T
A lot of movement in the corridors and good contacts established, both with traditional customers and with new companies of great potential, marked the presence of this edition of the London Textile Fair at The Business Design Center – Islington in London, which took thirteen companies to the British capital Portuguese.
Albano Morgado, 6Dias Têxteis, Fitecom, Lemar, LMA, Magma Têxtil, MGL-TMG, Troficolor, and Vilarinho were the companies in the From Portugal committee, joined by the Portuguese companies Adalberto Estampados, Paulo de Oliveira, Penteadora and Bloomati by Carvema.
“It went very well, and we left very satisfied”, considers Isabel Cardoso, from 6Dias, who was initially apprehensive about the previous year’s expectations. “We had regular customers, mainly British, and for them, our minimums were no obstacle”, explains the Commercial Manager.
Fitecom shared a similar experience and was pleasantly surprised in terms of expectations. “We showed samples, and there were customers ordering samples”, reveals João Carvalho. “The fair essentially serves to show ourselves, and the results will come next year”, adds the CEO.
With a meaningful list of contacts already established, Adalberto Estampados returned to the London Textile Fair and was surprised: “We already had some prior appointments, and all the customers who said they would come showed up, others who did not confirm came”, reveals Tâmara Martins, Sales Manager of the company. “The presence of customers was very productive: those who visited us wanted to do business”, and the crucial point of the event was “the timing, the date undoubtedly made all the difference to the success of this edition”.
LMA was also positively surprised with a remarkable flow of visitors during the event and with good business prospects. “It was a very positive fair and even a good surprise due to the sight of new brands that we don’t usually work with”, reveals Luís Sousa Dias, Commercial Director of the company.
Despite a calmer first day, the British scheduled visits to the Magma Têxtil stand, which had an impressive positive final balance. “Although the first day was calm, we received some customers, mostly from the United Kingdom, with whom we have business prospects”, considers Cláudia Faria, the company’s representative.
Finally, Joaquim Duarte, sales manager at TMG Textiles, says there was “a lot of movement, with key customers and great product assertiveness”.
The participation of Portuguese SME companies in The London Textile Fair is an initiative of Selectiva Moda and ATP – Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association, which aims to promote the internationalization of Portuguese companies in the Textile sector. London Textile Fair is in the “From Portugal” project, within the scope of the candidacy presented by joint projects for the Internationalization of Portugal 2030.