Meeting with a retail buyer is a significant opportunity for any business looking to expand its reach and grow its brand. Whether you're a seasoned vendor or just starting out, proper preparation is essential to make a positive impression and optimise your chances of securing a listing.

As we work towards Net Zero goals, we are committed to take responsibility for the carbon footprint of our activities. We are disclosing the total amount of carbon calculated per event, and sharing a summary of our activities planned for reducing emissions.

We’re proud to announce we successfully hosted our first two inaugural Huddles events this past March in Edgbaston Park Hotel in Birmingham with Gift Food & Drink on March 30^th, and Pet on March 31^st.

If you’re unfamiliar with our recently launched Huddles, each of these events bring together up to fifty challenger brands and a remarkable line-up of the UK's biggest retailers for each featured category for a one-day experience, with an optional networking evening for more casual interactions between attendees. Our event format was met with praise by both buyers and suppliers alike as each brand had an opportunity to speak with buyers in their category for 8 minutes.

As the world continues to adjust to a post-pandemic landscape, there are a number of emerging trends in the industry that have skyrocketed in popularity within the past two years. One particular trend that stands out is hybrid events.

What exactly are hybrid events?

Each hybrid event, whether it’s the in-person or virtual experience, is designed to drive action and exploration that is tailored to the participants' needs. Hybrid events are able to re-think the limitations presented by both virtual events and in-person events.

Getting a buyer’s attention through traditional means can be a daunting task. Once you’ve spent time creating your product, it’s time to send out samples to your preferred buyers and wait to see if you have any luck. The way buyers prefer to operate and provide feedback (if they provide any) is unique to each retailer, which means you won’t always know whether buyers will get back to you with an opportunity to meet or if your product doesn’t fit what the retailer is looking for.

A buyer’s time is valuable, and due to this many buyers will already have back-to-back meetings with brands throughout the day. Therefore, it can be difficult to make your product stand out or even get a call back using the traditional means of sending out samples, cold calling, or using email outreach. Many times, relying on sending out samples alone may not be an efficient use of your marketing budget, as buyers handle a large volume of requests from different brands demanding their attention and may not always be able to guarantee engagement with your brand.