Kiwi brands to feature at world baby trade show

New Zealand juvenile products company, phil&teds, will showcase its award-winning namesake and Mountain Buggy brands in Germany tomorrow alongside the annual trade show, Kind + Jugend.

The world’s leading trade fair, for the baby and toddler industry, opens its doors in Cologne from 15 - 18 September, where around 1,200 companies from more than 50 countries are set to exhibit.

phil&teds Chief Executive, Campbell Gower, says Kind + Jugend provides a premium platform for introducing trade visitors to new and innovative products, while also showcasing existing line ups.

“It’s about engaging with customers, both current and potential. We're quite proud to be just a small company based in Wellington. We are tiny compared to our competitors, but we make the trip annually from the other side of the world - with buggies to boot - to show we’re world-class. Our customers like that.”

Last year, the event attracted over 21,000 visitors, from 110 countries. Attendees were introduced to new products and continuing developments in children’s furniture, safety seats, textile outfitting, buggies and hygiene items - across 100,000 square metres of exhibition space.

For the third consecutive year, the company will showcase its products off site, across from the exhibition’s main hall.

“We want our customers to feel they can focus on us, as we do on them. Trade visitors tend to be on the go the whole time with heavy appointment schedules. We remove this. Visitors get through their meetings, then sit down and relax with us. It’s the Kiwi way.”

In the 15 years phil&teds has attended Kind + Jugend, the company has won five innovation awards across both brands - confirming their position as design innovators.

“New Zealanders live on the edge of the world, and I do think this factors into our thinking. We need to be inventive and with over 20 years of research and development experience, we certainly know our way around a nursery.”

phil&teds and Mountain Buggy products sell in over 40 markets and more than 1000 stores worldwide.

Mr Gower hopes the trade show will help expand those current markets and open new doors for the company.

“While our focus is on relationship management, we’ll be working hard to place orders on the products showcased - especially those new to market like Mountain Buggy’s pioneering travel companion, bagrider™, and phil&teds’ special prints and mod™ range.”

Both phil&teds and Mountain Buggy brands will feature at Puericultura Madrid in Spain towards the end of the month, followed by ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, United States, rounding out the company’s annual trade show trifecta.