Buyer Point sharpens its international profile

With around 1 000 participants and almost a quarter of them from abroad, the 18th edition of the Italian order event Buyer Point took place in Milan last week. Against this backdrop, the organisers, the Collins publishing group, emphasised the increased international orientation. Collins publishes the trade magazines including Ferramenta & Casalinghi and Greenline as well as the online magazine Mondopratico.it.

In addition to Italy, buyers from Belgium, France, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Romania, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine were in Milan; the presence of Halyna Hereha, co-owner of the Ukrainian DIY market leader Epicentr K, caused a certain stir.

On the side of a total of around 150 exhibitors, a group of companies from Latvia, for example, attracted special attention as they presented themselves on the Italian market for the first time. Among the exhibitors were also the two online marketplaces Ebay and ManoMano. Members of the Italian manufacturers' association Made4DIY presented themselves at a joint stand.

The concept of the event provides exclusively for exhibition stands in three standard sizes. This keeps the effort involved for the exhibiting companies within limits, as they confirm. On the visitor side, the principle of invitation applies: only registered buyers from the trade can participate in Buyer Point. As a result, there are more visitors than exhibitors.

A "Made in Italy" logo was often seen at the stands. In their summary, the organisers state that there is a trend towards "Made in Europe" among exhibitors. There is a tendency to limit imports from the Far East; products made in Europe may be more expensive to buy, but they have advantages in terms of quality and delivery times and costs.

The one-day ordering event was heralded by an opening dinner the evening before.