Autumn Fair 2025 opens on Sunday with record growth, bigger footprint, and a re-energised visitor experience

Autumn Fair, the UK’s leading retail marketplace for home, gift, fashion and lifestyle, opens its doors this Sunday 7th September at the NEC Birmingham, unveiling a reimagined visitor experience that blends inspiration, sourcing, insight, and interactive learning like never before.

Running until 10th September, this year’s show will welcome over 12,000 UK and international buyers and thousands of exhibitors across Home, Gift and Fashion, supported by an enriched programme of workshops, mentoring and trend-led content designed to supercharge retail growth and add value to the visitor experience.

This September marks the most dynamic edition yet, with a bigger event footprint and record-breaking exhibitor growth:

• 16 percent increase in exhibitors
• 38 percent increase in new exhibitors
• 60 percent increase in international exhibitors
• Over 30 percent of exhibitors are exclusive to Autumn Fair

The expansion has also attracted new categories of buyers, adding to the show’s scale, pride, and energy, and cementing Autumn Fair as a must-attend sourcing ground for independents and multiples alike.

Hosting the largest and most diverse gathering of UK retailers, Autumn Fair brings together buyers from every corner of the retail landscape. From some of the nation’s leading department stores and multiples to garden centres, heritage attractions, entertainment venues, and charity shops, through to the thousands of independent retailers that form the beating heart of the high street, the show is unrivalled in its breadth and depth of attendance. This unique mix creates an extraordinary platform for exhibitors, offering access to the UK’s most influential and varied buying community, all under one roof.

Soraya Gadelrab, Event Director, Autumn Fair says, “Autumn Fair has always been about more than transactions – it’s about helping retailers and brands grow, evolve, and thrive. This September’s show marks the beginning of a new era. Alongside our unrivalled exhibitor mix across Home, Gift and Fashion, we’ve transformed the visitor experience with pre-bookable workshops, mentoring, and interactive learning. From future trend insight to practical retail toolkits, this is an unmissable opportunity for retailers to get inspired, stock up, and build the skills to thrive long term. The growth in exhibitors and new buyers also reflects the pride, excitement, and energy around the show this year – it’s a truly re-energised Autumn Fair. And there’ll be a few extra surprises for visitors along the way.

Taking place at a pivotal moment in the retail calendar, 81 percent of buyers visit to source new products. The show fuels both immediate order placement and long-term partnership building. Retailers can discover fresh collections, seasonal bestsellers, and future-forward products all under one roof.”

A supercharged visitor experience

Autumn Fair isn’t just about what you buy, it’s about a host of experiences to enhance your visit, from retail masterclasses to networking retreats. Shaking things up this year, the newly reimagined feature areas are packed with fresh content, practical insights, and real support, all designed to help independent retailers grow, adapt and thrive in a competitive market.

Staying ahead in today’s fast-moving retail world takes more than great products so the new curated content programme of short, practical sessions packed with real-world strategies aims to help retailers buy smarter, sell better, and future-proof their business.

For the first time, buyers can pre-book their place at Autumn Fair’s expanded content programme, ensuring guaranteed access to the most in-demand sessions and workshops and enable handy forward-planning (autumnfair.com/session-booking).

The new Retail Corner is a hub for industry icon trend talks, trend forecast presentations and practical sessions – discover new trends and learn from inspiring success stories at this charming shop front stage. Retail Corner will facilitate a myriad of sessions from masterclasses, trend forecast presentations by official trend partner BDA London, and inspiring industry icon interviews including Harriet Hastings from Biscuiteers and Bruce Langlands from Trotters.

Pitch Live will welcome exhibitors to the stage with their most innovative products, pitching to an esteemed panel of judges and a curious retail audience. Sectors include Kids, Fashion and Gift and the 9 finalists will have the opportunity to enhance their brand’s awareness, gain invaluable feedback and possibly get a new listing.

Kids finalists presenting on Monday include Play Press highlighting sustainable playsets; Worgan Games who debut as a family-run tabletop publisher offering high-quality, shelf-worthy card games, and Blue Bear & Co introduces a luxury keepsake bear with multi-sensory features, designed in memory of the founder’s son.

In Fashion on Tuesday, Nudie Jewellery brings skin-first, affordable-luxury designs that are hypoallergenic and waterproof, crafted from 18k gold vermeil and freshwater pearls; Tie Bags, a women-led brand, collaborates with artisans for stylish, durable bags that go beyond mass market; and Mama Movement presents raincoats and padded jackets in exclusive prints by Australian female artists, available in inclusive sizing to make outerwear both vibrant and functional.

Gift finalists on Wednesday include Jellow, reinventing greeting cards as interactive, sentiment-driven experiences; Seedball, which encourages wildflower planting to support native wildlife; and Fruu Cosmetics, pitching REBREW, a men’s grooming gift set made with upcycled grains from British breweries for beer-loving recipients.

The Buyers Retreat is a buyer-only, peaceful oasis to refresh, reflect, and take meetings in private. New Retailer Social Workshops blend collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity in an intimate ‘retailer therapy’ format. From Retail Confessionals: The Pricing Mistakes That Kept Us Up at Night to Small Business Growth Hacks for eBay and Cracking the Code on Next-Gen Shoppers, these interactive sessions provide practical takeaways and authentic peer-to-peer learning.

The show also introduces free one-to-one mentoring sessions with some of the UK’s most experienced retail experts as part of its Retail Makeover Mission initiative. Bookable in advance, these 20-minute consultations cover everything from visual merchandising and brand strategy to PR, digital integration, and high street transformation.

All buyers benefit from a buyer’s benefit package saving £30+ per day which includes free parking, complimentary tea, coffee and water, and free cloakrooms.

Celebrating excellence in gifting

At the heart of Hall 7, the Gift of the Year Showcase (Stand 7F45) celebrates innovation, creativity, and excellence across the home and giftware industry. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the winners of The Giftware Association’s prestigious Gift of the Year 2025 Awards, shining a spotlight on the very best in design and retail-ready gifting.

On the neighbouring Giftware Association stand (Hall 7, F46–G47), retailers can access specialist advice through Export Clinics hosted by Hooper & Co International Trade Consultancy (8th Sept) and IP Clinics led by Barker Brettell (9th Sept), offering free, practical guidance on everything from customs compliance and supply chain issues to copyright protection and infringement.

Faire: Blending physical and digital buying

Autumn Fair has also partnered exclusively with Faire (Hall 6, Stand 6D22), Europe’s leading wholesale marketplace. This powerful collaboration bridges in-person product discovery with digital ordering, giving retailers access to Faire’s flexible payment terms, exclusive promotions, and a seamless year-round buying journey.

The Ambience Clinic 

The popular Ambience Clinic returns, delivered in partnership with Stephen Spencer + Associates, returns with 1:1 appointments and masterclasses on maximising in-store impact and customer engagement (Hall 20, Stand J50 / Hall 8, Stand C66).

The GCA Lounge

The Greeting Card Association (Hall 6, Stand E20) continues its partnership with Autumn Fair, creating a dedicated hub where GCA members and retailers can collaborate, network, and celebrate the strength and creativity of the UK’s vibrant greetings industry.

TrendHub by BDA London

Joining Autumn Fair 2025 as Official Trends Partner, BDA London will deliver daily insights in the Retail Corner, equipping buyers and retailers with future-facing intelligence on emerging trends across fashion, home, and gifting.

Ty UK: Show-stopping Takeover

This year’s most unmissable brand presence comes from Ty UK, the world’s #1 plush brand, which is delivering a show-stopping takeover across the NEC. From branded entrances, signage, and lanyards to immersive experiential spaces including the Ty Sweet Shop activation, buyers can step inside Ty’s world of collectible characters. With full takeovers of Halls 6 & 7 entrances, Ty’s playful energy will set the tone for excitement throughout the show. 

eBay: Supporting Independent Retail Growth

As a strategic partner, eBay (Hall 6, Stand F13) is helping independent retailers through both digital and onsite activations. Ahead of the show, eBay will deliver expert insights via Inside Retail blogs, social campaigns, and a Knowledge Hub video. Onsite, visitors can enjoy free coffee from eBay’s branded coffee station while connecting with their team and join exclusive workshop sessions on boosting online sales.

On Sunday 7th September at 10:45 in the Retail Corner, Kevin Aloe, Seller Ops and Acquisition Manager at eBay UK, will present Inside the Marketplace: How eBay Is Shaping the Future of Independent Retail, a must-attend session on the latest marketplace trends, shopper behaviours, and tools to help small businesses grow their visibility and customer base.

Source Home, Kids, Gift and more…

With over 800 leading brands across 10 curated destinations, Autumn Fair is the UK’s most influential order-writing show, delivering inspiration, innovation, and new revenue streams for retailers. It’s the one-stop shop to refresh ranges, source must-have products for the seasons ahead, and plan into 2026.

Spanning Home, Living & Décor, The Summer House Edit, Gift, Beauty & Wellbeing, Kids, Toys & Play, Greetings & Stationery, Everyday, and Moda x Pure (Fashion, Jewellery & Accessories), the show makes sourcing easy with thousands of trend-led products ready to order.

Autumn Fair also shines a spotlight on new and emerging brands in the New Business Pavilions, launches the Taste at Autumn Fair gourmet gifting sector, and hosts the Gift of the Year Showcase, celebrating the most innovative products in the industry.

Co-located Event – Source Home & Gift, Hall 19

Source Home & Gift unites only the best manufacturers from key sourcing regions around the world with key retailers, brands, contractors and interior designers who are looking to find new suppliers or explore private label opportunities.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the UK’s ultimate buying event at the heart of retail’s peak season. Whether restocking for Q4, discovering new ranges, or forging new supplier relationships, Autumn Fair remains the essential event for the retail trade calendar.

For more information and to register to visit, go to www.autumnfair.com.