The Milan-based Macef wrapped up in January reporting more than 90,000 visitors and an increase of 12 percent for its 88th annual edition.

Fiera Milano managing director Enrico Pazzali said, "The distribution industry seems to have gained confidence and now feels the need to begin investing again. So, a significant recovery is looking possible for the homeware industry, which finds Macef to be the ideal occasion to offer new ideas."

A notable increase in the number of visitors to Macef was due to Italian distributors, Pazzali remarked. "[This] signals that Italy is producing economic results above the European average in this business climate." Equally significant is the fact that a good number of the Italian visitors came not only from the richer, neighboring northern regions, but also from the central and southern regions.

The International Home Show featured numerous side events: from La Casa in Fiore by Gruppo Classico Italiano to Creazioni and Creazioni Designer, devoted to artistic crafts, the Flexible Store (devoted to the opportunities provided by Visual Shopping and the Shopping Experience) and the "Una tavola lunga un secolo," an exhibition with stories, products and ideas from leading operators in the sector.

Fiera Milano invited more than 2,000 top foreign buyers, 30 percent of whom were first-time visitors to Macef. Also significant in this context were some welcome "returns" of representatives of big international chains such as Harrod's and Lafayette.

A charity auction, Macef in Town, netted 13,000 euro for Haiti's child earthquake victims. Macef in Town, an exhibition of high-design objects offered by Macef's most creative and innovative companies, and selected by Tuscany-New York artist Alessandro Gedda, comprised a collection of 50 pieces divided into five areas where the theme was a particular moment of the day represented by big, original sculptures by artist Andra Barra.