Home & Gift 2025 sees huge growth in key visitor types and record rebooking

Home & Gift 2025 concluded this Wednesday on a resounding note of success, having united thousands of buyers, brands, and creatives across four vibrant and inspiration-filled days, reaffirming its position as the UK’s essential summer showcase for the retail industry. Celebrating its 65th edition, this landmark show combined record-breaking attendance, standout creativity, and unmistakable feel-good energy across the Harrogate Convention Centre and the grounds of the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel.

The 2025 edition delivered significant growth across key retailer types, with internet retailer attendance rising by 23 percent, independents by 25 percent, department stores by 36 percent, and multiple retailers by 41 percent. An impressive 31 percent of registrations were from first-time visitors, providing loyal exhibitors with a fresh new audience to meet and do business with, alongside big-name retailers including Accessorize, Blue Diamond, Booths Supermarkets, Boots, British Garden Centres, Cardzone, Cox & Cox, De Beers Garden Centre, Dobbies, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Fenwick, Frongosh Garden Centre, Historic Royal Palaces, Hoopers, John Lewis, Jumping Bean, La Redoute, Lakeland, Lark London, MORLEYS, Morrisons, Next, Paper Tiger, Ransoms Garden Cente, The British Museum, TJX, Utility Retail, Vinegar Hill, Waitrose, WHSmith, and World Duty Free. In addition to the quantity, the quality of visitors was evident too, with VIP attendance rising considerably, and the show welcoming 42 percent more buyers possessing spending power of over half a million pounds.

With a significantly expanded show floor and 150 new exhibitors, there was a huge amount for buyers to discover across the seven halls and Design Points, and visitor feedback reflected this; the owners of Jumping Bean explained: “What I always love about coming to Harrogate is the beautiful setting. It’s fun – definitely fun – the social side of it is the best out of all the shows we attend! And then you get the cherry on the cake because you find that not only are the people you’re buying from are all here, but there are so many new suppliers too – and that just makes it so exciting… it’s been amazing!”

The team from John Lewis echoed this: “The brands at Home & Gift feel like they’re selected for a certain customer type, which I feel resonated with ours… If people want inspiration, to meet the industry and to see what products are out there – Home & Gift is a nice place to do all of that!”

Buyers from Simply Rye vocalised the thoughts of many when they commented: “It’s always such a great show full of gorgeous things for us to fill the shop with! We absolutely LOVE catching up with our suppliers (and finding some great new ones too!)”

Exhibitors clearly felt the benefit of such enthusiasm, reporting strong order writing from the moment the doors opened on Sunday right through to the final afternoon of the event, and a record 72 percent of them signed up straight away for 2026. The Art File was full of praise for the event: “We’ve had a great week at Home & Gift and we’ve seen some amazing customers… We’ve absolutely loved our time here at Harrogate and we’ve already booked for next year!”

Meg Hawkins Art shared these sentiments: “Fantastic few days at Home & Gift! Where else could you get to meet in person customers from every corner of the country – from the highlands to Cornwall, even a few internationals…The halls are full of inspiration, everyone’s new ideas and the hope for what the event may bring!”

The Founder of Letterbox Love summarized the thoughts of many, declaring: “We love this show so much!”

The event’s 65th birthday added an extra layer of festivity this year, with celebratory touches including cake, fizz, and a heartfelt visit from the Mayor of Harrogate, who formally signed the show’s commemorative birthday card and shared his own memories of Home & Gift from his time working at the HCC, a meaningful gesture reflecting the event’s deep roots in the local community.

A highlight for many was the Sunday Sundowners, affectionately renamed “Raindowners” after a surprise midsummer downpour which saw guests welcomed into the Majestic Hotel’s Ballroom for an evening of networking and celebration, as Chi Cup was announced as the winner of the prestigious ‘People’s Choice’ category of the Gift of the Year Awards by The Giftware Association’s Head of Membership, Victoria Louise. Other successful social events held included the Show Party, kindly sponsored by Progressive Gifts & Home, on Monday night, which saw exhibitors and visitors alike dance the night away amidst flowing drinks and a live DJ, and Tuesday evening’s Drinks on the Lawn.

Elsewhere, the Gift of the Year 2025 showcase, ran in proud partnership with The Giftware Association, put boundary-pushing products in the spotlight; this year’s winning entries captured the creativity and innovation that continue to define the sector and inspire retail buyers. The show also continued its collaboration with The Better Trends Co., who’s vibrant and sustainability-focused trend installations encouraged attendees to explore what’s next in product development and conscious retailing.

Beyond the show grounds, Harrogate enjoyed a welcome summer boost. Hotels approached full capacity, independent restaurants filled with post-show buzz, and taxis and coffee shops pulsed with industry chatter. The event’s estimated economic impact topped £2 million, highlighting not only Home & Gift’s commercial clout, but also its cultural and economic value to the region.

Event Director David Westbrooke reflected, “Home & Gift 2025 has been a resounding success – newness at every turn, and a remarkable who’s-who of UK Retail in attendance; a fitting show to celebrate 65 remarkable years! This edition was about more than numbers; it was about rekindling relationships and celebrating the future of retail together; the record-breaking rebook was the icing on the (birthday) cake!”

Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival returns to Harrogate from 19th – 22nd July 2026, register your interest now to be part of next year’s inspiring summer showcase.