The three days of FIT 0/16 - International Trade Show for Baby & Children's Wear, which ended on Saturday (24 November 2018) at the Expo Center Norte (SP), welcomed 3,514 shopkeepers from all over Brazil and countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Portugal who went shopping for clothing from the autumn/winter collections. The fair was not only the most important platform for the latest trends in children's fashion in Latin America, but also became an important pipeline for knowledge and networking with focus on executives and entrepreneurs through free presentations and consultations.

"FIT 0/16 offers a complete platform for the retailers to buy and prepare for sales throughout the year. We have worked with the best professionals in the industry, consulting companies and Sebrae-SP", says Cassiano Facchinetti, director of Koelnmesse in Brazil, organiser of the event.

According to Nancy Fukuda, co-founder of Baby Atacado and lecturer at the event, the retail sector for children's fashion has not changed, in fact what has changed is the way consumers make their buying choices based on the various options at their service (internet, WhatsApp). "Shopowners, manufacturers and suppliers need to adapt to transformations of the online world to gain more agility in the decision-making process. At FIT 0/16 we share our experiences and the feedback we have received is very positive."

Product launches and implemented business FIT 0/16 52nd edition brought together 100 exhibiting brands, of which 11 made their debut in the "My First FIT" space, gaining visibility in the clothing segment for the public aged 0 to 16 years, which should move 52 billion R$ by the end of this year, which according to IEMI - Market Intelligence estimates is a turnover of 5.3 % above that of 2017.)
 
"This year I decided to join the fair as an exhibitor and I'm very happy, it was successful. We closed many deals with customers from the South, Northeast and shopkeepers from São Paulo, who haven’t heard about our company before. We should have definitely taken part at FIT 0/16 before", says Sonia Hardt, owner of Baby Dream.

New customers were also won over by Ufrog, which has been on the market for two years. "We had some clients who came to us because they knew we would be here, so we received orders from our current customers. In addition, we have closed business deals with new clients, but what I see the most positive feature in FIT 0/16 is the visibility aiming at shopkeepers", says Fernanda Rodrigues, commercial representative.
 
FIT 0/16 was also the stage for launching products, which was a strategy adopted by the Lika Group that announced the licensing of the brand for the surprise doll LOL to manufacture the official accessories of the product in Brazil. Letícia Fiaes, the company’s manager, already plans to expand the portfolio of branded items. "The two-year licensing agreement allows the marketing of some products, such as purses, tiaras and caps", says Fiaes.
 
The event brings the latest news in colour, prints, fabrics and accessories, which were presented by the main brands in the sector, among them Marthiê, Pituchinhus, Spezzato Teen, Texcotton, Petit Cherie, Girl River, Mini Lady, Baby Lace and Mundo Faz de Conta. Talita Perin, marketing manager of Grupo Texcotton, the producer of the brands Animê, Authoria and Momi states: "(…) the fair brings many retailers from São Paulo and from the inner state, and there is a particular point that strengthens our brand, which is the presence of the company in other regions. During this edition, we also closed deals with customers from the Midwest and Northeast regions".
 
"Surely the trade fair helped drive business forward. About 40 % of the customers who passed by the booth came in to visit us. The balance figures of new customers are very positive", says Gabriela Selicani, the brand's stylist.
 
The next edition of FIT 0/16 Spring-Summer will take place from June 13 to 16, alongside Pueri Expo, the International Trade Fair for Childcare Products, the only and exclusive childcare trade fair in Brazil.

Source: Koelnmesse Brazil