The Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), in collaboration with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)-Tokyo and Asean -Japan Centre (AJC), will conduct an outbound business matching mission (OBMM) to Tokyo, Japan, for the Christmas/holiday décors, gifts and houseware sectors in time for the Philippine Festival Product Showcase and Bazaar 2019 from November 27 to December 2, 2019.
This is the first engagement of EMB with PTIC-Tokyo in promoting the lifestyle sector. The Philippine delegation is composed of 27 companies from the holiday décor, gifts and houseware sector. The key components for this OBMM project include retail/product showcase, individual client meetings, business forum, business-matching (B2B) meetings and market sensing/store checks.
The project aims to strengthen the Philippines’s position as a major trading partner of Japan, identify the business development and new business leads through the individual business meetings, forum and networking activities. It also intends to test retail prospects of handmade small and medium enterprise (SME) products in the Japanese mainstream market and render a presentation to Japan stakeholders on opportunities for outsourcing gifts, holiday décor, and interior product manufacturing to Philippine regional SMEs.
The companies joining the mission are: A. Teves Enterprises, Acento Colleccion Inc., Adorno ’72 Home Decors, Ai-She Footwear, Benelco Arts and Crafts, Brics Ventures, Coco Plus Aquarian Development Corp., Crafter’s Joy Cornhusk Products, Cut N Shape Craft Manufacturing, Denmark Candle, Dorevi Industries, Esrom’s House of Eco Buri and Fae Décor Crafts.
Also joining are Fruits of Life Inc., Fulgosino Enterprises, Island RKOC Home Decors & Accessories, Jacildo’s Handicrafts, J.E.R. Shells Craft Creations International, Jhaz Footwear Store, LBR Philcrafts, Ness Crafts and Fine Goods, Rowilda’s Loomweaving, San Mariano Banana Growers and Producers Cooperative, Style Cat Mauve Marketing, TGIA Craft Manufacturing, Tuy Arts and Designs, and Yamang Atin Enterprises.
The business-matching activity with the AJC is an opportunity for these companies to network with prospective buyers, retailers, distributors and fit-out companies. AJC will prearrange meetings, with the assistance of PTIC-Tokyo, based on the initial B2B survey.
The Philippine Festival promises to be Japan’s biggest Philippine event of the year since there are over 30,000 Filipinos living and working in Tokyo complemented by the presence of Japanese locals as prospective consumer base.
The two-day event used to be known as the “Barrio Fiesta” and was held in Yokohama’s Yamashita Park. In 2013, it was rebranded as the Philippine Festival and has since been hosted in Hibiya Park. But this year, it will be held at Yoyogi Park at Shibuya.
On the other hand, the Winter Illuminations Lighting Show is a top seasonal tourist attraction in Tokyo with a number of special light up events being held in the city during winter. Shibuya is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tokyo known for the trendy young culture and also the vibrant nightlife.
An added attraction in the Winter Illumination Light Show is the Shibuya Hikarie in the Shibuya Business District, which also features retail sales and event space up to floor 11, at which point access is controlled to the theater (11th to 16th floors) and private office space (17th to 34th floors). The eighth floor is the creative space where the following are located: art gallery, museum, and design travel store. Lifestyle Goods, Beauty and Fashion are located at the first to fifth floors. This corporate and commercial entity is home to all things design, lifestyle, and hospitality that present potential business opportunities for the Philippine companies.
“The inherent strength of the Philippine industries for the Christmas/holiday décors, gifts and housewares, immense opportunity and potential demand in Japan, and its reputation of being a fertile ground for company set up because of its commitment to sustainable development and economic diversification, progressive-minded government and liberal corporate policies were main consideration for organizing this mission,” DTI-Trade Promotions Group Undersecretary Abdulgani M. Macatoman said.