• 28 February 2013
  • | OFFPRICE

OFFPRICE heats up fashion week

Fashion Week heated up Las Vegas in February as thousands of buyers flocked to the desert to make important purchases for their retail stores. The destination for many of those buyers was the OFFPRICE Show, which benefited from a six percent gain in retailer attendance from its February 2012 show to its recently completed February 2013 show. In total, 11,006 attendees streamed through the doors of the OFFPRICE Show at the Sands Expo at the Venetian and Palazzo, February 17-20. It was the largest attendance at OFFPRICE in more than four years. Coupled with the largest show floor in event history, 131,000 square-feet, many exhibitors and buyers returned home having completed an incredibly successful show.

“We’ve been doing this show for 12 years and this was our best show to date,” said Joe Angers, from Ultimate Apparel, Bellmore, N.Y. “We expanded from two booths last August to six booths because of expectations, and we met or exceeded all of those at this show.”

OFFPRICE was yet again the first Fashion Week trade show to open for business in February, opening a day before many of the other apparel industry trade shows in Las Vegas. Now touting more than 500 different vendors, all apparel and accessory categories are found at OFFPRICE, as well as a bustling and growing Cash & Carry section. Footwear and swimwear have emerged as major growth categories throughout the show, with multiple new vendors each year.

“Great values are still at a premium in today’s economy,” said Stephen Krogulski, chief executive officer of OFFPRICE. “It’s always great to see the major off-price retailers shopping the show, pinpointing the products they want in their stores. It’s just as satisfying to meet someone who is attending OFFPRICE for the first time that found a deal enabling them to try a new category in their store. They’ll have the new product in their store within a few weeks to deliver that OFFPRICE value proposition to their customers.”

Retailers agree about providing great products at great prices.

“At OFFPRICE you can’t beat the prices,” said Grace Petashnick, of Unique Fashions, Reno, Nev. “You find so many treasures that allow you to lower your prices for your customers and still make a profit.”

New at the show in February 2013 were mobile device charging stations, complimentary boarding pass printing, as well as new partnerships allowing attendees complementary admission to LAVO Nightclub and Cirque du Soleil tickets.

A Taste of OFFPRICE show (May 5-7, 2013) is the next opportunity for buyers to find the best values in the apparel industry. The market-sized show takes place in New York City at Gotham Hall, on the corner of 36th and Broadway.

The OFFPRICE Shows and Publications are produced by Tarsus Group plc (TRS.L on the London Stock Exchange), an international media group with interests in exhibitions, conferences, publishing and the internet. Headquartered in Dublin, with offices in London, Paris, Shanghai, and Milwaukee (home of OFFPRICE), Tarsus serves niche markets with trade events and online media. For further information on Tarsus and OFFPRICE, go to Tarsus.com or OffPriceShow.com.