Pitti Uomo attendance drops

Lower attendance levels at the Pitti Immagine Uomo trade fair in Florence did little to dampen spirits. With a total of 21,683 buyers visiting the fair this season, compared with last June's 23,055, Pitti is struggling with slow recovery of consumer spending in Italy and Europe . The lower attendance levels, however, are said to be a result of selective marketing. "When your fair works to select and do research, on an international market that is clearly split between a very small high segment and huge lower level, with a mid-range that practically no longer exists, well, you have to take into account that some quantity will fall by the wayside. But this does not mean lower demand," said Alfredo Canessa, president of the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana, a major exhibitor at the fair. "On the contrary, all the important clients were there, and we saw lots of new faces from recently acquired markets. It's a better way of working: it is like making an appointment in your showroom." The decrease in numbers was also said to have been caused by a train strike on 21 June and the World Cup Soccer. Furthermore, the decreasing amount of clothing stores in Italy is having an effect on visitors' numbers. Small, family-owned businesses are experiencing a downturn, which means fewer buyers per individual business.

Italian visitors made up the majority with a total of 12,897 buyers, down from 13,958 during the June 2005 edition. New markets with outlets for Italian and European styles have been emerging rapidly. Japan leads the pack with an increase of 8.27 percent since June 2005, followed by Russia and China . Switzerland also gained ground with 11.15 percent more visitors. Germany (1,108 vs 1,164 in 2005) remained largely static, as did Great Britain , Holland and Turkey . Spain , France and Germany showed a significant decrease in visitors' numbers, while the Baltic States, Canada , Ireland , the Arab countries, Austria and Greece showed some growth. Portugal , Belgium and the Northern European countries saw attendance numbers drop somewhat.