Increased internationality

Increased This year Ferroforma-Bricoforma, the international hardware and DIY trade fair held in Bilbao, was staged in the spring for the first time, because the event alternates every two years with the Cologne International Hardware/Practical World. According to information from the organisers, a total of 24 080 trade visitors came to Bilbao from 90 different countries from 7 to 10 March 2007. This corresponds to the figures for the last event in October 2005. However, internationality continued to increase this year, with more than 2 000 trade visitors arriving from abroad. This amounts to an increase of 23 per cent. They came primarily from Germany, France, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and Britain, and from other up-and-coming economies like Czechia, Latvia, Estonia and Belarus as well as China, Morocco and Mexico. Also reported was a significant increase in the number of Spanish visitors coming from the traditional hardware regions of Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid and Andalusia.What is more, the organisers also reported that the representatives of major DIY retail groups including Home Depot, Kingfisher, Leroy Merlin and Obi were present at the show. The focus of visitor interest was on hand and power tools, and on industrial equipment, locks, fittings, safes and letterboxes as well.At 57 per cent, the proportion of international participants on the exhibitor side was substantially higher than on the visitor side. Altogether there were 1 314 suppliers from 28 countries displaying their products on 994 fair stands.This year some of the foreign exhibitors were again represented on group pavilions, such as those organised by Unibal from France, the BHHMA from the UK, and the Worldwide DIY Council, the North American export association.Particularly conspicuous in comparison with the event of October 2005 was the increased number of Asian suppliers, amounting to 320 firms and so 24 per cent of the product offer. With a total of 194 suppliers, China had the largest contingent, followed by Taiwan with 96 firms. The uniform look of the fair stands was exactly the same as that seen at Asia-Pacific Sourcing, which came to an end of its three-day run in Cologne on 6 March. Obviously quite a few exhibitors were taking advantage of their stay in Europe to present their companies at both events. Germany provided the greatest complement among the exhibitors from Europe with 117 companies represented there, followed by Italy (107) and Britain (44).The…