Home & Gift

Celebrating 60 Years

As the first physical gift show to open its doors since the pandemic, Home & Gift, taking place in Harrogate from July 18-21, has been enthusiastically welcomed back with open arms by both exhibitors and retailers.

PG&H put new show director Russell Rule into the hot seat to find out what’s new and different, and what the show - which is celebrating its 60th anniversary - will be offering to visitors.

Relaxing in a deckchair, sipping a Pimms or simply enjoying an ice cream on a warm summer’s day - these are just some of the delights in store for visitors to Home & Gift in Harrogate this month as they browse the Design Point (DP) marquees and visit the Harrogate Convention Centre (HCC).

For 2021, the show will be co-located with its sister event, the Manchester Furniture Show, which will bring an additional 50+ furniture and interiors exhibitors to Harrogate for visitors to engage with.

“We are taking extra space in the HCC to allow the Manchester Furniture Show to occupy four halls - with Home & Gift occupying the rest of the HCC plus the marquees within the grounds of the DoubleTree by Hilton Majestic Hotel,” explains new show director Russell Rule (who has previously worked within Clarion’s Enthusiast portfolio, running the Baby Shows, House & Garden Festival and Spirit of Christmas Fair).

“Home & Gift will offer the retail industry the first and largest in person opportunity for buyers and brands to unite and do business in over a year,” he states. “We are also celebrating our 60th anniversary, so we’re looking forward to celebrating in style with our customers over the four days of the show, to include the Sundowners on Sunday and, of course, at the popular Home & Gift exhibitor party!”

The show will have its usual fun, summery vibe, with lots of opportunities for the industry to do business and to catch-up with colleagues and old friends, says Russell. Key brands will be back - to include Joe Davies, Hot Tomato, Wrendale Designs, Caroline Gardner, Richard Lang, Big Metal London, Bronte by Moon and Accessories by Park Lane - as well as many new brands joining for the first time, such as Gallery Direct, Bookspeed, Captivate Brands and The Little Botanical, among others.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming customers to our stand (Hall B, stand 66) where they can see our full range of snoozies!, giftware, jewellery and fashion accessories,” enthuses managing director Steve Davies. “snoozies! have been one of our best sellers for ten years now, and brand new for Autumn/Winter 2021 are Dazzle Bling ballerinas, ladies tie dye and soft velour snoozies! for men, with new additions to Pairables including golf, cycling, cats, dogs and a whole lot more, all designed in house and exclusive to Joe Davies in the UK. Also new for the coming season is a new Chaps

Above: Visitors are shown taking a break during the show. Left: The Sundowners party at Harrogate Home & Gift in 2019. Below left: Home & Gift’s new show director Russell Rule. Below right: Among the new snoozies! designs for Autumn/Winter from Joe Davies.

Left: An array of new cushions from Gallery Direct. Below left: A set of three Classic Cocktail recipe cards from Coulson Macleod. Bottom: Gift boxed jigsaw puzzles are among the new launches from Wrendale Designs. Below right: Visitors are shown browsing the aisles at Home & Gift, Harrogate, in 2019.

Stuff collection that offers metal water bottles, travel cups, hip flasks and beer and coaster sets,” adds Steve.

At Gallery Direct, (Hall M, stands 30 and 31), marketing director Bruce Bell says that the company is really looking forward to exhibiting at the show, “as it will be the first time for over a year that we have got together with all our friends in the industry. Our SS21 collection features over 1,300 new lines, offering a variety of products and styles to suit different interiors. The collection includes over 500 new accessories, so this exciting product category now boasts over 900 lines. We have also introduced a selection of sumptuous soft furnishings, decorative lighting and signature wall décor pieces, along with furniture and made-to-order upholstery lines.”

Explains Bruce: “The SS21 Collection has been on display to our customers in the Gallery showrooms in Leeds and Sittingbourne, but Home & Gift will be the first time it has been exhibited to the trade in general. We are also launching a further 180 new soft furnishings, including a selection of Christmas lines, cushions and throws, which will be previewed at the show, so visitors will be the first to see them.”

On the Coulson Macleod stand, (DP2 stand 67), the company is back in its usual spot at Home & Gift and is excited to be launching Classic Cocktail recipe cards. “There are three different sets - Gin, Rum, and Classic,” explains Mark Coulson, “featuring nine individual cocktail recipe cards printed on heavyweight kraft card. They come in sets of three, packaged with a plywood clipboard and a vintage-style metal bulldog clip hanger, and make perfect pick-up gifts.”

Meanwhile, at Wrendale Designs, new for Autumn/Winter, and launching at Home & Gift, (DP1 stand B6), will be a range of new collections featuring founder and creative maestro’s Hannah Dale’s artwork. “We're particularly excited about the brand new collection of gift boxed jigsaw puzzles, and also have a new range of fragranced soaps and lip balms,” says Hannah. “As always, there are new additions to existing collections, such as new stationery and accessories, as well as three new characters in our plush character collection.”

With Home & Gift the first physical gift show for almost 18 months, Russell Rule adds: “At the beginning of the year, our research told us that our buyer community is really keen to be back in person, buying and selling, with 87% of visitors saying that they want to come to Harrogate this year. This huge interest has translated into stronger registration than in previous years, with many new buyers joining us for the first time in 2021. Personally, I cannot wait to share a Pimms on the lawn with all our customers in our new Summer Terrace alongside the Design Point (DP) halls! I’ve been working in the exhibition industry for over seven years, and I’m excited to continue to bring my drive, passion and love for live events to the Clarion Retail portfolio.” Register at www.homeandgift.co.uk

Safety First

With safety remaining paramount, delivering a safe, secure event for people building, exhibiting at, and visiting Home & Gift in July has been the number one priority.

“From the very beginning of the pandemic, the team and I have been working closely with the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) who are liaising with the government directly on live event guidelines,” confirms Russell. “Visitors can therefore expect wider aisles, clear signage, controlled traffic points, an enhanced cleaning regime, anti-bac stations, increased ventilation and multiple entrances, with more outdoor and recharge areas than ever before.”

The Big REVEAL

As part of a recent rebrand for Clarion’s Retail portfolio, Home & Gift has undergone a creative refresh bringing the whole portfolio of live events together with a new trade e-commerce digital offering, REVEAL, an e-commerce platform that’s a year round digital shopfront and rotating shop window for suppliers and retailers.

“The last 18 months have shown us the importance of online, and it’s why we have created REVEAL to complement our live shows,” confirms Russell. “It will be a hub of product discovery, easy ordering, inspiration and insight, 365 days of year.”