Millions of pounds worth of business was generated at Autumn Fair co-located with Moda, according to show organiser Hyve Group.
The four-day event, which kicked off at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday 5 September, attracted thousands of retailers from across the UK, including buyers from Harrods, Anthropologie, Dunelm, Walt Disney Company, B&Q, Oliver Bonas, Fenwick, Boohoo, Blue Diamond Garden Centres, Bloom & Wild, British Garden Centres, Daylesford Organic, Fortnum & Mason, Graham & Green, Tesco, Hobbycraft, La Redoute, Lakeland, Next, Paperchase, Pets at Home, and Sainsbury’s.
They visited the show’s four key destinations: Gift (which included a Kids, Toys & Play section), Home, Fashion and Design & Source.
Hyve Group said: ‘Their desire to refresh stock levels, inject newness and discover exciting new products for their stores – and experience product in person – created a very confident mood, and many exhibiting suppliers secured record numbers and quality of orders.
‘Overall, feedback from exhibitors has centred on the amount of pent-up demand there is for face-to-face trading again. Many, including Asmodee, Inside Out Toys, Keel Toys, Little Bird Told Me, Hippychick, My Doris, Jess & Lou, Isles & Stars, The Travelling Craft Room, Fountasia, Lesser & Pavey, Richard Lang & Son/Lang’s, Sass & Belle, Kikkerland and Lesser & Pavey had their busiest shows ever; they opened lots of new accounts and saw a fantastic range of buyers. And according to many other exhibitors, the shows delivered above expectations – with a large number already rebooking for Spring Fair and Autumn Fair 2022. Feedback on Spring Fair’s change of dates to a four-day show has also continued to be positive.’
“As a team, we have all been completely blown away by the attendance and huge volume of orders being written, and want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was part of these four incredible days”
Julie Driscoll, managing director, Hyve Retail
Julie Driscoll, managing director, Hyve Retail, Fashion & Digital Marketing, commented: “As a team, we have all been completely blown away by the attendance and huge volume of orders being written, and want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was part of these four incredible days. The reaction from all our wonderful exhibitors and visitors has been overwhelming – and it’s very positive and encouraging for the future of the British High Street and retailing, after over a year of challenges and uncertainty.
“We are committed to the retail industry and are developing exciting new initiatives for our next show – Spring Fair in February – with all our partners and relevant associations. Based on the Autumn Fair, I have never felt more excited and confident in the collective ability of the retail industry to bounce back and reignite. We can’t wait for Spring Fair.â€
For further information visit www.autumnfair.com. Spring Fair 2022 takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 6 February to 9 February 2022. Visit www.springfair.com for more details.
