Private Label expo' attracts over 2,300 visitors

Channels Exhibitions, organisers of PLME said 2,367 trade visitors from over 44 countries attended the show held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

"Of these, the majority were from the UAE, but they also included a sizeable number from the GCC, wider Middle East, Levant, Africa, Asia and Europe," said Justin Boutros, Managing Director, Channels Exhibitions.

The visitor profile included wholesalers/distributors (33.58%), import-export dealers (25.96%), retailers (20.89%) and manufacturers (14.4%).

Product categories that generated the most interest were food & beverage (36.7%), health & beauty (27.50%), stationery (20.9%), paper and plastic (20.2%), cleaning and hygiene (11.49%), electronics and white goods (11.37%) and industrial consumables (10.29%).

Other categories that also generated considerable attention were home and kitchenware (8.97%) and textiles and home textiles (8.24%).

Channels is confident the show will grow by over 60% for the next edition which will be held from September 17 - 19, 2005 at the DWTC.

"Over 85% of this year's exhibitors have strongly indicated they will participate at PLME-Dubai 2005 and we have already received requests for country pavilions from Germany, Poland, Greece and Turkey," said Boutros.

Meanwhile, exhibitors were happy with the show and commended the organisers for the initiative.

"We had a very good reaction from visitors who have come from all over the region including countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, India and even Indonesia," said Adam Reinhard, Export Manager, Mincer Mona Lisa Co. Poland, a company manufacturing cosmetics and packaging for cosmetic products.

"It has been a great show for us and we will definitely be back next year."

Greek company, Emman P Papaioannou, which exports Greek olives and olive oils, projected a 50% show growth for next year.

"We expect to do business with more than 60% of the visitors we met," said Cathrine Papaioannou, Managing Director of the company.

Indian Daxal Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd, a company that manufactures toothpastes and cosmetics, forecast a total business of US$ 300,000 - US $400,000 from the GCC.

"The re-export market, which covers a wide footprint from the Iran, Iraq, the CIS countries and Africa, is a key market we are interested in," said the company's Managing Director, Prashant Desai.

"We had a good show and expect to be back next year."

Channels are making changes to the 2005 show and plan to hold seminars by industry experts who will address issues related to the creation and marketing of a Private Label or Own Brand.

"We are in the process of drawing up a seminar programme and contacting internationally renowned experts to speak at the event," added Boutros.

PLME is held under the patronage of the Department of Economic Development, Government of Dubai.