Day two of Autumn Fair, the UK’s leading seasonal showcase for Home, Gift and Fashion taking place at the NEC Birmingham, continued the buzz of the opening day with thousands more retailers flocking to the show to discover the newest collections and suppliers for their stores. As the only place to discover much-needed newness at this time of year and with over 30% of the show floor made up of brands showing exclusively, Autumn Fair 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.
By the end of day two, over 10,000 retailers have already visited with a variety of big-name retailers, department stores, garden centres, activity centres and independent retailers including Blue Diamond, TJX Europe, Morley Stores, Aldi, Dobbies, Lark, Hillmount, NHS, Tesco, TJ Hughes, Next, Ryman, Elphicks, Lucy & Yak, RSPCA, Farmfoods, Walk Disney Company, and many more. Feedback has been incredibly positive with visitors loving the abundance of new products and new brands, including the debut start-ups featured within the New Business Pavilions.
Faire launches new tools to merge online and offline selling at Autumn Fair
Autumn Fair’s exclusive partnership with leading online wholesale marketplace Faire began this week with the launch of new order-writing capabilities to bridge online and offline selling and simplify the buying process for the event’s attending retailers and 800+ brands.
The collaboration aims to make it even easier for retailers to discover and purchase unique products. As Autumn Fair’s online marketplace of choice, Faire will help exhibiting brands to write orders on the go and facilitate them directly on Faire’s platform. Brands can also make use of Faire’s new business card scanner to automatically capture buyers’ details and add them onto their Faire CRM, where they can then follow up and place orders on their behalf.
As an added incentive, Faire is also offering free shipping to all Autumn Fair retailers placing orders at the show, as well as a 50% discount on orders for any retailers who place their first order with Faire by the 30th September. Retailers at Autumn Fair will also gain access to Faire’s extensive global network of brands, helping them to discover unique products, streamline their buying process and benefit from its 60-day payment terms. And, retailers on Faire will get access to an exclusive collection of 250 Autumn Fair exhibitors featured on Faire.com throughout September.
Charlotte Broadbent, UK General Manager at Faire said, “We’re excited to bring our first-of-its-kind exclusive partnership with Autumn Fair to life for the retail community at the NEC this week. We have introduced new tools and discounts designed to make it easier for retailers to manage their offline and online buying seamlessly. Our goal is to simplify the wholesale ordering process and remove any barriers in the way so that retailers can fully immerse themselves in discovering the incredible brands featured at Autumn Fair this week. One of the top requests I hear from our retailer customers at trade shows is for free shipping, and we’re proud to be able to offer that at Autumn Fair.”
Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director, Spring & Autumn Fair adds, “We’ve partnered with Faire to give Autumn Fair exhibitors access to Faire’s tools and community of global retailers whilst providing retailers attending Autumn Fair with an even broader range of unique products, more networking opportunities and new resources and insights. Autumn Fair offers buyers the joy of discovery so they touch and feel products, get inspired, and network with suppliers, and our partnership with Faire means we can make this experience even more simple and streamlined than ever before.”
A bounty of newness
This season over 25% of brands are new to Autumn Fair, making the show floor a haven for newness and exploration. Soraya Gadelrab, Event Director, Autumn Fair says, “One of the things our buyers love most about coming to a show is the opportunity to not only see and discover new brands and products, but also to touch, feel, smell and even taste them. The halls have come alive with the vibrant bustle of interactions and buying.”
Merchandising Masterclass
Visual merchandiser Debbie Flowerday guided retailers on Repetition window dressing featuring gifts and interior décor from The Otters Brook Collection. Flowerday returns for her final masterclass tomorrow at 10am on Seasonal Windows.
