Wholesale News & Articles

The Off-Price Specialist Show takes place February 15-18 at the Venetian Grand Ballrooms in Las Vegas. This is the only show devoted solely to off-price apparel and accessories, according to Don Browne, marketing director and group publisher of Off-Price Specialist Center, which operates the show twice a year, along with an online source and related services.

"We are the official off-price component of Las Vegas Fashion Week," Browne points out, noting that this show starts two days prior to the opening of MAGIC, which takes place February 17-19.

Between 450 and 500 companies exhibit at Off-Price Specialist Show, in 1,000 booths covering approximately 100,000 square feet. "There are great deals on trendy, fashion-forward apparel, footwear, handbags and accessories, along with basics," Browne says. "We also have a huge number of intimates exhibitors."

Prices range from 20 percent to as much as 70 percent below wholesale. "It only takes one deal to make a retailer's year profitable," Browne points out.

Buyers Tours are hosted from 9 to 11 a.m. on the first three days of the show. "A seasoned buyer guides visitors around the show floor, offering tips on how to negotiate with exhibitors and how to look under the rocks for the best deals," Browne explains.

Attendance at the show is free to qualified retailers, and Buyers Tours are also free. Between 10,000 and 12,000 buyers regularly attend Off-Price Specialist shows. Attendees can sign up online. The show hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The show began informally in 1995 in just a few hotel rooms, and later occupied a tent, before it became the expansive showcase that it is today. "More and more people realized there was a need for a central marketplace for the jobber community," Browne explains. The quality and variety of product has expanded even more. "What began with closeouts now also includes hot new stuff and top brands," he says.

The Off-Price Specialist Show also takes place August 29 through September 1 this year at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. For more information on the February and upcoming shows, contact:

Off-Price Specialist Show
16985 West Bluemound Road, Ste. 210
Brooksfield, WI 53005
Tel.: 262-782-1600
Fax: 262-782-1601
Website: www.offpriceshow.com

Article ID: 887