Almost no contract is signed directly to the fair

Bloody Jesus on the cross at the centre of a clock illuminated fluorescent diode, a bin distribution of ducks grain steel, Muslim Prayer rugs and mark Jeddah Golden umbrellas of golf with integrated fan. They can be delivered in the colour and with the logo of your choice within six weeks. "It sends you a quote", launch, in English, the sellers after the ritual exchange of business cards. "Why not", fun Christophe Bastianelli, CEO of AD2L, a French company specialized in the sale of promotional items. As every year, he came to move for ten days at Canton (Guangzhou), in southern China, to walk the aisles of the largest trade show in the world, which closed its doors last weekend.

Twice a year, in spring and fall, more than 22,000 groups throughout China are found in 1.12 million square metres exhibition centre, equivalent of 172 football fields. Three weeks, they have 100,000 types of different products to more than 200,000 foreign buyers from "source" the "made in China" distributed around the world. "Everything you can imagine search is here", summarizes Abdelhak Zaouri, manager of the English group of Fabulous kitchen equipment.

In the 1980s, until the country opens to foreign investors, more than half of Chinese exports were negotiated during the event established in 1957 to present to the world the hammers, hoes and a few military truck Jiefang brand. Despite the cultural revolution and scuttling attempts launched by the red guards, the fair has always been forced meets of the companies of the country and Western, African and Asian businessmen. Experts believe that today ' today even more than 15 of the total orders of Chinese goods are initiated at the Canton fair. Last year, the organizers, dependent of the Ministry of Commerce, said, without specifying the calculation mode, that close to 69.8 billion in contracts were negotiated in the two sessions.

To install good sneakers

To do business, better avoid to wear a costume three pieces and opt for comfortable jeans, and especially "good sneakers", prevent regulars, travelling up to 15 kilometres per day between the three pavilions of the fair. "Over time, there are benchmarks, include suppliers, but the first years, it is exhausting", blows Christophe Bastianelli, during a break in the giant McDonald's of the site. Although that resulted, the former cyclist forty-three years, specialist in the sprint, spent, as many foreign buyers, the evening of the day before in a traditional massage parlour, where an old lady quelled a painful knee to shots of acupuncture needles. "The visit is still essential. In three aisles, we meet all providers in a specific segment. "It avoids many visits to plants in the country and allows to set benchmarks of quality and price," he said.

Today, he tackles the 17 aisles of the "B.9.1 area," where are exposed clocks, watches and other optical instruments. In the race for the next promotional campaign of a major French insurance group, he is seeking a supplier able to quickly deliver 25,000 pocket weather stations. Having already identified a satisfactory model, he made the round of the competition to compare prices and benefits. "He must be careful." You will always find a plant to accept a lower price, but train station to the disappointments in the delivery, insists the buyer. Almost no contract is signed directly to the fair. It takes a first contact which will give rise to an exchange of much more pointed specifications within fifteen days. Often, the price promised Township is no longer possible. Therefore, multiply the meetings to be certain to find someone of course at the time.

Attention to compliance with the standards

A township, the prices are, most of the time, announced "FOB" "free on board" or "free on board". They correspond to the price of the goods out factory and delivered in a Chinese port. To get an idea of the final invoice, the importer must add transportation costs, insurance, and especially the various national taxes. The cost of the cargo control must also be taken into account. To enter the European market, the goods must meet different standards that all Chinese producers have not mastered. "On sensitive products, it must be particularly vigilant and tests are expensive," says Christophe Bastianelli, who imported in recent years, USB keys, vials of perfumes or sport bags.

Lilian Gillet, the head of the AD2L of Canton Office, focuses on a stand of toys. It research him the ideas of gadgets for child menus of a small French fast food chain. In more than 150 products, the water guns are attractive, but the security standards seem to "light". "I asked them if they had good standards for the France, they responded that it should not be that I am concerned, that they could arrange. In this case, it emerged quickly. "Not even need to take their catalogue", slides the negotiator, who works directly in mandarin.

With the crisis, buyers are more wary about the generous price discounts offered in the stands. "Violent Chinese exports makes more nervous vendors." "They want to close more contracts to survive their factories and are sometimes less stringent quality requirements", warns Abdelhak Zaouri. Exports, which constitute one of the keys to China's growth engines come to record six consecutive months of decline. In March, they were retreating from 17.1 in annual landslide, after having already experienced a drop of 25.7 in February. During the fair, the volume of negotiated contracts was also melted by 20, when the number of potential buyers retreated, according to organizers, nearly 10.

Comment in the aisles, much more sparse that leave the imagine all official statistics on this depression. "This year, there are fewer customers in Europe and the Americans have almost disappeared." The buyers came from Africa and the Middle East are on the other hand, a little more. "But the negotiations are more difficult," laments Xie Wen Sheng, KidsandBud Industries Group, based in Shenzhen. His company, specialized in the production of lint and Father Christmas animated, recorded a fall of 30 of its orders in the first quarter. "We're separated 100 of our 350 migrant workers," says Manager, which however hope to secure a minimum of controls, particularly in Latin America. To do this, he says have conceded a discount of 5 on its labels, passing rates the recent lower costs of raw materials and labour in the country.

Take advantage of the crisis

On the nearby stand of AnBestToys, sales would have 20 annual slipped and fell rates of more than 5. "Many of our clients did not shift this year", notes Janine Wong, the head of marketing, that points while a slight improvement in the business environment from the previous session, in October 2008. "At this time, it was catastrophic."

After removed from having massively store until March, buyers, including large distribution groups, would resume to place orders, which remain lower than those of previous years. "We sell less, but we always sell", philosopher Boris Prokhorov, a Russian distributor of toys. "And this year, it is easier to negotiate small series", welcomed. "Before, when I wanted to place small orders, it did even not my quote requests both South Mills turned in full." "Now, they are interested in buying and everyone remember to bid," confirms Wilson Bola, a Nigerian who had come to supply textile and cosmetics cheap. "Finally, the crisis could have a bit of good," he smiles.