Autumn Fair, the UK’s largest seasonal showcase for Home, Gift & Fashion, is set to take place from the 1st - 4th of September at NEC Birmingham. This year’s event promises 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.
Offering a comprehensive view of the latest trends in homeware and unmatched gift products, Autumn Fair is the go-to event for staying on trend and ready for the Christmas rush. Visitors will have the first look at groundbreaking launches across 10 definitive sectors, featuring over 500,000 purchase-ready products. As the largest seasonal showcase in the latter half of the year, Autumn Fair boasts over 800 exhibitors, with 30% of them being exclusive to the show. This exclusivity provides unparalleled business opportunities that cannot be found elsewhere.
According to the IPA Insight Christmas Report*, the average British consumer is expected to spend nearly £600 on core Christmas-related products and activities - including food, gifts, decorations, socialising, and travelling - during the 2024 festive period. The outlook for the Gift sector is especially 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. The timing of Autumn Fair makes it the perfect event 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 particularly 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."
Highlights from the show floor: Gift Alan Pimm, Managing Director of returning Autumn Fair exhibitor Sifcon says, "We are thrilled to announce our return to Autumn Fair. Following the resounding success of Spring Fair 2024 and the overall resurgence in the market, we recognise the importance of sustaining this momentum by presenting at the Autumn Fair. It is the perfect platform to launch our new product ranges and to seize the crucial lead up to Christmas. We are excited to be re-establishing our presence at the Autumn Fair and look forward to many more."
Offering a distinctive blend of design and craftsmanship and delivering premium products for everyday living and special gifting occasions, Selbrae House is a family-run brand located in Fife, Scotland created to bring joy to you and your loved ones. Embrace the festive season in style with their Charming Highland Cow and Robin Christmas designs, available across a diverse range of gift products, from the popular oak and ceramic butter dishes and slate coasters to mini cheese board sets.
Everyone loves to receive a thoughtfully chosen book. Ryland Peters & Small and CICO Books is an independent, illustrated publisher creating beautifully produced books on interior design, food and drink, craft, mindfulness and spirituality, health, humour and pop culture, as well as a cracking range of books for kids, delightful gifts and stationery.
Creating the perfect gifts for those awkward dads, grandads and uncles, Coach House Partners specialise in the design and creation of metal and wooden model kits, craft sets, jigsaw puzzles, books, notebooks, greetings cards and many more wonderful products.
British design brand, Pikkii is on a mission to make the world less boring, creating award-winning, planet-friendly gifts and games designed to stand out on your shelf and sell through quickly. Their best-selling range is full of truly unique products that fuse creativity, style and great design – all beautifully packaged and with great price points. Look out for some brand-new products at Autumn Fair, including a new addition to their Gift Of The Year Winning Self Care Planter range, and the adorable Paper Cats and Dogs which have already proven to be a big hit with retailers.
Created by The Apprentice finalist Courtney Wood, Bubblegum Stuff is a small gift and games company in London creating products that spread a bit of laughter. Look out for their best-selling gifts and card games, as well as house plant accessories, and their new Merry Quizmas holiday trivia game featuring 100 ho-ho-ho-larious questions about all things Christmas, from iconic movies and toe-tappin' tunes to global traditions and food.
Light up your home or give the gift of light with Lightstyle London, who has been creating innovative and decorative lights for over 20 years. Look out for their diverse range including wreaths, strings, table tops and stake lights, as well as the popular Solar Starburst and Table Robin lights which have become festive bestsellers.
Greetings Cards, Stationery & Wrapping
Lola Design is a UK-based greetings and gift design brand making the perfect statement pieces or delightful gifts for that special someone. Embracing a passion for all things flora and fauna, Lola Design's style is as unique as a rare flower blooming in the wild. Get ready to be dazzled by their Wildlife botanical range, and make your loved ones feel special with their Stag Christmas collection. Featuring a delightful range of stationery, greeting cards, greeting card packs, and beautiful Christmas-themed soap, this collection is designed and made in the UK.
Visit Kenji, a brand whose vision is to appeal to modern trends and subcultures by bridging the gap between the real and digital universe. Their newest KENJILand range on show at Autumn Fair is inspired by East-Asian culture and design. Characters each have expanded collectable ranges including plush, stationery, pin badges and keyrings, making them the perfect gifts for all ages.
The Art File Christmas 2024 collection has been curated to make your festive gift-giving even more magical. With over 170 designs to choose from, there's something for everyone in this stunning collection. From a range of charity cards to a selection of luxurious boxed cards and hand-folded 3D pop-ups (pictured), The Art File offers a diverse collection of beautiful, high-quality Christmas cards in which there is something for all ages, and every member of the family. Alongside cards, The Art File also offers a unique and contemporary festive gift packaging collection, comprising of gift bags, flat wrap, roll wrap, tissue and tags. All designed to turn the heads of even the most discerning of retailers, and of course look fantastic under the tree this Christmas.
To register for Autumn Fair visit https://www.autumnfair.com/visitor-registration