C-star – Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends All about Retail concluded its fourth edition with record-breaking visitor numbers at Shanghai New International Expo Center on April 28. This year, the fair attracted 12,979 visitors (2017: 8,476) from 44 countries and regions, which is a 53% increase over last year, once again demonstrating C-star’s commanding position as the most international and professional business platform in Asia’s retail industry.
After three successful days and numerous opportunities for exploring the cutting-edge technologies, inspiring and new solutions in shop-fitting, lighting, retail technology and visual merchandising, the high-quality fair attracted visitors from renowned retail brands including Sephora, Louis Vuitton, C&A China, Watsons, Max Mara, Apple, Uniqlo, MINISO, Superdry etc. converging for the 2018 show.
Holding the event concurrently with Hotel Plus – Total Solution for Commercial Properties resulted in valuable synergies. The two shows created a unique one-stop commercial platform and all-inclusive destination to explore innovative solutions, products and trends.
Commenting on this Ms. Elke Moebius, Global Head - Retail & Retail Technologies of Messe Düsseldorf, said: “I am extremely pleased with the performance of C-star 2018. The vibrant Chinese retail market is still growing rapidly and so it is ready for investments as well as looking for inspiration. The ReTailor Hub, the Designer Village and the Technology Village represented the dynamic retail market particularly well. At C-star, Chinese retailers can find everything for their store – starting from store planning to furnishing and furniture.”
Exhibitors and visitors alike impressed by high quality of the fair
This year, C-star welcomed 110 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions to showcase product solutions for Shopfitting, Lighting & Design; Retail Technology; Visual Merchandising, Marketing & Event Construction, perfectly suited to the Chinese retail market. Exhibitors and visitors alike were very satisfied with the professionalism, networking opportunities and multiple chances to conveniently gather information and meet the right people along with the high quality of solutions offered to retailers.
As a returning exhibitor at C-star, Mr. Simon Bo, Managing Director of Octanorm China, was very complimentary about the show results: “Our company provides tailor-made solutions for shopfitting and presentation products such as shelf systems, displays, counters and much more. At C-star this year we mainly showcase our well-rounded lighting frames with 3D lighting in deep-view effect. This year gave us an in-depth impression of the fair’s large number of visitors and buyer professionalism. During three-day show, we met a lot of target customers such as designers, advertising agencies and suppliers for exhibition stand builders. Overall, we were really satisfied with the result and the fair was a great success.”
Visitors were also inspired by the innovations seen at the fair. Commenting on this Ms. Song Yang, Designer from Bestseller, said: “It was my first time visiting C-star and I came here to source shopfittings such as wood and iron fixtures, window design etc. The exhibitors were highly professional and showcased a variety of product solutions which perfectly reflected the new demands in retail. Overall it was a fruitful experience.”
C-star Retail Forum generated an outstanding response
With its focal theme "Shape a Human Centred Retail World", the C-star Retail Forum received high praise and enjoyed high audience participation. Over the three-day session, retail experts and industry leaders from around the world shared valuable insights and analyses on the new retail developments such as customer-centred strategies trends.
Ulrich Spaan, Vice-President of the German research institute for the retail industry, EHI Retail Institute, praised the audience: "Both the international and Chinese speakers convinced the audience with their great expertise and gave valuable insights and practical recommendations. The highly professional audience used the chance to discuss the global trends in retail and there was a great interaction."
As some of the highlights at C-star Retail Forum, the presentations from renowned retailers like Kidsland, Lawson, Lidl, Metro, and MINISO revealed valuable insights and creative inspiration. Mr. Wang Pu, Sales Manager from Okamura Furniture and Logistics System Co., Ltd, praised the quality of speakers, saying: "I came here to learn about the latest retail trends and product innovations, especially the case study from convenience stores and hypermarkets. I think this year’s C-star Retail Forum was quite successful with many high-profile speakers and the case study from Lawson and Metro impressed me a lot. Our company is specialised in store fixtures and this forum gave me a great opportunity to reach those speakers and understand retailers’ demands. It was an inspiring experience. “
ReTailor Hub brought collaborative “New Retail”
Collaborative innovation of fashion and technology motivates apparel as well as leisure and entertainment industries to pursue new retail concepts. As one of the stunning hotspots for C-star this year, ReTailor Hub attracted a large number of visitors with its extraordinary and unique examples of new retail.
In ROCOCO and Classic Teddy’s special event zone, 11 store design and equipment suppliers were set to fully display the innovative product solutions, including store designs, light rendering, light box identification, fitting magic mirrors, remote-video store inspection system, face recognition technology, LED screens, display containers and shelves plus model props, which all generated great visitor interest.
The next C-star will take place from April 26-28, 2019 at Shanghai New International Expo Center and will collocate again with HOTEL PLUS - Total Solution for Commercial Properties.
For more details about C-star visit the official website www.c-star-expo.com/en/
Press Contact in Shanghai:
Ms. Renee Zhao, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd
Tel: +86-21-6169 8335, Fax: +86-21-6169 8301
Renee.zhao@mds.cn, www.mds.cn
Press Contact in Düsseldorf:
Dr. Cornelia Jokisch (Senior Manager Press & PR),
Tanja Karl (Junior Manager Press & PR),
Tel.: +49(0)211/4560-998,-999,
jokischc@messe-duesseldorf.de, KarlT@messe-duesseldorf.de
