SHOES – leading trade show for sourcing – drew to a close on March 14 with great optimism and more than satisfactory results. In total approx. 29,500 trade visitors used the three
days of the fair to gather information on the 2010/11 Autumn/Winter season and place their orders. 1,120 exhibitors from 40 countries presented the latest shoe and bag styles. At GDS 1,750 collections were exhibited. Having attended the 109th GDS last month, I can vouch for the organiser’s
claim of a “bustling atmosphere.” Footwear buyers from around Europe were there to do business and orders were being taken. After a long and cold winter, the retailers I spoke to reported depleted stocks which needed to be replenished for next winter. Although, notably more cautious than in previous seasons, they were on a shopping spree. The number of styles, innovations, amazing designs and footwear treats
this huge show has to offer cannot fail to impress. The show has upped a notch this season with a fantastic ‘Electric City’ party for exhibitors on the Saturday night, arguably the best this season, and fabulous fashion shows, trend information and seminars for retailers throughout the three day-event. At GDS (as at Moda), it was immediately apparent that it is the Comfort
Footwear sector (or ‘Wellness’, as it’s known in Germany) that is currently making all the running. There were some fabulous new A/W collections from brands such as Rieker, Mephisto, Softwaves, ara, Tamaris, Caprice, Romika and Josef Seibel. Many had stands full of people from Friday until Sunday and orders were being placed. Suppliers of toning footwear also reported strong demand. By comparison, stands in other halls appeared less busy, but the mood was generally positive for the next season. In order to gear the shoe-fair duo
to changing market conditions the GDS Advisory Board decided to adopt a different sequence of exhibition days. From 2011 both trade fairs will be held from Wednesday to Friday. Describing the situation, Kirstin Deutelmoser said: “We felt optimism and a good mood, paired with a concentrated though relaxed working atmosphere, on all three days.” “We have decided on changing to weekdays. We are confident that this
move will make GDS and GLOBAL SHOES even more attractive for retailers. Thanks to the new days we have avoided the day with the highest retail sales – Saturday. This means retailers no longer have to decide between visiting the trade fair and selling. The 111th GDS will therefore run from 16 to 18 March 2011. For the forthcoming GDS the Friday to Sunday format will remain unchanged.” Summing up the trade fair Horst Wortmann, Managing Director of the
Wortmann-Group, said: “We have had a really good GDS. Our various stands were very well attended on all days. We could virtually feel this spirit of a new beginning when talking to our customers. Now, it is up to each retailers and manufacturer to make the best of this favourable initial situation. With its new running schedule GDS follows the needs of retailers and, hence, of our customers. I assume that this decision will improve the position of GDS on the
26 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• APRIL 2010
market even further.” Boasting such brands as Tamaris, s.Oliver, Marco Tozzi and Caprice, the Wortmann Group is among Europe’s biggest shoe producers. The MEPHISTO-group was exhibiting at GDS for the 90th time. The
company presented the new A/W 2010/11 collections of its four brands MEPHISTO, ALLROUNDER, MOBILS and SANO on three different stands in the wellness-area hall 6. Dr. Rolf Konrad, of the MEPHISTO-Group told Footwear today: “The 109th
GDS last weekend went extremely well for us. Right from the start on Friday morning, our stands were full of people and visitors kept arriving. Friday was the strongest day of the fair. On Saturday visitors arrived later on, but from mid-day on we were again extremely busy.” “The show was not only successful in the context of its European business,
but we had a lot of visitors from the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe. Today, GDS remains for us the most important shoe fair worldwide”. Orlando Santos, Brand Manager, Comforsyst SA, comments: “At GDS in
March, we had the opportunity to show the newest collections of Softwaves® and GoGreen® for A/W 2010/11, which attracted a high level of attention from German and international markets.” “Buyers seem more careful this season, choosing the most reliable and
innovative brands, in order to assure the right choices for these hard times. Compared to last edition, we have had 12% more visits and an increase of 15% on sales at the fair. This confirms our strategy of Product Engineering and Innovation as the base for our development”.
Shoe trade looks to the future with optimism + Bustling atmosphere and good order situation + Held on other days of the week from 2011
James Podmore, Sales Manager, UK& Ireland, Rieker, adds: “GDS continues
to be an important fair for Rieker with many of our UK and Irish customers attending, the show in general felt a little quieter than past years, but the quality of the attendees is still very high and the mood was positive.” Lucinda Merriman, Marketing Manager, Padders, concludes: “We always
enjoy the show as it’s a great opportunity to meet new clients and catch up with established ones who aren’t tempted by Moda and it’s the ideal forum for keeping abreast of design, development and forward trends,” she says. “We don’t expect to come away showing huge returns; however what we do achieve, is the perfect opportunity to showcase a British brand to the world.” Almost one in two visitors of GDS / GLOBAL SHOES came from abroad.
75% of all visitors were buyers with a say in the decision-making process. 94% rated GDS as good to very good and were very satisfied with their visit to the trade fair. In addition to the versatile ranges on show visitors predominantly praised the “proximity to trends”, the information side events and the GDS fashion shows as being especially rewarding. Next GDS / GLOBAL SHOES: 10 to 12 September 2010. For 2011 the dates
are: 16 to 18 March and 7 to 9 September.
www.gds-online.com www.globalshoes-online.com
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