Home & Gift Association Industry Champions put regulation and business growth at top of the sector agenda 

Industry leaders identify regulatory complexity as a key barrier to growth as HGA turns industry insight into action 
12 October 2026.

The Home & Gift Association (HGA) is stepping up its work to tackle the practical barriers facing businesses across the home and gift sector, following the latest meeting of its Industry Champions on 9 October.   The Industry Champions initiative was created to strengthen the sector’s collective voice and provide real-world business evidence to support the HGA’s advocacy work. At the latest meeting, participants identified regulation and administrative burden as the clearest shared challenge and preferred lobbying priority.  

The discussion highlighted concerns around EUDR, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), differing international requirements and the wider compliance burden facing businesses trading across borders. Participants also highlighted the importance of competitive fairness, including comparable standards for overseas sellers and marketplace traders.  

The HGA will now make regulatory simplification and practical compliance support a priority Industry Champions workstream, combining member guidance with evidence-led advocacy around the impact regulation can have on cost, time, international expansion and competitiveness. 

 
Turning industry conversations into action 

The meeting also identified a series of opportunities for strengthening business growth and resilience across the sector.  These included the practical and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, with Industry Champions sharing examples of AI supporting forecasting, dashboards, data interpretation, process automation and concept development. The discussion identified operational efficiency as a key opportunity while recognising the importance of clear internal guardrails around how AI is used.  

Supporting SMEs to maximise opportunities through selling platforms was another key theme. Participants highlighted the specialist knowledge required to succeed on platforms such as Faire and Amazon, leading the HGA to explore a defined support programme covering areas including listings, visibility, promoted activity and understanding return on spend.  

 - Developing the next generation 
 - Future talent also featured prominently in the discussion. 

The HGA will bring forward a future-talent proposal covering youth employment and routes into the sector, while exploring the feasibility of an industry-backed internship or apprenticeship model enabling participants to gain experience across different types of businesses.  

The group also supported further development of mentoring, peer learning and knowledge exchange, potentially connecting smaller companies with experienced members and specialist expertise from across the HGA community.

  
We need to turn business experience into action 

Gemma Sault, Managing Director of the Home & Gift Association, said: 

“What I really value about Industry Champions is that we are hearing directly from businesses about what is helping them grow, what is holding them back and where collective action can make a genuine difference. The message from this meeting was clear. Regulation and the growing administrative burden on businesses need our attention, but importantly, we don't simply want to highlight problems. We want to understand the evidence, identify practical solutions and make sure businesses have the support they need to navigate change. 

“There were also some incredibly positive conversations around AI, digital selling, mentoring, future talent and how we share expertise across our community. Industry Champions is about turning those conversations into action. It gives us a stronger evidence base for our advocacy while helping us develop practical programmes that respond to what businesses actually need.” 

Building a stronger voice for the industry 

The Industry Champions programme sits alongside a growing programme of external engagement by the HGA. The Association reported engagement with the Department for Business and Trade, Small Business Commissioner, Bank of England, Genesis Initiative and other trade associations, as well as developing relationships with equivalent home and gift associations in the United States, Australia and Canada.  

A late-payments toolkit and related support are also being developed with the Small Business Commissioner.  
Clear actions from Industry Champions  Following the meeting, the HGA has established an action plan covering four immediate areas: 

 - Regulatory guidance: validating the current regulatory position and working with relevant sector bodies to develop practical resources for members.  
 - Evidence gathering: collecting business examples demonstrating how regulatory complexity affects cost, time, expansion and competitiveness.  
 - Member support: scoping practical programmes around AI, selling platforms, mentoring and access to specialist advice.  
 - Future talent: developing proposals and exploring the feasibility of cross-business internship or apprenticeship opportunities.  

Gemma added: 
“Our ambition is simple: listen to industry, turn what we hear into practical action and use the collective experience of our sector to create a stronger voice for business. There is huge expertise within our community. Industry Champions gives us an opportunity to harness it for the benefit of the wider sector.”