Harrogate Christmas & Gift Show: Hall A, Stand A30
Christmas in January Editor Sarah Welsh poses a few questions to company M.D. and founder Ben Jeffrey
How has 2025 been for Giftware Trading and the team?
2025 has been another busy year. The start of the year is always extremely busy ensuring that the new Christmas ranges are all ready for Harrogate Christmas and Gift and then we move onto The Spring Fair. Orders were placed with our suppliers even earlier last year which meant getting deliveries earlier which seems to be more crucial than ever. We then have a buying trip in April selecting and working on the forthcoming Easter and Spring ranges which we show for the first time at the Harrogate Home and Gift fair in July. After the Summer fair in Harrogate our focus very much switches to the start of receiving Christmas deliveries. There is another buying trip in October where we are then working on all the new Christmas ranges for the start of the New Year. Christmas was extremely busy once again with repeat orders coming thick and fast right up to the last minute. Receiving repeat orders is a great barometer to see how busy our customers have been.
Why is Harrogate Christmas & Gift always an important show for you?
Harrogate Christmas & Gift is the first time we show our new Christmas ranges and being able to see so many customers that early in the year really helps with planning. Customer were really keen to place orders early last year which helped so much with us being able to place orders earlier with our suppliers and confirm early shipping dates. Harrogate has become such an important show to us that we have managed to secure more space for 2026 which will enable us to show more Easter and Spring ranges which have become very popular.
You also exhibit at Spring Fair – what’s the particular appeal of the NEC show for you? It’s a real contrast to Harrogate do you find?
After Harrogate we have a week back in Bristol and then we are off again to The Spring Fair. Spring Fair has a very different feel to Harrogate and due to its wide selection of sectors attracts so many different buyers from so many different fields. Where Harrogate feels manageable and has its own unique charm the Spring Fair is vast and has a more international feel. I think both shows really complement each other and many buyers we see in Harrogate will be buying for other areas at the Spring Fair rather than Christmas as they would have almost completed this at Harrogate.
Which festive ranges are you looking forward to showcasing in 2026?
We always put a huge importance of offering many new ranges at the start of every year and 2026 will not disappoint. We will offer more new lines for Christmas than ever before and a real focus on our own developments which have proven so popular over the last few years. We have expanded certain popular ranges and hopefully customers will be thrilled with what they find!
What do you think will be the biggest selling trends for xmas 2026?
I think comical and items with personality will be popular and if something makes people smile then you may be on to something. I am sure festive Highland cows will once again prove popular if last year is anything to go by. I am sure more neutral colours will be popular and lastly trends which have a sense of nostalgia.
Finally, what does Christmas mean to you personally?
Having three children certainly makes Christmas busy but very enjoyable. Other family members descend on us for a few days which always gives Christmas a sense of tradition. Thankfully our children have moved on from anything which needs assembling, now it is more a case of me asking them to help with some form of technology.
