The natural stone industry, one of Turkey’s star industries, left its mark on the international fair held in China.
The Turkish natural stone industry met with Chinese buyers after a 4-year. Turkish Companies’ dazzling designs and innovative products at the 23rd Xiamen International Stone Fair attracted great attention. At the fair, collection areas, including artificial stones, machinery and equipment, design, and Turkish stones, were presented to the visitors. İbrahim Alimoğlu, The President of the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association, said the fair is a significant opportunity to revive old commercial relations and create new business opportunities.
170,000 square meters of stone are on display at Xiamen Stone Fair
The Turkish natural stone sector, one of the star sectors in Turkey’s exports, with an export performance of 2.2 billion dollars in 2022, presented its products to the Chinese buyers, the second largest export market, after 4-years. The 23rd Xiamen International Stone Fair was held on 5-8 June 2023, in an area of 170.000 m2, in 22 halls, with the participation of 1308 companies, 174 foreign. The Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association made the Turkish National Participation Organization of the Xiamen Natural Stone and Technologies Fair, as it has been for many years.
Artificial stones are presented to buyers.
The fair also featured collection areas of artificial stones, machinery and equipment, design, and natural stone types, including Turkish stones and sectoral media stands. İbrahim Alimoğlu, President of the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association, said, “Our natural stone exports to China in 2022 amounted to 419 million dollars. In January-May 2023, we exported 152 million dollars’ worth of natural stone. As in every Xiamen fair, Turkey had the highest number of foreign participants, with 60 companies this year. In addition to our country, which has national participation with 47 companies in an area of 1746 m2, Italy, Brazil, Egypt, Brazil, and Portugal also organized national participation organizations in the fair. 139 thousand 41 people visited the fair in 4 days. Chinese visitors increased by 24 % compared to 2019, while foreign visitors increased by 50 %. While visitors came from 91 countries, the leading countries were India, Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, and Malaysia.”
Turkish natural stones introduced via VR glasses
President Alimoğlu said, “Our Turkish natural stones exhibited at the stands of Turkish companies, which are one of the focal points of the fair with their renewed designs, attracted great attention from the visitors. The stands of our exporters, which witnessed heavy visitor traffic from the first day to the last day of the fair, were filled with customers who came to revive old commercial relations and importers who would provide new business opportunities. At our Association’s booth at the Xiamen Fair, on the one hand, the industry stakeholders were given the experience of seeing the mine in a virtual environment with VR glasses and receiving training on remote identification of possible risk factors in the quarry on the other hand, our Amorf Design Competition, our sectoral events, our country, and our sector were introduced. ”
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Artistic touches
Xiamen International Stone Fair hosted many fascinating booth designs that attracted the attention of exhibitors. Among the exhibitors, Turkish companies stood out in particular, demonstrating marble’s extraordinary versatility and dazzling and innovative products. Their stands were a real show, featuring gravity-defying sculptures and intricate mosaics that captivate the senses. The beauty of marble wasn’t the only factor that impressed visitors; the creativity behind designs left a lasting impression.
Marble tables
Xiamen International Stone Fair dazzled marble tables, each more eye-catching than the previous one. Marble, which never goes out of fashion, is dazzling, aesthetic, and very durable; its versatility from kitchen counters to armchairs was revealed at the fair. The fair’s marble tables proved this timeless material’s beauty and versatility.
What did the participants say about 23rd Xiamen International Stone Fair
Mabella Marble – Metin Düzer
The fair was less active than the previous fairs. There was a demand for stones, but since China has just started exporting, I cannot say that it continues as before. A lot of my customers’ opinion is that the Chinese market will be faster in 2024. Of course, being the first organization to be held after the pandemic significantly impacts all of them. We brought products from our Afyon, Muğla, Bilecik and Uşak quarries. The interest was outstanding, but the returns were beginning.
Nero Picasso – Burak Aziz
Xiamen stone fair was more intense than we expected. Between the 3-year pandemic, the participant and visitor interest in the Xiamen fair has increased to the highest level. We attended the fair with the products of our Nero Picasso quarry. It was fair that we did not participate for a long time. The market is entering a busy period for exotic marbles, and in this context, we are pleased with the fair. Our visitors from China and other countries complained about the stable market. This recession continues due to the ongoing global supply crisis and current wars.
Artmar Artı Mermer – Yasin Carık
I can say that the China Xiamen fair went well for us. Visitor traffic at the fair was fine. Apart from the Chinese block buyers, we had visitors from Southeast Asian countries and Australia. In particular, the slowness of the construction sector in the Chinese market continues. There have been changes in marble fashion compared to the past years. There is an increase in the ratio of China’s stones and other country stones in the markets. The number of Chinese manufacturers of manufactured products such as quartz and porcelain has also increased considerably. As participants from other countries, I could see Italian, Greek and Egyptian marble makers. We exhibited our Fior Di Bosco, Emperador, Golden Beige, Golden Spider and Rosso Venato stones at the fair. Almost every stone we exhibited attracted the attention of visitors from different markets.
Esmer Mermer – Sahra Güzin
As Esmer Marble, the Xiamen fair went well for us. The interest in Holanta Dolomite, our new dolomitic stone with a grey undertone close to white, which we started to introduce in 2022, was high. Since we know our customers’ comments about Holanta from other fairs, it was an expected interest for us. We can say multi-coloured belonging to our other quarries, Sunset Pink, Salome, Bordeaux Grigio and Golden Onyx; Architects from Korea and Singapore showed interest. Signals that red-pink veined stones with warm undertones, which will contrast with the neutral tones that have been in fashion for a long time, will be in style again, have been received from these markets. The situation of the market, in general, is the negative effect created by the troubled blocks leaving Turkey during the pandemic; by advancing the competition only on a price basis; The Chinese market is moving away from being a market that has to buy every stone under any circumstance; It shows that we, the producers, should also lead the market in a more planned way by creating competition with quality.
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+90 532 585 51 95