Sparks Opens China Facility

Sparks®, a leading provider of event marketing and custom retail solutions, announces the addition of a Shanghai, China location (SparksChina) to its network of eight facilities.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) January 18, 2007 -- Sparks®, a leading provider of event marketing and custom retail solutions, announces the addition of a Shanghai, China location (SparksChina) to its network of eight facilities. The new facility officially opened for business in the fall of 2006 and currently employs six associates in purchasing, project management, engineering, and logistical roles. Actively hiring for all positions including creative design, SparksChina expects to double its staff by year end.

"SparksChina is a key part of our company growth strategy," explains Sparks CEO, Scott Tarte. "In addition to enhancing the global capabilities of our tradeshow and event departments, having an experienced bilingual team on the ground allows our retail operation to import a broader range of complex products. Since opening the new facility, we've grown our imports by 300%, and expect that trend to continue. "

SparksChina is currently involved in custom store fixture and point of sale projects, and will expand to include tradeshow and event programs by the second quarter of 2007. "Our clients expect us to deliver consistent branding, economies of scale, and improved supply chain management for their global needs," Tarte explains. "Working in collaboration with our US-based facilities and SparksWorldwide in Amsterdam, the addition of SparksChina allows us to provide end-to-end marketing and retail solutions on a world-wide basis."

SparksChina recently completed its first major project, a $6,000,000 rollout for a major North American retailer that involved the design, value engineering, production and logistics management of custom store fixtures for deployment across 1000 North America retail locations in a six week time period.

"The lead time for this project was much shorter than a typical import program of this size because it needed to be in-store in time for a major new product launch right before the holidays," explains Matt Wood, president of Sparks' retail division. "We took an existing domestic program and saved the customer 40% by reverse engineering the project in our China facility, shipping it in KD fashion, then fully assembling it in the US before transporting it to stores. Our Shanghai office management team, led by Chief Representative, Robert Chen, insured a delivery of product that was manufactured and shipped exactly as the customer requested on-time and on budget."

About Sparks
A leading event marketing and custom retail agency, Sparks provides strategy, consulting, creative, production, execution, management and measurement services for brand experiences including exhibits, events, corporate or themed environments, retail fixtures, P-O-P displays, museums and attractions. Utilizing a global network of eight facilities - Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Orlando, San Francisco, Amsterdam & Shanghai, Sparks drives brand performance for many of the worlds most recognized names such as adidas, Boston Scientific, Cisco, Disney, GE, Google, JC Penney, Merck, Palm, Philips, Rolex, and Xerox.

Contact
Kristy Elisano
Director, Marketing & Public Relations
215-671-8119

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