Product parades showcasing some of Hong Kong’s stylish products were held at Lifestyle Expo in Warsaw
It was the first time for some Polish buyers to see what Hong Kong had to offer, and many came away impressed by the inaugural Lifestyle Expo in Warsaw, 21-23 September.
“I have heard so much about Hong Kong products and wanted to see for myself what Hong Kong can offer,” said Andrzej Oleszczuk, owner of Kancelaria Brokerska, an electronics and security products company based in Kalisz, Poland. “I am happily surprised about the quality and design of Hong Kong products. What I’ve seen has surpassed my expectations,” he added.
World of Style
Launching Lifestyle Expo in Warsaw were (left to right): Warsaw Municipality Deputy Director, City Promotion, Andrzej Mankowski; Chinese Ambassador in Poland Sun Rongmin; Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC Deputy Chairman Tang Bingquan; Polish Ministry of Economy Secretary of State Adam Szejnfeld; HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Alan Wong; Miss Hong Kong Sandy Lau; GDDOFTEC Deputy Director Zhu Zenan
Under the theme, “A World of Style from Hong Kong and Guangdong,” the expo showcased a broad range of products, with a focus on electronics, gifts and houseware. Nearly 200 Hong Kong and Guangdong companies exhibited at the event, which saw buying missions from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia and the Slovak Republic.
“The local buyers are very much health and lifestyle conscious,” said Hilris Cheng, Sales and Marketing Executive for houseware company Beauty & Health Magic Water Purity Ltd. Ms Cheng said she was pleasantly surprised by the favourable reception her company’s products received, noting that visitors were receptive to new product ideas.
Held at the Warsaw International Expocentre Expo XXI, the event was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Guangdong’s Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province (DOFTEC). It marks the second year in a row that the two organisations have cooperated, with the Warsaw exhibition following last September’s successful Lifestyle Expo in Budapest.
“We are here to open wide our trade doors, to help the companies of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Poland find partners and develop markets for their products and services,” said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Alan Wong, speaking at the expo’s opening ceremony.
Open Market
Homing on Eastern Europe
Czech Republic citizens are big spenders when it comes to home improvements. Moderni Obchod magazine and analysts at INCOMA Research say that the home improvement sector is growing faster than ever in chain stores such as OBI CR, Baumax CR, Hornbach Baumarkt CS, Mountfield and Bauhaus.
Research has also shown that more than 50 per cent of the Czech population shop in megastores that specialise in goods for DIY enthusiasts and gardeners.
"The saying every Czech is a handyman is starting to become valid once again,” said Vojtech Sevcik, Business Director of Home Credit, a small consumer loans provider and a company through which Czechs sometimes finance their home projects.
"People know where to save money. They have started to repair their apartments and houses on a large scale. The sales of tools for home and garden and products for small interior construction projects have exceeded all our expectations,” he added.
For more information on international market trends, please see the September issue of the HKTDC Trade Quarterly, which can be ordered at http://www.hktdc.com/bookshop.
Miss Hong Kong Sandy Lau upstages Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science in a smart number by Hong Kong designer Phoebe Wong
Celebrating 20 years of open-market economy, Poland is one of only two European countries to record GDP growth last year, according to the European Commission’s Eurostat. Its 1.9 per cent growth, year-on-year, was largely fuelled by demand from the country’s 38 million people, who are enjoying greater purchasing power.
China is Poland’s third-largest trading partner, importing more than 129 billion euros worth of Chinese goods in 2008, an increase of 17.4 per cent compared to 2007. Poland and China have a “long history of friendship and connection,” said Tang Bingquan, Deputy Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC. Speaking at the opening ceremony, he also noted that the goal of the product expo was to give buyers in Poland, and throughout the region, a better understanding of what Hong Kong and Guangdong had to offer.
Trade between Hong Kong and Poland totalled US$829 million in 2008, a 21 per cent jump over the previous year. Electronics and electronics products accounted for more than 50 per cent of Hong Kong’s exports to Poland. Fashion and accessories made up more than 15 per cent of Hong Kong exports to the country. Toys, jewellery, watches and clocks also make up a significant portion.
Retail, which saw an average growth of 5.3 per cent last year, is a thriving industry in Poland, said HKTDC Warsaw Consultant Gabrielle Chan. “E-commerce, in particular, is a fast-growing business,” she noted. “Since people have to travel long distances, e-commerce is becoming very popular in Poland.” She recommended that Hong Kong firms approach Polish online retailers as a potential supplier.
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