As the doors close on the 75th edition of Spring Fair, the UK's largest retail trade show for Home, Gift & Fashion, the NEC Birmingham has been buzzing with energy, innovation, and meaningful connections. Over four days, more than 38,000 retail buyers and industry professionals gathered to discover the latest trends, meet suppliers, and be part of the ever-evolving retail landscape.
Posted: 10 February 2025
Home and gifting company Widdop & Co. has announced the launch of its latest product range: Softies, a collection of plush cuddly toys and gifts designed to bring joy to children and adults alike.
The new line features charming characters from teddies to turtles, bunnies to brown foxes.
Developed by Widdop & Co.'s CEO, Stephen Illingworth, this heartwarming collection was inspired by the children of the company's team, including Stephen's own kids. "This range is close to my heart," said Stephen.
"The names of these cuddly companions, like Talia and Hudson, were lovingly chosen thanks to our team's children and my own family. It's a celebration of the creativity and innocence that kids bring into our lives."
Posted: 28 January 2025
Stock buying lists at the ready; Pantone, the global colour authority and provider of professional colour language standards and digital solutions for the design community, today introduced PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse. An evocative soft brown that transports our senses into the pleasure and deliciousness it inspires: cacao, chocolate and coffee, appealing to our desire for comfort. "Underpinned by our desire for every day pleasures, PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse expresses a level of thoughtful indulgence" says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director Pantone Color Institute. Sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic, it extends our perceptions of the browns from being humble and grounded to embrace aspirational and luxe; presenting a discrete and tasteful touch of glamour."
Posted: 6 December 2024
Art licensing and design studio The London Studio has announced a collaboration with Parisian fashion-house Olympia Le-Tan® for an exciting new range of high-end clutches and designer evening bags. These stylish accessories will feature designs from The London Studio's new retro-inspired brand called Dreamadelic.
The range will be previewed during Paris Fashion Week, an annual week-long fashion industry event where the latest collections are highlighted in runway fashion shows to buyers and the media. Paris Fashion Week takes place from 23-29 January 2025. The launch into retail is planned for fall-winter 2025, a fashion season that takes place between summer and autumn.
Posted: 25 November 2024
Spring Fair, which celebrates its 75th anniversary at the NEC Birmingham on 2nd – 5th February 2025, is delighted to announce twelve new winners of Theo Paphitis's #SBS Small Business Sunday initiative who each receive a free stand at the February show. Since 2018, the TV dragon and #SBS Small Business Sunday creator and Spring and Autumn Fair have joined forces to support start-up businesses. Together they have worked with over 60 SMEs, playing a vital role in their future success.
Posted: 15 October 2024
Visitor registration is now open for Toy Fair 2025 , the UK's largest trade show dedicated to toys, games, and hobbies. The three-day showcase will be held from 21st to 23rd January 2025 at Olympia Events in London, spanning both the lower and upper levels of the Grand and National Halls, as well as a section of the Upper West Hall.
Posted: 1 October 2024
This Sunday, the NEC Birmingham will come alive with the return of Autumn Fair, the UK's largest seasonal showcase for Home, Gift & Fashion. Running from 1st to 4th September 2024, this year's event promises to be a hub of inspiration and opportunity, with over 800 suppliers presenting more than half a million products. With 30 per cent of brands exhibiting exclusively at Autumn Fair, it's the ultimate destination for retailers looking to discover the latest trends and stock their shelves ahead of the festive season.
Posted: 29 August 2024
Fable England has launched a capsule collection with London's Natural History Museum for AW24.
The 38-piece collection features hand-painted enamel jewellery, illustrative print silk scarves, luxury sleepwear as well as signature Fable England bag shapes, dominated by an exclusive print created for the collection. With the natural world as their muse, Fable England thoughtfully weave stories from British literature through each of their collections, and their latest – developed in collaboration with London's Natural History Museum – is no exception.
Forming a connection over their shared love of the natural world, Fable England and the Museum relished the opportunity to delve into the Museum's special collections; a treasure trove of artworks, manuscripts, and rare books, to seek out inspiration for a new collection.
Posted: 19 August 2024
The Toy Fair, which will celebrate its 71st show in January 2025, has again welcomed an extremely high returnee booking rate for next year's event with the entire ground floor and newly branded Gold Zone (formerly Greenhouse) already sold out. With more than six months still to go, the show has also received a high level of new applications and therefore any companies still considering booking exhibition space at the 2025 show are encouraged to apply now.
Posted: 1 August 2024
At half the size of their larger counterparts, the Mini TUBBZ range of cosplaying ducks have proven to be extremely popular amongst fans, and Numskull Designs has today announced the range is expanding, revealing multiple characters across four brands - Metal Gear Solid, Back to the Future, The Lord of the Rings, and Friends. It may take Legolas, Gandalf, Frodo, and Gimli, a little longer to travel across Middle-earth now they're only two inches tall, but these tiny heroes are determined to get the One Ring to Mount Doom – luckily, Sauron has also been shrunk to half the size of his regular TUBBZ form!
Posted: 31 July 2024