SHANGHAI, China (BRAIN) Wednesday April 25 2012 8:55 PM MT—The China Cycle Show starts Thursday in Shanghai in its largest form ever with 5,900 booths and 1,300 exhibitors in 1.3 million square feet of space at the city’s New International Expo Center.
Now in its 22nd year, the four-day show remains mostly as a venue for China’s low-end domestic manufacturers to seek business, but it has increasingly attracted a more international crowd as western brands angle for a piece of China’s emerging mid to high-end consumer market. This year, China Cycle hosts 98 international exhibitors, up from 64 last year, coming from 18 countries. New exhibitors this year include Hayes Bicycle Group, Accell Group and Five Ten in addition to returning brands like Bianchi, Shimano, SRAM and DT Swiss. Cycling Sports Group, which is new to China with its Cannondale and GT brands, is present in a conference room at the venue.
Specialized made a late decision to come back to the show after being absent for several years, said Chen Xiaoping, assistant to Ms. Xiao Yun Huo, secretary general of China Cycle and vice secretary general of the China Bicycle Association, the show’s organizer.
“Specialized has ever been the exhibitor by years of 2005 and 2006 with very limited market, and the current market is quiet different from that of years. Our business volume of both middle and high-end in China market has been greatly increasing at a rate of quadruple, which indicates the huge potentials of market. That’s the reason why we come back to China Cycle again,” said Mr. Xu Weirei, president of Specialized for China.
Merida, already a powerhouse in China, will use the show to introduce its new line of carbon fiber 29ers. Giant, the market leader in China, is showing the new 22-pound aluminum ARX sport bike.
Show organizers have added features to the show this year to make it more appealing to overseas exhibitors with a test ride area, design awards and a BMX competition. The CBA also changed the pricing structure to encourage brands to exhibit themselves instead of being represented by a domestic agent or wholesaler to save costs.
China Cycle runs through Sunday.
