09.02.2012 Final report for the trade press Paperworld

Strengthened: Exhibitors of the consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt satisfied – around 87,000 international buyers

Busy: Significantly more orders support positive developments in the sector

Global: Internationality a key to the success of Paperworld

The trio of consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt – Christmasworld, Paperworld and Creativeworld 2012 – closed their doors on 31 January, after a run distinguished by increased visitor quality and a large number of international orders. More than 87,000 trade visitors (2011: 87,903, FKM certified [1]) from 155 countries contributed to the high level of satisfaction among exhibitors. “Our trio of fairs is a genuine magnet for international buyers. And this is shown by the stable number of visitors. Even more encouraging is the large num­ber of orders placed by buyers and reported by exhibitors”, said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, commenting on the results of the fair.

Both indicators contributed to an optimistic mood in the fields of festive decorations, paper, stationery and office supplies and hobby, handicrafts and artists’ materials. Despite the difficult financial situa­tion, the approximately 3,000 exhibitors from 72 countries (2011: 3,053, FKM certified) have positive expectations of the new year because, although slightly fewer buyers came to Frankfurt from Southern Europe and Asia, they were able to expand their inter­national business. “There was a significant increase in the number of East European and, in particular, Russian visitors and this supported the international strategies of our exhibitors”, added Detlef Braun.

This is also confirmed by the exhibitors: “There were significantly more customers, especially from outside Germany, than last year. In particular, East and Southeast Europe were well represented. No­body has been talking about the financial crisis. The focus was on doing business”, says Karl Kallinger, Member of the Board of KMP PrintTechnik AG and Paperworld exhibitor.

One reason for the increase from these regions is connected with the export of Paperworld to Moscow and Dubai. “Launching Paperworld Middle East and Paperworld Russia last year has had a supplementary marketing effect on Paperworld, Creativeworld and Christmasworld in Frankfurt“, explains Detlef Braun. The top visitor nations after Germany include Italy, France, The Netherlands, Great Britain and Switzerland.

Internationality a key to the success of Paperworld
As in the past, Paperworld 2012 was the most international of the trio of fairs. With 1.800 exhibitors (2011: 1,858 exhibitors[2]) from 71 countries (2011: 70 countries), the leading trade fair for paper, stationery and office supplies is the highlight of the worldwide sector. Altogether, 49,350 visitors from all over the world came to see the latest products and trends from the field of paper, stationery and office supplies. Of these visitors, 30,477 or 62 percent came from outside Germany this year. “These figures demonstrate that the global paper, stationery and office supplies sector is firmly based at Paperworld at the end of January. This is one of the keys to success for the international business of our customers”, added Detlef Braun.

Paperworld 2012 was also distinguished by a positive business climate and, according to exhibitors, more orders than last year. This was underscored by Stephan Weinberg, Head of the Retail Trade Department of UHU GmbH & Co. KG: “The course of business at the fair has been very good. The level of demand has been high through­out and we welcomed both key accounts and smaller retailers. Particularly striking has been the intensity of the discus­sions, during which extremely specific activities and measures were agreed. We even carried out the annual discussions in the inter­national sphere. Therefore, it is essential that we show the flag here.”

Although the prognosis of the German Office Supplies Association (Bundesverband Bürowirtschaft – BBW) calls for zero growth in the retail trade and no more than two percent sales growth for the drop-shipping trade, the mood at Paperworld was significantly more positive. Altogether, 92 percent of German buyers rate the current economic situation in the sector as being satisfactory to good. Opinions on the international side are more cautious with 79 percent saying the situation is satisfactory to good, which makes the state­ment of Portuguese exhibitor Grupo Portucel Soporcel all the more encouraging: “The focus of our discussions has been on business, not the crisis. We are satisfied with the results of the fair, especially with regard to the number of international visitors”, said Maria Joao Lourenco, Marketing. The positive mood can also be traced back to the increased number of orders and the high visitor quality. In a poll conducted by Messe Frankfurt, the exhibitors confirmed that the proportion of buyers placing orders had risen to 49 percent (2011: 40 percent). The visitor-quality rating rose from 61 percent in 2011 to 69 percent  this year.

This was also confirmed by Fellowes, a company that returned to Paperworld after an absence: “Returning to Paperworld has been worthwhile. We had more appointments than last time. Of particular importance is the export sector. The crisis has not been a topic of discussion – the focus is on quality. The trade and customers want new products and innovations”, said Andrea Cantong, Trade Marketing Manager of Fellowes GmbH.

A moderate degree of optimism was also tangible in the greetings-card sector: “I rate Paperworld 2012 as having been moderately good in terms of both visitor numbers and orders taken. Paperworld in Frankfurt is and continues to be the most important platform for our sector. Taking part in fairs is still important in the greetings-card sector and all companies should take advantage of Paperworld to make presentations”, said Werner Lippels, Chairman of the Working Group of Greetings Cards Manufacturers and Publishers (Arbeits­gemeinschaft der Hersteller und Verleger von Glückwunschkarten).

Synergy effects strengthen Paperworld
The synergetic effects of the trio of fairs have had an even greater impact on the level of satisfaction expressed by both visitors and exhibitors this year. “For the specialist retail trade, Paperworld was once again an important market place for the new products and trends – a platform for concepts and agreements. The combination of Christmasworld, Creativeworld and Paperworld makes it all the more worthwhile to come to Frankfurt. A large number of shop owners, as well as wholesalers and the drop-shipping trade, made good use of this opportunity”, said Thomas Grothkopp, Director of the German Office Supplies Association (Bundesverband Bürowirtschaft – BBW).

The trio of fairs in Frankfurt am Main makes it possible for partici­pants to expand their horizons and attract new target groups. For example, Creativeworld has an interesting supplementary range of high-grade paper products, paints and coloured pencils, as well as individual greeting-card kits. At Christmasworld, there is an extremely large selection of wrapping materials, ribbons and gift articles. Not only Christmas but all festivities of the year are reflected by the multi-faceted product spectrum. 

Sustainability and quality in demand
Sustainability and quality are the predominant trends in the stationery and office-article segments whereby importance is attached not only to the ecological orientation of the individual products but also to production and sourcing. In the case of external production, great significance is also attached to adherence to standards for the people making the products. Environmental conservation is also important in the office-supplies segment – from air cleaners via energy-saving office machines, to climate-neutral stamps. In some cases, the great importance attached to sus­tainability comes from the manufacturers, in some cases it is demanded by the major trading companies and commercial users.  

Quality is also a criterion of great importance for consumers: “Following a flood of cheap products from Asia, customers have seen the quality differences and returned to branded products, which have therefore been able to gain ground significantly”, confirmed Rolf Schifferens, Chairman of the Altenaer Kreis (AK), the associa­tion of brand-name manufacturers in the paper, office supplies and stationery sector.

Trends: service and individuality
Striking in all segments is the increased orientation of the assortment to customer needs. Products are no longer arranged by classic categories but with the aim of solving consumer problems, a trend that reaches right into the marketing field. No longer are individual products promoted. Instead, the advertising focus is on complete solutions for users. This trend is by no means limited to school or office materials and extends into the stationery sector where sets for different occasions, from invitations to table decorations and acknowledgement cards, are available.

Another development that stretches over a variety of segments can also be seen in the stationery field – product individualisation is becoming increasingly easy. This is shown, for example, by greetings cards with individual texts or office articles with embossed names, etc. In such cases, the opportunities offered by the internet are more often being combined with those of the stationery trade. Consumers are willing to pay more for individuality and attach great importance to good service.  

Skilful combinations of bright colours and multi-media solutions
Depending on the season, fresh colours play an important part in the stationery sector. The trend is moving away from strong colours, such as lilac and pink, to orange, curry shades and blue. As in recent years, decorative elements frequently appear with dots. Most recently, however, they are being combined with light striped patterns. Additionally, a luxuriant (Oriental) ornamentation is to be seen in both Christmas and seasonal designs.

Green, blue and pink continue to be popular in the high-grade paper, stationery and office supplies segment where sets provide an in­teresting supplementary benefit. From matching pens or pencils, via a suitable calendar or notepad, to the case, unity is essential. More and more complete sets are available as presents – cards, books and confectionery with the same look go well together. Combinations are also in demand for the table, e.g., matching invitation cards, placemats and glass mats.

This season’s stationery is characterised by more intensive shades of colour. Blue and orange are much in demand. With a view to younger target groups, writing utensils are being combined with mobile communication devices, such as smartphones and tablets, and ‘Stylus tip’ is the buzzword – colourful writing utensils are being fitted with the new ‘user aids’ and equipped with holders for, e.g., earphones. The idea behind this is that although young people primarily communicate via technical channels, they still like to use conventional writing utensils.

Special exhibitions, awards ceremonies and events provide added value
A special feature of Paperworld is the comprehensive and informa­tive complementary programme. A highlight every year is the Paperworld Trend Show with new products and the latest trends for the coming season. ‘Bright’, ‘Dark’ and ‘Soft’ are the names of the three trend worlds at the Trend Show. Additionally, the ‘Asia Design Excellence’ special show offered insights into current design develop­ments and ideas for high-grade products from Asia. The promotional area of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Tech­nology (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie – BMWi) supported young companies with innovative ideas. This was also of benefit to visitors who thus had the chance to discover new products and get to know these start-up companies. The focus of the design competition for greetings cards is also on newcomers. In this case, entries were received from over 230 students – more than ever before. But that’s not all. More visitors than ever before took part in the judging and over 2,150 voted for their favourite greetings card.

Another magnet for visitors was the Paperworld Forum in Hall 3.0 where experts discussed subjects of topical interest to the sector. The main themes this year were ‘Focus on the Trade’, ‘Paperworld Procurement’ and ‘Green Office Day’. At the same time, the Paperworld Forum provided the setting for numerous awards ceremonies, e.g., the ‘Product of the Year’, the ‘Personality of the Year’ and the ISPA Award, to mention but a few.

Added value programme: Paperworld Procurement and Insider
Paperworld Procurement, the programme especially for buyers of commercial office supplies and paper from companies and public authorities, was held for the second time running. This year, 236 visitors registered, an increase of approximately 35 percent over 2011. The highlight of the days was the lecture given by keynote speaker Ulrich Wickert on the subject of ‘Ethical purchasing’, which resulted in the Paperworld Forum virtually bursting at the seams. All lectures were well attended and the participants satisfied: “This was my first time at Paperworld and I decided to come after reading the reports on the Procurement première last year. The lectures certainly represent added value for visitors in particular and the trade fair in general. I was mainly interested in the range of wrapping materials at Paperworld“, said Ann Greimel, Neutral Purchasing, Palmers Textil AG.  

Now in its fourth year, the Paperworld Insider visitor programme attracted 8.5 percent more visitors this year with registrations received from 6,517 retailers. “I come every year to see new products, to find out about the latest developments and to make more contacts. The facilities offered are very good. Here, you can take some time out and reflect the things of particular interest to you at the fair. Naturally, I will be back again next year”, said Volker Hammer, CEO of PrinterOffice Consulting SARL.

The next Paperworld in Frankfurt: 26 to 29 January 2013

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[1] Figures for 2011 are certified by the FKM - Paperworld, Creativeworld and Christmasworld less Hair and Beauty

[2] FKM certified