Historic Opening Day for Dallas March Markets: 20% Increase in Buyer Attendance Over 2019; Record New Buyers From Across Country; Exhibitors Report Steady, Deep Order Writing

—“Phenomenal…” “We’ve never seen so many people on an opening day…”

“…great buying power…”—

DALLAS – March 24, 2021 – March markets in Dallas, including Apparel & Accessories Market, Total Home & Gift Market, and KidsWorld, opened with historic attendance and order writing. Dallas Market Center reported a 20% increase in buyer attendance versus the March 2019 markets and a boost in first-time buyers visiting the show. More than 20% of buyers at the show are attending for the first time, according to the market center, which is a significant increase from previous years.

March markets in Dallas offer retailers a once-a-year opportunity to experience multiple shows simultaneously. The spring edition of Apparel & Accessories Market marks the debut of fall fashion and includes more than 1 million square feet of styles and trends at all price points. Total Home & Gift Market presents home décor, gifts for all occasions, and access to full holiday lines in select showrooms. KidsWorld is the comprehensive event for baby, children’s, and juvenile products.

“More business continues to get done in Dallas as we hold safe events with record attendance,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “We are the center of inspiration and commerce welcoming historic numbers of buyers from across the country. The energy is high, the ordering is deep, and the confidence is tremendous. We’re especially thrilled with the number of new buyers from the east and west seeking one centrally located marketplace offering a lifestyle collection of new products across all categories.”

In addition to independent retailers from across the country, the show has welcomed major stores and multi-location retailers eager to review trends and place orders. Inside the marketplace, more than thirty new and expanded showrooms, hundreds of Temps on recently expanded floors, and socially distant special events and promotions are taking place. Health & safety protocols, including face coverings and temperatures, have remained in place supporting the comfort and well-being of all customers.

Exhibitors offered their perspective on the historic opening day in Dallas:

“Phenomenal. Amazing. The opening day was incredible,” said Mike Stevison of apparel exhibitor Dressed2Kill. “We saw buyers from Montana and Colorado and so many states. We opened lots of new accounts and everyone has a great, positive mood.”

“Dallas is the center of the wholesale universe right now,” said Kande Hall, founder of fashion accessories company French Kande following the grand opening of their new, expanded showroom. “We called all of our buyers from New York to Los Angeles and told them to see us in Dallas. We’ve never seen so many people on an opening day ready to buy.”

“This is our first March show and it’s been non-stop,” said Betsy Blancett Nacrelli, the founder and CEO of Joya, a new fashion accessories exhibitor in the Temps. “We have been thrilled. We picked up lots of new accounts in new areas of the country. Dallas has great buying power and lots of multi-location retailers.”

“I had to call in extra help it’s been so busy,” said Julia Higgins with the gift, home, and fashion brand Two’s Company. “We saw lots of diverse store types from across the country and they were high-quality, serious buyers.”

“This will end up being the best March market in the history of our six-decade-old company,” said Jill Kimbrough, Director of Sales at gift and toy showroom Diverse Marketing. “Traffic has been steady and retailers are reordering items that have done particularly well the first few months of the year as well as new summer product. Retailers are excited to be open for business and have a positive outlook on 2021!”

Health & Safety Guidelines Supporting Buyer Comfort

Supporting the comfort, health and safety of all attendees, the market center continues measures that include mandatory face covering and temperature screening for every person entering the marketplace every day. Other efforts include enhanced cleaning with hospital grade products, hundreds of hand sanitizing stations, limited food service, no gatherings, and signage for social distancing. Along with these new steps, there are safety measures that are part of the design of the marketplace: open parking, large entryways, quick registration in multiple areas, wide hallways, multiple escalators to each floor, and showrooms with controlled access to allow for the appropriate distance between customers.

Additional Spring and Summer Trade Events

In addition to March Markets, the marketplace will welcome buyers in the coming weeks for Dallas Design Week (April 5-8), May First Monday & Tuesday (May 3-4), Apparel & Accessories Market (June 15-18), Total Home & Gift Market (June 23-29), KidsWorld (June 23-29), Lightovation (June 23-26), and the Dallas Men’s Show (July 31-August 2).

For upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center mobile app. Also, keep up-to-date on all information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the DMC Daily Dose.

About Dallas Market Center

Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in gourmet and housewares, home décor, holiday/floral, gifts, lighting and apparel. Inside its dynamic, five million square foot campus, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education and new products from exhibitors throughout the year via dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday and floral; the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories markets featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers; the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; and the largest and most successful open-daily design center. The marketplace is located in the strongest economic zone in the country. In addition, more than 80% of Dallas Market Center buyers report that they do not shop other market centers. To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center App. Also, keep up-to-date on all information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the Dallas Market Center blog.

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