...suppliers plus a host of international visitors from across the globe. The upcoming 17th edition is due to be held at the New International Expo Centre in Pudong, Shanghai, from September 3 – 5, 2014. As the leading commercial and business platform for the leather industry in Mainland China, ACLE has kept pace with the times and changes in the rapid and dynamic expansion of the leather industry in China this century. 

To quote APLF Director, Michael Duck, on this point: “The constant expansion of the fair is a direct result of the response by the China market’s growth and hence need for quality materials, chemicals and technology. It is the success story of ACLE as it has succeeded in introducing suppliers from a growing number of countries to leather goods and footwear manufacturers located in Mainland China.”

With fashion being the main driver behind innovation, styles and in the use of leather, ACLE has played a key role in introducing high class leather from China for luxury products and automotive applications in China where the number of world class tanneries has increased in number.

With China being the world’s biggest auto market by far, selling more than 23 million vehicles in 2013, 40% of which have some form of leather upholstery, this amounts to a great deal of hides and finished leather -- and this is without even mentioning the billions of pairs of leather shoes and leather goods produced in the country.

As the major consumer and producer of leather as well as being the biggest importer of hides, semi-finished and wet blue it was a question of time until the government of China would enforce strict rules and regulations for the tanning industry in order to protect the environment. This has now come to pass with the closing of many smaller tanneries in northern China, in Hebei and Wuxi, until they are able to comply with strict environmental standards.

On the other hand, the closure of tanneries in China also means that less finished leather will be produced in China (after last year’s 23% drop according to the CLIA) opening up an even greater opportunity for western tanneries to export more high value-added finished leather to the Chinese manufacturing sector. This is precisely where ACLE comes into its own as the ideal business platform for the international and China leather industry.

The potential activity bubbling under the surface is clearly reflected in the growing size of ACLE which will cover a record 92,000 square metres for the 2014 event in seven halls at the New Expo Centre in Pudong.

There will be 19 national pavilions from all corners of the globe at the 2014 event. Many major chemical companies serving the China market have confirmed their space requirement. In fact, as of mid-May, 90% of the exhibition space in the international halls had had been sold with a few spaces left in the domestic halls.

To ensure that ACLE and its concurrent sister fair the China International Footwear Fair (CIFF) and Moda Shanghai held in Hall E4 of the exhibition centre can take place in a fully professional atmosphere, there is a full programme of information oriented events. This integral aspect of ACLE defines it as not only by being a trade fair but also as a destination where a full programme of seminars, forums, fashion shows and demonstrations about leather as well as other pertinent topics such as the environment and sustainability, the pros and cons of future processes. These events remain big crowd pullers.

The Tannery of the Year Competition, organised by World Leather and supported by APLF will have its award presentation ceremony and gala dinner that is held every eighteen months at ACLE this year. The overall winner will be chosen from the regional winners from Europe, the Americas, Asia and China. One of China’s leading tanneries, Prime Asia, was the overall winner of the Tannery of the Year Competition in 2013.

The number of buyers to ACLE has grown steadily over the years and has breached 24,000 for the first time at the 2013 event. The Organisers endeavour to maintain these standards through effective sales and marketing activities to ensure that both exhibitors and visitors coming to this leading leather event find what they are looking for -- professional buyers for the exhibitors and a wide range of leather and leather products for the professional buyers.

On a more personal level there are many influential VIP buyers invited specially to the event and who have access to the comfort of the VIP Buyers Lounge. Although there is a predominance of buyers from Mainland China, attendance is very international as many footwear brands and multinational companies source and produce in China and have their local sourcing teams attending the fair.

What Participants said about the 2013 ACLE event...

What Buyers said...
 
"We had the opportunity to meet many raw material suppliers in ACLE. I am satisfied with the product variety and the numbers of exhibitors. The products here are more standardised and we feel secure to source here."
- Wang Tonggang, Chocowin, China
 
"I have visited the fair over five times and continue to feel satisfied with the number of exhibitors and product variety."
- Mr. Chao, Shanghai Doutai Trading Co Ltd, China

"This is my first time to All China Leather Exhibition. Compared with Guangzhou, Shanghai can attract exhibitors from all over China, making it more convenient for me to make a purchase."
- Jack Zhang, Yi Neng Da Leather Ltd / Yi Yi Da Leather Ltd, China

What Exhibitors said…

"We used to visit ACLE every year. However, this is our first time exhibiting at the fair and we are surprised to meet many visitors. The venue is convenient and we will recommend this fair to our partners."
- Michael Smith, Tangsmith Enterprise Pty Ltd, Australia
 
"This is our first time as an exhibitor of Moda Shanghai but we have been a regular visitor of ACLE for many years. Our finished products received very good feedback and we met a lot of potential buyers."
- Henry Wong, Kaleigh Polle Ltd, Hong Kong
 
"We have exhibited in ACLE for more than 10 years. We have received many queries year after year and we have met many of our important customers in this exhibition."
- Mehmet Osman Bataray, Tess, Turkey

Notes to editors

About All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE)
The All China Leather Exhibition is generally accepted as the premier event for international companies seeking opportunities in China’s huge and, (for a short period remaining - perhaps!) still under-supplied, market.

With some 16 years’ experience no other event in the China leather sector provides a comparable opportunity for overseas companies to meet and greet, face-to-face, with potential Chinese partners, customers and suppliers.

Held annually in Shanghai, in early autumn, ACLE provides the largest variety of leather, components and accessories, manufacturing equipment, tools, machinery, technology, and business services. There is a full programme of seminars and presentations, both off- and on-site, and a recently introduced a 24/7 ‘virtual’ exhibition keeps the event open from one year to the next.

In 2013, 1,200 exhibitors from 36 countries and regions, were present. The forthcoming 2014 event is on track to improve further upon these numbers.

APLF’s partner in this prestigious event is China’s only official recognised leather sector organisation, the China Leather Industry Association.

The exhibition runs concurrently with CIFF and Moda Shanghai.

Registered visitors can enter 3 exhibitions and attend all the conference, seminars, and attractions - visit www.aclechina.com for more information.

About China International Footwear Fair & Moda Shanghai

CIFF and Moda Shanghai, offer an unparalleled platform for sourcing footwear products, leather garments, travelware, bags and fashion accessories. For detail information, please visit www.ciffchina.com.

About the Organisers

ACLE is organised jointly by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) and APLF Ltd.

CLIA is the only officially recognised representative body for China’s vast and successful leather industry. CLIA has at its disposal the largest and most comprehensive databases of leather makers and manufacturers of finished products, suppliers and buyers.

APLF Ltd is a joint venture between SIC Group and UBM Asia. For over two decades, Hong Kong-based APLF Ltd has been providing the global leather and fashion industries with its most important meeting and trading place.

About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com)

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia's leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 25 major cities with 29 offices and over 1,200 staff.

With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 19 market sectors with 160 dynamic face-to-face exhibitions, 75 high-level professional conferences, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock vertical portals and virtual event services for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks.

UBM Asia has extensive office networks in China, Southeast Asia and India, three of the world’s fastest growing B2B events markets. UBM China has 11 offices in the major cities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen, where we organise more than 60 exhibitions and conferences. In ASEAN, UBM Asia operates from its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines with over 50 events in this region. UBM India teams in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad organise 20 exhibitions and 60 conferences every year across the country.
 
About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

APLF Limited
17/F China Resources Building
26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2827 6211
Fax: (852) 2827 7831
Website: www.aplf.com / www.aclechina.com / www.ciffchina.com

APLF, Hong Kong
(27/05/2014)