ATLANTA — To make room for hot product areas, AmericasMart is shuffling categories and shifting floors.
Starting in January, buyers will notice a new look, as temporary exhibits such as Premiere and The New Temporaries relocate and take more dedicated space.
Premiere, the juried collective of upper-end contemporary ready-to-wear, sportswear, accessories and shoes, leads the pack. Formerly a twice-yearly event running at the same time with spring and fall markets, Premiere now will expand to all five shows, extend from three to four days and move from the fifth floor to the second floor, an area that was formerly called The New Temporaries and included a range of products.
The second-floor location, which leads directly from buyer registration, will make Premiere the first thing buyers see on entering the mart. Premiere will continue its original vision — an upscale ambience with design elements such as retro-modern seating and details such as fresh flowers. Buyer amenities still will include a live DJ, computer access for buyers, wine or coffee bars and special foods scheduled throughout market weeks.
Premiere currently encompasses 100 booths and 125 lines, but the show will have room to grow up to 300 lines, with a selective focus on designer labels, such as Adrienne Vittadini, and upper-end contemporary merchandise.
“Specialty stores want product that can set them apart from their competition,” said Kaye Davis, executive vice president, fashion and Premiere. “The lines in Premiere will continue to be selective product chosen by a jury process.”
One target area, premium denim, has been a growth category in past seasons. Lines that retail at more than $100 and carry both men’s and women’s product, such as Blue Cult and James Jeans, will continue to be a key part of Premiere, especially those with the potential to develop men’s product. Contemporary items that complement premium denim, such as trendy T-shirts and separates in twill and canvas, also will grow.
To emphasize the Premiere ambience, the adjacent buyer registration area will be given a more modern, directional and architectural look, said Davis.
As Premiere moves to the second floor, the product groups formerly housed there will be dispersed to three floors, with each category — shoes, ready-to-wear and accessories — getting a separate floor.
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On the third floor, the new Shoe Studio covers nearly 10,000 square feet and features more than 65 footwear lines. Since shoes were added as a part of accessories, starting with four vendors in January 2003, the
category has exploded, said Lawton Hall, senior vice president of sales for Building 3. “Shoes outgrew their location,” he said. “The new area gives the category its own profile.”
Offerings in the area, from vendors such as Yellow Box, D. Myers & Sons and J.B. Imports, feature the
attention-grabbing colors, embellishments and artistic details that appeal to specialty stores.
Given retail consolidation and the decline in the number of independent shoe stores, specialty stores have become a key customer group for footwear vendors. For their part, boutiques that are seeking to compete with department stores say shoes offer add-on sales and an opportunity for head-to-toe wardrobing.
Accessories, including fine and fashion jewelry, watches, belts and handbags will move to the fourth floor. Ready-to-wear will combine with bath or spa products, a category AmericasMart labels “Body & Soul,” on floor five. In rtw, young contemporary labels at moderate prices, such as Fashion Spy and Young at Heart, have been strong performers. Young contemporary, formerly called juniors, has untapped potential for the mart, said Hall, who added the move allows all categories room to expand.
Another big growth area, children’s product, is getting 100,000 square feet of dedicated space on the 13th floor. Along with apparel, the area is adding more juvenile furniture, bedding, accessories, artwork, toys and gifts, as well as maternity gear.
While temporary exhibitors move throughout the building, big changes continue for permanent showrooms at AmericasMart, as well.
Since last year, about 10 percent of the Mart’s permanent showrooms have relocated or expanded. The average expansion added 20 to 50 percent more square footage, making room for the new lines reps are bringing into the Mart, said Hall. “Showrooms are also updating to more contemporary looks; expanding facilities such as kitchens and bars and creating more display and merchandising space to inspire buyers.
“We are in the fashion business,” continued Hall. “When consumers go into a shop, they want it to be an experience, so it’s important that, when buyers go into a showroom, it is an experience for them.”
AmericasMart’s retail services department also has been restructured. Under the new marketing slogan, “In the field, in the store and in touch,” two apparel retail services managers will make six field marketing trips a year to visit stores. Sarah Carota, senior manager of retail services, will lead the team with Andrea Junca, a former employee in registration who was tapped for the position in October. Junca, who speaks Spanish, will help the mart target more Hispanic buyers, both in the U.S. and in the Caribbean.
“It’s not rocket science — the goal is to bring in more buyers,” said Albert Maslia, managing director of retail services for AmericasMart gift, merchandise and apparel areas. “We’re reaching out to new stores from a huge database.” Maslia said that, based on recent attendance gains — a 6 percent increase in buyer numbers at the October market — the strategy is working.
AmericasMart’s biggest challenge, according to Hall, is to get buyers to increase their stays beyond the three-day average. Given the wealth of trade shows in the country, getting buyers to make big commitments to any one show is daunting.
“We’re making AmericasMart such a one-stop shopping center, with such a breadth of product available and such a wealth of educational opportunities and entertainment for buyers while they’re here, they have to plan longer stays,” he said.