2009 Giftex Opens, Amid High Interest in Japan

The 2009 Giftex opened on July 8, 2009.

Giftex marks its 4th anniversary this year, and is being held for three days until July 10, 2009. It is Japan’s largest trade show, and is the leading international trade show in the gift industry, attended by more than 60,000 buyers and participants each year.

Giftex is a trade show dedicated to gifts, character products and accessories, and gives participating businesses an opportunity to advance into the Japanese market, where demand is robust and related industries thrive. It is expected that the show will provide rich opportunities for contact with local agents and distributors, including wholesalers, department stores, interior shops and lifestyle shops, giving participants a clear edge when it comes to securing Japanese sales channels.

The show includes a design fair, a childcare product fair and a stationary and paper product fair, creating synergies for each category.

Giftex was participated in by ten companies from Gyeonggi Province, which together won 75 contracts worth more than USD 48.9 million on the first day of the show. One success story was Bonibee, the aluminum kitchen cast-iron product manufacturer in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. The company participated in Giftex to diversify its export channel from China to Japan, and showcased new products it had developed for this show.

Anyang

Representative Kim Chang-Kwon of Bonibee said, “We entered into distributorship agreements with Eiwa Shoji Co in Tokyo and Apide Co., Ltd. in Osaka at this show. Under these agreements, we will annually supply products worth USD 1 million to those distributors.”

A spokesperson for the company said, “As Japanese buyers are showing high interest in our new products, we concluded numerous contracts and expect further export opportunities. We also entered into contracts worth USD 0.4 million with retailers and importers that supply products to department stores in Japan. We are achieving remarkable results at the show.”

Wooju Eltec, the air purifier manufacturer, is also capturing the attention of many buyers from Hong Kong and Japan. Representative Moon Bong-Kwon said, “Japanese buyers appreciate our products for their small form factor, excellent design, and their new technology, which removes odors and dust with a motor and a filter. We have entered into several contracts already.”

As other Korean companies are still negotiating with buyers who expressed a high level of interest, companies from Gyeonggi Province are expected to achieve some remarkable results during the show.