The Taipei International Furniture and Home Decorations Show kicked off yesterday at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall, the first trade event held since late April, and therefore considered the first post-SARS event.
"We're delighted to see the trade shows back on track and unaffected by SARS," said Chanel Cheng (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Cheng is convinced consumers are ready to pull out their pocketbooks.
"We believe the 1,000-booth show will spur on listless consumption since many consumers may be looking to revive shopping plans they put off during the SARS-hit period," Cheng said.
Some 300 local and foreign exhibitors displayed their wares yesterday to crowds of over 10,000 on the first day of the show.
Some sellers at the event, however, were pessimistic about the show's potential for boosting business.
"Our business has been declining in recent years due to the stagnant economy and became worst due to SARS," said Peng Ching-hung (
Peng said his company used to capitalize on the annual exhibition, earning up to NT$7 million per show, but this year he said he'd be grateful just to cover the booth rental fee at the four-day show, which is around NT$700,000.
One mattress seller also said there was a fair amount of pedestrian traffic, although few orders have been placed.
"Many people stroll by the booths without even coming in to check out products," said Teng Wen-chin (鄧汶欽), manager of Yanglong International Co (揚龍國際). "I hope business will get better on the weekend."
The show organizer shrugged off the sellers' concerns, saying most furniture buyers engage in purchasing on the last day of the show to take advantage of even lower prices. In addition, many shoppers will come back to buy after going home to take size and color issues into consideration, Cheng said.
An official with a German furniture firm was also confident that business will pick up.
"Taipei residents have more purchasing power to buy luxury goods than people living in other cities in Taiwan," said Terry shao (
Meanwhile, several consumers at yesterday's exhibition said they were keen to make a purchase.
"The prices of furniture on display are so cheap that I may shop for things I wasn't planning to buy," said Yuan Su (
Wang Hsin-hsing (
The show organizer plans to hold an auction each day on various pieces of furniture and electronics starting from NT$1.
The show runs through Sunday, and is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Entry is free.
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