China Sourcing Fairs open in Hong Kong April 12

spring China Sourcing Fairs open tomorrow starting with the largest-ever spring electronics shows covering electronics, components and security products. Held at Hong Kong's AsiaWorld-Expo, the co-located shows will run from April 12 through April 15 and feature over 3,600 booths -- up 10 percent compared to spring 2011 events.

From April 20-23, Global Sources will organize China Sourcing Fairs for gifts and premiums, home products, baby and children's products, Christmas and seasonal products, medical and health products and solar and energy-saving products. These Fairs will also offer a 'green' sourcing conference track for both buyers and suppliers.

The shows for fashion accessories, garments and textiles, underwear and swimwear will be held April 27-30. Showcasing over 1,100 booths, these Fairs offer global fashion buyers a unique one-stop sourcing opportunity for a wide range of fashion-related products under one roof.

Buyers registered to attend the spring events include representatives from Atico, Best Buy, BCBG Maxazria, Bosch, Cencosud, Coles Group, Diesel, Dollar Tree, GAP, Kmart, Lafuma, Office Depot, Panasonic, Philips, Polo Ralph Lauren, Samsung, Staples, Swarovski, Target Australia, Tesco and Victoria's Secret.

China Sourcing Fairs have gained a reputation for showcasing a distinctive group of manufacturers from mainland China, Hong Kong and throughout the region. In most cases, the shows feature more private China-based manufacturers than competitive shows, which enable buyers to purchase directly from the source.

The shows are also unique because they are online as well.  Buyers can view exhibitor products online before the show and view exhibitor booths and products online after the show. The online versions of the shows help buyers boost the productivity of their sourcing trips. Suppliers benefit as the life of their exhibition investment can be extended from a few days to several months.

Private Sourcing Events during the shows offer exclusive opportunities for pre-selected exhibitors to meet large global companies in private during the shows. A total of 60 sourcing teams from buyers include Alcatel-Lucent, Alliance Boots, Assmann Group, Liverpool, Digimate, Dollar General, Hermes-OTTO International, Intelbras, INTERSPORT, Ripley, OSRAM, Oxylane and The Source are scheduled to participate in this April's events, with a combined annual sales of more than US$640 billion.

Global Sources Survey: most international buyers to increase or maintain China sourcing

According to a survey conducted by Global Sources, 85 percent of buyers plan to increase or keep their overall sourcing volume of China sourcing steady in 2012. Respondents indicated product price increases and a decrease in consumer spending are their two biggest challenges for the next 12 months. To address these issues, buyers are looking to consolidate existing suppliers, source from new supply markets and look for more competitively-priced products.

"Strong participation at the Fairs by big buyers and the results of our recent buyer survey reaffirm the fact that China is and will remain the number one supply market for many international buyers," said Tommy Wong, President of Global Sources Exhibitions. "While prices have increased, the overall product quality has improved and China's manufacturers still offer the best value in the world in terms of both price and quality."

The buyer survey also found that:

• 55 percent plan to increase their overall level of sourcing in the next 12 months, with 29 percent expecting the volume to remain the same
• 75 percent expect over half of their sourcing budget will be spent on products from China
• 48 percent have already started sourcing environmentally-friendly products while 34 percent plan to source green products in 2012

As a sign that buyers are still sourcing from Greater China, 47 percent of respondents cited that they plan to continue their sourcing trips to Hong Kong while 25 percent plan to increase number of trips.

The survey was conducted March 15-21 by email. Over 400 buyers responded covering various industries, including electronics, gifts and premiums, home products, fashion accessories, garments and textiles and baby and children's products. Nearly one-third of respondents are from developed markets, while 17 percent are from emerging markets.