Manchester, Lancashire and the wider North West will be represented by a diverse line-up of established suppliers and independent brands at the UK’s leading retail buying event.

Businesses from across the North West will head to the NEC Birmingham this September to showcase new products, collections and retail opportunities at Autumn Fair 2026, with the region represented across gift, home, fashion, accessories, beauty, toys, children’s products and greeting cards.

From Manchester's thriving fashion and wholesale community to innovative independent businesses across Lancashire, the North West contingent reflects the breadth of creativity and commercial expertise coming out of the region.

Autumn Fair takes place from 6–9 September 2026, bringing together more than 1,250 exhibitors and over 20,000 buyers from across the UK and internationally.

Manchester businesses showcase fashion, gifting and homeware

Among the North West exhibitors is Widdop & Co., the fifth-generation family business headquartered in Chadderton, Greater Manchester, will showcase its extensive portfolio of homeware and gifting at Autumn Fair. Established in 1883, the company has evolved from its origins as a manufacturer and retailer of clocks and jewellery into a major supplier with more than 3,000 new products developed each year. Its portfolio spans more than 35 brands and includes licensed collections from Disney including Winnie the Pooh, Mickey & Minnie, Disney Princess, The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, 101 Dalmatians, Bambi, Dumbo, Pinocchio, The Aristocats and Lady & the Tramp, Warner Bros. including Harry Potter, DC Comics, Marvel, Hasbro and Paramount, and Morris & Co alongside its own brands.

Another long-established Greater Manchester business, Joe Davies of Stockport, will showcase the breadth of its 8,000-plus product range, spanning general gifts, celebration products, photo frames, tableware and home décor. The employee-owned company is also the largest distributor of the Leonardo Collection and carries the Equilibrium jewellery and fashion accessories range, offering retailers a broad one-stop sourcing proposition.

Home and interiors will be represented by Home Edit of Blackpool, a UK manufacturer of framed artwork and cushions supplying independent retailers, furniture stores, garden centres and interior-led businesses. Its in-house design, printing and framing capabilities allow the company to offer short lead times, low minimum quantities, bespoke collections and exclusive retailer territories.

Greater Manchester-based RN Style Interiors, headquartered in Oldham, will bring its contemporary home and interiors collections to show. With its roots in Greater Manchester and ambitions to continue expanding its showroom network, RN Style Interiors adds another strong independent interiors story to the North West contingent.

Independent brands bring personality to the North West offer

The region's independent businesses will also bring plenty of personality to the show.

Macclesfield-based Fox Cub & Co is a small, independent, female-owned home fragrance business that has grown from humble beginnings on its founder's kitchen table into a thriving brand based on the edge of the Peak District. Founded in 2021, the company hand-pours its candles, wax melts and reed diffusers in Cheshire, using natural soy wax and carefully developed fragrances. Its products feature distinctive wildflower-seed-embedded labels, giving the packaging a sustainable twist, while the range also includes hand wash and lotions. The brand first exhibited at Autumn Fair in 2023 and has since continued to expand, making its return to the show a particularly strong North West growth story.

Liverpool-based Ritual Spirit creates luxury soy wax candle bouquets, artisan candles and home décor, with every product handcrafted to combine meaningful gifting, sustainability and timeless design. Meanwhile, The Outrageous Peacock, based in Leyland, Lancashire, will showcase luxury home fragrance handmade in its Lancashire workshop, including soy wax candles, wax melts, reed diffusers, room sprays and car diffusers across 35 fragrances.

From Greater Manchester, Danla brings a natural, handmade approach to skincare. The Manchester-based company creates luxurious handmade soaps using ethically sourced ingredients, avoiding harsh additives and focusing on cruelty-free, sustainable production.

Stockport-based Paper Salad Publishing will bring its colourful, design-led greeting card collections to Autumn Fair, with new ranges continuing the company's focus on bold colour, texture and standout finishing. The business is pushing boundaries in print with embossing, foil, neon inks and specialist finishes, while maintaining a strong focus on environmental responsibility. Its cards and envelopes are printed in the UK using FSC-certified board and packed by the Paper Salad team at its own warehouse, combining distinctive design with UK production and careful attention to quality.

For retailers looking for affordable, trend-led accessories, Passion Accessories will launch its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, featuring scarves, pom-pom hats, gloves and socks alongside its new Twilly & Hyde range of socks, hats, gloves, mittens and scarves.

Manchester fashion gets a seasonal refresh

Manchester's fashion credentials will be strongly represented, with several exhibitors unveiling their Autumn/Winter collections. Paradiso Couture will showcase a collection of knitwear, gilets, capes and cardigans designed for the modern woman, with sparkle and statement pieces adding a festive element for Christmas buying.

SHINEME will present its AW26 collection, including luxurious faux fur coats and on-trend triangle scarves in seasonal tones such as army green and soft nude brown, combining trend-led styling with more classic appeal.

Urban Bliss brings a fashion proposition built around individuality, versatility and re-wearability. Designed and curated in-house, its collections combine trend-led pieces with easy-to-wear staples intended to become part of customers' wardrobes season after season.

Superbia, which has its UK base in Manchester, brings an international heritage to the North West line-up. Founded from an Italian family leather-making tradition, the company has expanded its range beyond handbags into umbrellas, scarves and selected clothing lines, supplying fashion accessories to customers across the UK and EU.

Products designed to make children and retailers smile

The North West will also have a strong presence in toys and children's products.

Brainstorm, based in Gisburn, will showcase its educational and creative ranges, including its popular EUGY 3D animal craft collection, which now has more than 120 collectible designs. New launches include Puffy Art, which transforms children's colouring into 3D artwork, and Wild Wigglers, a range of sensory fidget toys. Its Outdoor Adventure collection will also feature new products including the Mega Explorer Kit and Walkie Talkies.

Burnley-based Halilit will showcase its portfolio of baby, toddler and preschool brands, including Taf Toys, Jellystone Designs, Glo Pals, Edushape and Halilit Music. New for 2026 is TOPBRIGHT, a range of premium wooden toys inspired by Montessori play, alongside new Glo Pals, Jellystone Designs and Taf Toys products.

From Kendal, Blade & Rose will celebrate its 16th anniversary at Autumn Fair. Founded by Amanda Peffer during maternity leave, the children's fashion brand became known for its colourful, characterful leggings featuring its instantly recognisable designs on the bottom. The business has since expanded into a wider range of practical children's clothing while maintaining its focus on quality, comfort and responsible production.

Celebrating North West retail innovation

The breadth of exhibitors demonstrates the strength of the North West's independent and established retail supply chain, with businesses combining local roots with ambitions to reach retailers across the UK and international markets.

The North West has such a strong retail heritage, and that is reflected in the fantastic range of businesses joining us at Autumn Fair this year. From established family companies with generations of experience to ambitious independent brands and innovative new businesses, there is a real sense of creativity and commercial energy coming from the region. We’re looking forward to giving these businesses the opportunity to meet buyers from across the UK and internationally, launch new collections and build relationships that can support their next stage of growth.

Autumn Fair comes at a time when independent retailers are increasingly looking for products with authentic stories and distinctive design. According to the latest Voices of Retail report produced by Spring & Autumn Fair in partnership with Faire, consumers are increasingly choosing independent retailers for their personality, originality and unique product ranges, creating growing demand for innovative brands with strong identities.

For North West exhibitors, the show provides an opportunity to meet buyers from department stores, independent retailers, garden centres, museum shops, online retailers and destination stores, many of whom attend specifically to discover new brands unavailable elsewhere.

Alongside established names, Autumn Fair also provides a platform for emerging businesses launching innovative products and sustainable collections, reinforcing the North West’s reputation as a hub for creative entrepreneurship.

Autumn Fair takes place at the NEC Birmingham from 6–9 September 2026, bringing together more than 1,250 exhibitors and over 20,000 buyers from across the UK and internationally. The show will also be co-located with garden retail show Glee on 8–9 September, creating an expanded buying destination spanning home, gift, fashion, garden and outdoor living.