Q: This April marks the last JPMA show. As a retailer, how will this impact your business and, in the future, will one juvenile specific show be enough to meet your needs?
Staff -- Kids Today, 4/1/2007
Karen Scott, One Step Ahead/Leaps and Bounds, Lake Bluff, Ill.
A: Moving to one industry show per year will not have a great impact on our business or the way that we will merchandise our catalogs or Web site.
Having one show a year, however, will require us to be more diligent about contacting the manufacturers regarding mid-year new product introductions.
We plan on sending four people to the JPMA this year.
Paul Kantor, The Bedroom Source, Lindenhurst, N.Y.
A: I'm totally for the merger of the JPMA and ABC shows.
Since we also attend High Point in the spring and fall, attending one less trade show saves money and time away from home and business.
I usually attended both anyway, but found the Las Vegas ABC show to be a much better resource. Hopefully the merger of the two shows will result in a bigger and better 2008 show.
Dave Laub, Room to Grow, Cincinnati, Ohio
A: There are two aspects to attending trade shows — seeing new product and developing relationships. Both will suffer with only one show.
Since it often takes several months for manufacturers/distributors/importers (we can't just say manufacturers any more since that would only encompass a very few suppliers) to bring new products into line, the show after they were introduced became the show in which we got to see "production" samples. This now goes away.
We all know that suppliers make changes, sometimes significant changes, to the prototypes they put before us at the shows. Thus, we never really know what we are going to get until production runs are completed. It puts the retailer at greater risk of getting product changes they did not want.
Secondly, and at least as important as the first, trade shows are an opportunity to see our suppliers face to face and develop and enhance personal relationships. Anyone who doesn't want to jump at this opportunity is missing the boat.
Michael Schaul, USA Baby, Dallas/Fort Worth
A: Having one annual show will save the industry lots of money. Having one show in late summer will be terrific.
Peter Komroff, Baby Love, Sunrise, Fla.
A: Any show is valuable because you pick up new items. We're attending JPMA because it's convenient; it's only a 3½ hour drive for us.
I do think that down the road there will be another show, one that is exclusive to independent retailers because we do need another show.
As an independent, you have to keep looking for the new products and the smaller companies; also the shows are invaluable for building relationships.
Joni McConnell, JCPenney Direct, Plano, Texas
A: As a buyer for JCPenney Direct, I will miss JPMA next year. I was looking forward to both a spring and fall market.
We are responsible for four catalogs a year and a continuous Internet site. I can't live with one market a year! Having two markets a year keeps us updated with the latest trends. It keeps our catalogs and Internet site looking fresh.
My counterparts in adult furniture and bedding have at least two markets a year, why would we be any different?
How will this affect me next year? It will probably increase my travel budget. Most likely I will be making a stop in New York, California, Atlanta, High Point or Las Vegas to visit showrooms when I can. I will probably do more competitive shopping to try and stay on top of things. But can everyone else afford the time and money to do that?
I for one will miss JPMA!
Ken Goore, Goore's Furniture, Sacramento, Calif.
A: Is one show enough? I feel that the ABC Kids Expo offers an excellent venue to help the independent juvenile specialty retailer survive and be competitive in today's market. It is a very large and powerful show format that sufficiently meets the needs of the independent retailer.
There are, however, other options to strengthen your store display. For furniture there are the High Point and Las Vegas markets. For gifts and accessories there are many options — Atlanta, Dallas, New York, San Francisco and many other regional shows. For apparel, there is Magic in Las Vegas plus New York, L.A. and various regional shows. These are just a few examples of how the independent retail store can survive in today's environment.
Be creative and don't be afraid to display and merchandise new items. Over the years JPMA has been an excellent show, but times change and so must the retailer.
Paul Kantor, The Bedroom Source, Lindenhurst, N.Y.
Karen Scott, One Step Ahead/Leaps and Bounds, Lake Bluff, Ill.
Dave Laub, Room to Grow, Cincinnati, Ohio
Ken Goore, Goore's Furniture, Sacramento, Calif.
Joni McConnell, JCPenney Direct, Plano, Texas
