After a two-year wait, the January Furniture Show (JFS) returned to the Birmingham NEC in April, and proved "a real triumph", says organiser Clarion Events, "with an exceptional turnout of visitors across all four halls".
Buyers were able to explore a collection of over 300 brands, some of which were new to the event. Top buyers from the likes of Amazon, Dunelm, The Cotswold Company, Sainsbury’s Argos and Habitat, Next, Stollers, Leekes, Fishpools, John Lewis, The Very Group, Wayfair, DFS and Furniture Village were among the retailers in attendance.
A furniture buyer from Chattels commented: "Thanks to January Furniture Show for a fab event. We’ve had a busy day at the show. Always great to be a part of it. Until next year…"
Key brands such as Tetrad and Whitemeadow made a splash with their seamless stands and contemporary new ranges of sumptuous sofas and elegant dining sets. New exhibitors included the likes of Accudueo Designs and Kathy Ireland Home, which enjoyed a successful debut, with buyers flocking to their stands – both have already rebooked for the 2023 edition.
Birlea, which exhibited in Hall 5, commented: “It was great to catch up with people face to face again and finally reveal what we've been working on.”
This year saw the introduction of the new Furniture Talks seminar programme, offering lively discussions around the latest industry developments, plus expert masterclasses. On Sunday the programme kicked off with an impassioned session from Boss your PR’s founder Fiona Minett, who highlighted the importance of the need for brands to utilise their social media platforms to better connect with their customers.
Over the three days of Furniture Talks, visitors also heard from top names in interiors including Sabrina Panizza and Aude Lerin from PL Studios, plus retail expert Luther Spicer from Cake Agency and Claire McCullough, the co-founder of York Street Studios.
The Furniture Awards, delivered in partnership with Furniture News, returned for another triumphant year. Visitors toasted the winning brands across various categories: Best of British – Shire Beds; Design Innovation – Gallery Direct; Global Player – Bluebone Imports; and Sustainability – Signature Kauri.
Clarion Retail’s portfolio director Zoë Bonser also presented best stand awards to MLily, IFD, Kelston House, Forte and Tetrad. Zoë comments: "This year’s show saw an incredible mix of inspiring showcases from our line-up of brands. The standard of presentation was exceptional and certainly felt elevated from previous years. Congratulations once again to all our winners!"
In the wake of this successful event, the organiser plans to introduce The Furniture Collection at this summer’s Home & Gift show in Harrogate, taking place from 17-20th July. The team will also be launching the exclusive Furniture Focus conference, taking place in Manchester from 26-27th September – an invite-only event which promises to bring together big players from across the industry to learn, network and connect, alongside a curated collection of brand showcases.
JFS 2023 will take place from 22nd-25th January.
