Totally Shows help give market a confidence boost

A combination of key retail visitors, a bigger show with plenty of fresh content and positive messages from industry commentators about the future, combined to give this year’s Totally Shows a real lift.

Totally DIY and Totally Tools ran earlier this week (16 – 18 February) at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, and enjoyed a busy three days, with overall visitor numbers up on 2013.

Exhibition director Paul Grinsell said:

“Our top priority is to encourage the right buyers to come along to the show, and ensure they have something worthwhile and interesting to visit.

“It’s been great to see visitors not only from the biggest retailers and wholesalers such as B&Q, Screwfix, Homebase, Robert Dyas, Travis Perkins, Wickes, Trago Mills, Taskers, Decco, The Tools Shop Group, Stax and B&M Retail in the show, but also from CostCo, QVC, Ideal Home Shopping, The Range, TK Maxx, Wilkinsons, Aldi, Poundland, Tesco, Amazon and the specialists such as Isaac Lord, Howdens Joinery, Selco, TBS Building Supplies and Gibbs & Dandy – to name but a few!

“In addition, the Ricoh Arena is also proving to be a real asset. It’s great to work in and simple to get to, so we’re very pleased to be here again and will be back next year.”

A 20% increase in the number of exhibitors for the show also yielded a 20% increase in floor space, and of course an increase in the number of companies promoting the show to the industry.

The free lunch initiative once again proved popular with buyers and seminars from leading industry commentators, including Michael Weedon of the British Independent Retailers Association (bira), Sara Lynn Smith and Simon Foy of leading industry market researchers GfK, John Herbert, general secretary of the European DIY Retailers Association (EDRA) and Steven Collinge, commercial director of Insight DIY, drew in a mix of retailers and suppliers keen to catch up on the latest industry and high street retail data.

“Our ongoing links with the British Hardware Federation (BHF), Mica DIY, Home Hardware, Stax, our new relationship with the THS Tools Group, and certainly the shows’ co-location with the DIY Week Awards ceremony, which took place on the Monday evening of the show, have all added good reasons to be in Coventry for the show.

“The presence of each Association and wholesaler also ensured a good turnout of their members – all of whom are active and successful independent retailers. So we’re very happy that these relationships will help to establish the shows as a focal business and social point of the DIY and tools industry calendar.

“It’s great to see the industry coming together, celebrating good products and imaginative retailing and looking forward, with new products, ideas and services being launched.”

The 2015 Totally DIY and Totally Tools Shows will run from Sunday, 15th to Tuesday, 17th February at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Source : Totally Shows Press Release