Reaction to the launch of Exclusively Electrical has been overwhelmingly positive, show organisers have announced.
The show, which ran on June 9 and 10 at the Business Design Centre in London alongside its longer established sister show Exclusively Housewares, closed knowing that combined visitor numbers were up, rebookings from exhibitors had hit their highest level ever and that several new initiatives, affecting both shows, had all received a positive response.
Show director Simon Boyd said: “We’ve had an exciting, buzzy couple of days, and the whole team is already full of ideas for 2016!”
The introduction of Exclusively Electrical, with its focus on small kitchen and domestic appliances, was well received, with the new show attracting plenty of good retail names from the larger stores, the organisers added.
“We want to build the specialist electrical retail audience for this show and this year was a solid start,” said Simon.
The creation of Exclusively Electrical also saw an influx of new exhibitors into Exclusively Housewares, as SDA suppliers chose to move across into the new show. This helped to add excitement and fresh impetus for visitors, as did the introduction of a product demonstration area for Exclusively Electrical exhibitors.
Other new initiatives for both shows included an independently curated ‘On Trend’ trail of products by trend forecaster Scarlet Opus, and a new emphasis on highlighting products suitable for the key Christmas sales period.
British Home Enhancement Trade Association sector director Will Jones commented: “All the retailers I spoke to were positive and in the main upbeat about the show and appeared reasonably optimistic about market conditions. They appreciated the efforts the shows are making to get suppliers thinking ahead to their key sales period.
“Retailers want to know they can order at the shows for delivery at the end of October ready for the festive build up to Christmas. June is a perfect mid-year opportunity for buyers to firm up and confirm their Christmas offers and look ahead to the spring/summer season next year.
“Many also noticed the ‘On Trend’ icon appearing around the shows and agreed that giving this initiative a bigger presence next year would be useful. A number had enjoyed the Scarlet Opus presentation on the Wednesday morning.”
Feedback so far from BHETA members who were exhibiting has also been positive with the quality of buyers, the addition of Exclusively Electrical and the new show initiatives gaining widespread approval.
“Overall, another great show which attracted some very senior buyers and executives from the UK’s leading retailers, it was also good to hear that a number of exhibitors had taken more orders than last year,” concluded Will.
The shows’ organising team however, will not be resting on their laurels.
Simon commented: “Exclusively Electrical is a long term investment for us and there is a lot more for us to deliver to our exhibitors in this area, particularly in the specialist electrical market.
“The world of retailing is changing quickly and the shows’ must, like our exhibitors, think ahead to new ways of editing and presenting products that will appeal to existing and potential visitors.
“We will be listening to what our exhibitors and visitors have to say and watching the progress of the market carefully in the coming months, so that we too have an ‘On Trend’ offer to bring to the market next June!”
Next year Exclusively Electrical and Exclusively Housewares will take place on Tuesday June 14 and Wednesday June 15 at the Business Design Centre, London.
