The international home textiles industry has enjoyed a promising start at Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main, which took place on 8-11 January 2019.
The challenging economic situation and uncertainty in the retail sector were countered by a positive and confident mood at the flagship global trade fair.
3,025 exhibitors from 65 countries took to Heimtextil this year for a 15-year high.
“Exhibitors and visitors accepted the new trade fair concept with great enthusiasm and confirmed the trade fair’s position as the world’s most important meeting place for the industry,” says Detlef Braun, member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt. “The quality of the decision-makers impressed the exhibitors, as did the number of new business contacts from 156 countries, especially international ones, thus enabling Heimtextil to set a new benchmark.
“Around 67,500 visitors ensured there was a busy atmosphere in the halls, despite a slight decline due to various reasons, such as difficult travel conditions on account of the storms in the alpine region and airport strikes in Germany.”
Economic climate
One topic that occupied both exhibitors and visitors was the current and future economic situation.
A further challenge is the increasingly evident changes that are happening in trade. Increasing revenues and revenue shares in online retailing stand in the way of the efforts made by the stationary retail trade to maintain their inner-city businesses.
“The small business specialist trade, but also department stores and multibrand stores, and thus the heart of our visitor target groups, are under pressure from the constantly increasing levels of e-commerce.
“With Heimtextil and our consumer goods fairs in general, we offer these retailers in particular clear perspectives and diverse inspiration in an ambiguous world,” adds Braun.
New structure
Heimtextil made it easier for its visitors to access inspiration and business momentum, thanks to an optimised trade fair concept and the associated new hall structure.
“The new concept brought more visitors to the stand,” was the feedback from Andreas Klenk, managing director of Saum & Viebahn from Kulmbach in Franconia regarding Hall 8.0, which offered textiles editors and manufacturers of curtain and sun protection systems a common platform for the first time.
“It was the right decision to merge the different segments,” she adds. “We had high-quality discussions with respect to both export and domestic business and are satisfied with the trade fair.”
As part of the new concept, Heimtextil expanded its product range across the entire exhibition site and also included the new Hall 12, which has been an additional architectural highlight on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds since September.
Top international companies from the Bed & Bath Fashion segment presented their wares here. For the company Curt Bauer from Aue in Saxony, the première of the new hall was a successful one.
“We're very enthusiastic about the new Hall 12. The product range there was very well received. We are very satisfied with the quality of visitors to our stand,” says managing director, Michael Bauer. “In addition to a good frequency of German visitors, we are particularly pleased about growth from China and Russia.”
Sustainability
Heimtextil set a standard in terms of sustainability this year.
After the first global climate protection agreement for the textile industry was signed by 40 leading fashion companies, organisations and associations at the World Climate Conference in Katowice, Poland, last December, the focus in Frankfurt was also on environmental progress in the textile industry.
Numerous exhibitors presented progressive solutions, for example in the recycling of PET bottles and ocean plastic as well as in the use of certified natural materials.
“Sustainability was the theme for us at this year’s Heimtextil. Major media players visited us, and the Green Tour guided tour stopped by,” says Denise Hartmann, marketing manager at Hefel Textil. “We presented many things, including our first vegan duvet and fair silk products, all 100% produced in Austria.”
The topics of water consumption in the textile industry and microplastics were also highlighted this year.
The exhibitor Green Directory alone contained around 150 progressive companies listing sustainably-produced textiles. The offer was supplemented by its own lecture series as well as theme-specific tours, which provided valuable impetus and underpinned the pioneering green position of the trade fair.
Sleep is trending
Heimtextil also focused on sleep as one of the upcoming lifestyle trends.
While a balanced diet and sufficient exercise are now a natural part of a healthy lifestyle, restorative sleep is still neglected although it is one of the most important building blocks for long-term physical and mental well-being.
At Heimtextil, a number of new products and aspects came to the fore that help people become sensitised to and analyse their sleep behaviour and promote healthy sleep.
Around the redesigned Hall 11.0 and in the adjoining lecture area Sleep! The Future Forum, representatives from the national and international bed industry enjoyed product presentations and speeches on the topics of sustainability, hospitality, sport and digital.
In addition to the renowned trend show, the trade fair also focused on contract business, particularly in the hotel and hospitality sector, as well as decorative and upholstery fabrics, digital printing solutions and wallpapers.
The next Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main – its 50th edition – will take place on 7-10 January 2020.
