Sold-Out OffPrice Buzzing With Buyers on the Hunt for Bargains
LAS VEGAS—The OffPrice show kicked things off on Feb. 10—several days before MAGIC opened—at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, where the reports were good from long-time exhibitors and companies showing for the first time.
The tiny booth for Los Angeles–based dress line Sexy Diva was packed as designer Diva Yazdian and her husband, Danny, showed their line of sexy party dresses in bright prints. The collection is a new division of Los Angeles–based men’s collection Vinci Vinci, which is a long-time exhibitor at OffPrice. The designer met with buyers from New York, Florida and Jamaica—“all over.” Sexy Diva dresses are produced in Los Angeles and are wholesale priced from $11 to $14.
Ed Bernard, president of Kalamazoo, Mich.–based Bermo Enterprises and a founder of the OffPrice show, said traffic in the morning on third day of the show was “pretty dead, and then suddenly it’s like someone switched the light on.” For the rest of the day, the 12 people staffing the Bermo booth were steadily working with customers.
Bernard said he saw buyers from around the world—including Ireland, New Zealand, Germany, Japan and Uruguay—at the show.
“This is a writing show,” Bernard said.
The first two days of the sold-out, four-day show were good, said David Lapidos, executive vice president of OffPrice, but Feb. 12—the day before MAGIC opened—was especially strong. Lapidos said the day before MAGIC is typically one of the busiest of the show, but this season it was “more than I expected.”
“People are flocking here for bargains,” he said. That means good, regular prices are not selling so good. People in that business are still having a hard time. Everyone wants a bargain. Everyone wants value.”
Lapidos said footwear and accessories continue to be growth areas for the show. Organizers are also looking to expand the show’s Cash & Carry section, which was buzzing with activity throughout the show.—Alison A. Nieder
