Premiere Staging of C-star Rated a Success

   The first edition of C-star, Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail, featured 162 exhibitors from 23 countries, presenting the latest retail technologies and trends for the Chinese market on 53,800 square feet of net exhibit space. Exhibitors included industry leaders such as Sibu Design, Schlegel Concept, Interstore, Ezidone, Changhong Decorations, Octanorm System and LS Lighting as well as Nedap, Bizerba China, and Mettler Toledo. With nearly 50% of the companies having overseas headquarters, C-star is the most international retail trade fair in Eastern China and emphasizes the show's significance to leading retailers from abroad.

   Visitor participation also surpassed expectations: 5,721 visitors from 59 countries and regions took part over the three days, with 18% coming from overseas. Most international trade visitors were from the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Russia and Canada. This result further underscores C-star’s status as China’s most international retail trade show.

   As the official satellite show of EuroShop – the world's No. 1 retail trade fair – C-star 2015 was organized by Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. with the support of the EHI Retail Institute. “I think it is not exaggerating to say that C-star has made a successful start and we are very confident that the show will further develop and become the leading retail show in China. This is only the start,” stated Axel Bartkus, General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

   “The number of shopping malls in China is set to double over the next years and Shanghai is the top retail spot in China, setting the benchmark for the country's retail business. It only makes sense that we came here to start C-star. We have brought our expertise from Düsseldorf to Shanghai and everyone believes in the potential and the future growth of C-star,” said Hans Werner Reinhard, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and Chairman of Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd.  Michael Gerling, CEO of the EHI Retail Institute, added: “China will soon become the world's largest retail market, so it was the right time and the right decision to start C-star now.”

   C-star 2015 attracted many companies who have been exhibiting at EuroShop (held every 3 years in Düsseldorf, Germany) for many years. “When C-star was launched at last year's EuroShop we were very excited to exhibit in China for the first time. We have been on board with C-star from the very beginning and we want to develop the show together with Messe Düsseldorf. You will definitely also see us next year at C-star,” remarked Mike Boeffert, Managing Director of Schlegel (Ningbo) Co., Ltd.

   The C-star exhibitors were pleased with the high quality of the trade visitors. Wang Yue, Director of Changhong Decorations, stated: “It is very fascinating to see the never ending visitor flow in the hall. We also had many potential clients at our booth in the past days and are more than satisfied to be here at C-star.”

   In addition to the exhibits, C-star 2015 included an informative supporting program. The C-star Retail Tour provided a full day guided tour of Shanghai's most exciting shopping destinations. At the C-star Retail Conference, leading industry professionals came together for two days to discuss solutions for retailers to turn their physical stores into preferred shopping destinations again, despite rising e-commerce and online shopping. The conference featured numerous keynote speakers from leading international and Chinese retailers such as METRO, Walmart and Yi-Hao-Dian.  Lutz Bethge, President of the Montblanc Foundation and speaker at the C-star Retail Conference, noted that “C-star covered an exceptionally wide range of retail categories. I really liked the combination of having more than 160 exhibitors here at a trade show and also holding a conference at the same time, where leading industry peers are speaking about the latest offline and online retail trends.”

   At the special exhibit segment “Designer Village”, international renowned retail design agencies presented their latest innovations for the Chinese market, addressing the rising demands of Chinese customers regarding their shopping experience, as sophisticated shop designs and retail solutions are becoming increasingly important. C-star is the only retail show in China with a designated design area. “We have not only seen 162 exhibitors from 23 countries but also a very high level of stand constructions and advanced booth designs – very positive for an inaugural trade show in China,” commented Elke Moebius, Project Director EuroShop

   A special highlight was the EuroShop Retail Design Award (ERDA) Reception/Dinner. Usually held every year in New York, the event was moved to Shanghai this year because of C-star.  Tony Zhou (Hershey's Shanghai), Jerzy Wozniak and Pawel Garus (Modelina Architekci) as well as Luigi Frenquellucci and Antonio Andolfato (Replay) received an award for the best store concepts of 2015 by the organizer EHI Retail Institute.

   The next staging of C-star is scheduled for May 18 – 20, 2016 in Shanghai. Exhibitor applications for C-star 2016 are already available online at www.c-star-expo.com.

   For further information on visiting or exhibiting at C-star 2016, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit our web site http://www.mdna.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://blog.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/Retail_MDNA