Earls Court venue lifts show

Visitors and exhibitors alike agreed that the new Central London venue was an improvement on previous locations. The success of this fair reflects the contininuing buoyancy of the British UK market, which is predicted to be the fastest-growing retail sector for the next five years. The biggest overseas visitor contingents were this year from Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands. Overall visitor numbers were up on last year, according to the organisers, though no concrete figures are available.
217 companies exhibited to visitors from 35 countries.
“With advance registrations at a record level, we knew a good show was in the making at Earls Court,” said Christopher Leonard-Morgan, show director. “The venue has been a hit with everyone and a lot of business has been written.”
The exhibitors presented a broad range of products and services in the decorative, garden, hand and power tool categories, alongside hardware, plumbing and electrical, wood care, floor coverings, adhesives and sealants, shelving systems, lighting and security products.
There was a wide-ranging choice in the New Products display.
Ninety per cent of the 217 exhibiting companies were showing new products this year, so judging entries in the New Product Awards was even more difficult than usual. Prizes were awarded in the DIY, decorative and garden categories. The winner of the DIY award was Flood Protector UK for its flood defence system, which generated considerable interest among buyers from the UK, Belgium, Holland and Ireland. The decorative category was won jointly by ICI Paints Dulux for its new Magic White paint and by Akzo Nobel for its Crown Indicoat.
Group stands were present from the USA, Canada and Malaysia.
French ladder manufacturer Tubesca expressed satisfaction with the show, since “We’ve managed to see all our target buyers,” in the words of spokesman Alain Bry. The DIY & Garden Show will celebrate its tenth year in 2004. The dates will be 18 to 20 January.