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The Ultimate Christmas Experience For a show that’s lauded as the friendliest trade event of the year, Harrogate Christmas & Gift is also famed for attracting visitors serious about festive buying. Sarah Welsh spoke to show organiser Simon Anslow…
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his year good retail tidings are back in Harrogate, and the truly unique trade show that is Christmas & Gift promises to be better than ever for 2022. From 16 to 19 January, Harrogate Convention Centre will transform into a place of festive wonder and magic, with Christmas, celebration, gift and home décor product aplenty, show stands that will inspire and colour, trend and merchandising ideas that take the guesswork out of buying for Christmas. The last two years in the festive and gift retail sectors are something that could never have been predicted. Christmas & Gift – which originally started life as Harrogate International Toy Fair – celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2020, but ended up being one of the only major trade shows held in the UK that year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year of course Christmas & Gift couldn’t take place, but in 2022 the 71st edition of the show is back with a yuletide bang! The historic show has evolved many times during its long history and is now renowned for its sheer breadth of product combined with an intimate ambience that exhibitors and buyers alike love. Show organiser Simon Anslow has himself been at the helm since 2010, building on his experience of being heavily involved with the running of sister event Harrogate International Nursery Fair.
“Christmas & Gift is the only show of its kind specialising in festive products,” Simon says “Year on year our exhibitors have built on this, and we now have multiple halls with beautiful stands, packed with product. “The show takes place just after Christmas and Harrogate keeps all the decorations up. The trees are lit up, there’s festive music, stunning decorations, an amazing atmosphere and you can smell Christmas as soon as you walk through the doors. “Festive buyers want to buy for next year in January when last Christmas is still fresh in their minds and they have a very clear idea of what’s sold well for them. “Big manufacturers at Christmas & Gift often manufacture to order, and buyers like to see and experience their product samples in person. Ordering Christmas can be a long process. “And what’s brilliant about our location at the convention centre, is that you can park your car and then don’t need it for the rest of the week. Socially Harrogate is a wonderful location too, with great bars and restaurants.” Christmas & Gift now features many other complementary product categories alongside Christmas, that feed into the overall festive theme. These include gifts,
“We are delighted to confirm that we have now secured new dates for the show from Sunday 9th May to Tuesday 11th May 2021 at the Harrogate Convention Centre”
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floral products and home accessories. Evolving lifestyles, the way people shop and the needs of buyers – which include many tourist attractions and heritage sites at the show, to name just one small retail sector – all mean that these days Harrogate Christmas & Gift manages very successfully to be many things to many people. “One of our biggest visitor categories is garden centre buyers and they want breadth,” Simon explains. “They come to buy for Christmas but also want to buy gifts. This can range from books to ornaments and even pet products. “We also have home décor companies who exhibit because people want to dress their homes at Christmas. You’ll see cushions, throws, lamps, soft furnishings, tableware, cutlery and china here. “Over the years product at the show has diversified, and now I’d say it’s about 75 per cent Christmas. We also have celebration-centred product – for example, Halloween ranges, and ideas for baby showers. Premier Decorations has a specialist Halloween range and on the Gisela Graham stand buyers will find products for Easter and baby showers and christenings. “More generally across the board we have a broad range of buyers. They come from big department stores including Fenwicks, from independent shops, from cathedral and museum shops and from visitor attractions like Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures.
Visit the website at www.harrogatefair.com for the latest information and updates. christmasinjanuary.co.uk
