20 April 2016 – The 31st HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair and the seventh HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair opened today. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the four-day fairs continue through 23 April at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The concurrent events have attracted a total of more than 2,400 exhibitors from 32 countries and regions to showcase the latest houseware, and home textiles and furnishing products.
“Facing the global economic challenges, the Hong Kong Houseware Fair, being the largest houseware event in Asia, takes up the mission of providing a platform for exhibitors to seek new buyers and more orders,” said Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Acting Executive Director. “Besides striving to excel in areas such as exhibition design, product zoning and networking events, the HKTDC is also committed to attracting more overseas buyers to source products in Hong Kong. A total of 125 overseas buyer missions are organised this year to bring more than 7,000 buyers to the twin fairs, creating more business opportunities for the industry.”
Close to 80 renowned houseware brands featured
To match the growing demand for branded houseware, the Hall of Elegance at the Houseware Fair features nearly 80 renowned local and international houseware brands. Local names include the fashionable ceramics brand Topchoice, the innovative kitchenware and tableware brand Kool, renowned silverware brand Regent as well as new fair participants such as Diamond, which specialises in high-tech household water filters; kitchenware brand Kinox, and Jia, with its Chinese-style designs. International brands are also captivating buyers with their eye-catching designs, including, from Japan, Like-it with products that blend fun and practicality, and Interform, with its classic and subtle designs of wall clocks, indoor lighting, storage and bathroom items. The fair also welcomes renowned kitchenware brand Happycall from Korea, the French kitchenware brand Emile Henry with its red tagines, as well as the popular and vogue Italian kitchenware brands Pedrini and TVS.
Nowadays, dining at home is increasingly seen as an enjoyable and healthy lifestyle choice. As a result, the demand for top-quality kitchenware and tableware is growing. Consumers are willing to pay more for products that are easy to use and beautifully designed, seeing such purchases as an investment in their quality of life. At the World of Fine Dining zone, more than 300 exhibitors from all over the world have brought a wide range of cookware, kitchen and dining products, such as the famous glassware brand Glasslock, the local kitchenware design brand Konstar, and Wilmax with their quality ceramic whiteware, to fit the trend of fine dining at home.
New zones for interior furnishing materials and baby products
The Houseware Fair this year features 23 themed zones with clear product categorisation for convenient sourcing. Two new zones are launched this year, including the Interior Furnishing Materials zone that features home furnishing materials, hardware and DIY tools, and the Baby Products zone with a comprehensive offering of baby products. The World of Pet Supplies zone features a range of pet products, such as cages, a smart feeder with Internet of Things (IoT) applications, pet fitness equipment and grooming supplies, all of which serve the needs of pets and their owners. Meanwhile, a group of celebrity Shiba dogs, known by the stage name WE5, is helping to demonstrate pet products at the Home Essentials Parade. The Avenue of Inspiration spotlights the creativity of local designers, including licensed products such as cartoon characters designed by local illustrators, a range of innovative bamboo-made green houseware, indoor aromatherapy and body care products and 3D printing services for houseware items.
Building a cozy home
Held concurrently with the Houseware Fair, the Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair gathers household and hotel textile items such as furnishings, bedding products, curtains and carpets from around the world. The premium Hall of Glamour features a series of top-quality branded products. Renowned exhibitors include J-Tex with is bedding series of licensed brands from Disney and Hallmark, the top-quality bath towel brand Terry Palmer from Indonesia and The Home Fashion from Beijing.
The Chinese mainland and three Indian textile organisations have set up their own pavilions at the fair. Nantong city in Jiangsu Province, dubbed “the Hometown of Textiles,” has also established a pavilion to showcase its time-honoured quality textiles. New to the show this year, Portugal has set up a pavilion to present its high-quality textiles.
Taking the pulse of the market
Besides providing a platform for the industry to source products and explore business opportunities, the HKTDC is also staging a series of seminars and networking events to help industry players keep abreast of the latest trends and developments in the houseware and home textiles markets.
Events include a seminar led by trend forecaster WGSN under the theme of “WGSN TrendTalk: 2017 Houseware & Home Textiles 2017 Forecast” as well as industry forums on different geographical markets as well as the pet supplies market. Parades and Product Demo & Launch Pad sessions are also organised so that buyers can view products from a variety of exhibitors at the same time. At 12:30 pm on the first three days of the fair, the International Kitchenette features Chinese, Korean and European dishes prepared by chefs using the latest kitchenware. Invited by the local kitchenware brand Kinox, local celebrity Akina Fong introduced the company’s newest products at the Houseware Fair today.
Fair Websites
The HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair: http://www.hktdc.com/hkhousewarefair
The HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles &Furnishings Fair: http://www.hktdc.com/hkhometextilesfair
