New buyers at Private Sourcing Events double in first half 2011

HONG KONG, July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- New buyers at Global Sources' (NASDAQ: GSOL) Private Sourcing Events more than doubled in the first half of 2011. New buyers participating included AEON, E.Leclerc, Forever 21, Fujitsu, J.C. Penney and Lidl. This growth in participation further extends Global Sources' lead in organizing one-to-one sourcing meetings between major international buyers and Asian suppliers.

During the first six months of 2011, over 200 sourcing teams from more than 80 international buying organizations met 1,042 pre-screened suppliers to evaluate their capabilities to accept future orders. Meetings were held in key manufacturing hubs across China as well as at Global Sources' China Sourcing Fairs.

"In today's business environment, buyers are looking for ways to streamline their sourcing operations and reduce costs," said Global Sources' chairman and CEO, Merle A. Hinrichs. "Private Sourcing Events help them do that by connecting buyers with verified suppliers who have been pre-selected based on their own requirements. Accordingly, a growing number of buyers see this as an efficient and cost-effective channel for their Greater China sourcing."

Categories covered at the events were baby and children's products, mobile phone accessories, apparel and fabrics, gifts and packaging, sports equipment, mobile tablet devices, digital portable devices, building materials, vehicle parts, green lighting, furniture, power supplies and batteries.

Hinrichs added, "As emerging markets continue to show strong growth, we are seeing an increase in the number of buyers from Russia, Latin America and India. Our one-to-one meeting format provides the ideal environment for buyers from these regions to outline their specific market needs and confirm suppliers' capabilities."

Participating buyers from emerging markets included CENCOSUD, Coppel, Falabella, Future Group, Grupo Elektra, Intelbras, Onida and Videocon.

One participating buyer, buying manager for AEON Hong Kong, Jacqueline Au, said: "As product costs increase, we are looking for ways to reduce expenses in other areas. Private Sourcing Events save us time and money by short-listing quality suppliers who meet our strict requirements before any meetings take place. This has freed our sourcing teams to spend less time searching for new suppliers and products and more time focusing on product quality."

Suppliers also benefit from participating in Private Sourcing Events. "For suppliers looking to move up the value chain, Private Sourcing Events introduce them to market-leading buying partners who can help them increase sales and create more innovative products. It is also an ideal way for them to expand to new markets," Hinrichs noted.

One participating supplier, general manager for Wuxi HappySport Co., Yang Jianli, said: "We would rather work with a few big buyers than many small buyers. Big buyers are more focused on quality and they place more repeat orders. Private Sourcing Events connect us with some of the world's top buyers whom we can partner with for long-term success."

World's top buyers scheduled to attend upcoming Private Sourcing Events

Over 100 Private Sourcing Events are planned for 2011, with some of the biggest buyers in developed and emerging markets, including Auchan, Canadian Tire, Casino, IKEA, Kingfisher, RadioShack, Ripley, Staples and The Home Depot, scheduled to participate. All Private Sourcing Events are complimentary for buyers and only Global Sources suppliers are eligible to participate. More information about Private Sourcing Events is available at http://www.PrivateSourcingEvents.com.

Suppliers wishing to participate should contact csm@globalsources.com.

Specialized Global Sources websites, face-to-face events and trade magazines

Private Sourcing Events are part of Global Sources' portfolio of sourcing and product information service brands. These include Global Sources Online (http://www.globalsources.com), China Sourcing Fairs (http://www.chinasourcingfair.com), Online Sourcing Fairs (http://www.onlinesourcingfair.com) and Global Sources monthly magazines (http://www.globalsources.com/SITE/MAGAZINES.HTM).

For more information about Global Sources' products and services to connect quality buyers and quality suppliers, please visit http://www.corporate.globalsources.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 - including the world's top 25 retailers - to 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 5.7 million products and more than 262,000 suppliers annually through 14 online marketplaces, 13 monthly print and 18 digital magazines, over 90 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 about 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.