Not long to go before the next edition of showUP takes place in the Expo Greater Amsterdam. This 26.000 sqm repurposed greenhouse is one of my favourite exhibition centres as the natural light brings the colours and design to life.
With a combination of well-established brands/designers and hot new talent, it is a great place to source new products and discover some of the trends that are shaping home and gift on the continent.
Although already well established in the UK, new to the show this year is Roelofs and Rubens, who specialise in designing and producing a wide range of bespoke decorations to museums, cathedrals, castles and other visitor attractions. These decorations are handmade in their house in the English countryside, a true cottage industry.
Of course, I already know what a positive impact showUP can have on UK businesses trying to expand to the mainland, but nevertheless, I asked Monty Abram (one of the founders of Roelofs and Rubens) about their primary goals for exhibiting. Monty replies: “We are now looking to grow our market share and after doing the research we think that showUP will be a good step in the right direction. It is a great opportunity to widen our network and increase sales in the Netherlands.”
Although Brexit has had a significant impact on the cost and work involved in shipping goods to the EU, the Netherlands remains for many businesses the gateway to Europe. For years we have seen companies piloting new products there before adjusting and releasing to the wider public. It helps that the Dutch are openminded and speak English very well. The real challenge for UK companies probably is the disastrous budget. With an increase in labour cost, businesses have to find ways to produce more efficient or on a larger scale. Extending their businesses abroad can be one such way.
Sine this is your first time at showUP, what prompted you to do the event and what do you hope to get out of it?
We have attended the Dutch Cultuur Retail Netwerk Dag for the second year now and have established a market in the Netherlands. We are now looking to grow our share and after doing the research we think that showUP will be a good step in the right direction. It is a great opportunity to widen our network and increase sales in the Netherlands.
It should be an easy exercise for us because “wij spreken ook héél erg goed nederlands”.
What will you be presenting at the show?
We specialise in designing and producing a wide range of bespoke decorations to museums, cathedrals, castles and other visitor attractions. These decorations are handmade in our house in the English countryside, a true cottage industry.
At showUP we’ll be exhibiting a large selection of our exclusive ceramic decorations.
Besides the traditional and popular Delft blue ceramics we will show a variety of other colours.
Do you already export products to mainland Europe?
yes
Are you doing any other exhibitions in Europe (incl. UK) in 2025?
Yes; Scotland’s Trade Fair in Glasgow, Top Drawer in London, Museums & Heritage Show in London and the Association for Cultural Enterprises conference in Liverpool.
How has business been for you this year – high and low points?
High points: Royal Collection (Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace) order and signing the lease of a ‘real’ studio/workshop.
Low points: the continuous fallout from Brexit and the lack of free time – more than 10 hours a day 7 days a week (showUP will feel like a holiday)
Do you see any trends emerging in the year ahead?
We think our products are reasonably oblivious of any market trends. We stick to what we are good at.
We do seem to think that ‘handmade in the UK’ has a growing appreciation and imports from cheap labour countries are being less liked.
Also a slowly growing appreciation for ‘handmade’; after eight years of exhibiting at trade fairs, we still meet people that think our ceramics are made abroad and then are really happily surprised when we tell them we hand make our ceramics in our cottage business.
Are you concerned that the UK budget will have an adverse effect on your business?
In short…Absolutely!! Our products are very labour intensive. If the cost of labour changes this has an immediate effect on our cost-price. We’re going to see that straight away in April 2025. A interesting phenomenon is when there is less state funds available for museums etc. the shops become a more important money maker. That is good for us.
