Following on from the success of his online business community, #SBS, over the past two years, retail entrepreneur and former ‘dragon’ Theo Paphitis will be returning to Autumn Fair, which takes place at the NEC from September 6-9. As part of the partnership, 12 members of Theo’s #SBS community will be offered free stands at the show.
Between now and Friday May 1, #SBS’s 3,000 members will all be offered a chance to put themselves forward for the competition, with the winners judged on their uniqueness of product, innovative contributions to retail and viability of business plan.
This year’s winners will be selected in June by a panel of retail experts from the Hyve Group, organsiers of Autumn Fair. The shortlisted #SBS exhibitors will take centre stage at the show, gaining access to visitors and buyers ready to order products in the run up to Christmas.
“#SBS is once again delighted to partner with Autumn Fair and offer another 12 #SBS winners a free stand at the event in September,” commented Theo Paphitis, founder of #SBS. “The previous winners have all reaped huge rewards from the experience, whether through new contacts, suppliers, orders, new directions or collaborations and I’m sure this year will be no different. I encourage my #SBS winners to grab this opportunity with both hands and go for it!”
#SBS began in 2010 and has seen hundreds of small businesses tweet Theo Paphitis every week to gain access to the supportive small business network. Every Monday, six of these businesses are invited to become part of the #SBS community, benefiting from boosted publicity and attendance at a yearly #SBS conference with access to motivational speakers and workshops.
Top: Theo chats to #SBS winners at last year’s Autumn Fair.
