Written for a journalism assignment, this article doesn't follow AP Style standards to meet the teacher's guidelines.
Made in France, a trade fair promoting French products, ended on Nov. 11 with an estimated 75,000 visitors over four days. This was the eighth edition of the annual fair held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles since 2013. For the first time, organisers had to refuse exhibitors, even after narrowing alleys of the venue.
The exhibitors included well-known brands, among them Toyota, which displayed Yaris cars, and start-ups looking for distributors. The fair had a variety of products and food to sell, from honey to pillows.
There were 570 exhibitors this year, up from 550 last year and 80 in 2012, the first year the expo was held.
In 2018, the event attracted 69,000 consumers, out of which 89% bought at least one item. About half of them spent more than 100 euros the same year.
The company with the biggest booth was Le Slip Français, a brand of underwear which generated 21 million euros of sales last year, compared to 40,000 euros in 2011, when it was created. It sold half a million pairs of underwear last year.
“The French-made and durable products are more than just marketing tools; they’re a deep trend,” said Guillaume Gibault, founder and chief executive of Le Slip Français. “I’m an optimist. We live in a wonderful country, with wonderful assets.”
The manufacturing of clothes is outsourced to 14 companies, each specialising in a different item: socks are made in Les Cars while T-shirts and sweaters are made in Saint-Pouange. Most of the company’s sales are online, but it also has 16 stores in France. Over the four days of the fair, the brand generated more revenues than at any of its stores over the same period.
The company’s best-selling item at the fair was a soft black and white hat, designed by Pierre Balmain. The hats cost 35 euros; 10 euros from each sale are donated to Telethon, a charity that fights myopathy.
The fair is organised by region, based on where each company is headquartered. For the smallest companies, their regional or departmental councils covered their transportation costs and up to 70% of the expenses of renting a space.
Atelier Paul Riaucoux benefited from this aid from the département of Corrèze. Riaucoux, who sells handmade wood light fixtures, said he wouldn’t have been able to take the financial risk to attend the expo without the department’s support.
He said people often stopped in front of his stand because light naturally catches people’s attention. For his first trade fair in the capital, Riaucoux noticed a significant change of clientele. While his cheaper products like small desk lamps usually are the best sellers, he sold out his most expensive items, like floor lamps.
“Here, the fixtures at 239 euros, I believe I would have sold as many if I would have priced them at 539 euros,” he said.
Some attendees said that they found some prices too high. For example, Le Slip Français sells underwear from 29-40 euros a pair, when underwear from Uniqlo is 5,90 euros a pair.
“I’m OK with the higher cost as long as the product is more durable,” said Marie-Jo Launé, who bought a scarf and chocolate. “However, we have to remain cautious because ‘Made in France’ doesn’t guarantee higher quality.”
François Renault, who is from Rouen and came to Paris for the fair, said he was buying French-made products to support the national economy and stopped buying Asian-made products which are often single-use.
“I try to buy French-made products, but it’s almost impossible to buy French-made products exclusively,” he said. “Buying “made in France” reassures me in terms of quality. In terms of costs, I admit that it’s relatively expensive. I can afford it, but it’s certainly not within everyone’s reach.”
Renault thinks that buying French-made pillows from Petit Meunier, as he did, is a long-term investment, since they are presumably more durable.
Marianne Paoli, the chief executive of Philibert, a start-up that makes dog baskets, said the fair represented a double opportunity.
“Even though it’s a general public trade, a few distributors approached us to sell our products,” said Paoli. “We’re also making ourselves known and selling some items.”
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