Spring Fair has launched a new Retail Insights podcast series for retail, and by retail, to celebrate its upcoming 75th anniversary and shine a light on businesses in the industry including names familiar to the preschool sector.
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 a period of 14 weeks from 20 October.
They will be available through all popular podcasting platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcast, plus watch through YouTube and at https://www.springfair.com/inside-retail.
The Spring Fair team brought together all 15 guests for a special 75th anniversary media day which was hosted by Jeff and filmed in the Spring Fair studios. The candid conversations reflect on the past, present and future of retail – the stories that come out of building a retail business or being part of a retail business, stories that will inspire and resonate with many in the industry.
The series includes Aylish Ellwood, trade marketing manager at Enesco (24 November), as well as Amanda Peffer, director of Blade & Rose (12 January), both companies which are very active in the licensing space.
“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,” commented Soraya Gadelrab, event director at Spring Fair. “As we embark on this milestone event and reflect on the journey we’ve taken together, this coming 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 are incredibly excited to launch this anniversary podcast series – which as available for free to all of retail to help inspire.
“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.”
The full podcast schedule is as follows:
- 20 October – Nick Ronald, managing partner of lifestyle brand and The Summerhouse exhibitor, Casa Verde
- 27 October – Maggie Thornton, owner of award-winning gift shop Alligator Pear in Burgh Heath
- 3 November – Kay Hutcheson, head of product marketing and product operations from home, garden and lifestyle store Coopers of Stortford in Bishop Stortford
- 10 November – Tim Hollis, retail brand development manager from Talking Tables
- 17 November – Samantha Gibbs, director of Nest, a trio of card and gift shops in Stoneygate, Broughton Astley and Thurlaston in Leicestershire
- 24 November – Aylish Ellwood, trade marketing manager at Enesco
- 1 December – Daniel Kullmann, head of corporate communications, EK Retail, a large European multi-sector group that supports around 4,000 independent retailers in the living, electrical, toy, baby, fashion, home, DIY, sports and book sectors
- 8 December – Stephen Spencer, ambience director, Stephen Spencer + Associates
- 15 December – Sarah Ward, ceo of the Giftware Association and Adriana Lovesy, membership and marketing manager at the Greetings Card Association
- 22 December – Craig Winsley, co-founder and md of DCUK, The Original Wooden Duck Company
- 29 December – Evan Lewis, founder of VENT for Change
- 5 January – Ray Qudos, consultant at Keplin Group, a consumer branding and product business
- 12 January – Amanda Peffer, director at Blade & Rose
- 19 January – Mike Winch, founder of Candlelight
Spring Fair takes place from 2-5 February 2025 at Birmingham’s NEC. For further details, click here.
