Autumn Fair is one of the season's most important buying events for home and gift retail. The show is launching a new direction for 2019 and beyond in this September, with new and established exhibitors showcasing exclusive products. New areas and events are also debuting for 2019, with an array of sourcing and deal-making opportunities available to retail buyers.More than 22,000 visitors and 1,300 exhibitors are expected to attend the NEC Birmingham over the course of the show, taking advantage of the opportunity for last-minute stocking -up before the all-important festive quarter and the key buying points in 2020.
For the 2019 show, Autumn Fair is occupying a new location inside of the NEC, moving to the Atrium as part of a re-edited offering designed specifically to facilitate connections between suppliers and retailers and make it as easy as possible for visitors to see all of the products inside of their interests.
Across 11 curated show sectors, visitors will be able to explore the latest products driving sales through the busy Christmas period. All of the gifting categories have been brought together into one large Gift sector, Gift, creating one of the UK's largest gatherings of gift inspiration under one roof. Likewise, the 2019 re-edit will bring together the show's home and interior sectors, creating an all-new sourcing and exhibiting destination for UK and international buyers.
The new show sectors are:·
Beauty & Wellbeing
Living
Gift (Contemporary Edit)
Gift (General)
Greetings & Stationery
Accents & Décor
Everyday
Retail Solution
Fashion
Play & Tech
The Summerhouse
Sourcing
Sourcing zone
Global retail sourcing and procurement is expected to grow by nearly 12 per cent between now and 2024, and Autumn Fair will look to support retailers in sourcing the best goods internationally. Sourcing at Autumn Fair is a brand-new sector designed to help manufacturers from key sourcing regions worldwide to exhibit new products and showcase techniques new to the retail market. Manufacturers from Portugal, Indonesia, China, India and more are expected, bringing gifts, home accessories, toys, fashion items and kitchen and dining products.
Julie Driscoll, managing director at Autumn Fair, said: The new sourcing hall will bring the best of the world to our door, ensuring that buyers who ordinarily wouldn't have the resources to commit to costly trips abroad to visit potential suppliers can make connections here at Autumn Fair. Not only that, but we'll also be pushing to attract more international retailers to buy from the UK-based suppliers that are the foundation of our show.
The Summerhouse
The Summerhouse is Autumn Fair's curated collection of on-trend gift, interior, lighting and lifestyle brands. The sector will be expanded this year, following investment from organiser ITE Group. The area will showcase a range of well-loved brands from Britain, Scandinavia and other global design hotspots. As the show expands, Autumn Fair is seeking nominations and recommendations for Summerhouse brands. This year, brands including Libra, Cozy Living, Nkuku, Jellycat, Hot Tomato and One World are among the brands that will exhibit.Paria Mercer has been announced as the editor of The Summerhouse for Spring Fair and Autumn Fair. Paria is responsible for the identification and selection of design-led, contemporary brands that will appear in this invitation-only sector.Paria said: I'm passionate about the curation of innovative brands that encourage retail buyers to take courageous and enlightened decisions. The Summerhouse is undeniably an oasis of specially selected exhibitors that will prove to be an inspiration for visitors it's the smartest way to discover what's on-trend at Autumn Fair. We were fully booked for Autumn Fair this year, but the new investment has enabled us to expand and transform the Summerhouse experience for exhibitors and visitors alike, and we're sure all who attend will be bowled over by the revamp.Julie Driscoll added: The new investment and Paria's expertise will push The Summerhouse to new heights. It's always been a jewel in both Spring Fair and Autumn Fair's the crown at both Spring Fair and Autumn Fair, and we are anticipating its most successful show ever at Autumn Fair 2019.
Trend-led products
Each of the 11 sectors will welcome new exhibitors and visitor favourites. Across the show, exhibitors will be committed to showcasing the most relevant trends for the final quarter of 2019 and the entirety of 2020.As one of the season's largest giftware showcases, the General and Contemporary edits of the Gift sector will focus on trend-led products, including wellbeing gifts, scented candles and diffusers. Exhibitors such as Eclectic Lifestyle, Bubblegum and Zakka Europe will join the Contemporary edit, while Yankee Candle, Puckator and Widdop & Co. will be key features in the General edit. The DesignFirst platform will also return to Autumn Fair after a successful run at Spring Fair in February.
The Greetings area will now connect to the Gift halls, supporting many exhibitors' expansions into giftable and greetings items, as more greetings suppliers than ever before bring stationery and novelty products to the show. In the Beauty & Wellbeing sector, visitors can expect to see a greater focus on organic products and ethical sourcing, with through key exhibitors such as Luminara and Matthew Williamson Fragrances. Sevin will bring a vibrant spa-like stand for 2019, offering an environment that promotes a sense of wellbeing. Founder Sevin Ersin said: As a first-time exhibitor, Autumn Fair 2018 was an enjoyable and useful experience that helped the business grow. That's why we're going back again this year.
Power of One
Following an encouraging visitor and exhibitor response at Spring Fair, the Power of One campaign will continue forat Autumn Fair 2019. The campaign focuses on energising the retail industry to move towards sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, taking action against plastic waste. The UN's sustainable development goal is at the heart of the campaign, which aims for more responsible production and consumption by driving small, individual changes.In the spirit of this, the show will trial sustainability ratings for suppliers to make it as easy as possible for visitors to identify sustainable and responsibly sourced items.
For further information visit autumnfair.com
