Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
The organiser of Spring Fair International, i2i Events Group, has announced a raft of new developments for the 2015 show, in a move designed to ‘enhance exhibitor and buyer experience at the event, with an immediate focus on the kitchen, dining and the home sectors’.
From next year, both Spring and Autumn Fair will see the introduction of a new feature called Room in the Home Interiors Hall. Featuring high-end bespoke room sets within a series of specially created stands, Room will be an addition in the Home Interiors category. Bringing together a mix of medium-to-high-end home and interior brands, Room will showcase new exhibitors including some of Europe’s leading home accessories companies.
Commenting on the Room concept, Selfridges buyer Christopher Gardner said: “Here at Selfridges we are looking to source high-end, design-led products and to have an area available at the Spring Fair specifically designed for this purpose would be great.”
Due to a significant increase in Home Interiors companies wanting to exhibit at the forthcoming Spring Fair, the sector is to move from its existing location in Hall 9 to Hall 1. In turn this will give buyers a greater offer of furniture, lighting and home accessories along with new product sectors including textiles.
Kitchen, Dining & Housewares will move from its present location in Hall 1 to Hall 9 and the name of the section will change to Table and Kitchen. It will be placed adjacent to the Contemporary Gift halls and The Summerhouse, ‘reflecting the importance of kitchen and tabletop items to the wider giftware market’. This new layout will provide greater crossover buying opportunities with gift and volume buyers, which kitchen and dining exhibitors have told the organiser is important.
Commenting on the developments, Spring Fair Managing Director Louise Young says: “With an increasing number of textile-based soft furnishing companies and home décor suppliers exhibiting at both shows, plus a great representation of lighting companies at Autumn Fair, we felt the time was right to really focus on these essential and aspirational sectors of our exhibitions with the launch of Room.
“Equally Table and Kitchen exhibitors who are now placed nearer the gift sections will benefit from greater opportunity to meet with gift buyers, as increasingly these products are seen as gift items and not just for cook shops.
“The changes have been made in close consultation with all our exhibitors and the relevant trade associations to ensure that all the developments will be a great success for all concerned.”
