The future of traditional pottery making is under threat from a combination of an ageing profession and environmental concerns over the use of gas and wood fired kilns. While pottery making has experienced a boom in recent years, particularly during Covid lockdowns when many people took it up as a hobby, traditional methods used for hundreds of years are in danger of dying out, according to professionals.
Posted: 5 March 2024
Autumn Fair, the UK retail's inspirational shopping destination for Home, Gift and Fashion, has announced the launch of its new campaign theme promising a celebration of newness and original products that will bring retail stores to life, putting the spotlight on the allure of the 'shop window' and the best of British suppliers. The show will take place 1st – 4th September at NEC Birmingham.
Posted: 29 February 2024
h+h cologne will become the ultimate networking and educational platform for the handicraft industry from 22nd to 24th March 2024 - the respective programme contents have now been announced: From the first steps of founding a company, to the power of collaboration, through to the creation of reels, valuable knowledge that falls under the key theme "Creative Empowerment" will be conveyed.
Posted: 27 February 2024
COLOP would like to inform you of an important change in its business operations. After careful consideration and strategic planning, COLOP Austria has decided to restructure the business in the UK, transfer the business to a new distribution partner and close its branch in UK. This decision was not made lightly, but it aligns with the broader business strategy of COLOP to enhance efficiency and streamline its operations.
Posted: 22 February 2024
Spring & Autumn Fair, the UK's largest and most inspirational retail trade shows for Home, Gift and Fashion, has announced the creation of a new Advisory Board designed to drive the continuous enhancement of the two shows and ensure that UK retail has a thriving marketplace in which to do business.
The board, chaired by Stephen Spencer, Ambience Director at Stephen Spencer + Associates, comprises 15 of the industry's leading figureheads.
Including John Halliday from British Independent Retailers Association, Sarah Ward of the Giftware Association, Ben Massey from the National Association of Jewellers, exhibitors including Stephen Illingworth from Widdop & Co, Aylish Ellwood from Enesco, who all provide valuable industry insight and advice assisting in the on-going development and growth of Spring & Autumn Fair.
Posted: 22 February 2024
Checker Distributors is now the home of the renowned perfect crafting and quilting products by quilt artist Karen Kay Buckley. With their exceptional quality and precision, designed by acclaimed quilt artist Karen Kay Buckley®, these scissors are meticulously crafted to deliver clean and accurate cuts on various fabrics, ensuring your projects have a professional finish. Their original serrated blades provide excellent grip and prevent slippage, making them ideal for intricate and detailed cutting tasks.
Posted: 20 February 2024
Spring Fair, the UK's largest and most inspirational retail marketplace for Home, Gift and Fashion, closed on a high after four days of intensive buying, creativity and fun, and now looks ahead to its 75th anniversary in 2025. From Sunday to Wednesday, the UK's longest serving retail show attracted thousands of buyers from retailers including John Lewis, Asda, Fortnum & Mason, Tesco, Aldi UK, Elphicks, Cards Galore and more.
Posted: 15 February 2024
The plans for National Stationery Week 2024 are off to a fabulous start, with seven leading brands already having pledged their support as sponsors for the weeklong event which will spread the love at both retail and consumer levels about all things stationery. National Stationery Week runs over Monday to Sunday, 13th -19th May, this year, and encompasses the London Stationery Show on the Tuesday and Wednesday (14th -15th May) at the Business Design Centre in Islington.
Posted: 13 February 2024
The UK trade show for the festive trade sector experiences significant increase in both exhibitor and visitor numbers for the 2024 show, attracting buyers from across Europe. Harrogate Christmas & Gift has enjoyed year-on-year growth for more than 10 years, but the 2024 show, which took place from 14th to 17th January at the Harrogate Convention Centre, exceeded all expectations with a further increase in visitor numbers of over 11 per cent compared with last year.
Posted: 8 February 2024
Buyers highlighted their delight at their new discoveries and the feedback throughout the day was buoyant and energised. Hillary Fuller, from Attico in Bournemouth said, "We've had such a great show, and seen loads of new and innovative products. We're actually running behind schedule as we discovered two new companies that we've not bought from before and they are perfect for us, and now we're off to meet more of our regular suppliers." Stephanie Taylor Howl from Just-Tickety Boo Events, Burton-on-Trent added, "The show is amazing, it's not just an average show, it's much bigger and better! The stands really draw you in, it has been a really immersive experience. We have found it easy to navigate around the show, signage has been excellent. It's been good to meet the brands in person and make relationships directly with the sellers. I found some lovely high-end ribbon, some amazing frosted trees and some enormous wreaths which will be great for my Christmas events. We have seen some lovely new products, the quality is excellent and the prices have been competitive. We stumbled across some new suppliers, they are local to us and we never would have found them without visiting Spring Fair, which is great!"
Posted: 8 February 2024