JFS Success

The January Furniture Show (JFS) closed its doors on 25th January after welcoming a 25% increase in buyers year-on-year to the NEC in Birmingham over four days. The show didn’t disappoint.

After years of disruption, the success of the event is testament to the resilience of the industry with over 1,000 VIP buyers in attendance with £1m+ buying budget. Senior buyers from companies included DFS, Furniture Village, John Lewis, Wayfair, Next, M&S, Sainsburys, Furniture Direct, Very Group, and Dunelm, as well as an 84% increase in international buyers from Cyprus, the Netherlands, Nigeria and Denmark. Clarion, organisers of JFS, said there was a 33% increase in attendees with “decision making power”.

The show focused on sustainability through a partnership with The Centre for Excellence in Creative Making (CECM), as well as trends with a collaboration with The Better Trends Company on what to watch in the year ahead. There was also informative ‘furniture talks’ across a variety of topics and the launch of Clarion’s new show for the interiors industry, the Home Interiors Show, which will take place bi-annually at JFS in Birmingham, and co-located at London’s Top Drawer in September.

Michelle Downs, Buyer from Dunelm, said: “January Furniture Show is a great place to visit if you would like to see everyone, catch up with suppliers and see new trends.” Fabb Furniture Senior Buyer, James Hollas, added: “JFS 2023 was a really good show, we spent two full days seeing all the suppliers, there were some great new designs, great new fabrics, and great new dining sets, we’re really excited to get these products into the store for spring time.”

As for exhibitors, they echoed the sentiment shared by visitors. Vogue Beds said: “JFS was great for us! It gave us the opportunity to showcase a lot of ranges we had been redesigning and improving. We’ve had some amazing feedback.” La-Z-Boy UK said it had a “record-breaking” year at JFS, making more sales at the event than ever before. It was also the first time the brand had shared a stand at the show with its white label furniture brand Furnico.

RetailSystem shared their view: “We didn’t expect that! Talk on the street ahead of JFS23 on the turnout was a little subdued to say the least. It could not have been any further from the reality. Without question the most successful show to date for the RetailSystem Group. Our Block Buster FurnitureKiosk literally flew of the shelf along with record signups on our RetailSystem. Couldn’t have wished for a better show.”

Meanwhile, Core Products revealed their 2023 product offer, with their stand also featuring an expanded casual dining offer including a completely revitalised Aspen dining collection with a mix and match selection of great value tables and chairs. Fifty Five South were very excited by the JFS. “Our new trend-led curated ranges were well received by both existing and potential customers, as well as the judges as we were awarded with the Best Stand in Hall 2. We were delighted to welcome a lot of new customers who gave us a glowing reception to our lower prices to help retail in relation to lower freight rates.” As for Maya’s: “We had a lovely show and loads of new leads during JFS this year! It was incredible experience by no means. There is a great potential and growing interest to new supply chain, Türkiye. We found this trade show as exceptional opportunity to showcase our production power and introduce ourselves.”

On introductions, show newbie, Woods Packaging added: “This was our first time exhibiting so not really sure what to expect. All in all, we were pleased with the enquiries we took. One comment I can make is I don’t think it needs to go on until 18.00, especially on the Sunday. I have done previous shows and a 17.00 finish was ideal in my opinion. The show itself was impressive, and we will be looking to return next year.” Another new face to the show was VetiGraph, displaying automated cutting, 3D design, and template CAD software. “Our Duet Single Ply Autocutter was a real attraction for visitors,” they said.

Birlea Furniture showcased their latest collections,” impressing attendees with their innovative designs” from stylish bed frames, to its new Disney Home furniture. As for Sherborne Upholstery, they said: “We were pleased with the show. We fulfilled our main objective by selling our new models and new covers extremely well. The show was well attended, although we felt that footfall was slightly down on pre-COVID January Shows, no doubt partly because there were less exhibitors to see, including some big-name brands who decided to stay away. We hope that more manufacturers may be willing to exhibit next year, as this is such an important show for us as a company and for the trade.”

With a significantly higher rebook rate, compared to previous years of 74%, exhibitors like Tetrad, Westbridge and Kettle Interiors have already booked for next year’s show. Meanwhile, brands such as At the Helm, Ashley Manor, LPD and Paulus & Brown have all confirmed to return. JFS returns on 21-24 January 2024 at Birmingham’s NEC. Register at: https://thefurnitureshows.com/january/register-your-interest