Malaysia's Furniture Industry Benefits From US-China Trade War

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) – The trade war between the United States (US) and China is benefiting Malaysia's furniture industry, said Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) 2019 general manager Karen Goi. This was due to the US furniture buyers and traders seeking alternative countries to source products, she told Bernama News Channel Monday. On the four-day MIFF 2019 that ended Monday, Goi said there was positive response from both buyers and exhibitors throughout the event. She said based on pre-registration figures, the number of buyers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and even Mexico actually increased by 50 per cent compared with last year. This, she explained, was driven by the design and high quality of the export-oriented furniture produced by locals. “Some exhibitors said that within the first three days they had received interest from at least 10 new buyers. So the response was encouraging,” Goi said. She said there was a rise in the number of new buyers during the latest fair, particularly from Romania, Japan and China. The organiser now targets a higher number of exhibitors for the next MIFF, to be held from March 6-9, 2020. Meanwhile, Ruang Studio Sdn Bhd managing director Mohd Noor Ariffin said his participation at MIFF 2019 was a new experience to challenge himself in the art of more dynamic and modern furniture-making. More than 600 companies participated as exhibitors during MIFF 2019 at two separate locations - Putra World Trade Centre and Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre. -- BERNAMA