Global Sources opens four trade fairs in Hong Kong -- Asia's hub for international purchasing of products from Greater China and India

HONG KONG, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Global Sources (Nasdaq: GSOL) (http://www.globalsources.com ) opens three China Sourcing Fairs and one India Sourcing Fair today at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.

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Running through Oct. 23, the four co-located shows are the China Sourcing Fairs: Home Products, Gifts & Premiums and Baby & Children's Products and the India Sourcing Fair: Home Products. Together, the Fairs showcase over 2,500 booths of top-selling and innovative home products, gifts and premiums, and baby and children's products from 11 countries and territories.

Global Sources' specialized India Sourcing Fair: Home Products, launched in April 2009, remains the only show outside of India featuring that country's high-quality decorative and functional products from kitchenware, to home textiles and handicrafts.

President of Global Sources Exhibitions, Tommy Wong, said: "While the fall 2010 Fairs boast a significant international representation, the majority of exhibitors are from the Greater China region. China is powering a global recovery, and this is clearly reflected in statistics showing China's exports soaring by 48.5 percent in May and by 38.1 percent in July 2010, as compared to the same months last year.

"China, as the world's factory, is still the key supply base of international buyers, who these days need to source as efficiently as possible to stay competitive and profitable. Our Fairs in Hong Kong make their sourcing more efficient and cost-effective by giving buyers access to a broad selection of quality export manufacturers from the region."

The highly popular Private Sourcing Events offer exclusive opportunities for pre-selected exhibitors to meet large global companies in private during the shows. Nineteen sourcing teams are scheduled to participate in these events, including buyers from Auchan, Hermes-Otto International, Kmart Australia, Group Zannier, Mary Kay, Monsoon Accessorize, Okaidi, Ripley, Target Australia and Woolworths Australia.

Buyers pre-registered to attend the October Fairs include Atico, Canadian Tires, Carrefour, Casino, City Super, Hong Kong Disneyland, Dollar General, Hudson Baby, Li & Fung, Macy's, Manley Toys, Mattel, MGB Metro, Mothercare, Next Sourcing, Otto International, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sears, Tesco, Home Depot, TOMY and Threesixty Sourcing.

Global Sources offers value-added services to facilitate trade

To help buyers and exhibitors meet and do business more effectively, Global Sources has organized a series of special on-site activities at the Fairs. These include:

    -- Home Decor Gallery: A selection of 50 home decorative products is
       featured in this gallery in Hall 9.
    -- Color Trends Areas feature color forecasts for various products,
       including home products and gifts and premiums in Hall 9.
    -- Special Buyers' Lounges at the Fairs provide free Internet access,
       refreshments and sourcing information.
    -- Global Sources Product Galleries. Multiple physical and digital
       product galleries, featuring innovative products from hundreds of
       verified suppliers unable to attend the Fairs, allow buyers to send
       direct inquiries on the spot -- greatly extending their sourcing
       reach and efficiency at the shows.
    -- Global Sources Show Guide Magazines. Fourteen 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.

Global Sources is also offering a free conference program 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 and Silk Road.
    -- "Strategic Buying Advice" on setting up sourcing operations in
       mainland China and Hong Kong, presented by Fiducia.
    -- "Market Development and Trend" seminar on the childcare market by
       Children's Fashion Europe.
    -- "Visionary Intelligence" seminar, including exploration of color
       pallet trends in home furnishings by Pantone, the world's leading
       color authority.
    -- "Ask the Experts" unique free service, where professionals from
       Bureau Veritas offer one-on-one consultation on buyers' quality
       concerns.

    Dates and times of the shows
    Opening times for the China Sourcing Fairs and the India Sourcing Fair are:
    -- Oct. 20 to 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    -- Oct. 23 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 967,000 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 4.5 million products and more than 262,000 suppliers annually through 14 online marketplaces, 13 monthly print and 16 digital magazines, over 80 sourcing research reports and 20 specialized trade shows which run 57 times a year across 9 cities.

Suppliers receive more than 192 million sales leads annually from buyers through Global Sources Online (http://www.globalsources.com ) alone.

Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for nearly 40 years. Global Sources' network covers more than 60 cities worldwide. In mainland China, Global Sources has about 2,500 team members in more than 40 locations, and a community of over 2 million registered online users and magazine readers for its Chinese-language media.

    Global Sources Press Contact in Asia:
     Camellia So
     Tel:   +852-2555-5021
     Email: [email protected]

    Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.:
     James W.W. Strachan
     Tel:   +1-480-664-8309
     Email: [email protected]

    Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia:
     Suzanne Wang
     Tel:   +852-2555-4747
     Email: [email protected]

    Global Sources Investor Contact in U.S.:
     Kirsten Chapman & Timothy Dien
     Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc.
     Tel:   +1-415-433-3777
     Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Global Sources