Jan 15, 2016

Retail year off to record start in Atlanta

Non-stop order-writing, record year-over-year traffic growth and hundreds of new and newly expanded showrooms are setting the mark for the January 2016 Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market and The Atlanta International Area Rug Market in the opening wave of its eight-day run. The 59^th consecutive winter show under continuous Portman Family ownership and management kicked off January 12 with fast-paced buying and selling across all product categories.

Leading retailers, designers and tastemakers from throughout the U.S. and around the world are making AmericasMart Atlanta their market of choice to source a merchandise line-up featuring thousands of lines and countless introductions, many in exclusive U.S. debut. Top lines and designs in showrooms and temporary booths housing leading manufacturers, importers and sales representative organizations — all looking to harness the global power present at AmericasMart — are selling first, here, in the first U.S. global market event of 2016.

Highlighting today’s market lineup:

• Opening day for the Market Temporaries in a reimagined, buyer-centric design, which places the Gourmet Housewares, Tabletop & Entertaining and Tabletop LUXE collections directly above the complementary HIGH DESIGN and HIGH DESIGN LUXE collections in Building 2. Gourmet Foods and Gourmet LUXE also relocate in Building 2 to Floor 3 as part of the redesign.
• The continuing Atlanta International Area Rug Market^®featuring the National Oriental Rug Show (Showrooms and Temporaries: Wednesday, January 13 – Saturday, January 18), staged and produced in exclusive collaboration with The Oriental Rug Importers Association (ORIA), which has just renewed its 35-year-old AmericasMart partnership.
• Party on Peachtree 2016, the hottest ticket at Market and the single-largest event benefitting Gift For Life (GFL) and Young Gift Executives (YGE).  Party On Peachtree begins at 6:30 p.m., complete with a cocktail buffet dinner and live performances by The Helpers—all choreographed by Emmy-nominated emcee Tom Sullivan.  Proceeds from the event will continue Gift For Life’s work in the fight against AIDS and Young Gift Executives’ support of domestic violence survivors.