show news That was then, this is now
Dynamism, innovation and positive attitudes were all in evidence at Ambiente - and while so much has changed in the last few weeks, we need to hang onto that sense of optimism says Sarah Selzer
there would be a slight delay on deliveries because of the situation in China - and we all know that area represents the lion’s share of production in our industry. Some suppliers had already been looking at other countries such as Vietnam or Turkey for alternative production sources. But wherever the goods are coming from,
I
’ve reported from trade shows over the past 20-plus years and many of them have been overshadowed by events that have
led to a drop in visitor numbers or by talk of an imminent downturn and squeeze on our industry. But these events have been rather more along the lines of recession or a terrorist incident - not a pandemic which has left everyone reeling. At the time of writing in late March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just told us to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. So that has seen many of our industry’s retailers temporarily shutting their doors (and relying to some degree on their online offering, if they have one) and to buyers putting their plans on hold. Suppliers are instituting home working, or even furloughing staff. But we need to prepare for when we come out of this, and that includes being aware of upcoming trends and what new products are out there. Back in February, it was already looking like
they will arrive in the UK and need a home! So, retailers: keep in touch with your suppliers, read about new products and trends, and prepare for life returning to normal. With that in mind, here’s a snapshot of what was on show at Ambiente, held in Frankfurt from February 7 to February 11, to a reduced audience (down from 136,000 visitors in 2019 to 108,000 this year). There was plenty of interest from brands looking to work in the UK, either through distribution or direct with retail. These included US hydration brand Reduce from Base Brands, Swedish microfibre cloth producer Smart, and Tin Parade napkin rings from Los Angeles- based wedding designer and planner Ryan Larson.
Sustainability remains a strong trend: recycled glass from Ritzenhoff & Breker (below) and a display from Koziol (above)
US hydration brand Reduce from Base Brands showed WaterWeek: a five-bottle system that allows you to refill and reuse decorative BPA-free water bottles and store them in a space-saving tray in the fridge
Sustainability Sustainability remains a huge trend across the industry and it’s hard to see it diminishing post- virus. For several shows now, Ambiente has produced an Ethical Style Guide, which categorises exhibitors in a variety of ways to ensure they’re able to carry the green ‘ethical’ branding on their stand header. So, eco-friendly material or eco-optimised production to upcycling or fair & social production. Ambiente has also worked for a number of
First-time exhibitor The Funky Appliance Company
years with the World Fair Trade Organisation and MADE51, a project of the UN Refugee
March/April 2020 •
HousewaresLive.net Photo: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH- Petra Welzel
Agency. This year the Ethical Style Guide included 314 companies from 49 countries - 27% more than last year.
Hydration Everywhere you looked there were water bottles! The biggest display of these was in hall 1.2 where I counted upwards of 12 different brands.
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