Miff 2011 Concludes With Over US$800 Mil Sales

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) - The Malaysian International Furniture
Fair 2011 has concluded after hosting more than 6,000 overseas buyers from over
140 countries, with an estimated potential sales of over US$800 million
negotiated during the five-day show.

Some 500 exhibitors showcased their furniture covering all the sections of
the value-chain at the fair held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Putra
World Trade Centre, said MIFF Sdn Bhd, organiser of the leading furniture trade
show in Asia.

"We are pleased with the response received at MIFF 2011. On the fourth day
itself, we have surpassed 6,000 overseas buyers," said MIFF Managing Director
Datuk Tan Chin Huat.

The visitors were from China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Indonesia, The Netherlands, Myanmar, the United States, Australia,
Middle East and African countries.

"More importantly, we also saw some new buyers, for the first time they came
here from far way countries, like those from Suriname and Seychelles Island," he
told Bernama in an interview.

Tan said he was confident of beating US$800 million sales target set for
this year's show, with Malaysian wooden furniture being the main attraction at
the fair.

He said residential and office property markets were fast improving after
the 2009 recession and this has led to increased demand for new office furniture
and exponential growth in the home living business.

"This fair was all-the-more important for all the exhibitors and buyers as
it was held at a time when global economies have started picking pace again," he
said.

Agreeing with this, the exhibitors said the fair was a success story as it
served as a viable platform for furniture makers from around the world to meet.

Safari Office System Sdn Bhd Director David Kiew said there was more crowd
this year especially exhibitors from Australia and Middle East.

“Enquiries for our office furniture at MIFF have been increasing
year-by-year.

This year alone, we saw 10 to 15 per cent jump in sales from US$1.5 million
last year,” he said.

Jemaramas Jaya Sdn Bhd Executive Director Choo Swee Lee said this year's
fair brought in many quality buyers to the company's booth and she believed
they would be able to conclude sales from negotiations made at the fair.

To woo more participants, Choo said MIFF, as the organiser, could provide a
scheme to encourage new players to exhibit their products here in a bid to
provide more excitement to the fair.

“Exhibitors should also come out with new ideas and designs to attract more
visitors to come to the fair,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kin Heng Furniture Sdn Bhd Marketing Manager Desmond E.H. Lee
said despite the civil unrest in the Middle East, there were still buyers from
the region from countries like Libya and Bahrain.

"Year-to-year, we receive consistent enquiries from buyers in the Middle
East, currently our big market. We also saw new customers coming from African
countries," he added.

Ki Bong Moon, Manager of Trade and Investment from Asean-Korea Centre, who
led a 21-member delegation from 13 furniture companies to MIFF, said the mission
was to identify quality Malaysia furniture items that are marketable in South
Korea and to create business opportunities.

"Before this, most of our furniture were imported from China, but now we are
looking at new markets like Malaysia as China's labour cost is increasing and
new regulations are coming into place,” he said.

With the Asean-South Korea Free Trade Agreement in place, he said, Malaysia
stood a good chance in securing a huge trade market share in South Korea as
Asean emerged as a new competitive sourcing market for Korean businesses.

Meanwhile, Jeong Seong-Hwan from the Korea Federation of Furniture Industry
Cooperative, said the federation was considering joining MIFF 2012, a gateway
for Korean furniture makers to expand their international market especially to
regional markets.

Jeong said US$8 million worth of deals negotiated during the fair are
expected to be concluded in the next six months.

Taking the cue from the strong turnout this year, MIFF 2012 looks forward to
offer better quality furniture to rekindle interest and excitement among
exhibitors and buyers alike.