Global Sources spring fashion trade shows to feature over 1,090 booths - up 12 percent year-on-year

Online Sourcing Fair launched for China Sourcing Fair: Garments & Textiles

HONG KONG, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Global Sources' (NASDAQ: GSOL) China Sourcing Fairs are showcasing over 1,090 garments and fashion related booths - an increase of 12 percent from last spring. Each of the four events is being held on April 27-30, 2011 at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong:

• China Sourcing Fair: Fashion Accessories - Largest event of its kind in Asia. Sold out this year with over 680 booths - up 12 percent from last spring
• 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, Japan and the Philippines.

President of Global Sources Exhibitions, Tommy Wong, said: "After a slowdown in 2009, China's exports of apparel and textiles topped a record US$206 billion in 2010 - up 24 percent. Along with rising exports, our industry-focused trade shows are also experiencing very strong growth.

"And, as testament to the quality of suppliers at the events, once again, many of the world's top fashion brands are attending to source from our Fairs."

Buyers pre-registered to attend the April Fairs include GAP, Polo Ralph Lauren, Dollar General, Dreamwear, El Corte Ingles, Euro Group, HOM, Li & Fung, Peacocks, Redcats, Sears and Tesco.

The Fairs also include the highly popular Private Sourcing Events, which offer exclusive opportunities for pre-selected exhibitors to meet large global companies in private. A record breaking of 23 sourcing teams from buyers include AEON, Auchan, Falabella, Groupe Beaumanoir, Groupe Zannier, Hermes-Otto International, Next, Ripley and Wilkinson are scheduled to participate in this April's events, with a combined annual sales of more than US$170 billion.

The newly launched "Styles to Watch!" area is showcasing the most stylish and fashionable products from exhibitors.

Show Highlights aims to keep buyers and suppliers up-to-date on the latest fashion trends. Global Sources has assembled a collection of exhibitors' hottest products to highlight emerging design trends.

Online Sourcing Fair launched for China Sourcing Fair: Garments & Textiles

China Sourcing Fair: Security Products was recently launched as the export industry's first Online Sourcing Fair and it has now been followed by the online version ofGlobal Sources' Garments & Textiles show. Full content including multiple pictures of the booths, product profiles from exhibitors, and video interviews is scheduled to be online the day after the face-to-face show closes. 

The online shows aim to help buyers boost sourcing productivity by enabling them to engage with exhibitors before, during and after the physical show. Suppliers will benefit by extending the life of their exhibition investment from a few days to few months, and they will reach a much larger buyer audience. Global Sources intends to launch numerous other online sourcing fairs throughout the year.

Conference program offers firsthand market intelligence to buyers and suppliers

A series of free conference program is also scheduled to take place at the Fairs to help international buyers source from Asia more effectively. Attendees can gain firsthand market intelligence and valuable advice from industry experts speaking on a variety of topics, including:

• "How to Source from China" seminar, with practical insight on negotiations and pitfalls from PassageMaker, Silk Road, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and AsiaInspection
• "Visionary Intelligence" seminar, including exploration of color trends  for spring/summer 2012 by Pantone, the world's leading color authority and key style directions from WGSN
• "REACH and Asian Regulations Updates for Textiles Products" seminar hosted by Bureau Veritas
• "Ask the Experts" where sourcing professionals provide one-on-one consultation with buyers

Opening times for the Fairs are:

• April 27-29 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• April 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.

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 uses English-language media to facilitate trade from Greater China to the world. The other business segment utilizes Chinese-language media to enable companies to sell to, and within Greater China.

The company provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. It helps a community of over 1 million active buyers source more profitably from complex overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing the most effective ways possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in over 240 countries.

The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. It delivers information on over 5.5 million products and more than 262,000 suppliers annually through 14 online marketplaces, 13 monthly print and 18 digital magazines, over 80 sourcing research reports and 73 specialized trade shows a year across nine cities.

Verified suppliers receive more than 127 million sales leads annually from buyers through Global Sources Online (http://www.globalsources.com) alone.

Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for 40 years. Global Sources' network covers more than 60 cities worldwide. In mainland China, Global Sources has about 2,700 team members in more than 40 locations, and a community of over 2.8 million registered online users and magazine readers for its Chinese-language media.