Las Vegas Reports Best Summer Attendance in 3 Years

August 11, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on August 12, 2011

Las Vegas Furniture Market reported on Thursday the strongest summer show attendance in three years.

Organizers of the event said total retail store attendance rose 7 percent compared with the summer 2010 show; and was up 3 percent in individual buyers and designers. The number of buying groups in attendance doubled with a significant number of buyers attending Las Vegas Market for the first time. The Market does not report total attendance numbers for each show.

International buyer attendance was up 23 percent over a year ago, with particular growth in Latin American countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela and Panama. Additional international outreach efforts, aimed at hosting large overseas buying delegations, further boosted attendance. In all, 95 countries were represented at Las Vegas Market, and more than half of these international buyers and designers were first-time attendees.

"Despite continued economic challenges, we are pleased to hold our strongest, best-attended Summer Market in three years," said Robert Maricich, chief executive officer of International Market Centers, parent company of World Market Center Las Vegas. "Las Vegas Market continues to establish itself as a must-attend event for our industry, year after year, drawing new-to-market suppliers and buyers from around the globe.

"Our growth in new resources at the recent market, coupled with compelling events, plus the number of new products and specials we€™re seeing throughout the showrooms has enhanced the value proposition for buyers to attend. Summer Market is a terrific vehicle for smart retailers to impact their fourth quarters with new product and exciting merchandising strategies."

Almost 200 companies showing at Las Vegas Market for the first at the recent event represented nearly a half-million square feet of showroom space. In total, World Market Center signed 440,000 square feet of new and renewed space in the first half of the year. Forty new and extended leases in the furniture and mattress category, totaling 280,000 square feet of space.

Several manufacturers were pleased with the amount of traffic they were seeing on Market's opening day and used the August Market to showcase many new introductions.

"Retailers are cautiously optimistic that sales will continue to rise," said Kerry Lebensburger, president of sales for Ashley Furniture. "Our opening day traffic has been very strong. Two huge categories for us this Market include our Youth Program and Furnish 123. All of our 425 home stores are in attendance. It's a big year for us."

Chris Miller, national sales manager for Four Hands called the summers Market "fantastic."

"We€™ve seen a lot of major customers and a lot of new customers who have never shopped with us before," Miller said. "The majority of showroom visitors are buying. Market seems to be more serious than in the past which is extremely encouraging."

"The Market is exceeding our expectations," said Phil Haney, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands. "We were busy since 8 a.m. when we opened our doors, and traffic is up more than 8 percent. As expected, our new collection, Mirage, designed for and unveiled at the Las Vegas Market, is getting rave reviews."

"The first day of Market has been fantastic; really strong traffic and orders," said David Gebhart, president and CEO of Global Views. "If it's an indication, we were serving cocktails by 10 a.m. Compared to January Market, the feel is very similar. I haven't slowed down long enough to look at our numbers, but we've had buyers from all over the country and internationally."

"It's been a good day for us," said Hao Dang, a first-time exhibitor and owner of Vietnam-based grass co., a manufacturer of eco-friendly bamboo outdoor furnishings. "People are coming here and are really looking for new things. [The home furnishings industry] is rebounding. Our order book is very good, and we're very happy with our first time at this show."