The wind may blow and the rain may fall, but nothing could dampen the spirits at Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring, which took place this week at the SEC, Glasgow. Business was brisk over the three-day event, with many exhibitors reporting healthy order books and a raft of new enquiries.
Despite not just one but two storms over the duration of the show, which led to terrible travel disruption, many buyers braved the elements and placed orders, sourced new stock and networked with suppliers. The overall mood was one of optimism as the quality of the retailers attending outweighed the expected reduction in footfall.
Diane Slater from Glen Appin commented: “Scotland’s Trade Fair punches well above its weight and we were delighted with the huge numbers of orders that we took and leads that we made. The friendly, inviting atmosphere attracts so many retailers that we, as exhibitors, are fortunate to have such a show on our doorstep.”
The 2024 event was bigger than previous years with 30% of suppliers new to the show. As well as newly created, young companies it also attracted well-known brands such as Scottish Fine Soaps, Enesco, Ocean Plastic Pots and Fountasia.
Best Product Awards were judged on Sunday morning by Andrew Roberts from the National Trust for Scotland, Michael Apter from Paper Tiger and Marion McKinlay from Inverary Jail and were sponsored by the Giftware Association. The winning entries displayed creativity, innovation and commercial acumen. (See winners listed below.)
Michael Apter, of cards, stationery and gifts retailer Paper Tiger, said: “There was an excellent range of products on display, with the winning entries showing how they had considered every element of the product right from conception, through to production, packaging, price and finally how the consumer would view it. It’s encouraging to see the story behind and the provenance of so many quality products.”
Beyond the aisles, there was a busy programme of talks, panels discussions and masterclasses on all aspects of retailing and business from a range of experts. This was well received as visitors looked to gain some nuggets of wisdom to help develop their business. The Scottish Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism & Trade also toured the Show and spoke in one of the Scottish Tourism Alliance Spotlight Sessions.
A highly entertaining Nessie’s Den allowed five new companies to pitch their products to three retail expert Nessies in a light hearted session.
Best Product Award Winners 2024
Home & Gift
Gold – Ocean Plastic Pots – plant pot
Silver – Ailsa Craig Gifts – whisky barrel brooch
Bronze – Cath Waters – lampshade
Wellbeing
Gold – Och Vegan – mini soap
Silver – Oir – soap
Bronze – Clyde Soaps – mini soapbox
Jewellery & Textiles
Gold – Scarlet Knitwear – scarf
Silver – Helen Chalmers Jewellery – earrings
Bronze – Sheila Fleet – necklace
Launch Gallery
Gold – Jack Spowart Illustration – risograph prints of Scottish landscape
Silver – Just Hammered – hand forged cheese cutter
Bronze – Zoe Slater Ceramics – handmade stoneware
