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It's Show Time
The fall cycle of shows starts this weekend in Toronto and change is in the air. At the CGTA Fall Gift Show, the opening of the new North Building (Hall 10) at the Toronto Congress Centre has resulted in a massive shuffling of booths as exhibitors vied for better and expanded space. A bigger show does mean more walking for buyers. It also means a larger selection of new products and that can only be good news as the competition for consumer dollars gets harder as the economy softens.
But smart buyers should also schedule a visit to the more regional shows in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal and Halifax. Besides offering a chance to meet with territory reps from major suppliers, these shows are also excellent sources of unique, new products from small suppliers. And some of these small suppliers have really great goods particularly if you're searching for local, made in Canada and unique items to differentiate your store from the competition.
A lot of retailers and suppliers have been knocked around by today's economic headwinds and being down--emotionally and financially--is understandable. However, if you're too cautious in your buying and you don't search for some really interesting new products to bring in to your store for the fourth quarter, what reason will consumers have to visit and revisit your store? It's show time: your biannual opportunity to discover new products and meet with your supplier partners. The only way to weather challenging times is to work together.
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Lori Smith, , Editor-in-Chief
Lori Smith is the editor of Gifts and Tablewares, Canada's premiere gifts and tablewares magazine. Written for retailers of gifts, tablewares, housewares, stationery and home furnishing accessories, its objective is to help readers increase their sales and run their businesses more profitably by providing information on new products, merchandising, small business management, customer service, consumer behavior and industry news. The magazine is published six times a year by BIG Magazines, LP, a leading Canadian information company.
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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on August 5, 2008 4:17 PM.
The previous post in this blog was Pulling Together? .
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