Good pretty and cheap. The axiom of the three b’s, a classic of trade, reigns for four days at the Fairgrounds of Tenerife with the celebration, until next Sunday, of the XXV edition of the Exposaldo Fair. On the one hand, the sector, which is motivated like never before to place the merchandise accumulated during the year – that sometimes deadly stock for business – just before a Black Friday, the last Friday of November, as foreign as it is consolidated. They promise “quality” in the products they offer. On the other side, the public, pre-Christmas consumers who mostly hope to find a bargain in these 10,000 square meters of exhibition of all kinds of items. From textiles or household appliances to used vehicles.
The best bargains on the Island for one euro, the price of admission. The long queue of people, especially young people, who wait 45 minutes under a blazing sun (in November) before the doors open at eleven in the morning, guarantees a good response from the public. An operator unloading a pallet of boxes tells his colleague: “Do these people not study or work?” It is seen that not or they have made a little getaway in search of the bargains. Most come to look, but you never know.
The offer
Paula, an employee of the Caca la Vaca store, with physical headquarters in La Laguna, carefully takes care of the clothes minutes before people enter. Women’s dresses, bags, accessories… Everything has to be ready. “We come with the expectations of every year, which are none other than to sell as much as possible these days.”
In Ready Computer there is movement. David, administrator of the company specialized in technical service, although he also sells to wholesalers, shows the tranquility of his seven years of experience at the sale fair. It has four spaces of 16 square meters each, up to a total of about 75. Computer equipment, speakers or electronics are available to the occasional client. He assures David that “there is some shortage, due to the high cost of transport due to the international conflict.” Wait for these days with “good prospects for selling.” Her boys almost shout nervously: “Come on, the doors are already open!” The human tide enters in an orderly manner.
DATE
Exposaldo already has a place as a reference in the annual agenda of events of the Cabildo. An unmissable event for the sector
80
There are 80 companies in a total of 150 positions
SUCCESS
2,500 people entered the Fairgrounds in the first three hours
Vidal Acosta is a veteran in the clothing business. He has his physical store, AS 17, in the central Teobaldo Power street in the capital. Here he comes for the third time. He himself tells how he did: «The first, wonderfully; the second, just after the pandemic, was a disaster, we didn’t sell anything. Now, he hopes that it will be something more balanced and that it will not go “neither very bad nor very well.” A sentence to conclude: «The objective is to take stock of garments and convert them into money. That’s why we’ve come again.”
Jugueteria La Casita has three stores in Playa de The Americas, in the south of the island. The company has attended the Exposaldo call for more than five years in a timely manner. Luis, his representative, complains from the outset about the strong heat, because “it seems that it is not possible to put air conditioning in such a large facility.” He appreciates that “this year there is no star product, like other times”, although he makes it clear that “educational toys, table toys or dolls never fail, generation after generation”. Lightening the merchandise in stores is the goal. For this, he considers that “the offer is as good in terms of quality as in prices.” He invites you to stop by to check it out between now and Sunday.
The demand
Manuela is a veteran who enters the Fairground first. She had been at the door for a while, but she confesses that “they let me in, because I’m older.” She comes from very close, from the La Salle area, and she is clear about it: «To buy some shoes. Last year I took some to use 24 hours, it went very well, and now I repeat, to see what happens ».
Laura, pregnant, and Ana, both middle-aged, as well as the young Alba come together to “check the offers for the Three Kings.” The first thing they do is go to a clothing store and start looking and rummaging through the racks.
If Manuela goes for her shoes and the previous girls opt for clothes, Sergio and Silvia, a couple, come from the capital itself with the sole idea of ”look and if something interesting comes up, that we like and it’s well priced, well buy. But without thinking about it.”
A large group of young people take a photo to immortalize the visit. They are students of the Intermediate Degree of Commercial Activities within the Cycle of Commerce and Marketing of Professional Training. They study at IES La Laboral in La Laguna and their teacher, Montse, explains that “this visit is already a classic, because they see what they study in practice. They then have an exam with a questionnaire. They check whether the businesses have a website or not, their logos or trade names. Ángel, Diana, Caleb, Leire, Chen, Patricia and Máximo, classmates, carefully follow the teacher’s explanations. For them, visiting the Exposaldo fair has a different meaning from that of other consumers.
And the organization. Nearly 2,500 people visit Exposaldo in the first three hours of opening of this sale and liquidation fair. A fact that, according to the councilor of the organizing island area, Employment, Socioeconomic Development and Foreign Action, Carmen Luz Baso, “highlights the importance of this event for consumers.” Baso tours the nearly 150 stands in which some 80 companies display products at lower prices. She is accompanied by the manager of the Fairgrounds, Iñaki Domínguez, and the director of the fair, Jonay López.
The counselor recalls that this exhibition is part of the actions with which the Cabildo collaborates in the promotion and development of commerce, an essential sector for the island’s economy. “So far this year we have approved close to 1.5 million euros in subsidies for the sector, in order to help commercial establishments improve and adapt their businesses,” explains the counselor. She adds: “We want to contribute, at the same time, with the municipalities to energize open commercial areas.” Baso also highlights the recent launch of consumer bonds worth 600,000 euros, as well as the industry-type meetings and fairs hosted by the Fairgrounds, a showcase for many companies. He concludes: «Exposaldo is already a benchmark in Canary Islands with its space on the agenda of the major events of the year. Its structure benefits both consumers and businesses.
The frame
The fair, sponsored by Cajasiete, returns to the Tenerife Fairgrounds with nearly 80 companies and 150 exhibitors. It is open until next Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., to promote sales and stimulate local consumption through offers, opportunities and discounts. It is now in its twenty-fifth edition and maintains the traditional format of previous years, with different exhibition areas depending on the type of brands and products. The entrance has the symbolic price of 1 euro. More than 10,000 square meters unique exhibition with different brands of textiles, accessories, footwear, electrical appliances, hardware, furniture, household items, decoration, toys, motorcycles and used vehicles, among other products. Good pretty and cheap.
