Seeking business growth in home textiles
The textile industry throughout the world experienced new colors as India witnessed the fourth edition of Heimtextil India and Ambiente India Fairs at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from June 20 to 22. The Textiles Minister, Ms. Smriti Irani, inaugurated the event and addressed the important gathering, and unveiled the world’s largest cushion representing ‘Fabrics & Embroideries of India’ at the fair.
The event received tremendous response from the exhibitors and consumers alike. With 198 companies and 7,457 visitors, the event stretched across 12,500 sq. meters, which was 31 per cent larger than the previous event. Along with India, companies from countries like Bangladesh, Korea, China and Thailand also participated in the exhibition.
More than 80 per cent of the participating companies had taken part in the event in the previous years as well, showing that there is a crystal clear boost to business.
In an exclusive interview, Mr. Olaf Schmidt, Vice President of Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt Exhibitions, said: “The companies are really successful here and they are interested to be a part of the show again, because they have good connection, good contacts and are interested to do business here.”
He also said that Heimtextil India focused on local markets and local demands, thus greatly supporting both the local producers and the production process. This was the reason why many companies put up their exhibits to get a taste of the local consumers and also expand their names in the local market.
On a global perspective, China is the leading and the largest producer of textiles across the world. However, a shift in production from China to other countries has been evident, mainly in the garment producing sector. More countries, as in Europe, are nowadays preferring local producers and do not want production to be far from their home ground.
Even though China is not leaving the leash of the leading horse, India is carving a distinct place for itself in the home textiles and interior décor space worldwide. The country accounts for about 7 per cent of the global home textiles trade, with its products gaining a significant market share in the past few years. Spanning virtually across all the categories of textiles in the world markets, the country has emerged the second largest supplier of home textile products while domestic demand is also constantly on the rise.
“India is one of the largest and most important production centres for textiles and home textiles and from the international side. Because of the quality of the design and fabric and the flexibility of production, the expectation of growth is high. According to me the Indian textile industry will be very successful,” said Mr. Olaf.
Being one of the most successful textile events of the year, Heimtextil India and Ambiente India will continue to collaborate in the future. The combination is very successful in the readymade market, and the target achievements of both the shows were admirable. Their focus in the upcoming events will be on making them bigger than the previous ones and on improving in the areas they lacked.
The highlights of the fair included:
- Over 20 new product launches by D’Décor, Rumours, Raymond, Reliance and Welspun, among others.
- ILA Experience Zone: Innovative concepts in interior spaces showcased at this special zone through a design face-off between product and textile designers.
- Special Skills Zone: Live demonstrations of different art forms by specially-abled children.
- GST Workshop: Interactive workshop for sector players to update them on the impact and policies of GST on the consumer goods and textile value chain.
- Hospitality & Retail Day: Renowned retail buyers and purchase managers from the top hospitality industry chains visited the fair.