Trans Pacific Partnership To Be A Hot Topic At the Second Global Footwear Retail Conference

Hong Kong, Feb. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As the countdown to the second edition of the Global Footwear Retail Conference (GFRC) to be held at the end of March starts, recent releases about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) suggest cause for optimism in the footwear retail market.

2015 Global Footwear Retail Conference

Q&A session

The trade deal looks to facilitate investment between 12 countries across the Pacific Rim, which together account for about 40% of the global economy. For footwear, the deal begins to chip away at high tariff rates. One estimate by the Footwear Retailers and Distributors of America puts tariff savings as high as $450 million in the first year of the deal.

Apart from discussing global trade and the impact of the TPP, the GFRC will examine current consumer trends with a particular attention to Millennial fashion consumers and will study the newest developments in the realm of footwear e-commerce.

Now in its second year, GFRC is a leading global event that brings together executives and senior stakeholders from the footwear supply chain.

Last year it attracted over 100 key footwear retailers to Hong Kong to discuss critical issues facing the retail industry. The focus of 2015 was the two largest footwear markets – USA and China – with a combination of keynote lectures and panels discussions.

This year, with the introduction of the TPP deal and the advent of cross-border platforms in China, the GFRC promises to be even more eventful and informative.

So far, the organisers are delighted to announce the participation of the representatives of two major trade associations: Mr. Tommaso Cancellara, General Manager of the Italian Footwear Manufacturers' Association and Mr. Claude Paquin, Vice President of the French Footwear Federation.

Keynote speaker Ms. Jayne Esteve Cure, Founder, Jayne Fashion Agency, will share her perspective on the millennial fashion consumer and the trends, such as mass customisation and one-to-one retailing, that are expected to kick off in 2016. Also on the panel about consumer trends, luxury product sourcing company and trend spotter Lambert + Associates have confirmed their participation too.

Represented by its Marketing Director, Ms. Carson Liu, Belle International (China), the No. 1 woman's shoe retailer in China, will be one of a number of brand names in the footwear business to participate in the GFRC.

The 2016 edition of GRFC will be held alongside Fashion Access and APLF - Materials, Manufacturing and Technology 2016 on 31 March, 2016, from 10:00 to 13:00 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. We are happy to announce that online registration for GFRC is now open. Sign-up for this half-day Conference and other onsite events here today.

For more information, please visit fashionaccess.aplf.com.

Notes to Editors

About APLF Limited (http://www.aplf.com/)
APLF Ltd is a joint venture between SIC Group and UBM Asia. For over two decades, Hong Kong-based APLF Ltd has been providing the global leather and fashion industries with its most important meeting and trading place.

About SIC Group (http://www.sicgroup.com/)
SIC Group has been organising international professional events since 1926 for companies working in the leather sector. Its role is to support businesses in their development and offer them work platforms in areas of the world with high potential. With four shows organised each year, SIC Group and its partners can take advantages of expertise that is unique in the world.

About UBM Asia (http://www.ubmasia.com/)
Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade show organiser in Asia and the largest commercial organiser in China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 24 major cities with 32 offices and 1,300 staff.

With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 19 market sectors with 230 events, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock online products for over 2,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks.

UBM Asia has extensive office networks in China, Southeast Asia and India, three of the world's fastest growing B2B events markets. UBM China has 12 offices in the major cities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Guzhen and Shenzhen, where we organise 90 events. In ASEAN, UBM Asia operates from its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines with 70 events in this region. UBM India teams in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai organise over 20 events every year across the country.

UBM Asia was awarded 'Asia's Most Reliable Trade Show Organizer Award' in Hong Kong's Most Valuable Companies Awards (HKMVCA) 2016.

About UBM plc (http://www.ubm.com/)

UBM plc is a leading global events-led marketing services and communications company. We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online and in print. Our 5,000 staff in more than 20 countries are organised into specialist teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. Running over 300 events per year UBM is the second largest exhibitions organiser globally and the biggest commercial organiser in the US, mainland China, India and Malaysia.

For more information, go to http://www.ubm.com/; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM corporate news; follow @UBM for news and updates from across the businesses and selected members of UBM's Twitterati. http://media.ubm.com/social

For fair details, please contact:
Ms Perrine Ardouin, Director
Email: Perrine.Ardouin@ubm.com

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Kennise Pang, Senior Marketing Communications Executive
Email: Kennise.Pang@ubm.com

APLF Limited
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Tel:    +852-2827-6211
Fax:   +852-3749-7346
Website: http://www.aplf.com/

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