Sector insights

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show celebrates its centenary this year but the show has seen more change in the last ten years than in the first ninety combined. Today, one of the most prestigious horticultural shows in the world still has gorgeous flower displays, but exhibits are more about new business ideas and new concepts, businesses promoting green credentials, the role of nature in today’s world and the merging of indoor and outdoor living. 

The first ever Anti-Aging trade show was held in the UK May 2013 and the conclusions we draw reinforced the message from the Paris-based In-Cosmetics Show held in April: the cosmetics industry continues to defy recessions and gloomy consumers. Yesterday’s niche markets have grown into major sectors and show no signs of slowing down. A good example is the cosmetic intervention segment (Botox, IPL treatment, dermal fillers…) which the UK Department of Health estimated was worth £720m in 2005 ($1.1Bn), had increased to £2.3Bn ($3.5Bn) by 2010 and is forecast to reach £3.6Bn ($5.5Bn) by 2015.

While the Construction market was particularly hard hit by the economic downturn, timber industry appears to be bucking the trend: sales of timber frame, SIPS, and volumetric timber buildings increased by some €37 million in 2011 (1).

Cycling and biking is enjoying an unprecedented surge in popularity throughout the UK, boosted by the successes of Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish at the Tour de France and the dominance of Team GB at the Olympics and Paralympics this year. However, this popularity spans across Europe and beyond, and appears to be more than just a passing vogue. In fact, in 2011 France announced a 6.5% increase in turnover in the bike market, marking the end of a 5 year decline and boosting it to 3^rd place in Europe in terms of sales with 3.2Mn bikes sold, following Germany’s 4.1Mn and the UK’s 3.5Mn (1).

IBT Partners will again be present at EuroSatory, Europe’s most important trade show for the defence industry. Several of our clients are attending and we look forward to helping them optimise their trade show participation, notably to meet potential end-clients and sign contracts. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us.

Outdoor wear is one of the few markets that has successfully expanded despite the recent economic crisis. The industry has experienced a boom not only in the USA, but also in Europe. Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Italy, France and Scandiavian countries - all of these markets increasingly demand functional, technologically advanced outdoor wear with appealing design. Nowadays, outdoor wear is also popular in daily lives is becoming more and more fashionable fashionable.