FairFocus Home & Gift
‘A truly
special event’ As we look forward to Home & Gift, show manager David Westbrook tells us what’s in the pipeline for the four-day buyers’ festival, which kicks off in Harrogate on July 17 What makes Home & Gift different from other trade exhibitions in the buying calendar? Home & Gift is a truly special event. In all my years of organising, visiting and exhibiting within the industry, I’ve never come across anything quite like it. Combined with the vast array of brands on offer, the unique, relaxed social atmosphere that we foster allows for both easy networking and (importantly!) successful buying. It’s just completely different to all the other events out there, making it a favourite for both exhibitors and retailers. How will you make this the best Home & Gift yet? The show is over 50% larger than it was in 2021, and importantly over 25% of our exhibitors are brand new this summer too, supplementing all the returning suppliers that our retailers know and love. So there really is something for everyone to discover this July. In addition, for the first time ever, we’re giving exhibitors and buyers the chance to start connecting before they arrive in Harrogate on our networking platform Browse & Meet, where buyers are able to explore products and pre-book appointments with exhibitors at the show. This is an amazing opportunity to start the networking and sales process early, so that both sides can make the most of their time at Home & Gift. If that wasn’t enough, as a result of the overwhelming feedback we received in 2021, this year we’re also delighted to be able to expand our home interiors offering by launching the Furniture Collection in Harrogate. This exclusive assembly of furniture and homeware brands will be showcasing beautifully crafted furniture pieces alongside stylish homewares. With Home & Gift taking place in the heart of the British summer, our social events are always popular. And this year won’t disappoint, as we’re bringing back all the fun elements that we’re known for. We have regular Happy Hours planned throughout the festival for our exhibitors and buyers, along with the Sunday Sundowner drinks and much more besides.
time, including Aery, Little Concepts, Albetta, House of Disaster, Do Something David, The Northern Line, Klean Kanteen, Opinel, QUDO, Butterfly Fashion, Ohelo, Okiki Skincare, Heart and Soul Studio, Kind Bag, and Jekyll and Hide. Plus, we are welcoming back a whole host of top exhibitors that were unable to join us in recent years such as Enesco, Container Group Buying, Richard Lang & Son, Orange Tree Toys, Depesche, Belly Button Designs, Tilley & Grace, Kikkerland, Charles Farris, Santoro, Wrendale Designs and Oli Olsen. Alongside all these brands, buyers won’t want to miss our new Furniture Collection, where they can meet top furniture brands and source products to build their home interiors offering. We’ll be running a virtual Shop Talk seminar stream in the lead-up to the show as well, giving everyone the chance to gain important industry insights and knowledge from top experts in the field.
“A huge part of Home & Gift’s charm is its unique combination of social and business atmosphere, which is why it’s the show our buyers and exhibitors actually want to attend, rather than just have to”
Is there anything new this year that visitors should look out for? Well over 100 new suppliers will be showcasing their brands in Harrogate for the first
30 Gifts Today
Will there be any changes to the layout of the show? This year we’ve introduced a new Design Point marquee as we expand again, and have blended our products across our Design Points to help buyers shop multiple sectors with ease. Plus, the Furniture Collection will be taking over Hall Q and the Kings Suite in the Convention Centre. So there’s lots to see! How many exhibitors and visitors are you expecting? Following an incredibly successful 2021 edition, this year there will be over 450 brands to discover across our Halls and Design Points, and with our visitor pre-registration looking strong, we can expect a return to something approaching pre-Covid levels of footfall again. What names - both returning and new - can you confirm will be exhibiting? In addition to all the new brands we have with us for 2022, visitors can still expect to see all their old favourites including Gallery Direct, Joe Davies, Captivate Brands, Zelly, Inside Out Toys, By Molly&Izzie, The Art File, Forever England, Quail, Bomb Cosmetics, Steiff, LIGA, Heathcote & Ivory, CHALK, Lisa Angel, Talking Tables, Lagoon Group, Miss Shorthair, and DCUK, plus many, many more!
