The New Business Pavilion at Autumn Fair (1st – 4th September 2024, NEC, Birmingham), the UK’s largest seasonal showcase for Home, Gift & Fashion, will brim with the next generation of makers and creators offering them the chance to be retail’s next bestsellers.
The Pavilion aims to create a spirited new business community designed to support the growth in start-ups that face the challenges of being small or single person-led businesses with limited resources. Entry-level packages will enable businesses to show at both Autumn Fair 24 and Spring Fair 25 helping put their products on the retail map and reach thousands of buyers from the UK and around the world.
According to Retail Insight Network, while mass-market players continue to dominate the UK retail industry, research by Geek Retreat shows that 15% of Brits have set up their own business in the past ten years, and of these, 44% have done so since 2020. Retail was the most popular sector for start-ups, with 19% of the 1060 surveyed UK consumers owning an independent business.
Soraya Gadelrab, Event Director, Spring & Autumn Fair says, “Despite challenges, the retail sector, including gift, home, and fashion segments, continues to see the entry of new businesses. Startups states that the roaring 20s are here with a new era of fast growth and optimism for UK startups. These pioneering businesses are sparking change across every sector, they have boundless entrepreneurial spirit, and we want to support their path forward.
“The reaction to the launch of the New Business Pavilion has been inspiring. We are very excited to be able to showcase so many brilliant small businesses and help them put their products in front of key, purchase-ready buyers from leading stores like Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Tesco, Dunelm as well as thousands of independent retailers. We do still have a few spaces left in the Pavilion so please get in touch if you would like to join this flourishing new community.”
Visitors to the New Business Pavilion at Autumn Fair, taking place on the 1st – 4th September at the NEC Birmingham, will discover everything from handcrafted cushions and candles to lampshades and wearable art.
Flourish Home Interiors, the brainchild of Jemma Jones and Joanna Rayner, is a vibrant new homeware business set to make a grand entrance at Autumn Fair, showcasing its collections of stunning handcrafted velvet art lampshades, velvet art cushions, art canvas prints, and art tea towels to add pops of colour to neutral rooms. The unique handcrafted statement pieces are handcrafted to order in the UK, reflecting a commitment to supporting local craftsmanship and sustainable practices. London-based artisans create the velvet cushions, velvet lampshades and tea towels, and the canvas prints are made in Bishops Stortford.
For deliciously natural goodness for your skin with freshly baked skincare and home fragrance treats in sustainable 100% recyclable packaging look out for Skyn Bakery. Ingredients are 100% plant based, using only cruelty free, vegan and natural ingredients for all of products. Skyn Bakery is a small family run business located in Ormskirk, a small town in the North West of England, created by Clare Blasbery. All of the natural handmade skincare and home fragrance products are manufactured by hand in their small studio space.
Men Cave Scents also joins the line-up with its growing collection of candles, wax melts, diffusers and toiletries. Made from an even higher quality wax than soy wax, to ensure their footprint is as small as possible. Soy crops are a leading cause of deforestation so by switching to rapeseed and coconut, their candles are more sustainable.
Grass & Air is an outerwear and swimwear brand bringing fun playwear that makes it easy for kids to get outdoors for adventures, whatever the weather. From cool, reflective designs to help children be seen in the dark, to colour-changing prints that reveal a fun design when it rains, kids will be happy to get out and play, whatever the weather. Each collection evokes a feeling or an emotion that connects to contemporary outdoor living.
Hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland, is Coalesce Wearable Art. A fashion brand that specialises in wearable art tattoo clothing, Coalesce wearable art is known for its unique blend of fashion and art. The brand’s visionary designer, Bridgene Graham, is all about breaking boundaries and challenging the status quo.
Jen Winnet Art joins the Pavilion with her collection of artworks, gifts and stationery featuring her illustrations of animals and nature. Jen is a self-taught watercolour Eco-artist based in the heart of the beautiful Cotswold countryside and she takes inspiration from the world around her to create colourful, endearing illustrations of animals and nature. Passionate about the environment, all products are produced in an eco-friendly way.
For sustainable and creative notebooks, look out for Meraki Notebooks. Their bespoke wooden covers look great and are also completely reusable. With Meraki, you buy once and use your notebook over and over again, reducing waste and making a statement about your commitment to the environment. The notebooks feature 160 pages of premium Swiss-bound, lay-flat paper, and when you run out of space simply replace the paper book block with a fresh one.
The packages are offered across all sectors including The Summerhouse, a curated home for the most beautiful, style-led and on-trend interior accessories and gifts; as well as Home Living & Décor; Gift; Beauty & Wellbeing; Greetings Cards, Stationery & Wrapping; Kids, Toys & Play; Everyday; and within Moda, Clothing & Footwear; Fashion Accessories; and Jewellery & Watch.
Autumn Fair’s distinctive product sectors are where best-sellers are discovered. There’s a place for every business and every product type at the inspirational show. From an exceptional show experience to curated product collections, Autumn Fair prioritises every step of the buying journey.
To find out more and to apply for the New Business Pavilion, visit https://www.autumnfair.com/new-business-pavilion.
