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Industry Update

Cupcakes & Pastries at Tiny Ginger Showroom, available for preview during NY Kids Market Week
NY Kids Market Week Expands

Mark your calendars for an expanded New York Market Week for the children's industry. Hosted by reps and manufacturers with showrooms at 34 West 33rd Street in New York City's garment district, the next market week will run from August 9th-13th. Twenty-five New York reps and vendors will preview more than 200 labels for Cruise/Early Spring/Summer 2011 and Fall 2010 immediates.

By Lynda M. Johnson, July 19, 2010
Market Week participants say they are committed to establishing New York as a destination for buyers looking for new and innovative product. Always on the prowl for fresh fashion, reps are often the first to connect with undiscovered brands and are early spotters of emerging trends. As a result, reps say they are a great resource for buyers looking to freshen their merchandise mix. In addition to the opportunity for discovering new brands, NY Market Week allows retailers to take advantage of discounts on orders, free shipping and in-store sales promotion tools. To accommodate retailers' busy schedules, participants are offering free parking, as well as working lunches and breakfasts, extended hours and a cocktail hour. There are also raffles and prizes for retailers.

An effort resurrected by a small group of reps several years ago, the NY Market Week is gaining momentum every season say industry veterans like Lynn Meyer, owner of Lynn Meyer, Inc. "We do it twice each season - one at the beginning of the season to kick it off, and one at the end of the season to wrap it up. When we began, it was just the third floor, as the other floors didn't have the children's wear tenancy that they do now. As more people started to move in, the more floors our market weeks encompassed. Now of course we have showrooms on 3, 9, and 12 with a good mix of corporate vendor showrooms as well as sales reps", explains Meyer.

"It's convenient for the buyer as so many brands are in the building at this point. Also, the building is convenient to Penn Station, subways and buses. Port Authority is a short distance away, and we have a parking lot adjacent to the building. The surroundings are pleasant, food is available, and we will have a cocktail hour with extended hours on Monday and Tuesday of Market Week" adds Meyer.

Noting the strong children's wear market weeks at major marts across the country, in which many of the New York reps themselves participate, they have embraced the return of a local market week solely devoted to the children's business. "It's nice to be busy at the trade shows, but we are open all year and we are looking to bring back hands-on/personal sales in the showrooms," says Allison Moroze, owner of Ali's Market. Moroze is among several companies participating for the first time in a market week at this location. "I love the NY Market; showrooms are working together again. It feels like a strong force. I'm looking forward to the market traffic, opening new accounts and hopefully some old faces may find me again," adds Moroze., who recently moved her showroom to the 34 West 33rd street building from the 131 W. 33rd Street building.

Reps emphasize the benefits of attending Market Week, noting their well-appointed showrooms offer an intimate work setting to review lines and write orders. "We are happy to meet customers in a more relaxed environment than the shows and to be able to devote more time to each of them. We are really looking forward to being able to present our collections without rushing through them and displaying them in more space," says Sandrine Droumenq, managing partner of Lolligo.
"The energy is always great at market week. The environment is less stressful, and the retailers have a lot more time to work the lines in our showrooms. By participating in market week, we will hopefully be able to work with our local retailers in our showrooms, which will give us more time and space to work those accounts who are from out of town at the trade shows," says Christie Hanratty, showroom manager for Kourageous Kids.

Many of the participating reps add new lines often so the brand rosters are always being updated. For more information on the brands available for preview and the incentives being offered, check out www.nykidsmarket.org, then call to schedule appointments.


 
 

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