Rumors have been circulating for a few weeks that an alternative order format is planned near Düsseldorf. It was still unclear by whom. Now it seems clear: This is probably a plan from the Rexor group. She wants to organize a so-called “Trend Day” on February 18th, similar to the “Barefoot Day” that is scheduled to take place on January 19th in Düsseldorf. As Rexor managing director Niek Jansen explains to schuhkurier, both formats are not aimed exclusively at Rexor members, but are open to all interested retailers.
The trend day is to take place in the Hugo Junkers Hangar, a multifunctional hall on the Mönchengladbach airport grounds, not far from Autobahn 52, Mönchengladbach-Ost exit. The location is about 30 minutes away from Düsseldorf.
As Jansen emphasized in an interview with schuhkurier, the Trend Day is not a trade fair or an elaborately organized event, but rather a low-threshold planned and “very simple” order appointment. “We are not a trade fair organizer. We just want retailers and suppliers to be able to come together in a targeted manner,” says Jansen. The trend day has nothing to do with the already established trade fairs such as Shoes, Supreme or Essenz.
According to the Rexor managing director, the background for the initiative is to offer retailers a high-quality range of shoes, bags and accessories. “I would like to give you the opportunity to view collections in the middle of the season.” I am thinking of companies like Tott in Essen, Ingla in Rosenheim or Leffers in Oldenburg. The aspect of a member meeting also plays into the considerations. To make participation worthwhile for potential exhibitors, dealers who do not belong to Rexor should also be able to take part.
Janssen continued that on October 15, Rexor initially sent invitations and registration forms to ten luxury brands to clarify whether there was interest in taking part in the “Trend Day” order event. When it comes to offerings, think of brands like Strategia, Pertini or Magnanni. The plan is to gather around 50 brands in Mönchengladbach; Jansen also expects around 50 to 60 dealers to visit – more is not possible at the location due to capacity reasons. The Rexor managing director confirmed a media report to schuhkurier, according to which participation with a 12 square meter stand should cost 495 euros for Rexor suppliers and 795 euros for external parties. “This event is not a new revenue model for Rexor,” emphasizes Jansen.
The trend day is not in competition with the Rexor trade fair in Antwerp, which will take place on January 30th, explains Niek Jansen. Around 150 dealers from the Benelux countries and around 20 from Germany come there. Around 200 brands will be exhibiting at the event. He also doesn’t see any competition with other trade fairs in the shoe industry: Rexor visits and supports all relevant trade fairs in the market, from Who’s Next in Paris to Shoes and Supreme to Essenz. You maintain good contact with the organizers. However, Jansen said he had had the idea of establishing a small alternative order format for the luxury genre for some time. He now hopes to be able to attract enough exhibitors and dealers to the format despite the difficult market environment.
At the beginning of September, Shoes in Düsseldorf announced that it would bring forward the date for the A/W 2025/26 season and organize the trade fair at the beginning of February. The Rexor Trend Day would then take place around two weeks later.