Change is afoot in the world’s furniture manufacturing powerhouse, as China’s domestic market becomes more demanding with each passing year – but it hasn’t dimmed the international appeal of the four-day Furniture China exhibition, which concluded on 14th September. Paul Farley returned to Shanghai to evaluate the offering and activity across its expansive showfloor…
China is evolving, explains Furniture China’s founder and director, Wang Mingling: “China’s economy used to be driven by three horses – export, the domestic market, and investment. Today, the domestic market is in the lead.”
Wang describes an economy in which the quantity of exports – if not their value – is decreasing, thanks to new money at home. He’s bullish in the face of an impending trade war – “our Government doesn’t fear Trump’s tariffs” – but acknowledges a need to escape China’s dependency on the US, and the exhibition’s mission to engage new countries and levels of buyer.
China serves as the UK’s principal furniture supply base, accounting for a third of imports, and this exhibition is the market gateway for a significant number of UK buyers.
And it’s noticeably busier this year. Organiser UBM Sinoexpo cites a record-high visitor count of 166,479 (up +9.82% YoY), and it’s impossible to dispute how crowded the aisles are. But who are the visitors?
The international attendees (reportedly 13% of the total, and up +23.87 YoY) are vastly outnumbered by domestic visitors, many of which hail from the up-and-coming east of the country. Many of these are younger people – a visitor breakdown reveals that just 29% define themselves as traders, whereas almost half (49%) are designated as ‘designers’.
Yet while it’s tempting to dismiss the majority of these as students and trade tourists, a closer look at their badges reveals a richer population of buyers, ecommerce entrepreneurs and serious trend hunters.
The show has clearly recognised a shift towards a younger, more technologically-aware audience in China, and delivers a programme of design-focused features that’s more comprehensive than ever. From product showcases to themed installations, awards and discussions, there’s a more vibrant, youthful feel to the whole affair (even flashmob-style breakdances when least expected).
However, at its heart, Furniture China remains a thoroughly professional tour de force of product sourcing – 350,000m2 of exhibition space, set across two huge venues and bringing together some 3500 exhibitors from 155 countries.
With China demonstrating greater design nous than ever, the country’s manufacturers are proving hungry to lead, rather than to follow. “Over the last six years we’ve pushed a lot of regional Chinese design, which is now driving manufacturing and quality in China,” comments Wang.
So, despite some repetition of styles and forms, there’s great depth awaiting visitors who take the time to fully explore the show. Thanks to clear signage, handy transport shuttles and a mobile app, plotting and following a route through the halls is a straightforward affair – only hampered by the sheer scale of the showgrounds.
And there are some truly impressive displays to find, from suppliers national and international, and across every sector – not forgetting the decor and machinery on show at the concurrent Maison Shanghai and FMC/FMP shows at the nearby SWEEC venue.
The healthy visitor count means numerous opportunities for suppliers, too. Exhibitors including Alexander & James, Sofa Source and Mlily are all enthusiastic about the event. As a spokesperson for Asiades tells me, “it’s about being in the right place for the buyers.”
Some, such as Belgium’s Recor, are attempting to penetrate the Chinese market through partnerships with national retail dealers, while others, including the traditionally classical brand, Jansen, are responding to changing global tastes by introducing more contemporary collections, and finding that these strike a chord with China’s domestic audience as much as their existing global audiences.
Market conditions may be changing, but Furniture China’s organiser continues to hone its model to meet its visitors’ myriad demands – at the same time aligning itself more closely with the demands and behaviour of the younger end consumer.
In one of the fair’s seminar theatres, members of the International Alliance of Furnishing Publications (IAFP) deliver presentations outlining the trends in their respective markets, and elaborate on their relationship with the Chinese industry. It reinforces that whoever we are, and wherever we’re based, we all have some kind of relationship with China – and it’s shows like this that successfully inform and enable the businesses involved.
Next year’s show will run from 9-12th September in Pudong, Shanghai.
