Sourcing trends point to demand for customised, organic & socially responsible products in interior decor
The outlook of the second edition of Ambiente India & Heimtextil India scheduled during the pre-festive retail period this summer appears promising with some serious business opportunities in store. Industry’s well-known brands looking for modern Home Décor solutions for the nouveau-Indian consumers of today have all confirmed to visit this professional trade platform for the Home Furnishing & Interior Décor industry that will take place from 25 – 27 June, 2015 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
What’s more? Getting straight to business, some of the prominent industry personalities and proprietors of well-known specialty stores, online retailers, hyper markets as well as buying agents in India have given us an insight into the key products and lifestyle segments they are keen to source in 2015-16, making it easy for manufactures to showcase their premium offerings in these segments and plan their meetings during the show.
In search of ‘Made-in-India’ crafts and products, Dr. Nidhi Shankar from Green Linen Pvt. Ltd. looks forward to meeting Indian manufactures with world-class products at the show. She said: “Today, the key word for the Home Furnishing & Interior Décor Industry is product innovation. Inspired by Indian home furnishings industry that is defined by its ethnicity, colour vibrancy, intricate carvings, weaves, motifs, buyers today are looking at sourcing a variety of products of Indian origin. This is a good time for Indian manufacturers to encash on this. New smocking styles, velvets, laces, decorative pillows, quilts, block printing are in high demand. I am particularly interested in sourcing what will make interesting gift packs for the festive season through Ambiente & Heimtextil in India.”
Ms Anchal Kansal, Director Operations, Indsource International on the other hand is looking for more international décor brands and furnishing companies. She said: “Indsource international offers one-point sourcing. For this, we are constantly looking at growing our supplier base besides India, from Bangkok, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and other Interior and Furnishing manufacturing hubs. I am definitely visiting Ambiente India & Heimtextil India to partner with suppliers of new fabrics and interesting décor products. I hope the platform’s international prominence keeps growing with every edition in India so we have a lot more variety in terms of sourcing.”
Discussions with the Ambiente India & Heimtextil India team also brought to light several companies’ interest in extending the trend of organic cotton fabrics and newer designs and developments in towels bedsheets, rugs, top of the beds etc. Some of the companies are specifically looking for interior products that are OEKOTEX, BSCI and ISO certified or match industry complaint standards.
Jagdish Khandelwal who owns a chain of fine furnishing retail outlets under the brand name “Jagdish Store” said: “When it comes to home textiles and décor, Delhi holds 70% of the buying capacity in India while the rest of India holds the remaining 30%. This makes Delhi the best place to host this important industry show such that serious players in the Indian and international industry will not miss this platform. I am looking forward to associating with different brands and ranges in bedding, furnishings and flooring categories that can add further value to our business.”
The fact that the platform allows ground-level networking was evident from the fact that decision makers from retailers to e-tailers have confirmed to visit Ambiente & Heimtextil India for their sourcing needs. Himanshu Kumar, Director – Sourcing of one of India’s largest online home stores – FabFurnish, said: “Last year’s show was fantastic! Being only the first edition, it was nice to see all the major industry players under one roof as well as so many new products, launches, fabrics etc. This year I am keen on visiting the show again to see if I can get some new entrepreneurs and brands on board at Fabfurnish. Particularly in segments of furniture, spaces and furnishings, I am looking for multi-functional yet trendy products.
Bhupendra Patel, Category Head – Home Furnishing, from another leading fashion and lifestyle e-commerce portal, Jabong said: “Heimtextil India’s first edition was good business as we managed to tie-up with several new suppliers and understood the kind of new developments going on in the industry and how we can match our product offerings according to it. This year, we are mainly looking at tying up with companies that are making a difference with their CSR activities and those who offer socially responsible products. We will visit Ambiente India & Heimtextil India to meet domestic and international manufactures in this regard.”
Elaborating on the importance of this platform that enables direct and personal interactions in a digital world, Rakesh Juneja, Proprietor, Sita Fabrics said: “Home textiles business involves personal interactions at all levels so that companies can truly offer customised solutions. Retail selling offers this experience to customers. Likewise, Ambiente India & Heimtextil India offer the same experience to manufacturers. I am looking forward to meeting such professional industry players here who can showcase and provide customised solutions.”
For more information about exhibiting or participating, please visit: www.ambiente-india.com ; www.heimtextil-india.com