Boomtown Berlin

The German capital is establishing itself as a normal European metropolis in the field of retail. Which part do the fashion trade shows play? Despite numerous changes, Berlin is as diverse a platform as ever. A status quo

report… Text: Ina Köhler. Illustration: Claudia Meitert The German capital is glowing anew after the completion of new real estate developments over the last few months; a lot of money has been invested. Bikini Berlin, located in the western part of the city, houses 58 shops and 19 pop-up stores on a total area of approximately 17,000 square metres; brands such as Aspesi, Grifoni, and Odeeh have opened their first German branches there. The city on the banks of the Spree river was even the first choice for Japanese fashion house Uniqlo. Its 2,700 square metre store is the largest in Europe. Quite a lot of things have changed in the area between Potsdamer Platz and Friedrichstrasse too. Leipziger Platz now boasts the new “Mall of Berlin” with 270 shops spread out on an area of 76,000 square metres. Tenants such as Marc Cain, Strenesse, Pepe Jeans, Liebeskind, Strellson, Karl Lagerfeld, and Denim & Supply believe in the location in the heart of the city, which recently received no less than 800 million Euros in investments. Berlin is a boomtown, at least for investors in fashion retail space. However, one thing is pretty clear: If one sees how many brands have invested in their own elaborate showrooms and/or their own online presence, one begins to understand why more and more players withdraw from the trade shows. It seems as if they simply don’t need them anymore. And this, following the law of supply and demand, creates massive competition. The exhibitor is now a rare commodity that is being wooed by countless organisers with attractive offers and promises. Overlaps, cannibalisation, and crowding out are commonplace. From a superficial point of view, it is actually quite amazing that the market situation only seems to marginally affect Berlin’s trade show scene. The scene is as dynamic and diverse as ever and the more than a dozen all-rounders and specialists cover even the tiniest niches.

The only player to abandon the German capital is “The Gallery”. “We will observe with interest from afar”, says Philipp Kronen, the managing partner of Igedo Company, which has decided to focus on Düsseldorf.

Long Term Option

Bread & Butter’s Karl-Heinz Müller observes a decline in internationalism. “I believe Berlin in general lacks international buyers”, says Müller, who showcases approximately 500 brands in Tempelhof. “The Italian attendance is an example of that. They and the French are not as present as they used to be.” Berlin’s visitor decline is naturally also a result of local market conditions. The Bread & Butter trade show has an option for the location Tempelhof until 2019. This ensures continuity, but is also a commitment to one single venue. “One of the big issues is that the market is not growing at the moment, but tends to shrink and additionally many market participants simply don’t exhibit anymore”, Karl-Heinz Müller explains. There are enough examples to prove his statement correct. Scotch & Soda, a longtime exhibitor at Bread & Butter, is focusing on its own stores and has decided not to attend the trade show this season. This development is consistent across the segments for all organisers. Not every stand corresponds to the size and market significance of the exhibitors; some brands quite deliberately choose smaller means of presentation in off-locations. It is questionable whether this approach reaches a mass of buyers, mainly because their intake capacity and time in the capital is limited.

The Caravan Moves On

Location changes characterise the trade show scene. The Panorama is moving from the airport to the Expo-Centre in western Berlin, thus growing by 40 percent to approximately 33,000 square metres. “January showed us that the demand exceeds our supply of space”, says organiser Jörg Wichmann. “We had quite a few companies on the waiting list.” Following talks with the partners of Messe Berlin, the Panorama decided to move to the exhibition centre, which offers more expansion opportunities. “The feedback from our exhibitors suggests that it was the right step to take. They are delighted that we are more accessible now.” The mall concept, that allows brands to showcase their franchise and store concepts, was particularly well received. “Many brands achieved positive results and sold shops.” That’s hardly a surprise given that many companies are currently growing via their own retail concepts. The Fashion Week will relocate once again too. The location at the Brandenburg Gate was already used for a public viewing event during the last Football World Cup, which overlapped with the fashion event. This time, the Fashion Week as a whole will be staged in the Erika Hess Ice Rink in Wedding. That’s not too far out of town, but also not really close to any of the important trade shows. Jarrad Clark, vice president and global creative director of IMG, remains pragmatic: “The fashion industry is all about change and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to do something else this season.” The visitors need to be quite flexible; this is not the first move for the Fashion Week and it may not be the last. And even this event could benefit from a bit more internationality. The Green Showroom returns to Hotel Adlon Kempinski after a brief interlude in the Kronprinzenpalais. The latter will not be utilised this summer. “The Adlon will offer more room for the exhibitors and the spatial situation allows the realisation of more individual stands”, says Kern Communications’ Alex Vogt. The Ethical Fashion Show will, however, be staged at its usual location, namely the E-Werk in Berlin Central’s Wilhelmstrasse. This season the main focus of the event’s agenda is sustainable standards and certificates.

Continuity

The Capsule trade show stays true to the Postbahnhof location; it will showcase roughly 100 exhibitors from the progressive menswear sector. After the event was taken over by the company Reed Elsevier, a special retail team was assembled to attract more international buyers. “We anticipate an increasing frequency of international visitors”, says organiser Edina Sultanik. “All eyes are on Berlin to see whether the city can retain its status as an international marketplace for fashion”, she adds. Another trade fair that shows continuity regarding its location is the Show & Order. Verena Malta has extended the lease with the Kraftwerk and is preparing for a long-term commitment. “I definitely have expansion options at that location”, she says. She has decided to expand her portfolio by adding Pronto-Moda under the title “Show & Buy”. “I can sense an enormous market demand. Retailers need to have the possibility to order at a trade show”, she suggests. The credo that Berlin is not an order location is disappearing slowly, especially as the Panorama trade show has added space for instant deals - named “Now” - to its portfolio too.

Changed Sequence of Days

The Premium trade show will, however, only open an additional 1,000 square metre hall in Berlin in January. “The plan is to provide an area for pre-collections and new luxury items by international design brands”, Anita Tillmann says. “We still see potential in that area.” The decision to move the start of the show forward by one day to Monday in January 2015 is justified with overlaps with events in Paris. “30 to 40 of our exhibitors also showcase their products in Paris; this move rectifies the situation.” The international trade fair calendar also affects the Bright trade show, which will also start a day earlier in summer; up until now it ran from Wednesday to Friday. “Our event collided with the dates of the Agenda trade fair in Long Beach”, initiator Thomas Martini explains. The Bright utilises an additional floor of the former Warenhaus Jandorf, where it moved to in January. “It was an important and good decision to go to Berlin”, Martini says. “The competition may be fiercer, but ultimately many important players are here.” However, this new location is merely temporary. There are talks suggesting that G-Star may move its German headquarters into the former department store. “The upcoming and the next event will be staged here, but then we’ll have to see what happens”, Martini explains. “In Berlin venues are not made to last for eternity.”

www.breadandbutter.com - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.brighttradeshow.com - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.capsuleshow.com - 8th to 9th of July 2014 www.curvy-is-sexy.com - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.ethicalfashionshowberlin.com - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.fashion-week-berlin.com - 8th to 13th of July 2014 www.green-showroom.net - 8th to 9th of July 2014 www.lavera-showfloor.de - 9th to 11th of July 2014 www.panorama-berlin.com - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.premiumexhibitions.de - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.seekexhibitions.com - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.showandorder.de - 8th to 10th of July 2014 www.whitelabelberlin.com - 8th to 10th of July 2014