After two years and a lot of uncertainty in the months running up to the show due to the Covid pandemic, Harrogate Christmas & Gift finally took place – and what an absolute resounding success it was for everyone involved.
Simon Anslow, show organiser, explains: “We are absolutely delighted with how successful this year’s show has been and thank everyone who participated for giving us their confidence, voting with their feet and turning up in hoards. Visitor numbers were marginally lower than the 2020 show, but exhibitors have reported full order books and brisk business for the entire four days. In fact, some exhibitors have stated that this was not only their best Harrogate Christmas & Gift show, but their best of all trade shows ever.”
Previous exhibitor Sifcon International (SIL) gave positive feedback with Alan Pimm, managing director, commenting: “I am pleased to say that we had a fantastic show. The stand was continuously busy and the value of orders far exceeded our expectations. We also saw a higher volume of new customers this year and will definitely be returning next year.”
Helen Marshall of Walton & Co reiterated this saying: “The show has been a great success for us and it was lovely to catch up with retailers – not just buyers but business owners too. Expectations were met and exceeded and we had a continuously busy stand from Sunday through to Tuesday. Harrogate Christmas & Gift successfully attracted key UK retailers, particularly garden centres, and resisted bulking numbers up with businesses that are too small or exclusively online. We are huge supporters of bricks and mortar retailers. We thank the organisers for another excellent show and have every reason to book again for 2023.”
Woodlodge was one of a dozen new companies to participate this year and Andrew Mellowes, general manager of the company explained how delighted they were with the experience, commenting: “This was Woodlodge’s debut at Harrogate Christmas & Gift and the show couldn’t have gone any better for us. Snowlodge is our first foray into the festive category and was well received by the buyers who attended the show. The quality of visitors was excellent ranging from our usual garden centres to department stores and independent retailers In addition to securing first time Christmas orders with existing customers we also onboarded well over 100 new customers paving the way for a successful sales season. A great start to 2022.”
Gift and home living company Arora Design also attended the show for the first time and Debbie Waters of the company commented: “We had a fantastic show and all of our new collections were very well received. Harrogate Christmas & Gift delivered on all accounts – services, support staff, buyer attendance and orders taken. We were able to meet with quality buyers from all the channels we supply. We will be back next year, potentially with more space based on this year’s performance.”
Harrogate Christmas & Gift 2023 takes place from 15th to 18th January and priority booking for the show will open in March. All previous exhibitors will be contacted and offered the opportunity to rebook their space or request a new location, before space goes onto general sale.
Visit the website at www.harrogatefair.com for more information.
