GJIIF 2019 proves to be a roaring success for the industry

The second edition of South India’s mega B2B gems and jewellery exhibition, ‘Gem and Jewellery India International Fair (GJIIF)’, recorded approximately 4000 footfalls on its very first day. The market was almost inactive since the last 40 days due to national elections as there were restrictions on the movement of goods from one place to another. The accurate scheduling of the show post-election and few days before Akshaya Tritiya has worked in its favour.

The show is organised jointly by Gems and Jewellery Council (GJC), Tamil Nadu Jewellers Federation and Madras Jewellers and Diamonds Merchant Association (MJDMA) at the Chennai Trade Centre.

Spread across 2, 00,000 sq. ft. across the three halls, the show saw an overwhelming response from the buyers from all the southern states. The show promises to be a one-stop source for gold, silver and diamond jewellery. GJIIF has made available a single platform for wholesalers, retailers, exporters, manufacturers, diamond and gemstone suppliers and traders where they can meet, connect and grow their business. The show provides a platform to allow the domestic and the global gem and jewellery sector an excellent business opportunity to explore various multi-faceted aspects of the industry.

The show has also taken care of the need to enhance and share the knowledge, and discuss the pertinent issues of the industry through panel discussion.

Speaking about the exhibition, Jayantilal Challani, President, MJDMA said, “The latest edition was a premium B2B show. Generally in jewellery shows some kind of B2C activity is observed but we strictly kept it a B2B show. We have recorded more than 10,000 footfalls from various parts of the country and as well from other Asian countries. Also, the highlight being of the many exhibitors ran out of stock by 12 noon on the first day itself. GJIIF 2019 has conducted recording road shows for every gems and jewellery B2B jewellery show in South India. The modus operandi was to form separate teams to address various aspects of GJIIF 2019 and the efforts have been fruitful and yielded positive results.”

“We are planning to make several changes in the next edition like a separate area will be given to the foreign participants that will further raise the bar of the show,” Challani added.

Thumbs up from exhibitors

Harish Bohra, partner, Jay Gulab Jewellers said, “The second day was good for our business. As compared to the previous edition, the crowd was limited as only the quality customers were allowed to take part. Previously, non-serious buyers used to visit the show. I think, due to this factor, we have got more number of serious buyers this time. Apart from southern states, we have got good responses from other jewellery hubs of the country such as Mumbai and Rajkot. This time, we have launched new collections in lightweight jewellery. As the gold prices remain on the higher side, the buyers are looking for lightweight items as it suits their pockets.”

Vikas Mehta, CEO, Achal Jewels said, “GJIIF is undoubtedly one of the biggest shows of South India. The show is growing year on year. As compared to previous edition, we have witnessed more serious buyers this time who came with a positive frame of mind. The buyers are more attracted towards new and unique designer products. The best part of the show is that retail is not allowed inside the exhibition area, which allows us to give more focus on the customers. This show provides a good platform to the buyers from the small towns of South India, who don’t get the opportunity to take part in IIJS. We have got good responses from cities such as Vijayawada, Vizag, Nellore, Puducherry, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. I have been participating in the Chennai show since the past 12-15 years. At that time, there used to be only one hall as few stalls were only there, but now it has grown tremendously. We have launched new collections in South Indian jewellery, keeping the local sentiments in mind. We have launched new concepts in Mango malas, flowers, shapeable polki, and stain jewellery in lightweight.”

Sharing his thoughts on the show, Ankit Mehta, Director, Unique Chains Pvt LTD said, “The show was very nice for us because we were among the few exhibitors who showcase long gold chains, which is in huge demand in this part of the country. There were big buyers who came from various parts of South India. The demand for long chains were so high that we have sold all the existing stock in the first day itself and there was very little to display for the remaining two days. In the last five years, we have seen a lot of difference in the quality of buyers. Earlier, people used to come with their families, which was not acceptable in a trade show like this. Apart from long chains, we have come up with new collections of lightweight and feather light jewellery in Bombay and Kalkatta style of jewellery. We have managed to reduce the weight of necklace sets by 20 percent.”

Deepak Seth from SK Seth Jewellers said, “We had a great time in GJIIF show and good buyers were there mostly from rural areas. We have launched a new collection called Colour Beats collection, which is completely a new concept in the market. We have got almost 20 new clients and our walk-ins have increased by 40 percent this time, which is a good thing for us. In the next edition, I would like to have more customers from other South Indian states such as Andhra and Karnataka.”

Manish Jain from Maharaja Jewellers said, “The first day was okay but the second day was very good. Although it was Easter on Sunday, the crowd was good on the second day. It was our first participation in the show and the main aim was to capture the B2B market. We have displayed small-ticket items such as rings, pendants, earrings to heavy necklace sets.”

Darshan Bafna, Manager, Kamdhenu Jewellers said, “We have got good response on the first two days. However, there were not enough crowds on the last day. We have got a fair amount of response from the Southern states as well as from North India and West India. But I think we missed out on Karnataka and Kerala because of the impending general elections. As election was also there in Tamil Nadu on 18 April and the show starts from 20 April, we did not get much time to move our products. GJIIS gives us a lot of exposure. We get an opportunity to meet new clients and expand our retailers base. We saw a growth of about 15-20 percent in sales. In the next edition, we are expecting better growth figures. There was a huge demand for local jewellery such as Madras and Coimbatore jewellery in the exhibition. Simultaneously, the demand for Bombay jewellery and other types of fancy jewellery was also there.”

Krishna from RKR Gold said, “The event has been really good for us. We have got lots of walk-ins this time and we are very happy with the overall response from the retailers. We have been participating in the Chennai show since the last 20 years and this is the second time we have participated in GJIIF. As Akahaya Tritiya is around, the market is upbeat and I think the timing of the event was good. We have launched the Pebble Collection with Swarovski, which is a casting collection with lightweight stones. The natural feel of a pebble and the royal look of liquid cut Swarovski Zirconia like Jadau is the concept of the new collection. The subtle sparkle and the luster is the major highlight of the Pebble collections.”

J Ravindra Mohan, Sales Manager, Jai Ashoka Jewellery, Coimbatore was overwhelmed with the overall response. According to him the response was at par with his expectations. Because of the election code of conduct, the markets were down and it was also difficult to move jewellery from one place to another, but the market bounced back in GJIIF. We have got a lot of new clients from across the country, right from Odisha to Andaman and Nicobar islands. We basically deal with Coimbatore items. The buyers were mostly interested in unique items in lightweight jewellery. In heavy weight jewellery, necklace sets up to 300 grams were launched along with small-ticket items such as rings, pendants and earrings. Nearly 30 percent of stock displayed at GJIIF was newly made and fresh, Mohan added.

Courtesy: Manoj Chakraborty