Autumn Fair (1-4 September, NEC, Birmingham) is set to be a pivotal occasion for retailers looking to stock their shelves and create the most enticing shop windows in preparation for the Christmas period. Visitors will have the first preview of groundbreaking launches across ten sectors and over 500,000 purchase-ready products. As the largest seasonal showcase in the latter half of the year, the show will host over 800 exhibitors, with 30% of them exclusive to Autumn Fair.
According to the IPA Insight Christmas Report*, the typical British consumer is expected to spend nearly £600 on core Christmas-related products and activities this year. The outlook for the Gift sector is positive, with 55% of UK adults planning to allocate most of their Christmas 2024 budget to gifts for others, followed by food and drink (18%), travel (6%), gifts for themselves (4%), socialising (4%), and decorations (2%).
Ensuring shelves are well-stocked during the last two months of the year is crucial, as almost a third (31%) of all consumers are anticipated to still be shopping in December, while 43% aim to complete their shopping before Black Friday on 29th November. Autumn Fair is perfectly timed for retailers to stock their stores with quality products just in time for the industry’s peak season rush.
Statistics also reveal that young workers are especially open to buying gifts from new or emerging brands, with nearly two-thirds (61%) of 25-34s, more than half of 18-24s (54%), and 35-44s (56%) considering this. Autumn Fair, with over 200 brand new exhibitors, innovative new business pavilions, and exclusive partnerships, is the ideal hunting ground for discovering the perfect gifts for these consumers.
Soraya Gadelrab, Event Director of Autumn Fair, stated, “While the impact of the cost-of-living crisis cast a shadow over the festive 2023 period, the sector’s resilience shines through. Our exhibitors are feeling optimistic about an uplift in consumer spending on more personal, unique and meaningful gifts across toys, beauty & wellbeing, fashion accessories, and home décor. As retailers navigate uncertainties, focusing on the Christmas trading performance is pivotal for delivering profitable growth in 2024. Autumn Fair offers an unparalleled showcase for this essential buying period.”
Pictured below, Autumn Fair exhibitors: Arnica Accessories, Bigjigs Toys, Bubblegum Stuff, Casa Verde, Chic Antique, Gift Republic, Kenji, Lightstyle London, Lola Design, Manley & Moosh, My Gifts Trade, Orange Tree, Pikki, Psychic Sistesr, Ryland Peters 7 Small, Selbrae House, SIL, St Eval, The Art File, The English Soap Co., The Yorkshire Candle Co. and Willslow.
