The latest winter edition of Sport-Achat, the French trade fair held on March 7-9, saw the number of visitors decline by 3.8 percent but organizers said the number of visiting companies remained stable. Although the warm winter weather has been an issue for some parts of the French market, the atmosphere at the fair was relatively upbeat, perhaps due to the fact that the sell-out was much more satisfactory in February and in early March. The fair brought together exhibitors representing more than 600 brands on a surface area of about 20,000 square meters. The fair highlighted the innovative streak of the French sector with a special area dedicated to young companies. Thierry Braillard, the secretary of state in charge of sports, opened the fair for the second time and also took part in a conference about the sector's economic weight in France. As reported in our previous issue, the next edition of Sport-Achat will be held in Lyon on Sept. 12-13 and in Nantes on Sept. 18-19, with a stronger emphasis on water sports.

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