PCIE show closes its doors for the last time

"It has become clear that the necessary industry support was not there for this event to continue in Western Europe,"​ Jo Lewis of Step Exhibitions told CosmeticsDesign​.

"The event has been well supported by French companies, many of whom will be disappointed by this news, but that is not enough to sustain the show as an ongoing business."​

Lewis said that Step Exhibitions​ will be issuing a formal press release next week, once it has informed all of the exhibitors who have signed up for next year's event. She also added that there are no plans to stage an alternative show at the current time.

PCIE has been battling it out with the growing In-Cosmetics​ show over the past few years. In-Cosmetics was due to take place in Barcelona at the beginning of April, just one week after the PCIE exhibition.

This year the timing was even worse, with the PCIE exhibition clashing on exactly the same days as the In-Cosmetics show, held in Berlin from 12-14 April and organised by Reed Exhibitions​. Indeed a number of individuals shuttled between the two shows, many of whom complained that it was too much.

"Having the two shows back-to-back like that was ridiculous, one of them was bound to lose out in the end, it just was not sustainable,"​ said one industry observer who preferred to remain anonymous.

Lewis did however stress that none of Step Exhibition's other health and beauty shows are in any way under threat of being axed.

"We have just completed the PCHI show in China and the un-audited figures suggest that we had an attendance of 5,500 people - an astonishing figure,"​ said Lewis.

"Meanwhile PCIA, which has been going ten years now, is going from strength to strength and we are expecting it to be another big success when it opens its doors again in Seoul, Korea, next March."​

Lewis also pointed out that the company still has a significant presence in the European personal care industry, with its CHI exhibition, due to take place in Warsaw, Poland, next week.