Autumn Fair, retail’s leading seasonal showcase for Home, Gift and Fashion, opened today and saw thousands of buyers walking the aisles looking to discover the latest products and hidden gems for their stores.
The four-day show is the key seasonal buying event for many independent businesses across the UK to refresh their store and stock up shelves in time for the festive period, and reports from a busy first day indicate positivity, plenty of order writing, and highlighted the importance of seeing products and people in person.
A huge variety of big name retailers, department stores, garden centres, activity centres and independent retailers attended including Tesco, Poundland, Elphicks, Blue Diamond, NHS, Willows Activity Far, Willowbrook Garden Centre, Blue Tiger, Leonards Hardware, Island jewellers, Diageo, Newbank Garden Centre, Roys of Wroxham, Collins Group, Boyds Stores Ireland, Baldwins Department Stores, Madison and Mayfair, Wrights Hardware, DFDS Ferries, Longacres Garden Centre, West Country Retail, Wilkies Trading, Graham and Green, The Toy Barnhaus, Tilley and Grace, Howleys, Gift Box London, and Southwold Pier.
Soraya Gadelrab, Event Director of Autumn Fair says, “We’re buzzing with excitement as we welcome over 12,000 buyers this week to explore the most diverse and inspirational display of new products from over 800 incredible suppliers. Autumn Fair is the perfect time to discover and stock up for the peak retail season and the first day has been very busy with a lot of positive feedback.”
The view from the show floor was very upbeat. Josie Rossington, Owner of Follie in Lincoln highlighted how important it is to see products in person saying, “It is always important to come to Autumn Fair, you never know if you are going to miss something. You can’t do everything online, you need to see the product, smell and touch it, especially in gifting, and I always like to hear the stories behind the brands, too. It makes our sale more interesting in store. Trade shows are great as you can keep the relationships going with existing suppliers. It is my store’s 20th birthday and I’m planning some ideas in store and some of my existing suppliers have been so helpful here today.”
Feedback from exhibitors across the Home, Gift and Fashion destinations was optimistic. Jason Bensohn, MD of returning brand One.World said, “We haven’t attended the show since pre-Covid, it has been great. It’s good to see old faces and for new accounts to discover us. It’s been really positive.” Kerry Singh from Final Touches said, “The show has been full, we didn’t expect it to be so busy. We have taken orders earlier on in the day than usual and seen lots of positive buyers which is an exciting start to the show.”
Paul Connett, Director of My Gifts Trade has used Autumn Fair as the launchpad for new product collections, he said, “We are launching our Easter range from Cosy Home at the show and new brands from Holland such as Tokyo Design Studio, Dutch Decor and Hoii. We also have a range called Sardines which is exclusive to us in Europe and brand new here. We are adding categories to our range, including candles and soft furnishings so we are managing to cross sell to our existing accounts and are hoping for a busy final quarter. We have seen independents and some new accounts coming through.”
Brett Smith, MD of greetings card exhibitor Emotional Rescue has enjoyed the opportunity to network, saying “We have been in independents for 3 years now and we have seen a lot of familiar faces at the show. It’s great to catch up with people we know, and we have seen plenty of buyers coming in.”
The mood in Moda has also been upbeat with reports of new discoveries and plenty of order writing. Irene Harvey, Owner of Velvet & Cream in Wiltshire loves the opportunity to discover newness, “It is the first time I have visited on a Sunday and I will definitely come again next season. I have found Beau Moda, they caught our eye because they are really different. The bags are superb! This is why we come to Autumn Fair, to find something new.”
James Rowley, Owner of Sleek Boutique, Nantwich said, “It’s been bouyant, we walked in and there was a buzz. We come to Moda to find ladies clothing and it’s been much busier than previous visits. We have found some new suppliers which is good.” Ben Adams, Owner of exhibitor Suzie Blue says, “It’s been a good start, we have seen a mix of existing and new buyers and have written quite a few new orders.”
Merchandising Masterclass
Visual merchandiser Debbie Flowerday stepped inside The Autumn Fair Emporium, a shop front created from recycled cardboard by N Smith, to help retailers take their store front displays to the next level with an exciting live window dressing. Today’s session focused on Pyramid Dressing featuring wooden toys from Orange Tree Toys and lighting from Gingko. Flowerday said, “You only have a couple of seconds to capture someone’s attention as they walk past your store,” and she stressed the importance on buying in stories and demonstrated how to use a pyramid system to create harmony and ambiance.
Luke MacFadyen, Owner of Fig1in Bristol attended and said, “As a small business owner, being very busy wearing lots of hats, it was great to listen to a professional and get an insight from someone whose job it is to merchandise. We had time after the masterclass to ask individual questions, and show our shop display to get some ideas, it was extremely helpful.”
Paula Hunault from XO-CU Ltd, London also enjoyed the session, “As a new brand, it was really helpful to attend the Masterclass. With a variety of products to display I always find it challenging to organise my stock so this was really helpful.”
Judith Evans, Owner Williams of Audlem, South Cheshire said, “I saw the Merchandise Masterclass in the trade press and it’s one of the main reasons I came today. I really enjoyed it! It was informative, and I spent time afterwards in the Q&A. It’s a great show, we have found it to be very busy. I have found some new suppliers and it’s great to see new ranges from our existing ones.”
With 38% of the show featuring new exhibitors and 30% exclusive, Autumn Fair offers retailers access to thousands of innovative products that cannot be found elsewhere. It is the only place to see so much newness at this time of year in person. The exclusive selection allows retailers to strategically refresh their product lines mid-year, top-up on bestsellers, and ensure they stay ahead of emerging trends and shifting consumer demands.
Visitors also enjoyed the host of new buyer attractions, partnerships and exclusive offers which launched at the show designed to make their buying journey easier and more enjoyable. In the Buyers Lounge, the Ambience Clinic offered buyers advice to help them transform their retail experience. Stephen Spencer, Ambience Director of the Ambience Clinic said, “We have had some very interesting conversations with people looking to grow their business from an early stage, both online and physical stores. People have really enjoyed the ambience we created with exhibitor’s products and the Blooms by Samuel Baker have been a huge hit. The Autumn Fair ambience soundtrack has reminded people that the music they play in their store not only affects mood, but creates value, appropriate to brand or season, through all their senses.”
The Ambiance Clinic continues at the Buyers Lounge in Hall 7 tomorrow – spaces are limited so advance booking is recommended.
Tomorrow’s Merchandising Masterclass is focused on Repetition Dressing and starts at 10am with Q&A at 12pm and 3pm at the Buyers Lounge, Hall 7.
Register to attend at www.autumnfair.com
