Global Sources fall fashion trade shows open with a record 1,200 booths -- up by 28 percent year-on-year

HONG KONG, October 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Global Sources (NASDAQ: GSOL) opened its garment and fashion China Sourcing Fairs today with more than 1,200 booths -- an increase of 28 percent from last year. All four events are being held Oct. 27-30, 2011 at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. They are:

• China Sourcing Fair: Fashion Accessories -- Sold out with booths up by 30 percent from last fall
• China Sourcing Fair: Garments & Textiles
• China Sourcing Fair: Underwear & Swimwear
• India Sourcing Fair: Garments & Accessories

Exhibitors are primarily from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, South Korea and the Philippines.

"This is one of the premier fashion sourcing events for global fashion retailers. Many of the items you see here today are what you will be seeing on store shelves around the world in the months ahead," said Tommy Wong, President of Global Sources Exhibitions.

"Our focus on specific fashion categories, along with the opportunity to meet garment and textile suppliers from both India and China, make this a must-attend event for industry buyers."

Show Highlights focusing on the hottest products at the shows keep buyers and suppliers up-to-date on the latest fashion trends. In addition, the Color Trends Area featuring color forecasts for various fashion-related products provides fashion buyers with insights on the up and coming color trends.

Buyers pre-registered to attend the Fairs include Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, AEON, Anteprima, Coles Group Asia, Columbia Sportswear, Diesel, Disney, Dollar General, Eddie Bauer, El Corte Ingles, GAP, Sobond, Tesco and Woolworths.

The Fairs' Private Sourcing Events offer exclusive opportunities for pre-selected exhibitors to meet global buyers in private. Eighteen sourcing teams from companies including Auchan, Esotiq & Henerson, Hermes-Otto International, Intersport, Kaufland, New Balance, Okaidi, RSI and Shop Direct are scheduled to participate in this fall's events.

Other highlights of the Fairs include:

• Conference programs offering firsthand advice and market intelligence to buyers and suppliers, hosted by experts including AsiaInspection, Bureau Veritas, Pantone, PassageMaker, Silk Road International and WGSN Asia Pacific.
• Online Sourcing Fairs, web-based platforms for the Fairs designed to help boost the sourcing productivity for buyers and exhibition investment for suppliers before, during and after the physical shows.
• Global Sources Product Gallery. Physical and digital product gallery, featuring innovative products from hundreds of verified suppliers unable to attend the shows, allows buyers to send direct inquiries on the spot -- greatly extending their sourcing reach and efficiency at the shows.
• Global Sources Show Guide Magazines. Fifteen enhanced sourcing magazines that incorporate the Fair show guides -- featuring the exhibitor list and floor map -- and a CD-ROM that contains a copy of all Global Sources' eMagazines, are being distributed to buyers on-site. This one-of-a-kind initiative puts in buyers' hands information on hundreds of additional verified suppliers and their products, boosting the productivity of their show visit.
• Special Buyers' Lounges at the Fairs, which provide free Internet access and sourcing information.

Opening times for the Fairs are:

• Oct. 27-29 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Oct. 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Buyers can register for free admission and find more information, including details about free transport to the venue and back, at the China Sourcing Fairs website: http://www.chinasourcingfair.com.

China Sourcing Fairs set to open in Johannesburg

Qualified buyers can also register for the China Sourcing Fairs in Johannesburg to be held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2011. The Fairs aim to give Greater China suppliers of various kinds of consumer products a chance to tap into the booming African markets.

Wong said: "Emerging markets have been an important niche for the China Sourcing Fairs over the past few years and attracted tens of thousands of buyers from these booming markets to attend. The Johannesburg shows offer these buyers a convenient way to source directly from Greater China-based suppliers without leaving home."

About Global Sources

Global Sources is a leading business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with Greater China.

The core business facilitates trade between Asia and the world using English-language media such as online marketplaces (http://www.globalsources.com), print and digital magazines, sourcing research reports, private sourcing events, trade shows, and online sourcing fairs.

Over 1 million international buyers, including 85 of the world's top 100 retailers, use these services to obtain product and company information to help them source more profitably from overseas supply markets. These services also provide suppliers with integrated marketing solutions to build corporate image, generate sales leads and win orders from buyers in more than 240 countries and territories.

Global Sources' other businesses provides Chinese-language media to companies selling to and within Greater China. These services include online web sites, print and digital magazines, seminars and trade shows. In mainland China, Global Sources has a network of more than 40 office locations and a community of nearly 3 million registered online users and magazine readers of its Chinese-language media.

Now in its fifth decade, Global Sources has been publicly listed on the NASDAQ since 2000.