JUNWEX ST.PETERSBURG 2009 Results

JUNWEX ST. PETERSBURG 2009 STATISTICS: Exhibition area: 25,312 sq.m. Exhibitors: 659 Attendees: 28,355 Trade visitors: 13,443

The XVII Jewellery Industry Forum JUNWEX ST. PETERSBURG considerably boosts optimism regarding work possibilities under the critical conditions.

Thanks to the high-level organization of the exhibition and its support by the Russian Jewellery Trade Club, the JUNWEX ST. PETERSBURG exhibition has again proved to be the market's "barometer". The exhibitors' extremely negative expectations due to the crisis on the eve of the exhibition were gradually changing each day thanks to good sales. The exhibitors' optimism was steadily growing from the reserved "unexpectedly not bad" according to the results of the first day to "results as good as last year!" at the end of the exhibition.

A clear reflection of the successful commercial work already on the first day of the exhibition was the exhibitors' good mood at the evening reception devoted to the 5th anniversary of the Russian Jewellery Trade Club that was held at the St. Petersburg Palace of Arts on 4 February.

The commercial level of the exhibition was even more convincingly demonstrated by the Jewellery Russia stand. The stand of the Organizing Committee and Russian Jewellery Trade Club practically empty at the beginning of the exhibition was crowded after two successful days with exhibitors wishing to confirm their participation in the forthcoming JUNWEX shows in May and September. According to the applications submitted as of 11 February the area of the forthcoming exhibitions of the Jewellery Russia programme at the new pavilion of VVC grew by 12 and 47% accordingly. Applications for these events are still being submitted actively to the Organizing Committee.

The new exhibitors of the New Russian Style (14-17 May) and JUNWEX MOSCOW (12-17 September) will include enterprises that, according to RusJewellerExpert Agency, comprehensively determine a range of products required by sales representatives. These are such companies as Diamant, Platina, Aquamarine, Zolotov, Intalia, Russkoye Zoloto, Krasnaya Presnya, Yuveros, Kostroma Jewellery Plant "Kulon", Samotsvety Plus, Zolotoy Vek, Sargon, Dragotsennoye Koltso Urala, YakutAlmazZoloto.

Thus, alongside the repeat exhibitors of the events organized with the support of Russian Jewellery Trade Club, the JUNWEX MOSCOW exhibition to be held in September at the VVC aims at presenting the widest range of jewellery products and can undoubtedly become a defining event for trade visitors' work in September 2009.

JUNWEX - CONCLUSIONS REGARDING CHANGES ON THE SALES MARKET:

The exhibitors' optimism or even some euphoria of certain most successful firms at the February exhibition JUNWEX ST. PETERSBURG 2009 is evidenced by the Ruta company's motto placed from the first minute of the exhibition at its stand "We will survive!"

At the same time, the jewellery market players need to make serious conclusions about the changing situation and sales conditions:

• "Change high-heel shoes to low-heel shoes!" Retailers have ceased to respect large suppliers. They seek for the ones they need! Now retailers cannot to be waited for, but should be actively looked for working at the venue.
  
  "Show yourself!" Competition at the exhibition itself has become more acute both between wholesalers and retailers. It is better to arrange negotiations before the exhibition and use the range of advertising option offered by the exhibition organizers.
  
  
• Dropping "medium range". The demand has changed. The leading sales at JUNWEX were made in silver products and expensive jewellery.
  
  "Use information". The changing demand resulted in the appearance of quite new retailers at the exhibition that were invited by the Club Secretariat, and those exhibitors who had this information were able to use effectively this opportunity and contact them within the Club activities.
  
  
• Retailers have become more experienced. The most "advanced" shops foreseeing price increases or having appropriate information received required products already in November and December at the delayed payment conditions.
  
  Change supply conditions : It is necessary to introduce a short-term planning of stock management.
  
  
• Retailers have become more selective! The optimism of the Club members lies within a flexible assortment policy, and purchased assortment. Retailers carefully inspect all stands looking for necessary collections.
  
  Monitor the market! Plan per-season presentations of new collections at the exhibitions. Inform sales companies about novelties between the seasons.
  
  
• Repeat customers have remained loyal to us. Despite the absence of the free hour at the exhibition, the number of consumers purchasing products has not decreased. But the increasing temptation with interesting offers from the market of accessory products may drive our consumers to sellers of office equipment, electronics and home appliances.
  
  Preserving loyalty of customers is only possible together with trading! The Jewellery Russia Organizing Committee together with the Club and its publications is planning federal actions during the peak retail periods facilitating increase of customer loyalty in concrete jewellery brands and drawing customers' attention to the retail outlets.

V.V. Budny on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the Jewellery Russia Programme