DIYWEEK.net

The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) celebrated another positive 'Meet the Buyer' event with Homebase last month.
The event, which took place on November 26, was declared 'invaluable' by members of the Homebase buying team. Homebase buying manager Caroline Bacon said: "BHETA has enabled us to find suppliers we were looking for whom we could potentially not have found any other way. The Meet The Buyer (MTB) concept is really good and today has been very successful in terms of opportunities for us to find new products."

45 suppliers attended the BHETA MTB day in November, taking part in 66 appointments with seven members of the Homebase buying team. The event took place at the Holiday Inn in Milton Keynes and focused on housewares categories, including cookshop, home accessories, small domestic appliances, climate control, utility, laundry, cleaning, and home furnishing.

Each appointment comprised a product demonstration and a 20-minute interview. The emphasis was on innovation, with a number of suppliers earmarked for follow up with a view to listing.

BHETA's Will Jones commented: "Many BHETA members have secured business through the Meet The Buyer format. With buyers and sellers under immense time pressure, this format is a win-win for all parties. We are delighted by today's results, which yet again, prove that these events are a genuine opportunity for both BHETA members and for the retailers who take part."