Arno Reich, senior vice-president of German trade fair company Deutsche Messe AG. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
China's flooring industry is expecting robust growth and to provide the international market with more high-quality products and services, foreign executives said.
The flooring market in China has shown strong growth momentum over the past year and achieved notable progress in technological innovation and sustainable development, further enhancing its competitiveness in the global market, said Arno Reich, senior vice-president of German trade fair company Deutsche Messe AG.
"We believe that in China, and also in the Asia-Pacific region — which is about 30 percent of the global flooring market — will lie growth in the future," Reich said.
"China is a very huge market for flooring solutions. It doesn't only consume but also produces several flooring products," said Sonia Wedell-Castellano, global director at Deutsche Messe AG.
"I believe in the past couple of years, China has almost overhauled European producers because they are very innovative, very fast, with very advanced technologies," Wedell-Castellano said, adding that China-made products are usually more price competitive and also cater to the needs of the European market.
Eyeing the potential of the country's flooring industry, Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai — the joint venture of Deutsche Messe and Fiera Milano in China — announced on Wednesday the establishment of DACF Exhibitions Shanghai Ltd by joining hands with fair company Globus Events.
The new JV will focus on expanding business opportunities in flooring sectors within China and across the broader Asia-Pacific region through carpet and floor-covering show DOMOTEX Asia.
"It's a reflection of our long-term commitment and confidence in the Chinese market. We hope this move will deeply integrate the unique advantages of both parties in industry resources, professional knowledge and market influence, to jointly make new achievements in the broader exhibition sector," Reich said.
Through the JV, the German company is also aiming to strengthen forces with local partners in organizing a flooring show that caters to special visitor and customer structures of the Chinese market, as innovation in sustainability and eco-friendly products are the new trends in the country's flooring market.
"We have noticed opportunities provided by the world's growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products here, which is the core of how we can cater to the markets of tomorrow," Reich said.
In its 26th year, DOMOTEX Asia will be launched in Shanghai from May 26-28, and is expected to host over 1,600 exhibitors from both domestic and international markets.
"By bringing together participants from around the world to this most relevant Asian flooring platform, we invite everyone to not only showcase the latest trends, but also look for new developments and innovations in the flooring industry," he said.
"After being introduced to China, our flagship exhibitions have attracted the active participation of high-quality enterprises and buyers and achieved great success. This is inseparable from the huge consumption vitality and potential of the Chinese market," Reich said.
Through the company's interactions with exhibitors and visitors, he said they have found widespread optimism about the potential and development of the Chinese market.
According to market consultancy Mordor Intelligence, China's floor covering market is expected to register a compound annual growth rate of more than 7 percent during 2024-29, with the continuous development of the real estate industry and the increasing acceptance of aesthetic needs likely to boost demand for flooring in China.
As a foreign-funded enterprise, Reich said Deutsche Messe will strengthen its collaboration with local partners and offer more shows to Chinese visitors in the future.
"Besides major shows in top-tier cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, we also aim to extend more events to more lower-tier cities for more possibilities," he said.
