Gift Focus - Jan/Feb 2020 (Issue 117)

84 What’s new for this year’s show? We’re fully aware that retail isn’t the same sector it was a decade ago, or even just a year ago. The rate of change and innovation in retail has been rapid and even now, shows no sign of letting up. More so than ever, it’s so vital that retailers engage with new methods, technologies and products to stay relevant and profitable. That’s why for Spring Fair 2020 we’re embracing everything that’s new and fresh in the sector. To accommodate all the ideas and products that we’re looking to introduce to visitors, we’ve completely re-edited the show floor to create two distinct sourcing destinations – Gift and Home & Living – with 16 carefully curated show sectors across them. The new sectors have been totally refreshed to help buyers to maximise their time at the event to find, source and place orders of the newest products set to drive sales in 2020 and beyond. For the gift sector we’ve looked to create greater crossover buying opportunities with the sector hall’s proximity to Greetings, Beauty & Wellbeing and Christmas. For 2020 we’ve introduced a brand-new loyalty programme, The Club, which will recognise and reward visitors, making their experience at Spring Fair 2020 even more memorable. We’ve also introduced our brand-new and exclusive hosted buyers programme, ‘The Club Platinum’. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s event? Seeing the new show re-edit come to life. It’s been a long time in the making so seeing it all come to fruition will be very rewarding for the team here. I’m particularly excited to see the new sourcing sector in hall 18, which we’ve launched after a really positive response to a similar offering at Autumn Fair 2019. For gift buyers, this will be the place to meet and connect with manufacturers and distributors from key international sourcing markets such as China, India, Egypt, South Korea and Ghana. In bringing the world to the UK, the new platform will make it easier, cheaper and more cost effective to source products from overseas. Who are the must-see newcomers? Spring Fair has always been focused on bringing new opportunities to its visitors – newness is central to everything we do. For this show we’ve been absolutely focused on bringing in as many new and exciting suppliers as possible. Amongst the new class of 2020 will be the likes of Colonial Candle, which has come over from the US to showcase its scented candle ranges; Danish design company BySommer Aps, the producer of the popular Good Luck Trolls and Fenella Smith, a lifestyle brand showcasing a range of homewares, ceramics and gifts. Jade Moss, Head of Gift at Spring Fair, speaks exclusively to Gift Focus about what to expect at the 2020 event “Spring Fair has always been focused on bringing new opportunities to its visitors – newness is central to everything we do. For this show we’ve been absolutely focused on bringing in as many new and exciting suppliers as possible.”