55 AUTUMN FAIR PREVIEW than 30 percent exhibiting exclusively at Autumn Fair, buyers can expect a strong mix of established suppliers, emerging brands and trend-led launches across gift, home, fashion, greetings, kids, beauty and lifestyle categories. The co-location with Glee will open up even greater opportunities for discovery. New for 2026, Autumn Fair will also introduce the Food & Drink destination bringing together gourmet gifting, artisanal food brands and indulgent treats designed to help retailers tap into one of the fastest-growing crossover categories in retail. Reflecting the continued blending of gifting, hospitality and lifestyle retail, Food & Drink will give buyers the opportunity to discover handpicked food and drink brands perfect for seasonal gifting, impulse purchases and experience-led retail environments. Importantly, buyers will also be able to sample products onsite, creating a more interactive and sensory buying experience while helping retailers buy with greater confidence ahead of the festive season. As Matthew Mein, Event Director at Autumn Fair & Glee, explains, “Independent retailers can’t afford to over-commit months in advance. Autumn Fair is designed for the way they actually buy; reactive, flexible and in-season. This is where they top up on proven sellers, test new ranges with manageable orders, and discover ready-to-ship stock that gets them through the peak season without unnecessary risk.” THE CONTENT PROGRAMME RETAILERS ACTUALLY NEED One of the biggest developments for Autumn Fair 2026 is the launch of the brand-new Counter Talks Stage, a dedicated content platform focused on the trends, challenges and opportunities shaping modern retail. Designed to deliver practical, commercially useful insight, the programme reflects many of the themes identified within the Voices of Retail report (www.autumnfair.com/voices-retailreport), including experience-led retail, social media and digital engagement, visual merchandising, AI and retail technology, storytelling, retail crime and operational resilience. Confirmed speakers include: • Alison Battisby, Founder of Avocado Social • John Abbate, Economic Growth Lead for High Streets at Westminster City Council • Superintendent Lisa Maslen from the National Business Crime Centre • Andrew Goodacre, CEO, BIRA • Steve Manners, UK Managing Director, Licensing International The programme will also feature workshops delivered in partnership with Google. The show’s organisers have confirmed that further speaker announcements, activations and immersive onsite experiences are still to be revealed in the lead-up to the show. Importantly, this is only the beginning. Organisers have confirmed that further content, speaker announcements, activations and onsite experiences are still to be revealed in the lead-up to the show, with additional immersive retail concepts, networking opportunities and experiential features expected to form part of the final event line-up. PITCH LIVE RETURNS WITH A NEW FORMAT Autumn Fair’s popular Pitch Live competition also returns for 2026, giving emerging brands the chance to present directly to buyers and retail experts across Home & Gift,
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