spring fair - review A triumphant return for Spring Fair
Spring Fair, always a must for the UK’s dynamic housewares industry, made its triumphant return after a break of two years this month - and what a return. The UK’s AEO ‘trade show of the century’ closed on a high after four days of sharing ideas, innovation and enthusiasm. The Housewares team was in attendance to report on the UK’s largest and longest running trade show for home, gift and fashion…
is a real appetite for face to face meetings which bodes well for the future and for our own show, Exclusively, in June. There were many BHETA members at Spring Fair and those who were exhibiting were delighted with both the number of visitors and the level of interest. It’s obvious that retailers need to source interesting and innovative stock and at Spring Fair that applies to High Street independents in particular. It was a great show with really positive signs for the future.” The housewares sector served up an array of the best in culinary must-haves, from the latest innovations in cookware and kitchenware to small electricals and gadgets to beautiful tableware décor and dining ideas - both indoor and outdoor.
T
aking place from 6–9 February at the NEC Birmingham, Spring Fair attracted thousands of retail buyers
and independent store owners from across the UK, according to organisers, as well as generating “millions of pounds worth of business, kick-starting and refuelling the retail industry”. A return in buyer confidence was certainly
backed up by the buzz, enthusiasm and energy evident throughout the show, with almost every exhibitor we spoke to reporting large volumes of orders. Buyers from major high street retailers, as well as independents and garden
centres were in attendance.
Julie Driscoll, divisional managing director, Spring Fair & Moda, said: “It’s been a truly extraordinary four days at Spring Fair, we’re so pleased to be able to report on such overwhelming success stories and hear the brilliant feedback from our visitors and exhibitors.”
She continued: “Backed up by our 72-year heritage and experience, Spring Fair continues to look forward, to listen to and understand the marketplace, to evolve and innovate, to strive to deliver the ultimate buying experience and the best return on investment for our exhibitors. Despite the two-year break, the team hasn’t stood still. We have invested in our people and in new products such as Curated Meetings to ensure we not only have our finger on the pulse of what our customers and the retail industry needs, but also to continually think ahead to the future to create new ways of doing business. We look forward to putting on another retail spectacle at Autumn Fair and look forward to welcoming you all back.” Will Jones, chief operating officer at BHETA, said: “[It’s] very pleasing to see the number of visitors and the level of optimism for the market and for the return of live shows. There
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Show features - new and old Day two of the show saw the official opening and launch of the Curated Meetings programme, uniting actively sourcing retail buyers with brands for a series of 15 minute meetings. Hundreds of focused face-to- face meetings took place, leading to new partnerships and connections. Maritia Osipova, buyer at Wallaces Homevalue & Garden Centre, Ireland said: “Curated Meetings are great, short, one to one meetings, and you have the full attention of your potential customer or new supplier. It’s a quick and really easy way
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