The January Furniture Show has finally managed to successfully open the doors to The NEC for the first time in over two years, and for the very first time in April! Welcoming back a host of loyal brands and buyers who were excited to return to face to face business. After much uncertainty in the industry this year’s show has proved to be a real triumph with an exceptional turnout of visitors to all halls. The buzz of the show was certainly back.

Buyers were able to explore a collection of over 300 leading brands, some of which have never exhibited at the show before. A showcase of trend leading products, new launches and design favourites were seen amongst the four halls. Buyers browsed the vast array of products and styles on offer from the likes of; Wiemann, Alstons, Venjakob, La-Z-Boy, Baker Furniture, Stone Italia, At the Helm, Buoyant Upholstery, Westbridge, Silent Night, Blue Bone, Gallery Direct and many more. Top buyers from Amazon, Dunlem, The Cotswold Company, Sainsbury’s Argos and Habitat, Next, Stollers, Leekes, Fishpools, John Lewis, The Very Group, Wayfair, DFS and Furniture Village were in attendance amongst other leading retailers. A furniture buyer from Chattels commented, "Thanks to The 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 brands to the show included the likes of Accudueo Designs and Kathy Ireland Home, who enjoyed a successful first event with buyers flocking to their stands with both already rebooked for the 2023 edition. Birlea one of the exhibitors from Hall 5 commented “It was great to catch up with people face to face again and finally reveal what we've been working on.”

Brand new to the 2022 event was the introduction of the Furniture Talks Seminar programme, here visitors were able to listen in on the latest industry news from a host of experts. On Sunday the programme kicked off with an impassioned session from Boss your PR’s Founder Fiona Minett who highlighted the importance of brand’s utilising their social media platforms to better connect with their customers. Over the 3 days of Furniture Talks visitors were also able to hear from top names in interiors - Sabrina Panizza and Aude Lerin from PL Studios plus retail expert Luther Spicer from Cake Agency and Claire McCullough Co-Founder of York Street Studios.

This year’s show saw the return of the Furniture Awards, in partnership with Furniture News. Visitors toasted to the winning brands across all categories; Best of British – Shire Beds, Design Innovation – Gallery Direct, Global Player – Bluebone Imports and Sustainability – Signature Kauri. As well as this Zoë Bonser, Clarion Retail’s Portfolio Director presented the best stand award to the most innovative and inspiring stands across all halls. Winners included: MLily, I.F.D., Kelston House, Forte and Tetrad. Zoë commented, ‘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. Congratulation once again to all our winners!’

After the success of January Furniture Show the team are looking forward to introducing the Furniture Collection at this summer’s Home & Gift. Held in Harrogate from the 17^th – 20^th July, buyers will be able to add to their home collections with furniture and interior products from some of the industries finest names. Plus, alongside this the team are delighted to announce the new launch of Furniture Focus, which presents an exclusive furniture conference combined with a curated collection of brand showcases. Held in Manchester from the 26^th-27^th September, this invite only event aims to bring together the industry’s leading players to learn, network and connect exclusively.

Save the date for JFS 2023, 22-25 January at The NEC. Visit januaryfurnitureshow.com for the latest news.

For more press information or images please contact emma.telford@clarionevents.com