Cautious buyers look for fresh ideas at SHOPA - School and Home Products Association trade show, New Orleans, Louisiana

Discount Store News, Dec 7, 1992

NEW ORLEANS -- The persistent recession that has wreaked havoc in most sectors of the economy penetrated the 1992 Back-To-School season with slow sales and is causing buyers to view 1993 with cautious eyes and conservative buying plans.

The mantra of the day continues to be basic school supplies with more than a hint of fashion.

Color, in particular, is expected to be applied to even the most ordinary of products giving traditional school items such as rulers and notebooks, some extra appeal. In addition, higher quality "value-added" school supplies aimed at older students will appear in greater numbers than ever before.

Unlike previous years, licensed products are projected to face a tough year. Even though Walt Disney's "Aladdin" has opened in movie theaters and "Beauty & the Beast" is already out in home video, buyers wonder if the sensation those licenses now enjoy will carry over into the 1993 season. The same soul-searching applies to Batman, Dracula, Barbie and The Little Mermaid. The only license to be labeled as hot is Barney.

Buyers and manufacturers expect the upcoming School & Home Office Products Association (SHOPA) Show, Dec. 8 to 12 at the New Orleans Convention Center, to offer some surprises, solidify the programs they are currently considering and correct some missteps before they commit to product.

As in years past, buyers will be looking for something new and exciting to shake up their departments.

"I'll be looking for the same things I looked for last year: anything new, innovative and fresh," said Michele Miladinov, Kmart's stationery buyer. Echoing other buyers, she added, "It'll be a very cautious year again this year."

Miladinov, who will make most of her buying decisions after SHOPA, said that she has found--based on the 1992 selling season--that shoppers are interested in value-added items and basic school supplies. Her offerings will doubtlessly include fewer novelty and fringe products, she said, the result of some research that indicated that customers are spreading out their dollars to cover the greatest amount of items. This is due to normal buying-trend cycles and "the ghost of a recession," she said.

For Nelvia McGrath, buyer at Rose's Stores, the 1993 Back-To-School season will be even more conservative than 1992.

At Rose's, fashion will be very strong again this year, but particularly in color and graphics, not necessarily licensed goods. McGrath said she's looking for basic school supplies to be strong again next season, perhaps even more so than in 1992, plus value-added products that "give the customers a really good price or a good reason to pay a premium price."

At SHOPA, McGrath said she'll be looking for new arts and crafts products, especially in activity kits, plus additions to her theme book selection and more step-up school supplies for older students.

Jamesway's Terry Thogode, divisional merchandise manager, said she is going to SHOPA "with a very open mind." She said her shopping list for the show does not feature any one or group of items. Thogode said she was anxious to see what manufacturers have in store for 1993.

Basic school supplies will be strong again next year at Jamesway. Thogode projected, but licensed products are still a longshot. Barney, she said, is the only hot license and it's too early to tell if Aladdin and Beauty & the Beast will survive to Back-To-School 1993.

"I doubt anything will change for 1993," she said. "I'm optimistic but I'd need a crystal ball to know for sure."

According to Rex Miller, president of SHOPA, likely trends for this year's show, the association's second annual event--and the lone industry exposition this year--include:

* Efforts to market environmentally safe products and the expansion of these items outside of the paper category;

* Strong licensed goods presentations but no dominant license this year;

* More "homogenization" of themes across lines of merchandise not just the introduction of a single product;

* Incresed quality in school supplies, such as portfolios, for high school and college students with respect to durability, quality and even higher prices;

* A focus on higher quality products.

Show attendees will be able to get a good feel for the general trends in the industry for 1993 from the New Products Galleria, a new feature at the upcoming show. The exhibit will be located in one of the four corners of the convention center.

More than 130 manufacturers have submitted new products for the showcase, said Miller, way above the 25 to 30 vendors SHOPA organizers had originally expected to participate in the program.

The New Products Galleria will occupy 1,400 sq. ft. and showcase new products in three categories: new and unique; new full lines or fashion lines; and displays or merchandising concepts.

Overall, manufacturers appear to be looking at adjusting new product offerings to reflect current lifestyle and fashion preferences.

For example, Union Camp will introduce some value-added features to its Upper Classman line of school supplies for older students based on market research that asked students to design the products they want.