Despite a challenging market situation the 2016 edition of the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) held in Shanghai from 31 August – 2 September once again proved its resilience by attracting more exhibitors and visitors compared to the 2015 event.

The facts of the exhibition’s performance are as follows:

Exhibitor numbers rose from 1,044 to 1,167, up 11.8% with an enthusiastic participation of Chinese companies.

An increase was also seen in visitor numbers, in particular Chinese visitor numbers with a rise of 8% and visitor numbers 5% on Day 1. Total visitor numbers of the three exhibition days have also recorded a slight increase, remaining at 23,000+ with a 3% increase in Chinese buyers from the main manufacturing provinces of that country.

Early media reports indicated that ACLE 2016 was “better than expected”. Nonetheless, here are some direct quotes from exhibitors and buyers:

What exhibitors said:

– All China Leather Exhibition is an important platform for us to present our existing product range and recent innovated products. We met both new and existing customers from the markets we service being New Zealand, Australia, China, Korea, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Argentina.
Tom Allan, China Sales Manager, Lowe Corporation Limited, New Zealand

– We are happy with the number of buyers and will surely participate in this show again next year.
Frank Zhang, Director, Ausway Skins and Hides Pty Ltd., Australia

– We are quite satisfied with the result of ACLE this time as we are among the few exhibitors showcasing ostrich leathers and we are quite happy with the turnout so far.
Ali Hajibabaei, General Manager, Loyal Dis Ticaret Ltd Sti, Turkey

– We are very happy to participate in All China Leather Exhibition as we received many positive feedbacks from the buyers. We will definitely come back next year!
Wilson Wang, Director, Austar International Trading Group P/L, Australia

– We have met up with many valued buyers in the fair. We will certainly join the show again.
Wheeler, Owner, Nugget International Inc, USA

– We have been exhibiting at ACLE for several years. During the last fair, we met many buyers from China and overseas and this year we even met 20% more. Another reason to participate at APLF fairs is the fact that APLF is a real specialist in the field.
Fenice S.p.A., Italy

– Our participation in ACLE enables us to evaluate the situation in China, to investigate new markets and to catch trends.
Junetsu Takahashi, Manager Converted Products Operations, Lintec, Japan

– We are proud to celebrate BASF Leather Chemicals Business’ 125th Anniversary at ACLE. Our commitment to China has never been so strong and we have the conviction the country will remain our most important market.
Matthias Halusa, Vice president Global Business Management Leather Chemicals, BASF, Singapore

What buyers said:

– All China Leather Exhibition has a wide variety of leather and raw materials, which are helpful in producing our high-end leather furniture.
Kong Xianglong, Deputy Director, Li Ming Furniture, China

– We found many fashionable embossed leathers in Hall E3, especially those from Guangdong which are quite trendy. We also acquired information on upcoming trends here from the exhibitors which help us a lot in designing our next product collection.

Yu Lidao, Manager, Wenzhou Chenhui Plastic Packaging Co Ltd, China

– The organisation of ACLE is very good with high quality exhibitors. I have found one Taiwanese exhibitor who offers quality split leather and will probably place orders on the last day of the fair.
Yu Jiawei, Technician, Jiaxing Yue Juan Synthetic Materials Jibu Co Ltd, China

– I have found wet blues from Brazil, of which the styles and prices meet my sourcing needs. I am very satisfied with this visit and have already placed orders.
Meng Caixin, Manager, Wuji Runlin Leather Co Ltd, China

– We are looking for some new materials for our new product line development; this exhibition has a lot of international exhibitors which offer products with better quality. I found a suede supplier from India and we have already reached an agreement.
Chen Juxu, Merchandiser, Haining Kaiyan Clothing Co Ltd, China

– I come here to find chemical dyes and waterborne additives. This year, the exhibition has better products than expected. I found one Taiwanese supplier with which we can cooperate. I am very satisfied with the visit and the results are far beyond my expectations.
Jasmin Sun, Imp & Exp Department, Chongqing Minfeng Chemical Co Ltd

– I am looking for high quality leather materials for producing our custom-made shoes. There is a wide spectrum of leather materials, of which most are in good quality and suitable for my products. I have found one exhibitor with good tanning technique; they can preserve the original colour of the leather and that meets my needs.
Wang Feng, Chairman, Sichuan Wangzhe Feng Shoes Co Ltd

– I come here to source coated leather. Same as previous visits, I can find many suppliers offering different leather materials for producing my leather glove products. ACLE has a comprehensive product profil, which allows me to reach cooperation agreement with several suppliers every year.
Xu Shangsheng, General Manager, OK OTTO Kessler, China