Four days at the NEC reveal retailers looking beyond traditional categories, prioritising distinctive products and stronger supplier relationships as they plan for the Golden Quarter and 2027

NEC Birmingham, 9 September 2026: Autumn Fair 2026 closed today following four days of buying, discovery and networking at the NEC Birmingham, with feedback from retailers and exhibitors highlighting a more cross-category approach to sourcing, growing demand for distinctive and story-led products, and the continued importance of face-to-face relationships in retail.

Across Gift, Home, Fashion and the newly co-located Glee, buyers from leading retailers including John Lewis, TJX Europe, Fenwick, NEXT, IKEA, Argos, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, The Range, Mamas & Papas, Dobbies, Blue Diamond, British Garden Centres, Natural History Museum, British Museum, ZSL, Royal Shakespeare Company, Hobbycraft, Scribbler, Paper Tiger, Joules, Mountain Warehouse, QVC and Amazon, alongside a broad mix of independent retailers, garden centres, visitor attractions and specialist stores, have used the show to discover new products, meet existing and potential suppliers and identify opportunities beyond their traditional buying categories, with the combined event creating new crossover between home, garden, gift, fashion and lifestyle.

Two Shows - A Bigger Buying Opportunity

The co-location with Glee emerged as one of the strongest themes of the show, with retailers using the two-day opportunity to combine their Autumn Fair gift, home and fashion buying with garden, outdoor and lifestyle sourcing. For some buyers, the combination has changed the way they approach their buying trip, enabling them to move between categories and make one longer visit work harder.

The crossover has also opened new markets for exhibitors. Tretorn distributor Juls Dawson said buyers from gift, lifestyle and interiors businesses had discovered opportunities for its rainwear, “What has been particularly interesting is meeting buyers who weren’t necessarily coming to the show looking for clothing. We’ve had people from gift shops, lifestyle stores and interiors businesses who have seen the collection and thought, ‘Actually, I could see these raincoats working in our stores.’ That’s opened the brand up to retailers we wouldn’t normally meet through the traditional fashion shows. We already supply some garden centres, and that’s a market we really want to develop further, so having Glee here creates a great opportunity for us to meet more of those buyers.”

Nick Ronald of Casa Verde reported seeing new garden centre customers alongside the independents already important to the business. “I think the co-location has definitely worked. We’re very garden-oriented and already deal with garden centres, but we also work with around 600 small independents, so there’s a real opportunity to reach both audiences. We’re positioned on the main avenue, right on the boundary with Glee, and we’ve definitely seen the footfall coming through. I think the cross-pollination is working both ways.”

Discovery remains a key driver for buyers

While buyers arrived with specific ranges and gaps in mind, conversations across the show demonstrated that discovery remains one of the key reasons retailers value physical trade shows. Claire Bevan, Head of Buying at the Natural History Museum, highlighted the growing importance of distinctive, story-led products and stronger relationships with producers and suppliers. “In the area I buy for, there’s definitely a lot of optimism and I’m seeing more products that are story-led, creative and distinctive. There’s a real focus on going back into the supply chain, working with great producers and suppliers, and creating products that have a strong story behind them. That’s something I’m seeing more and more of every year when I come to Autumn Fair.”

Alison Emery, Founder of Melody Joan Jewellery & Gifts, said understanding the story behind a brand and meeting the people behind it are increasingly important when selecting suppliers. “In the area I buy for, there’s definitely a lot of optimism and I’m seeing more products that are story-led, creative and distinctive. There’s a real focus on going back into the supply chain, working with great producers and suppliers, and creating products that have a strong story behind them. That’s something I’m seeing more and more of every year when I come to Autumn Fair.”

Independent retailers drive demand for something different

Independent retailers were a consistent presence across the show, with exhibitors reporting strong conversations with boutiques, independents, garden centres and smaller retail groups. Mark Green, Sales and Growth Strategist at Raspberry Blossom said, “Autumn Fair has been really good for us. We’ve had a lot of independents coming to us looking for something a bit different, and we’ve generated a lot of new business, including orders from people who hadn’t heard of us before.”

Oli Woodyatt, Sales Director of Alice Wheeler said, “We’re seeing a broader mix of buyers. We’re seeing more fashion buyers, alongside the garden centre groups and independent retailers that are a really important part of our customer base. Commercially, it’s been a really good show for us. We’ve opened at least 10 new accounts in the first two days and have been writing orders here at the show. We’re more than 50% up on last year’s numbers, so we’re very happy with how it has performed.”

For independent retailers, the breadth of the show provided an opportunity to find niche and emerging brands alongside established suppliers. Helen Locke, Director & Founder of Fable and Bear, said the confidence and clarity of independent buyers had particularly stood out. “We’ve mainly been meeting independent retailers, and what really stands out is how confident they are in who their customer is. They know what they sell, what works for their customers and what they’re looking for from new products and ranges, so you can have really valuable conversations with them.”

Quality, sustainability and value

The feedback from buyers also points to a nuanced approach to value. With consumers under pressure and RRPs increasing, retailers are conscious of price, but that does not necessarily mean trading down. Abbi Salkled, Buying Manager at English Heritage said, “Retail is challenging at the moment, and you can see that at the shows, with RRPs going up and consumers becoming tighter with their spending. That doesn’t necessarily change what we buy, though – we still look for quality and sustainability because those things represent our brand values, rather than going for cheaper plastic products.”

This reflects a wider emphasis across the show on products that offer retailers a clear story, point of difference and reason for consumers to buy.

International connections and new routes to market

The show also provided exhibitors with access to buyers from further afield, with businesses reporting interest from France, Australia, Ireland and other international markets. Olivia Somerton of Jello, a British greeting card manufacturer, said “We’ve even had people emailing in the middle of the night because the stand was so busy they couldn’t get on, but they really wanted our products. There are more buyers generally, people are coming from further afield, and we’ve even had a big order from Australia. The energy has been incredible.”

For newer exhibitors, the opportunity to reach entirely new customer groups has also been significant. Archie MacDonald of The Highland Soap Co. reported that the business had received more orders at Autumn Fair than across several other shows. “This is our first time at Autumn Fair, and we’ve found it to be an excellent show. The co-location with Glee has been a big draw, and we noticed a real upswing in traffic as soon as Glee opened. We’ve done other shows, including Harrogate and Scotland, but we’ve had more orders today than we’ve had across all of those other shows combined. It’s been an excellent show for us, and we’ve been very busy every day with independents, garden centres and other buyers.”

HOME & GIFT ASSOCIATION

The Home & Gift Association also brought its newly launched Buyer Circle to the show, alongside the Gift of the Year Showcase, helping to connect buyers with suppliers and new product opportunities.

Chris Workman, Head of Operations and Events at The Home & Gift Association said, “Autumn Fair has been a great show for us. We’ve relaunched as the Home & Gift Association, and this has really been our hard launch, with all our new branding and literature out there. The Gift of the Year Showcase has also been fantastic in its new location, acting as a conduit to get buyers through to the stands showcasing the products. Our members have seen a lot of new buyers, and I think having Autumn Fair combined with Glee has really helped. Even on the final day, we’ve still seen good footfall across the stand, so overall it’s been a really positive show.”

Across conversations with buyers, exhibitors and experts, several themes emerged consistently: discovery, differentiation, storytelling, relationships and cross-category opportunity.

For Matthew Mein, Event Director at Autumn Fair & Glee, the four days demonstrated how quickly the retail landscape is evolving. “What we’ve seen over the four days is a retail industry that is ready to act on opportunity. Buyers are looking beyond traditional categories, they’re searching for products with a genuine point of difference, and they’re putting more value on the relationships and stories behind the brands they buy. The response to the Autumn Fair and Glee co-location has been particularly encouraging, showing how much potential there is when you give retailers the opportunity to cross-shop and discover something outside their usual buying remit.

“The message from this year’s show is clear: discovery still matters, relationships still matter, and retailers want ideas they can act on. That’s exactly what Autumn Fair is here to facilitate, and we’re leaving Birmingham with a real sense of optimism about what comes next.”

Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director of Spring & Autumn Fair, said, “The industry has really united to support this campaign – we now have until January 2027 to reach 100,000 signatures so it’s crucial that every one of us signs the petition to ensure Government has to debate it in Parliament. We’ve created a free Retailer Starter Pack to help retailers get behind our campaign and drive consumer engagement. Inside, there’s everything you need to sign, share and amplify the Parliamentary petition - including ready-to-use social posts, campaign messaging and promotional materials to share with your customers, team and community. The more retailers and businesses that get involved, the louder our collective voice becomes! Download the pack, spread the word and help us reach 100,000 signatures.”