Kastoria fur fair most successful in memory

SANDY PARKER REPORT, VOL. 30, ISSUE 13, MAY 15, 2006
The following extract is reproduced with permission from Sandy Parker Reports, Weekly International Fur News. Sandy Parker has been covering the fur industry for more than four decades. For most of that time he has published a weekly newsletter, detailing results of international pelt auctions, wholesale price trends, business developments and movements in the trade, as well as economic and political activities that may impact on it.
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International Fur News
with Sandy Parker
Kastoria fur fair most successful in memory
THE MOMENTUM OF BUSINESS AT THE INTERNATIONAL FUR FAIRS THIS SPRING, based on retailer optimism for the coming season, continued at the Greek fair held in Kastoria last week. Though far smaller than the major events that preceded it – and catering to only a fraction of their attendance – it nevertheless reflected the same enthusiasm shown earlier. Here, too, prices were substantially higher than a year ago, but were largely taken in stride by the foreign retailers who had been initiated at the other fairs. The three-day event resulted in good sales of both garments, mostly to foreign buyers, and skins that were taken mainly by manufacturers operating in Kastoria and neighboring, similarly fur-oriented villages in northern Greece.
This was the 31st edition of the Greek show and, although billed as an international fair, it was largely a domestic production from an exhibitors standpoint, but the buyers were almost all foreign. According to exhibitors and veteran observers, this was the most successful Greek fair in memory. This fair, subsidized in part by the government, has rarely attracted more than a dozen or so outside visitors, the attendance usually consisting of the local manufacturers and their workers.
However, much has changed in recent years in terms of Kastoria’s accessibility, the fashions it offers and the products it delivers from the standpoint of quality control. The town’s small airport has been upgraded and now accepts jet service from Athens three days a week. The old winding roads have been replaced by new highways with more than a dozen tunnels through the mountains that have cut the car trip from Thessaloniki’s airport from four hours to two.
The official records showed a total attendance of 2,317, of which 28%, or 649, were listed as foreign visitors. The 110 exhibitors at this year’s event compared with 52 last year.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Greek Fair Called Success
Kastoria Attracts Record Crowd
Russians Are Biggest Buyers
New Regime Given Credit
Bigger Venue Elsewhere Weighed
For extracts from back issues of Sandy Parker Reports see News Index. Subscribers can access an archive of complete issues at www.sandyparker.com.
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