Almost three-quarters of the 800 exhibitors to attend this year’s Autumn Fair rebooked onsite for 2025, according to organiser Hyve Group.
The four-day show for home and giftware retailers took place at the NEC Birmingham from 1-4 September. It attracted a 6% increase in buyers actively looking to source and buy new products, a 20% rise in the number of buyers with sole or joint purchasing responsibility, and 30% new buyers.
Some 95% of the retail buyers who attended the Autumn Fair were from UK department stores, independents, garden centres, heritage sites and charities. Moreover, 85% had sole or joint responsibility for purchasing and 40% came with a planned spending budget between £25,000 and £100,000.
Regional growth was also evident with increases in visitors from the South East, the Midlands, South West, North West and London, showcasing Autumn Fair’s widening influence across the country.
Mike Winch, founder of Candlelight said, “To those brands who aren’t here, we have written as many orders in one and a half days, as we wrote in four days at the last Autumn Fair. The attendance and quality of buyers have been excellent, we will be back at the Autumn Fair next year.”
