100-day countdown to near sold-out China International Consumer Products Expo begins with official ceremony

CHINA. A special ceremony was staged this week in Haikou to mark the start of the 100-day countdown to the China International Consumer Products Expo, which will be hosted in the Hainan Island capital from 7-10 May. The Expo is being organised by Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development (Hainan IEDB).

At Tuesday’s high-profile event, Feng Fei, Acting Governor of Hainan province, announced the official commencement of the countdown to the Expo, for which about 90% (over 70,000sq m) of the planned exhibition area has now been booked. Also in attendance at the event were Hainan province Vice-Governor Shen Danyang – who presided over the countdown ceremony – and People’s Government of Hainan Province Secretary-General Ni Qiang.

The organisers estimate that between 3,000 and 5,000 professional buyers and up to 50,000 high-end consumers will visit the Expo each day. Confirmed attendees include procurement representatives from China Duty Free Group (CDFG), Wangfujing Group and several of Hainan’s newly established offshore duty free retailers, China Resources Mixc, Swire Group and Dashang Group among other domestic and foreign duty free operators, high-end retailers, large-scale supermarkets, commercial real estate companies, and leading luxury goods ecommerce platforms.

Buyers from member companies of various international Chambers of Commerce have been confirmed as attending the Expo, including the China Chamber of Commerce. Also, China Chain Store & Franchise Association will organise member companies to source from the exhibition.

More than 200 global brands have now confirmed their participation at the Expo, Hainan IEDB revealed. These include a number of prominent brand owners in the travel retail channel such as Rémy Cointreau, L’Oréal, Edrington Group, Pernod Ricard and Shiseido. Foreign brands account for nearly 80% of all Expo exhibitor bookings, the organiser noted.

[Click on the video to view CGTN television coverage of the countdown announcement]

Feng Fei, Acting Governor of Hainan province, announces the start of the official countdown to the China International Consumer Products Expo

The Expo will be the first Chinese national exhibition to focus solely on consumer products, and will serve as a key measure in the masterplan for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Hainan IEDB said the event will be a major contributor to building Hainan into an established international tourism and consumption destination, promoting Hainan’s opening-up and boosting Hainan FTP’s global image and influence.

Delegates at the countdown ceremony were updated on progress for the Expo, which now has more than 90% of its exhibition space booked

Hainan IEDB also confirmed that Switzerland will be the guest country of honour for the event (see video below) and that more than ten countries and regions including Japan, Germany, France, South Korea, Ireland and Hong Kong will have a presence in the form of country/regional pavilions.

China’s 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps will organise delegations to attend the Expo.

Hainan IEDB said that the international zone of the exhibition space is divided into five major sections, namely fashion life, jewellery and diamonds, high-end food and drink and health products, outdoors and travel life necessities and comprehensive services.

The Swiss Embassy in Beijing notes the start of the countdown in a LinkedIn post and welcomes its status as Guest Country of Honour for the Expo

Professional organisations such as the Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China, CFNA and Bird’s Nest Integrity Alliance of CAIQ have been invited by Hainan IEDB to organise exhibitions.

The Expo is seen as a key element in the strategy for the Hainan Free Trade Port, which will cement the island’s status as an important host to major brands

Over the course of the exhibition, Hainan IEDB said it will organise a variety of tourism and consumption activities to attract high-end consumers.

Hainan IEDB also announced that preparations for many supporting activities are already underway. In addition to the opening ceremony, the global duty free and travel retail forum, and the high-end retail innovation and development conference, there will also be new product launch events staged by international brand attendees. Trade promotion agencies of different countries will stage country/product briefings.

The Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China and other trade associations will hold events on Hainan FTP’s opportunities for related industries. Meanwhile, Hainan IEDB said that purchasers such as CDFG and China Resources Mixc will organise their own procurement ‘matchmaking’ meetings.

Hainan Island: Travel retail’s global hotspot

The Moodie Davitt Report will publish a Hainan Island Special Report with the China edition of The Magazine in February 2021. Written by Martin Moodie and Dermot Davitt, it will explore how the offshore duty free business in China has become critical to the world’s leading brands across many categories.

海南:旅游零售业的全球焦点

穆迪戴维特报告(Moodie Davitt Report)将于2021年2月随The Magazine的中文版发表《海南特别报道》。该篇由马丁·穆迪(Martin Moodie)和德莫特·戴维特(Dermot Davitt)撰写,将探讨中国的离岸免税业务是如何变得对跨类别的各大全球领先品牌至关重要。

报告将覆盖以下内容:

  • 评论与分析自2020年7月1日起,海南新离岸免税政策所引起的重大影响
  • 从美妆个护到时尚、钟表,从葡萄酒、烈酒到消费类电子产品的跨类别离岸免税额的潜力
  • 中免集团,中服免税店,DFS集团,Dufry, Hainan Development Holdings, 海南旅游投资发展公司,海南省国际经济发展局(Hanain IEDB),拉加代尔旅游零售等集团的重要访谈和简介,尤其着眼于颇具潜力的海南免税店贸易港项目
  • 除海南外,我们还将考察中国国内市场的反弹情况,评估中国机场的前景,并希望终有一天能够恢复国际旅游通行,拥有来自内地,澳门和香港市场的领先旅游零售商的输入
  • 电商驱动力:评估旅游零售业的长期市场领导者Dufry与数字巨头阿里巴巴;以及CDFG和其他主要参与者,是否具备达成合作伙伴关系的潜力
  • 顶级旅行分析师ForwardKeys的专业意见
  • 在内容合作伙伴Globuy,iClick,Jing Daily,Jessica’s Secret和DutyFree Expert的帮助下,分析有关中国消费者和免税市场的趋势

The report will feature:

  • Comment & analysis on the seismic impact of the new offshore duty free policy in Hainan since 1 July
  • The potential of new offshore duty free allowances across categories from beauty to fashion and watches and from wines & spirits to consumer electronics
  • Major interviews with and profiles of China Duty Free Group, CNSC, DFS Group, Dufry, Hainan Development Holdings, Hainan Tourism Investment Development Co, Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development (Hanain IEDB), Lagardère Travel Retail, and others, with a special focus on the ambitious Hainan Free Trade Port project
  • Beyond Hainan, we examine the rebound in the China domestic market, assess prospects for Chinese airports and hopes for an eventual return to international travel. With input from leading travel retailers in the Mainland, Macau and Hong Kong markets
  • The ecommerce drive: Assessing the potential of the partnership between travel retail’s long-time market leader Dufry and the digital powerhouse Alibaba; plus digital strategies at CDFG and other major players
  • Expert input from top travel analyst ForwardKeys
  • With contributions from our content partners Globuy, iClick, Jing Daily, Jessica’s Secret and DutyFree Expert on trends among Chinese consumers and the duty free market

Contact Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com to partner with The Moodie Davitt Report for this special edition.

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