Spring Fair 2026 is placing personal growth and practical support firmly at the heart of the show with the return of two powerful, free personal business-boosting opportunities for retailers and brands: 1-2-1 Retail Mentoring Clinics in the Buyer’s Retreat and the Retail Huddle Live: Kick Start 2026 event in The Merchant’s Corner.
Designed to deliver tailored advice, real-world insight and actionable next steps, both initiatives are free to attend and aimed at helping independent retailers and emerging brands trade more confidently, profitably and sustainably in the year ahead.
Free 1-2-1 Retail Mentoring Clinics
Monday 2nd – Wednesday 4th | Buyer’s Retreat, Hall 3
Back by popular demand, Stephen Spencer + Associates return to Spring Fair with their much-loved 1-2-1 mentoring clinics, offering confidential, personalised advice across every aspect of retail performance.
From brand strategy and marketing to buying, merchandising, customer experience and commercial planning, each session is matched to the retailer’s specific needs, ensuring practical guidance that can be implemented immediately.
Stephen Spencer, Founder of Stephen Spencer + Associates, comments, “We're really excited to be bringing a brilliant team of retail experts to Spring Fair again in 2026. Their expertise includes brand and marketing, range building and product development, visual merchandising and sales, and eCommerce. Our 1-2-1 Retail Mentoring Clinics are a great opportunity for retailers to talk to a friendly specialist, confidentially, about challenges including how to attract more customers or generate more sales; and opportunities including creating a super-productive, motivated team, or achieving better results from marketing. We also focus on providing simple, actionable solutions, every time. Basically, if you want to make your retail business more successful, we can help!”
The mentoring team includes:
Stephen Spencer – Retail, brand & customer experience strategy
Samantha Gibbs – Independent retail insight from Nest’s director
Jane Le Bon – Visual merchandising and display expert
Catrina Hicks – Commercial retail planning and operations
Lauren Groves – Brand, marketing and project delivery
Carolyn Ehman – Strategic spaces and people-centred operations
Annika Jefferys – Creative retail design and VM specialist
Retailers can book a time slot in advance, share what they need help with, and are matched with the most relevant expert on the day.
Retail Huddle Live: Kick Start 2026
Wednesday 4 February | 11am–2pm
Also taking place on the final day of the show, Retail Huddle Live: Kick Start 2026 is a high-energy, expert-led event designed to help retailers supercharge their 2026 strategy, plan for profit and level up their retail game.
Designed to deliver real, actionable insight, from 11am – 1pm, buyers can book dynamic Retail Power Sessions which are which are short, focused appointments with some of the SME industry's leading minds covering topics including:
Those without a booked slot are still welcome to drop in, soak up the buzz, and:
Contribute to the Challenge Wall – spark ideas, share challenges, and fuel meaningful retail conversations and network with your peers.
Collect a Digital Swag Bag – packed with tools, checklists, and resources to kick-start your 2026 retail strategy
Chat with the Retail Huddle team, join the conversation and meet the community shaping retail in 2026.
The afternoon concludes with a Retail Huddle Networking Hour (1–2pm) - an informal, community-led session bringing together the expert community, fellow founders and independent retailers to continue conversations, share knowledge and build lasting connections.
Ami Rabheru, Retail Strategist and Founder of Retail Huddle says, “Networking is the most powerful thing you can do for your business, it's where light-bulb moments happen, collaborations are born, knowledge is shared and it can really help shape your next big move. We are thrilled to be bringing Retail Huddle to Spring Fair to empower the retail community with practical, actionable insights across retail strategy, pitching to retailers, pricing and planning for profit and more. We can't wait to help retailers and brands elevate their retail game!”
Together, these free initiatives reinforce Spring Fair’s commitment to supporting retailers beyond sourcing, providing meaningful guidance, confidence and capability to help businesses thrive in 2026 and beyond.
Registration is open to join the UK’s most inspiring retail showcase. Discover, connect, and transform your retail journey atwww.springfair.com.
Autumn Fair returns 6-9 September 2026 at NEC, Birmingham and will co-locate with Glee, which runs from 8-10th September 2026.
