Polish buyers are discovering new business opportunities at the 140th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, as a veteran-led delegation from the Polish-Chinese Chamber of Commerce brings a wave of first-time attendees in search of Chinese suppliers.
In a hotel lobby just two kilometers from the exhibition halls, the delegation held a pre-show briefing covering hall layouts, visiting routes and negotiation tactics. The group ranges from entrepreneurs in their twenties to a fast-moving consumer goods wholesaler in his seventies, with some members reporting annual revenues exceeding 10 million euros.
While most are visiting for the first time, delegation leader Dominik Bledzki began coming to the fair more than 20 years ago.
"We showed the buyers how to navigate here. Halls A, B, C and D are located in different places. On the way from the hotel on the bus, we already selected a few suppliers we want to visit," said Bledzki, president of the Polish-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
Among the newcomers is Mariusz Zrobek, a fabric wholesaler who purchases about 2.5 million meters of material every month from five Chinese factories. This time, however, he is looking beyond textiles, hoping to use the fair to expand into building materials.
"In our country, we have many, many building developers and they have built many apartments. I see the future in deliveries of new products for the building industry and the furniture industry. I think the Canton Fair is so big, so we have every possibility to find new suppliers and, of course, other business," said Zrobek.
The fair is also reshaping how some in the delegation run their businesses back home. Szymon, another Polish buyer, deals in consumer goods spanning more than 70 categories and thousands of products. Long dependent on Polish importers for his stock, he realized at the fair that most of what he sells actually originates from China.
"I think a lot of products are from China, because the quality here is good," he said.
Szymon also used the trip to visit factories between fair sessions. The journey from the exhibition hall to the production floor convinced him to cut out the middlemen and purchase directly from China, expanding his procurement list in the process.
"We believe that the Chinese suppliers are presenting right now the best quality, the best design and really good prices, and the whole supply chain in China works perfectly," said Bledzki.
The 140th Canton Fair runs in three phases in Guangzhou from Oct. 15 to Nov. 4. Over the past 70 years, the fair has grown into China's largest and longest-running international trade event, with the most complete product range, the largest number of buyers and the highest transaction volume.
Polish buyers explore new opportunities at 140th Canton Fair
