Tuesday, 17th February 2004 (4606 views)

The Vicenza Oro has celebrated a succesful fair in January, as sales of jewellery increased this year compared to 2002.

Attendance figures rose by five per cent at the fair and manufactures remained optimistic about the market, as trade experts and consumers alike trawled the stalls for the latest in gold jewellery and other new lines.

Traders said that since September 2003 the general economic situation has improved but small and medium sized Italian companies have responded to the strong euro by squeezing profits to make product prices competitive.

Commenting on the fair, Andrea Turcato executive director of Fiera Di Vicenza told JewelleryNetAsia: 'The higher attendance this year is a good indicator for the jewellery market considering that the fair is the first international show in 2004.

'Buyers came to the show with a little more optimism as the Christmas season in the US market has been very good and jewellery sales in Europe has not been bad. If not for the high gold price and the strong euro, sales would have been better.'

In addition, Mr Turcato discussed the recent promotion of the second edition of Luxury China, a jewellery show in Shanghai that got cancelled in 2003 due to the SARS scare.

'There are still some Italian companies interested in the fair. We do not expect very high participation of Italian companies as the market is not fully open and the import duty remains high. However, we believe China will become a huge market in coming years, so it is vital for Italian companies to show up and do research in the market,' he said.

 

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