NEWNESS AND COLLABORATION ARE TOP OF THE AGENDA AT AUTUMN FAIR

 

Day two of Autumn Fair, the UK’s leading seasonal showcase for Hoe, Gift and Fashion taking place at the NEC Birmingham, continued the buzz of the opening day with thousands more retailers flocking to the show to discover the newest collections and suppliers for their stores. As the only place to discover much-needed newness at this time of year and with over 30% of the show floor made up of brands showing exclusively, Autumn Fair allows retailers to strategically refresh their product lines mid-year, top-up on bestsellers, and ensure they stay ahead of emerging trends and shifting consumer demands.

 

By the end of day two, over 10,000 retailers have already visited with a variety of big-name retailers, department stores, garden centres, activity centres and independent retailers including Blue Diamond, TJX Europe, Morley Stores, Aldi, Dobbies, Lark, Hillmount, NHS, Tesco, TJ Hughes, Next, Ryman, Elphicks, Lucy & Yak, RSPCA, Farmfoods, Walk Disney Company, and many more. Feedback has been incredibly positive with visitors loving the abundance of new products and new brands, including the debut start-ups featured within the New Business Pavilions.

 

Faire launches new tools to merge online and offline selling at Autumn Fair

Autumn Fair’s exclusive partnership with leading online wholesale marketplace Faire began this week with the launch of new order-writing capabilities to bridge online and offline selling and simplify the buying process for the event’s attending retailers and 800+ brands.

 

The collaboration aims to make it even easier for retailers to discover and purchase unique products. As Autumn Fair’s online marketplace of choice, Faire will help exhibiting brands to write orders on the go and facilitate them directly on Faire’s platform. Brands can also make use of Faire’s new business card scanner to automatically capture buyers’ details and add them onto their Faire CRM, where they can then follow up and place orders on their behalf.

 

As an added incentive, Faire is also offering free shipping to all Autumn Fair retailers placing orders at the show, as well as a 50% discount on orders for any retailers who place their first order with Faire by the 30th September. Retailers at Autumn Fair will also gain access to Faire's extensive global network of brands, helping them to discover unique products, streamline their buying process and benefit from its 60-day payment terms. And, retailers on Faire will get access to an exclusive collection of 250 Autumn Fair exhibitors featured on Faire.com throughout September.

 

This includes Autumn Fair exhibitors like Sting in the Tail and children’s brand Grass & Air. Hannah Grace-Eve from Grass and Air said, “It’s been invaluable to be able to reach out to customers around the world whom we might not have otherwise had access to, and to work with Faire in person at the Autumn Fair trade show feels like a great opportunity to explore their platform technology in a new environment.”

 

Charlotte Broadbent, UK General Manager at Faire said, “We’re excited to bring our first-of-its-kind exclusive partnership with Autumn Fair to life for the retail community at the NEC this week. We have introduced new tools and discounts designed to make it easier for retailers to manage their offline and online buying seamlessly. Our goal is to simplify the wholesale ordering process and remove any barriers in the way so that retailers can fully immerse themselves in discovering the incredible brands featured at Autumn Fair this week. One of the top requests I hear from our retailer customers at trade shows is for free shipping, and we’re proud to be able to offer that at Autumn Fair.”

 

Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director, Spring & Autumn Fair adds, “We’ve partnered with Faire to give Autumn Fair exhibitors access to Faire’s tools and community of global retailers whilst providing retailers attending Autumn Fair with an even broader range of unique products, more networking opportunities and new resources and insights. Autumn Fair offers buyers the joy of discovery so they touch and feel products, get inspired, and network with suppliers, and our partnership with Faire means we can make this experience even more simple and streamlined than ever before.”

 

A bounty of newness

This season over 25% of brands are new to Autumn Fair, making the show floor a haven for newness and exploration. Soraya Gadelrab, Event Director, Autumn Fair says, “One of the things our buyers love most about coming to a show is the opportunity to not only see and discover new brands and products, but also to touch, feel, smell and even taste them. The halls have come alive with the vibrant bustle of interactions and buying.”

 

Freckleface Home Fragrance launched their new collaboration with Laura Ashley at the show. The partnership brings a botanical collection of ethical home fragrance products inspired by wildflowers and English gardens, all of which are vegan, cruelty free, plastic free, and locally sourced where possible. Tara and Noah Carlile-Swift, Co-founders of Freckleface Home Fragrance said, “We are so excited to partner with Laura Ashley, a brand that has inspired so many with its beautiful designs and heritage. Our shared values of quality British made products, authenticity, and a love for the natural world make this collaboration a perfect fit. The new collection combines Laura Ashley's timeless elegance with our passion for creating home fragrances inspired by nature, offering customers a sensory experience that truly celebrates the essence of wildflowers and garden scents.”

 

Also launching a host of new collections, Oliver Butts, CEO of The English Soap Company said, “We are delighted by the positive feedback we have had at the show for our new Christmas collections. It's great for buyers to be able to feel the product in the flesh - there is nothing quite like it! People can't smell the products online, so trade shows are so important.”

 

Alan Houghton, Head of Sales at Hippy Chick, who are showcasing a large number of new ranges and a new brand said, “Autumn Fair has a good vibe and is a great show for us. It's a good opportunity to meet existing and new retailers across the Toy and Gift sector. We have attended Autumn Fair for many years, maybe 20 years and we like it because it is a good opportunity to meet all different types of retailers. We have launched 50 new and different toys across 3 key brands, Classic World, Crocodile Creek and Vilac. We are also delighted to show a new brand, BS Toys, which is a range of games that a little one and the whole family can get involved with.”

 

First time exhibitors Joypots are on a mission to bring joy through their choice of mouthwatering flavours of confectionary and savoury snacks which are perfect for gifting, sharing or self-indulging! Katherine Ebbs, UK Sales Manager said, “This is the first time for us at Autumn Fair, we had a great first day yesterday seeing existing customers but also opening a number of new customers. The tasting session we hosted in the Buyers Lounge was really popular.”

 

Joanna Rayor, Owner of Flourish Home Interiors within the New Business Pavilion says, “We have had a really good show it's a lovely atmosphere. Everyone has been friendly, chatty and helpful. We have had lots of interest in "Summer Afternoon" which appeared in the Bestsellers in the Little Black Book. Buyers are going for the collection with lampshade and canvas together.” Another debut exhibitor in the New Business Pavilion, Claire Blasbery, Managing Director Skyn Bakery said, “This is our first trade show, it's been really beneficial and we have got some great contacts, some good sales and it's been really enjoyable. Our Christmas and Halloween soaps have been a hit!”

 

In Moda Fashion, the optimism continued. Chloe Rizae, Sales Manager from Miss Lark said, “We are showing lots of different, high-quality products including our new cashmere collection. The first day was busy, we had lots of existing customers but also saw some new customers who placed some orders, so it’s been a good start.” James Mc Grath, Owner of Big Metal has had a very successful show so far with buyers keen to order from his new collections, “Every season we show a fresh new collection which takes over half the stand. We launched our waterproof jewellery which has been super popular, and we also have our new season colours. The Joan Collins meets 1980's and the matt collection has been very popular. It has been so busy, we were all writing orders all day yesterday.”

 

Sarah Watmore, Owner of Miss Milly is buoyed by the confidence from buyers, “We are really pleased as we had a very busy first day and had a good amount of new business. Our range is really colourful for next season, it has gone down really well. Despite a tough year the show feels very buoyant and buyers are confident for the Golden Quarter.”

 

Lighthouse Clothing has used Autumn Fair as the platform to launch a new knitwear collection. Siobhan Lennon, Sales Manager says, “Autumn Fair has been a wonderful opportunity to showcase our lovely new collection. It's great to meet existing customers and new customers. Building on the success of our outerwear, we have launched our new knitwear and fleece range.”

 

Buyers to the show also enjoyed discovering the wealth of new suppliers and products. Carolyn Smith, Owner of Burleys, Southwell says, “It has been a good start, we came to meet 2 specific suppliers and ended up finding a mass of new suppliers which was totally unexpected.” Yvonne Tennison, Owner of Dresu in Hull said, “We came to look for accessories, specifically jewellery handbags and wraps for occasion dressing. We are looking for something new and some new suppliers that catch our eye. The show looks and smells great!”

 

Gayle Hesketh, Owner of Mulberry Moon said, “We have been coming to the show for 20 years and have come to look around Moda today to find some newness. We placed a nice big, bulky order for some fantastic Christmas tops. We are looking for some bling, faux fur and nice accessories. I really like the look of Luxtyle and Beau Moda, I will definitely place an order with them.” Lesley Straughan, Buyer at WM Nicholls said, “We have a lot of existing suppliers here but have found a few new ones, such as Beauty Secrets and Life Charms. We have also picked up some coatigans from Goose Island. We are also looking for gift sets for Christmas.”

 

Merchandising Masterclass

Visual merchandiser Debbie Flowerday guided retailers on Repetition window dressing featuring gifts and interior décor from The Otters Brook Collection. Flowerday returns for her final masterclass tomorrow at 10am on Seasonal Windows.

 

Autumn Fair reopens at 9am tomorrow. There’s still time to register to attend at www.autumnfair.com