Spring Fair 2026 opened its doors at the NEC Birmingham with a clear statement of intent: this is no longer just a buying event, but a future-facing retail experience delivering the insight, partnerships and creativity retailers need to succeed in a rapidly evolving market.

Day one set the tone with a powerful programme shaped around two defining themes: Partnerships & Possibilities and Craft & Creativity, both highlighting how Spring Fair is evolving to place experience, collaboration and market intelligence at the heart of the show.

Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director, Spring Fair, said, “Successful buyers today do far more than place orders, they curate culture. At Spring Fair, we see retail as a creative partnership, where buyers, brands and designers come together to experiment, blend categories and unlock new possibilities. Home meets fashion, gift meets lifestyle, design meets functionality, that’s where the future of retail lives. Spring Fair 2026 has been reimagined to reflect how retail works now, creating spaces that spark collaboration, fuel creativity and empower buyers to become the masters of the mix.”

Under Partnerships & Possibilities, the show explored how collaboration, licensing and new commercial models are reshaping the way brands connect with consumers. A standout moment came with the POWER TALK from Koreen Fader, CEO of QVC, who charted the brand’s evolution from a traditional TV retailer to a multi-platform live commerce powerhouse. Speaking to a packed audience at The Hidden Forum, Fader highlighted that QVC’s transformation has been driven by clarity of focus and a deep understanding of its audience. By expanding across websites, apps, streaming, podcasts and social platforms – while keeping live commerce at its core – QVC has created new opportunities for collaboration between presenters, creators, brands and audiences. From a mobile-first mindset to the successful launch of TikTok Shop Live, the business demonstrates how choosing the right platforms, partners and priorities can unlock growth, trust and long-term relevance without losing sight of its founding purpose of entertainment, education and commerce.

By deeply understanding its Gen X audience and working with the right creators, experts and internal teams, QVC has built trust at scale, proving that the greatest possibilities emerge when businesses prioritise who they are serving, communicate clearly, and choose to do fewer things exceptionally well rather than everything at once.  Fader said, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Everything we do at QVC starts with the customer. Get really clear on who your target customer is, understand what is most important to that target customer, and do it better than anyone else.  Serve that customer’s needs better than any of your competition. Really know your who and stay true to that!”

The Licensing Lab continued the Partnerships & Possibilities theme with BAGPUSS: Family Fandom – How Comfort Brands Are Winning with Consumers in “Unusual” Times. Michael Ford, CEO and Creative Director of Threewise Entertainment, explored how nostalgia brands are evolving to meet changing consumer expectations while retaining their emotional core, and why timeless IP continues to resonate amid shifting shopping habits and growing sustainability demands.

More than five decades on, Bagpuss remains a powerful example of how family brands can endure by building meaning rather than chasing trends. Ford explained how comfort brands transcend age by creating familiarity, trust and emotional connection, inviting nostalgia while still offering opportunities to engage new audiences. In a global licensing market worth ?280 billion and growing, Ford emphasised that long-term success comes from building fandoms rather than fads, expanding IP thoughtfully across generations and treating creativity as a shared, evolving process. He said, “Family fandom can work on all levels, picture parallel franchises for the whole family – expanding your IP for all ages. There was a time where brands believed that characters belonged to certain ages, but we’ve expanded beyond that. It’s about building cradle to grave franchises, the key is brands we feel at home with, brands we know and love.”

That philosophy underpins the exclusive Sourced by Oxfam Bagpuss partnership, which launched at Spring Fair. Designed to celebrate nostalgia with purpose, the responsibly made range demonstrates how licensing partnerships can deepen emotional connection while delivering cultural and commercial relevance. Ford added, “The most powerful partnerships don’t just extend a brand, they deepen it. Bagpuss and Sourced by Oxfam show how creativity, community and care can come together to build something meaningful, nostalgic and future facing all at once.”

The Licensing Lab also welcomed Anne Bradford, Commercial Director at DIFUZED for Beyond the Brand Slap: What Do Authentic Collaborations Look Like? The session challenged brands to rethink partnerships beyond surface-level logo placement, instead focusing on shared values, storytelling and long-term value creation.

With over 4,000 buyers registered with a specific interest in licensing, the discussion reinforced the growing importance of strategic alliances and cross-sector creativity in unlocking new audiences and revenue streams. Bradford said, “We’re the bridge between imagination and execution. Every collaboration or brand partnership stems from an idea, a concept, a moment of nostalgia or pure genius.” Spotlighting collaborations including the likes of Lego and Star Wars and their new partnership with F1; to Primark x Simms, Lush x Wicked, and Marks & Spencer x The National Gallery, Bradford continued, “Collaboration enables consumer interest that crosses audiences; ideas that can create a phenomenal demand for product put a retailer on a map. Brand collaborations are more memorable than singular brand campaigns.”

Another new partnership launched at the show. Widdop & Co is the exclusive giftware supplier for Parisi, the lifestyle brand fronted by media personality and broadcaster Kelly Brook and her husband, model and actor, Jeremy Parisi. The new collection, which spans a wide range of categories including fragrance, home, food and beverage, textiles, and apparel, plus outdoor and garden, was launched on the Widdop & Co stand with a meet and greet with Kelly and Jeremy. Brook said, “I find Spring Fair one of the most inspiring places to be. When you’re launching a brand, it really opens your eyes to the potential, how far it can go and what you can do. Walking around the show makes you realise that the possibilities are limitless.”

In parallel, the Craft & Creativity theme celebrates retail as an art form driven by design, storytelling and emotional connection. At The Merchant’s Corner, Ibrahim Ibrahim, Managing Director and Principal at Portland Design, delivered a compelling Future Vision session, urging retailers to move from materialism to memory-making. Highlighting that 63% of consumers would rather talk about something they’ve experienced than something they’ve bought, Ibrahim explored how sensory environments, cultural relevance and community-led retail are shaping the next generation of stores. Ibrahim said, “Intimacy is the holy grail of all branding. Retail is no longer about architecture; it’s about authentically understanding the needs of our audience through content. How do we ritualise the commercial experience?” Guiding the audience through four pillars of Future Readiness, Ibrahim explored the difference between a ‘buy’ brand and a ‘join’ brand to shift from a mere retailer to a host of meaningful curated experiences.

That sentiment was echoed in ‘Independent and Irreplaceable: Building Shops People Want to Support’, where Priya Aurora-Crowe, Owner, Lark London, Niloufar Noorbakhsh and Terry Newton, Co-Owners of Jumping Bean, and Graham Soult, Retail consultant from CannyInsights.com spoke about the growing consumer appetite for independents, with 85% of UK shoppers wanting more local businesses on their high streets. The session explored placemaking, sourcing closer to home and creating identities and relationships that online competitors simply can’t replicate, reinforcing the enduring power of human connection in physical retail. 

Rounding off the day at The Merchant’s Corner, Pitch Live: Gift Products brought innovation to life, with emerging brands pitching new concepts directly to buyers in a fast-paced, experiential format that perfectly embodied Spring Fair’s evolution. The session showcased how the show is creating new platforms for discovery, dialogue and opportunity, with commentary from both the winning brand and judge Ami Rabheru, Retail Strategist and Founder of co.lective and Retail Huddle underlining the commercial value of seeing ideas come to life beyond the stand. Rabheru commented, “Pitch Live is always very exhilarating, we love seeing the new brands and innovative products.”

Winners, Natalie Duvall and Alison Burton of March Muses said, “We’re diversifying special occasions. Our collection of inclusive Christmas decorations and expanded gifting range has one mission; to make everyone feel they belong to something. We’re very surprised to win, and to receive the amazing feedback from the judges. We’re here to learn, that’s what we love about coming to these shows, we always make great connections and learn something new.”

As the day came to a close, Fay Tranter, Event Director of Spring Fair said, “Day one marked a clear step change for Spring Fair, positioning it as a catalyst for market-changing insight, meaningful partnerships and creative inspiration. As the industry continues to navigate transformation, Spring Fair is proving itself not just a reflection of retail’s future, but an active force shaping it.”

The feedback from the show floor mirrored this. Thousands of retailers including TJX, Elphicks, Haskins Garden Centre, Baldwins Department Store, Budgens, Portmeirion Shops, Robert Dyas, After Noah, Nest, Mercado, Age UK, Alexander Kent Interiors, Denby, Bladons, Alligator Pear, Wilkies, Boyds Stores, Plumo, Paper Tiger, National Trust, Jarrolds Department Store, Cards Galore, Wild at Heart, and Oxfam, flocked to the show and the aisles buzzed with enthusiastic buyers.

Ella Cru, Owner of Shrewsbury-based shop Lucy Hinds said, “After 15 years in business, I’ve learned that standing still isn’t an option. We’ve had to creatively evolve the store, introducing Home and Gifts to stay relevant and inspired. Visiting shows like this is essential, they help you discover new brands, find inspiration and keep your business moving forward. Spring Fair’s been busy, and it’s a lovely easy show to visit.”

Claudia Bovingdon, Director of Coach House, said, “Spring Fair has been incredibly busy for us – at points we’ve barely been able to move on the stand, which is a great position to be in. We’re very pro-fair and pro-exhibition, and Spring Fair is something we work towards all year. It’s a fantastic opportunity to see so many customers in one place, reconnect with people we may only see once a year, and strengthen existing partnerships while forming new ones. With some customers unable to travel to our Northwest showroom, Spring Fair is a vital chance to catch up and talk through pre-orders face to face.”

Shaun Keir-Tomalin, Director, Shoeless Joe added, “Spring Fair has been non-stop busy for us from the moment the doors opened. Buyers haven’t just been browsing, they’ve been placing orders across both main seasons, including Christmas and non-event stock, which has been fantastic to see. This is our 32nd Spring Fair, and we keep coming back because it’s the biggest show in the UK, it’s well located and it works logistically. While overseas buying has changed, we’re still seeing strong international interest alongside a really solid domestic audience. Around 60–65% of visitors are returning customers, but each year we also see a healthy mix of new buyers, including people starting out or taking on existing businesses, which shows just how important and relevant Spring Fair continues to be for the trade.”

Register now at www.springfair.com.