Spring Fair has launched a Retail Insights podcast series to celebrate its upcoming 75th anniversary and shine a light on businesses in the industry.
Billed as a first of its kind for a retail trade show, Spring Fair has collaborated with designer and TV personality Jeff Banks CBE to create the series of free podcasts featuring interviews with 15 industry figureheads, which will run over 14 weeks from October 20.
The Spring Fair team brought the guests together for a special media day hosted by Jeff and filmed in the Spring Fair studios. Listeners can enjoy Jeff in conversation with independent retailers, brands, and trade associations, as they discuss topics including reinventing your brand, growing a bricks-and-mortar store, catering for all customer demographics, catalogue and mail orders business development, growing a small business, being a designer/maker and business owner, the power of licensed products, how to sell your products to a global buying group, and how retail associations can help your business be more successful.
The interviews also reflect on what it means to be part of the retail community, how to keep your company relevant for over many years, the power of storytelling, and how to stay true to environmental strategies and make a profit.
Spring Fair event director Soraya Gadelrab said: “In honour of Spring Fair’s 75th anniversary we’re shining a light on the incredible businesses that continue to make this a successful event for the retail industry. As we embark on this milestone event and reflect on the journey we’ve taken together, for the 2025 show we’ll be turning our focus outwards. After all, we can’t celebrate Spring Fair’s 75-year history without honouring the people and community who got us here.
“We’re incredibly excited to launch this podcast series. As a business leader or owner in retail, this podcast is for you. For anyone looking to start a retail business this podcast is for you. And for the retail community, this podcast is for you.
“There are also a few tips and tricks on how these businesses have either successfully shopped trade shows or successfully sold their products at trade shows. These are money can’t buy insights on how to be successful for businesses looking to sell products B2B. The series really has the feel-good factor and makes for very interesting listening.”
Jeff added: “Spring Fair is still one of the biggest trade exhibitions in Great Britain and I’ve spent many a productive and inspiring day at the show over the years – it’s been integral to the success of my designer collaborations with brands exhibiting there. It was an absolute pleasure to work with the Spring Fair team to create this thoughtful and stimulating podcast series to celebrate the show’s incredible 75 years and help champion the people and businesses that make up the Spring Fair community.”
The podcast schedule is:
October 20: Nick Ronald, managing partner of Casa Verde
October 27: Maggie Thornton, owner of Alligator Pear gift shop in Surrey
November 3: Kay Hutcheson, head of product marketing & product operations of Coopers of Stortford in Bishop Stortford
November 10: Tim Hollis, retail brand development manager of Talking Tables
November 17: Samantha Gibbs, director of Nest gift shop chain in Leicestershire
November 24: Aylish Ellwood, trade marketing manager of Enesco
December 1: Daniel Kullmann, head of corporate communications of EK Retail
December 8: Stephen Spencer, ambience director of Stephen Spencer + Associates
December 15: Sarah Ward, CEO of The Giftware Association and Adriana Lovesy, membership & marketing manager of Greeting Card Association
December 22: Craig Winsley, co-founder & managing director of DCUK
December 29: Evan Lewis, Founder of VENT for Change
January 5: Ray Qudos, consultant at Keplin Group
January 12: Amanda Peffer, director of Blade & Rose
January 19: Mike Winch, founder of Candlelight
Each 10-20 minute episode is available to listen to or watch as a video, streamed via Apple, Spotify, YouTube, all popular podcasting platforms, and at https://www.springfair.com/inside-retail. The series will launch weekly every Sunday October 20. Sign up to receive the Retail Insights Podcast at Inside Retail | Articles, Videos & On Demand | Spring Fair.
Spring Fair’s 75th edition runs from February 2 to February 5 at NEC Birmingham.