LAS VEGAS–Winter Las Vegas Market 2013 exceeded expectations as the best attended market in four consecutive years, according to show organizers, driven by an influx of both new retailers and exhibiting lines.
“This past Winter Market set new company records for an overwhelming number of manufacturers and contributed to a renewed, positive outlook for the entire industry,” said Robert Maricich, CEO of International Market Centers, which owns and operates the show. “I can truly say it was the best Las Vegas Market in my tenure of five years.”
U.S. retail attendance was up 6 percent over a year ago, with thousands of buyers attending the Winter 2013 show for the first time. International buyer attendance rose five percent year over year, most notably with a 15 percent increase among buyers from Latin America and Pacific Rim, as well as an eight percent gain in Canadian buyers over a year ago.
Market officials reported that several key and complementary categories performed well at the recent show. The most notable increases came from home decor buyers, which rose 39 percent, while home textile buyers grew by 26 percent. The categories of mattress retailers and contract hospitality buyers each increased by 11 percent from a year ago. Furthermore, Las Vegas Market doubled the number of floor coverings retailers due to the strategic partnership with Surfaces Expo.
In addition to dramatic growth across all buyer categories, the Winter Las Vegas Market, including Gift+Home, also drew more than 1,800 exhibiting companies across 5 million square feet of space in three buildings. The 2013 Las Vegas Market welcomed 200 new brands in permanent showrooms and temporary booths spanning every category of total home. Newcomers included: 27 permanent furniture tenants; five powerhouse designer brands in the Las Vegas Design Center; 38 permanent Gift+Home tenants; along with 30 furniture temporaries located on the sold-out floor of B2; and 107 Gift+Home temporaries located on C4 and C5.
“Excitement and optimism at market were palpable, with buyers and suppliers buzzing about the transformational changes introduced this winter,” said Dorothy Belshaw, IMC’s president of Gift & Home Decor. “We recorded an unparalleled gain in gift and home decor buyer attendance. Our success in buyer attendance is directly correlated to the specialty home decor collections introduced on B3 and C3, and occupancy growth on gift floors during the past two markets.”