COTTON USA positioned the U.S. cotton industry as a global leader in the home textiles industry at Heimtextil, a leading trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, from Jan. 10-13. COTTON USA generated new business opportunities for industry, brand and retail partners by connecting buyers and sellers of U.S. cotton products at its booth. Two companies from Turkey renewed their COTTON USA licenses during the show. Several additional companies from Portugal, Turkey and India expressed interest in joining the COTTON USA licensing program.
As the first international trade show of 2017, Heimtextil represented a key touchpoint for COTTON USA, Cotton Incorporated and Supima to reach a broad international trade audience. For four days, the COTTON USA pavilion at Heimtextil served as a meeting point for the entire global cotton trade, including merchants, mills, manufacturers, brands, retailers and the press. Many COTTON USA licensees conducted business meetings at the booth, increasing traffic.
The COTTON USA booth promoted U.S. cotton’s high quality, responsible production, innovation, availability, reliability and traceability and provided comprehensive information about the global cotton market, sourcing, consumer research, and the marketing, promotional and licensing services the U.S. cotton industry offers. The booth also featured product samples from COTTON USA licensees such as: Casablanca, Natural Home and Loftex (China), Caliphil (Taiwan), Bed & Bath (Sweden), Double Star and Jaspal Home (Thailand), Gabel (Italy), Graser Exclusive Bettwäsche (Germany), GHCL (India), Kimpeks (Turkey), Liztex (Guatemala), Pac Fung Hotel Supply (Hong Kong), and Textiles Brito and Zermatex (Mexico).
COTTON USA successfully introduced its hotel and travel initiative, “Home – Away From Home,” that connects COTTON USA-licensed manufacturers with the hotel sector to provide U.S. cotton-rich bedding and towels. At the show, hotel suppliers from different parts of the world expressed interest in making COTTON USA part of their future sourcing requests.
The U.S. cotton industry’s marketing teams also conducted intensive meetings with the international trade on key topics of interest, such as cotton prices and the growing demand for sustainably produced cotton. Discussions revealed that interest in traceability and cotton DNA testing are gaining momentum.
Almost 70,000 trade visitors from across the world attended Heimtextil. Growth was driven primarily by Brazil, China, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Russia, the USA and United Arab Emirates. A total of 2,963 exhibitors from 67 countries presented their new textile products and designs across 20 halls.
“The figures speak for themselves: Heimtextil grew once again in 2017 in terms of its visitor and exhibitor numbers,” Messe Frankfurt CEO Detlef Braun said. “But it’s no longer about quantity and hasn’t been for a long time. I am especially pleased about the high quality of the products exhibited as well as the intensity of discussions between purchasers and exhibitors. Frankfurt is the international meeting place and beating textile heart of the interiors industry.”