Top Drawer Autumn/Winter 2024 is on course to be the biggest and busiest Autumn edition in years, continuing its dramatic growth, say organisers Clarion. From the 8-10 September, London’s Olympia will be showcasing brands and trend-led products from over 500 exhibitors, to include over 150 new brands, with a 10% increase in the number of stands.
Across eight sectors – Gift, Home, Fashion, Play, Greetings & Stationery,Wellbeing, Food Emporium, and Launchpad – visitors will be able to connect with brands from across the globe.
Over 35% of exhibitors will be making their Top Drawer debut this season, revealing a host of fresh and emerging brands. They include Aromatan, Art on Scarves, Asobu, BUFF UK, ByLola, Cape Island, Conscious Yoga Collective, dog&boy design, Feel Good Supplies, HarperCollins, Hello Hossy, Inara, Ingrid Rossi London, In Real Life, Islander UK, Little Lights, Lynn & Liana Serveware,Museums & Galleries, Namaste UK, Nila Parmar Designs, Philever, Robin Valley, Saddler Accessories, SASAWASHI, Shimeray, Skyline Chess, SOPHOS, Uashmama, Unique Linen and Vitaelux.
Leading names are also returning to the show to launch their new collections, to include ARTHOUSE Unlimited, ArtPress, Bigjigs Toys, Blade &Rose, BlissHome, Cambridge Imprint, Chalk UK, Designworks Ink, Donna Wilson, Dynamic Lifestyle & Gift, East End Prints, HACHETTE, Heaven Scent Incense, Hyggen, Kikkerland Europe, Kind Bag, Klippan, Lime Tree Design, Lisa Angel, Miss Sparrow, My Doris, Notable Designs, Rockahula Kids, Siren Silver, St Eval, Stone Marketing, Susan O’Hanlon, Thames and Hudson, Toasted Crumpet Designs and Turnaround Publishing.
Hundreds of exhibitors have also made Top Drawer their exclusive trade show in the UK this season, including brands such as Abrams & Chronicle, Aery, Archivist, Art Angels, Be Home, Bob & Blossom, Bookspeed, Chive, Designed in Colour, Frank Green, Izipizi, Le Toy Van, Legami, Locomocean, Morgan Wright, Museums & Galleries, Ohh Deer, Plum & Ashby, Portico Design, Redecker, Roger La Borde, Roka London, S-c Brands, Shepherd of Sweden, Suck UK, Talking Tables and U Studio.
In addition to sourcing high quality design-led products, Top Drawer also offers the opportunity to connect and learn from the wider retail community, with industry leaders taking to the RetailRevealed stage across all three days of the show.
The talk schedule includes panels and discussions, with topics including how AI is impacting the future of shopping, how to ace the Golden Quarter, building on-trend product collections, tips to build a resilient business, PR strategies and more. Among those taking part will be Catherine Erdly, founder of The Resilient Retail Club, Priscillia Pollara, founder of Top Trick, Ami Ranheru, founder of Retail Huddle, Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association, Cara Bendon, founder of the Cara Bendon Brand Consultancy.
In addition to the expert-led sessions, the RetailRevealed stage will also host anexclusive live recording of the Start Scale Succeed podcast. Nicole Higgins, founder of The Buyer & Retail Coach, will be interviewing Martha Keith, founder of Martha Brook Stationery, about how she has created a stand-out brand and formed strong connections with customers.
Top Drawer will also be introducing a brand new Product Pitch competition in partnership with IND!E. Four lucky brands will have the opportunity to showcase their innovative products to a panel of industry judges, to include Marianne Carter of Morleys Stores Group, Jason Billings-Cray of John Lewis, Sara Allbright of Retail100, and Matt Hopkins of IND!E. The winning brand will receive a one week pop-up with a major retailer. The competition will take place on Monday September 9 at 11:30 am.
For business owners seeking personalised guidance and actionable advice, the Business Hub returns for its third season, providing a dedicated area offering free one-to-one 20 minute appointments with leading industry experts. Visitors and exhibitors can discuss their business or products and gain invaluable insights and practical tips to help them take them to the next level.
The line up of experts will include Therese Oertenblad, a wholesale expert and founder of Small Business Collaborative, Larisa Barker, a digital marketing expert and founder of The Brand Map, Laura Harrison, a finance expert and founder of LHRetail Development, Cara Bendon, a branding expert, Isobel Perl, a social media selling expert and founder of Perl Cosmetics. Appointments can be booked in advance via the Top Drawer website.
Meanwhile, another highlight of Top Drawer will be the return of the Spotlight Awards, which will be recognising and celebrating the stand out brands exhibiting at the show. The award categories include Best New Product across each sector, as well as Innovation in Design, Best Newcomer and Best Stand.
The prestigious awards are open to all exhibitors and are be judged by a panel of industry experts, including Preena Patel, buyer for the Design Museum, Sarah Holmes, owner of Pencil Me In and Seasgair Store, Priya Aurora-Crowe, co-owner of Lark London, Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies, and Hannah and Clare Bishop, owners of Cornucopia. Winners will be announced at the show party on Sunday evening, with products subsequently displayed on the Spotlight Awards Showcase.
With Top Drawer’s commitment to keeping retailers ahead of the curve, Clarion is continuing its partnership with The Better Trends Company who have curated three key trends for the season ahead: Woodland Picnic, Festive Pop, and Purposeful Brands. The Trends feature is seen as a helpful starting point for visitors, with The Better Trends Company doing an exclusive talk there on Monday at 12:45pm.
Register to attend at topdrawer.co.uk
For more about Top Drawer, click through to page 11 and page 69 in the September issue of Progressive Gifts & Home.
Top: Top Drawer will be opening its doors to visitors this Sunday (8 September).
