Value-driven economy draws buyers to source more products from Vietnam at two Private Sourcing Events

HONG KONG, March 25 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ — Five international
buyers met 46 pre-screened Global Sources (Nasdaq: GSOL) suppliers at two
Private Sourcing Events ( http://www.PrivateSourcingEvents.com ) in Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam. The exclusive events for Wood & Bamboo Furniture and
Ceramic & Lacquerware Products were held on March 18 and 19, respectively, by
Asian Sources Publications Limited’s representative office in Ho Chi Minh
City. Asian Sources Publications Limited is a representative of Global Sources
( http://www.globalsources.com ).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b )

Global Sources’ Chairman and CEO, Merle A. Hinrichs, said: “Despite the
economic crisis, Vietnam officials project exports to the U.S. to grow 14.5
percent this year. Suppliers across several product categories have actually
gained since the downturn started as buyers look to source value-for-the-money
products from markets across Asia.

“Private Sourcing Events provide an efficient channel to find these
products and the quality suppliers who make them.

“In June 2008, our online, trade show and magazine channels were
officially launched for Vietnam’s suppliers. With the addition of Private
Sourcing Events, local suppliers now have access to a complete end-to-end
platform for conducting trade with over 790,000 quality buyers from initial
contact to final orders.”

Representing US$127 billion in annual sales, buyers participating in the
Wood & Bamboo Furniture event were:

    -- A.R.E.N.A -- An alliance of 10 independent home improvement chain
       stores from around the world
    -- Newell Rubbermaid -- a global marketer of consumer and commercial
       products
    -- Otto International -- Part of the Otto Group, one of world's largest
       trading groups
    -- Metro -- the world's fifth-largest retailer
    -- ThreeSixty Sourcing -- One of the world's largest sourcing companies

A.R.E.N.A, Otto International and ThreeSixty Sourcing also participated in
the Private Sourcing Event: Ceramic & Lacquerware Products.

One participating buyer, Senior Buyer of Newell Rubbermaid Global
Sourcing, Nguyen Thu Hoa, said: “Consumer demands have changed along with the
economy. This has required us to look a lot closer at markets including
Vietnam which have become more competitive in terms of both quality and price.

“Private Sourcing Events have helped us pinpoint the best quality
suppliers in China. We are glad this program has expanded to Vietnam, as we
are now looking more carefully at sourcing opportunities in alternative
markets.”

One participating supplier, Marketing Director of The Country Corporation,
Tin Nguyen, said: “Our goal is to enter new markets this year by working with
more international buyers. It will be a huge boost for us if we get new orders
as a result of this event. But, we also see this as a huge opportunity to gain
a deeper understanding of what top buyers are looking for today.”

World’s top buyers scheduled to attend upcoming Private Sourcing Events

Over 100 Private Sourcing Events are planned for 2009, with dozens of
buyers including Carrefour, Auchan, Dairy Farm and Lowe’s scheduled to
participate. All Private Sourcing Events are complimentary for buyers and only
Global Sources suppliers are eligible to participate. More information about
Private Sourcing Events is available at http://www.PrivateSourcingEvents.com .

Suppliers wishing to participate should contact csm@globalsources.com.

Specialized Global Sources websites, face-to-face events and trade
magazines

Private Sourcing Events are part of the company’s portfolio of brands for
sourcing and product information services, which include Global Sources Online
( http://www.globalsources.com ), China Sourcing Fairs (
http://www.chinasourcingfair.com ) and Global Sources monthly magazines.

For more information about Global Sources’ products and services to
connect quality buyers and quality suppliers, visit
http://corporate.globalsources.com .

About Global Sources

Global Sources is a leading business-to-business media company and a
primary facilitator of trade with Greater China. The core business uses
English-language media to facilitate trade from Greater China to the world.
The other business segment utilizes Chinese-language media to enable companies
to sell to, and within Greater China.

The company provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated
marketing services to suppliers. It helps a community of over 790,000 active
buyers source more profitably from complex overseas supply markets. With the
goal of providing the most effective ways possible to advertise, market and
sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in over
240 countries.

The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing
services in the industries it serves. It delivers information on 4.3 million
products and more than 196,000 suppliers annually through 14 online
marketplaces, 13 monthly magazines, over 100 sourcing research reports and 11
specialized trade shows which run 32 times a year across 11 cities.

Suppliers receive more than 53 million sales leads annually from buyers
through Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com ) alone.

Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for 38 years. Global
Sources’ network covers more than 69 cities worldwide. In mainland China,
Global Sources has over 2,800 team members in more than 44 locations, and a
community of over 1 million registered online users and magazine readers for
Chinese-language media.

    Global Sources Press Contact in Asia
     Camellia So
     Tel:   +852-2555-5021
     Email: cso@globalsources.com

    Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.
     James W.W. Strachan
     Tel:   +1-480-664-8309
     Email: strachan@globalsources.com

    Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia
     Investor Relations Department
     Tel:   +852-2555-4777
     Email: investor@globalsources.com

    Global Sources Investor Contact in U.S.
     Kirsten Chapman & Timothy Dien
     Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc.
     Tel:   +1-415-433-3777
     Email: tdien@lhai.com

SOURCE Global Sources