the largest order platform for the Russian and Eastern European fashion market drew to a close. 21,500 professional visitors from Europe, Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) attended the 31st edition of CPM on the Expocentre exhibition grounds in Moscow.
This was a slight decrease in the number of visitors compared to the 30th-anniversary edition in February 2018, yet the 31st edition was still a resounding success for the organisers:
“Slight fluctuations are normal for the Russian market and not worrying for us. The VAT increase from 1 January 2019 and the new labelling regulations are examples of matters that aren’t only affecting the clothing market.
Time and time again, the past has shown us that although such market-specific issues are reflected in waves at CPM, the very stable core of the trade fair is not affected by them. So, in that respect, we are ending this edition on a very positive note,” says Thomas Stenzel, Managing Director of OOO ‘Messe Düsseldorf Moscow’. “On the whole, a positive upward trend can be seen in the Russian textile clothing market. Since last year, the retail sector has once again been reporting a significant increase in turnover of more than 10%. In 2018, this is expected to increase by a number of percentage points compared to the previous year.”
The international exhibitors once again appreciated the good working atmosphere and the extremely professional nature of the visitors. They are once again delighted with the outcome of this edition and looking positively to the future.
“There continues to be a strong international focus on the potential of the Russian market. In addition, the Russian retail trade clearly sees itself as responsible for meeting the high demand for Russian labels in combination with foreign ones.
The passion for fashion here continues unabated. As a platform with around 1,300 collections by 750 brands from 30 countries in the segments Premium, Accessories & Shoes, Kids, Body & Beach and Eveningwear, CPM is an absolute must-attend event,” continues Thomas Stenzel. “We are continuing on the path to success with our partners and attracting our audience with a concentrated visitor concept and information offers with strong content. All seminars were fully packed out, which was remarkable, especially considering that the RFRF (Russian Fashion Retail Forum) was significantly larger this time. The different countries were also strongly represented. This time, ‘Mode in France’ contributed to the image more strongly than ever before.
Reason enough to enter into new agreements with the Expocentre and to look very positively ahead to 2019.” Particularly impressive in terms of quality was the ‘CPM Body & Beach’, which is now back under its own management. It was held in hall 2.4 for buyers from the mid and premium segments – with 160 brands from 21 countries including Germany, Italy, France and Spain.
As well as side events and the Trendzone, the new ‘CPM Body & Beach’ line-up also included daily fashion shows, as well as the ‘CPM Body & Beach VIP Cocktail’ gathering for invited professional visitors, guests and celebrities. During a special presentation, designers also showcased their new collections in the presence of the ambassador of the Republic of Colombia.
With a new concept and significantly extended, France was also flying the flag in hall 8.2 with ‘Mode in France’ in cooperation with the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin. And ‘Italian Kids’ Fashion Meets Russia’ took place in hall 2.1, organised with partner EMI – Ente Moda Italia and agency ICE – Italian Trade Agency.
“CPM Moscow’s strengths still lie in its excellent international image. All the many country pavilions did a very good job and contributed to a successful event. I was delighted to see how strongly France, as one of the world’s most important fashion countries, positioned itself and conveyed the French image at CPM,” sums up Christian Kasch, Project Director International of CPM and Member of the CPM Board.
Dörthe Schubert, Country Manager of PEEK & CLOPPENBURG Hamburg/Germany, had a similar positive experience: “At CPM and in Moscow itself, we were able to gain a more detailed picture of the Russian market and customers outside of Germany.
As country managers for the Eastern European locations in Poland and from next year also Riga, we wanted to delve deeper into this market and find out more about the demand here. It was therefore important to us to not only gauge it from a selling point of view, but also a buying one. We were also interested in seeing whether the brands that are well-known in Germany present themselves differently in Russia.
At the CPM and in Moscow itself, we were able to gain a lot of new findings, ideas and impressions. During our tight schedule, the Gold Club Lounge at CPM was a great place to relax and take a breather. This allowed us to recharge our batteries and dive back into business at the fair with renewed energy. We particularly liked the atmosphere in the Germany hall. We met old acquaintances on new terrain and chatted about different topics. We were also able to discover new aspects of the current market situation and gain a picture of the brands in Eastern Europe!”
And for local expert Nikolay Yarzew, Russian CPM Project Director of OOO ‘Messe Düsseldorf Moscow’, it was once again clear: “This edition has once again shown that CPM is the No. 1 business platform for the fashion market in Eastern Europe! Compared to the same season last year, we are clearly seeing further growth rates for the Eastern European segment.
Thanks to the state support provided to Russian companies, the number of new exhibitors from Russia has continued to increase. Also worthy of particular mention are the collective country booths, such as that of Kyrgyzstan and, for the first time, also Armenia. These countries have already announced their participation in the next edition of CPM and expressed a wish to increase their booth areas.”
‘Moda made in Italy’
GUALTIERO, V. Malozemova, Wholesale Director
It was very important to us that we welcomed both regular customers and new buyers to our booth. Orders were placed, and we also attracted new customers from Russia and the CIS states. CPM is a really important event for us and excellently organised every time!
VALERY, Tatiana Tarossova, Agent
The organisation is of a very high level and the atmosphere is pleasant and friendly. The number of visitors and buyers is unfortunately decreasing, but that has nothing to do with the organisation of the event. We highly recommend taking part in this tradeshow.
‘Made in Germany’
GATTINA, Pascal Bütefür, Owner
We met a lot of existing customers at the event, but also new ones who were interested in ordering our luxury nightwear. Our booth was positioned in the German pavilion, which further underlined our image as an exclusive brand. The visitors are open to new trends and brands.
There was a very high interest in beachwear after the long, hot summer we have had!
KARL LAGERFELD Germany, Bernd Staudt, Director Sales Eastern Europe & Middle
East
The Russian market is a key market and very important for our company. We have been working with upmarket retailers throughout Russia and its neighbouring countries for many years now. CPM is a platform that enables us to showcase our new collection to a large number of customers and we are very satisfied with the service provided by the CPM team. LERROS, Nataliya Krupnik, Account Manager International The organisation was very good, the entire team was very friendly and the atmosphere very pleasant. It goes without saying that we would like even more new customers and buyers. The level of visitors was very good and professional.
‘CPM Body & Beach’
ELLIPSE, Ana Patricia Urrea Jimenez, Creative Director
We are welcoming the relaunch of the Body & Beach CPM area with open arms and are proud at how well our brand is being received here. First and foremost, we would like to emphasise the reliable and professional organisation of the fair. We have high expectations of the sales figures on the Russian market and also our participation in CPM Body & Beach, which is very important for us.
GISELA, Natalia Stelmach, Export Manager
This season we presented new collections of swimwear and beachwear with various innovative new products and received very positive feedback from the Russian market. We were glad to see so many visitors from different places. A lot of new visitors and our existing customers came to our booth, mostly from remote areas of Russia and other countries.
MEY, Lerman Mikhail, CIS Representative
We are satisfied with the number of visitors. All the customers who planned on visiting our booth actually came. The organisation of the event is very good. Russia’s current complex economic situation is also being reflected in the number of orders.
SMERALDA SWIMWEAR, Katerin Nuttin, Managing Director We are delighted that Smeralda is finally represented in Russia because this is a very interesting market for us. We were particularly impressed by the atmosphere, tradeshow organisation and visitor feedback. The ‘Body & Beach’ event during CPM really helped us to perfectly position our brand. We hope that the beauty of Russian women will be accentuated even more thanks to our collections.
BUYERS FROM RUSSIA
OHRIOSTORE, Olga Shamoyda, Pjatigorsk
I discovered new brands that aren’t from the premium segment but have exactly the quality and variety that I’m looking for. Brands like Luli Fama, PilyQ, VitaminA and L’SPACE are represented in my range. At this edition I found the collections by Larissa Minatto, MED and Jolidon Prelude very interesting. I am also interested in the brands from Colombia.
SANTA FREE-SALON, Liudmila Sabachaeva, Irkutsk A huge thanks to the tradeshow organisers. We discovered new brands, like the collection of Club Voltaire and beachwear by Anrica Cantoria. Our standard range includes Ritratti, Pluto, Raffaelo, Zimmerli, Amprant and Figurata.
OOO VERBENA, Elena Naumova, Kaliningrad
Huge thanks to the organisers for the smooth running of the event and for ensuring we had such an enjoyable time. The tradeshow transfer, the wonderful atmosphere in the Gold Club Lounge and the all-round service deserve particular praise.
Larissa Kolyushnaya, Feodossiya
We would like to thank the organisers. Everything was planned to a very high standard. It was all very efficient, and the atmosphere was really positive, which made working here a lot of fun for us!
