GDS - International Event for Shoes & Accessories GLOBAL SHOES - leading trade show for sourcing
11 to 13 September 2009

Providing Reliability in Unsettled Times
+ 28,500 Visitors at the Düsseldorf Shoe Fairs
+ GDS convinces Visitors with its Variety of Brands and Information

The mood of the international shoe sector is quietly optimistic. This was demonstrated at the shoe fairs GDS - International Event for Shoes & Accessories and GLOBAL SHOES - leading trade show for sourcing that closed their doors on
Sunday. According to provisional estimates, a total of approx. 28,500 buyers from 82 countries found their way to the three-day events held at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre (11 to 13 September 2009). 6,400 of these also visited GLOBAL
SHOES. Visitors included many renowned retail stores such as Apropos (Cologne), Betsy Palmer (Amsterdam), Breuninger (Stuttgart), Deichmann (Essen), Görtz (Hamburg), KaDeWe (Berlin), Office (London), Prange (Düsseldorf) and
Stiefelkönig (Graz).

One in two buyers came here from abroad (82 countries, the top 5 being Benelux, Italy, Great Britain, Spain and France). At the same time, GDS and GLOBAL SHOES were once again able to significantly extend their reach within Germany also
welcoming more buyers here with decision-making powers. 93% of visitors rated GDS good to very good. It was primarily the range presented, the proximity to current trends, the seminar programme at the new Speakers Lounge as well as the
fashion shows that went down particularly well.

"We are very satisfied with the way GDS and GLOBAL SHOES went. Over the last three days both events presented themselves as reliable fixtures in unsettled times," explained Director Kirstin Deutelmoser at the end of both fairs. "The pooling of the individual lifestyle worlds and the extension of the information programme for retail have proven good steps to take. Strong premium and quality brands have continued to bank on GDS. At the same time, buyers were able to discover many new brands. This combination of brand variety and information
gives GDS its appeal."

Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, CEO at Messe Düsseldorf, added: "The fairs have shown that the shoe sector still feels very much at home in Düsseldorf even
after over 50 years. And to ensure this continues to be the case we intend to develop GDS and GLOBAL SHOES further, continually adapting them to changing market circumstances."

Echoing the views of German exhibitors Ralph Rieker, Chairman of shoe industry association HDS - Bundesverband der Schuhindustrie, summed up how the fair went: "The dark clouds of the economic crisis are slowly starting to clear.

The  shoe industry is still here. And thankfully the buyers are still here, too. Instead of the anticipated reticence it has primarily been small and medium-sized shoe stores that have placed orders. This is a good sign. GDS has managed to fulfil or even exceed the expectations of most exhibitors in these unsettled times and has therefore been able to consolidate its position in the international shoe business."

Commenting on the significance of GDS for Spanish shoe producers Javier Garcia Lillo from the Spanish shoe federation FICE said: "Over the past few seasons GDS has developed from a classic shoe fair into a spectacular event with very high fashion standards. I know of no other fair that manages to present and reflect the coming fashion and social trends as well as the current GDS. For Spanish
exhibitors wanting to reach the Central, Northern and Eastern European markets there is now no alternative to GDS."

GDS - International Event for Shoes & Accessories and GLOBAL SHOES - leading trade show for sourcing held from 11 to 13 September 2009 presented a total of 1,145 exhibitors from 42 countries at the exhibition centre in Düsseldorf. At GDS 765 exhibitors with over 1,800 collections presented the trends for Spring/Summer 2010 and the current season. GLOBAL SHOES with its 380 exhibitors posted a clear plus over the previous year's event.

The next GDS and GLOBAL SHOES will be held in Düsseldorf from 12 to 14 March 2010.

All activities on GDS as well as numerous features like exhibitor contact data and collection descriptions can be found on the Internet at:
www.gds-online.com
www.globalshoes-online.com