Final Report 2007

Total success for the year’s first consumer goods fair highlight - Paperworld, Christmasworld and Beautyworld once again bring over 100,000 trade visitors to Frankfurt

The international cosmetics sector starts the 2007 business year in optimistic mood

This year’s visitors were better qualified and more international than ever

For the 4,000 or so exhibitors from 66 countries, the three consumer goods fairs, Paperworld, Christmasworld and Beautyworld, were a big success, thanks to high attendance figures and a top-quality visitor profile. Once again, over 100,000 trade visitors travelled to Frankfurt for the first consumer goods fair highlight of the year. Over the five-day fair period, the Frankfurt Fair & Exhibition Centre was the hub of the universe for buyers from 153 nations. Taking positive stock of the situation Dr. Michael Peters, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt GmbH said: "We broke through the 100,000 visitor mark again in 2007, providing a successful start to the new business year for the exhibiting industry. The prevailing positive economic wind continued to blow at all the three fairs, providing exhibitors with a flying start for the months ahead".

Over 10,000 visitors used Beautyworld, in Frankfurt from 24 to 28 January 2007, as a global new product and ordering event for the cosmetics sector. Forty-two percent of buyers who came to the international trade fair for perfumeries, drug stores, cosmetics and hairdressing originated from countries outside Germany, resulting in yet another increase in Beautyworld’s level of internationalism over the previous year. Countries such as Italy, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland accounted for the highest number of visitors, although the German retail trade and the major bulk buyers from department store groups also took advantage of the opportunity to see product ranges offered by 387 exhibitors from 30 countries, showing themselves to be in optimal buying mood. Ninety-two percent of visitors interviewed rated the current economic situation in the sector as good or satisfactory – an increase of 8% in just 12 months. However, trade visitors to Beautyworld brought more than just a positive mood with them, they also came with decision-making powers, with 66% of visitors describing themselves as a sole or co-decision-maker in terms of business decisions.

German retailing was well represented
Werner Hariegel, CEO of the "German Perfumery Association" (Bundesverband Parfümerien e.V.) was satisfied with the outcome of Beautyworld, which attracted a host of new exhibitors as well as returnees. "The mood amongst buyers at the fair was good, better than in the previous year, despite the fact that, this year, the Wednesday of the fair, traditionally a major trading day, was somewhat disrupted by adverse weather conditions. The German retail sector was well represented and orders were high. The big SME perfumeries were there, as were buyers from Kaufhof, Karstadt and Douglas". In the Festhalle, Annemarie Börlind Natural Beauty was celebrating a successful fair debut. According to Michael Lindner, Executive Director of the cosmetics company, which specialises in top-quality natural cosmetics: "This is our first time at Beautyworld and our expectations have been exceeded. Major customers, such as Kaufhof, Karstadt and Douglas, visited our stand and it is evident that natural cosmetics have become mainstream. Once upon a time, our cosmetics were only available in health food stores but now they are also on sale in perfumery multiples. The fact that our brand is seen as authentic is our major advantage".

Returning exhibitor, Lailique Cosmetics, also took positive stock of Beautyworld viewing the event as a springboard to gain a foothold in the European market. Jutta Luch, International Sales Manager for Lailique Cosmetics said with satisfaction: "We have returned to Beautyworld for the first time in ten years and our fair appearance was a total success. Potential customers from all four continents visited our stand and we conducted a considerable number of promising discussions, predominantly with cosmetics institutes, health farms and spas. Our concept is already extremely successful in Asia and we are confident that our appearance at Beautyworld has laid the foundations for success in Germany and Europe".

But newcomers to Beautyworld weren’t the only ones making positive noises. Established exhibitors, among them Troll Cosmetics, one of Beautyworld’s first exhibitors, commented thus: "We benefit tremendously from the synergic effect of Christmasworld and Paperworld. Customers from the other two parallel fairs visit our stand. At this year’s Beautyworld, we attracted more visitors than last year, mainly Arabian countries like Dubai, Jordan, Egypt but also from Eastern Europe and the Ukraine for example", emphasized Karl J. Troll, company boss of Troll Cosmetics and winner of this year’s Beautyworld-Cup. The Beautyworld Cup, presented for the ninth time this year, is co-sponsored by Messe Frankfurt and the Germany Perfumery Association and honours an impetus- and ideas-provider from the industry. The award was presented to Karl J. Troll by Dr. Michael Peters, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt, Ulrich Schwarze, CEO of beauty alliance, and Reinhard Dieter Wolf, President of the German Perfumery Association at a party held on 26 January. The cosmetics entrepreneur is seen as one of the major forerunners of cosmetic sun protection.

A platform for exclusive brands
Once again in 2007, Beautyworld was profiled as a platform for exhibitors of exclusive brands, an event used by the industry to showcase its portfolio and stage products. Udo Heuser, Director of Distribution for the Fribad Cosmetics Group summed up the five days of the fair as follows "For us, Beautyworld was a success and there is absolutely no doubt we will be back next year. A host of potential new customers from home and abroad visited our stand. The success we achieved last year, which marked our debut at Beautyworld, continued this year. We see Beautyworld not just as a presentation platform but also as a place to meet both customers and the industry". Another company taking advantage of the status of Beautyworld as a platform for the international cosmetics market was MBR - Medical Beauty Research, as Sigrid Schwarz-Eschweiler, deputy CEO of the company emphasized. "We are satisfied with the way the fair went. Due to our exclusive product range, Beautyworld is the right place for us – the environment suits us. The quality of discussions is right and we were able to acquire several new customers, mainly from Eastern Europe but from Italy and the Netherlands as well."

Wellness and Spa in focus
Wellness und Spa themes which, according to a visitor survey, are of interest to a third of Beautyworld visitors, were a focal point of Beautyworld 2007. Swiss spa designer Joachim G. Hallwachs offered a creative and innovative approach to these themes at the exclusive Future of Spa special show, which provided Beautyworld visitors with a competent forum in the Festhalle for everything to do with relaxation and well-being. Featuring the finest woods and luxury materials such as marble and gold, combined with top-quality design, the special show picked up on a theme, luxury and value, which is highly topical and not just in the wellness segment. The desire for something individual and unique is growing and, with it, the mood for buying. This is also confirmed by Edwin Henel, National Sales Manager for Zwilling J.A. Henckels AG: "We are extremely satisfied. We not only welcomed a huge number of visitors to our stand but retailers were highly optimistic and are also prepared to spend more for top-quality products.