Record participation in Kortrijk

More than 5 000 visitors made their way to Kortrijk from 4 – 6 February. Traditionally represented on the Sunday were the “lone rangers”, i.e. the owners of retail businesses, while typical for the Monday and Tuesday was the attendance of buyers and representatives from the big DIY chains. As fair director Pieter Desmet explains, the flow of visitors was more evenly spread over all three days of the show in comparison with last year. The feedback was lively even on the final day, which is normally much quieter. On view were products and novelties from the categories of décor, garden, timber/construction, hardware, plumbing, tools and electrical. “The renewed interest from companies such as Bosch (Skil), Worx and other power tool manufacturers, as well as the presence of strong brands like Quick-Step are confirmation of the fair’s significance to the DIY industry,” says Pieter Desmet, who is pleased by the warm reception accorded the event.This year the “Stars in the Box” competition for new products was held for the third time, attracting an entry of 40 new products. After what Peter Desmet emphasises was a “strict but fair process of selection”, 13 of the entries were in the running for the title of “best new DIY products 2007”.Two prizes were on offer: one chosen by a jury of experts and one by the general public, though the latter was also decided by trade professionals in the end.The jury of experts, which was made up of Rudi Petit-Jean (Gamma), Erwin Van Osta (Hubo), Christiane Belsack (Belsack), Jordi Juanos (Brico), Micha Van der Gucht (Houtshop Van de Gucht) and Thierry Coeman (Belgium DIY Association), awarded their prize to Tesa for the newly launched Tesa-Velcro concept (see page 34). The public’s prize went to Gardena for its “AcquaContour” automatic irrigation system, well ahead of any other competitor. The fair was accompanied by an early-morning conference programme that was well received. The speakers here included Juan Jaen, CEO of the Brico Group in Spain, who explained the points of difference and the common ground evidenced by DIY in north and south.
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