January Furniture Show returns for 2023 with focus on sustainability and new international appeal

The January Furniture Show returns in full force to the Birmingham NEC next year, welcoming more than 350 brands and an expected 15,000+ quality buyers over the four-day event, 22-25 January 2023.

As the only dedicated European furniture show taking place in the first quarter of the year – the key time for buyers to select new stock and suppliers – the January Furniture Show is the must-attend event for the industry.

Across four halls, visitors can explore contemporary furniture, innovative design concepts, and homewares to suit all retailer and customer styles.  There will be over 50,000 products, 10,000 of which are new, and exclusive launches from the best brands in the industry.

New for 2023 is a partnership with trend experts, The Better Trends Company, to provide the buying community and attending brands with expert, tangible and adaptable trends advice. There will also be onsite installations showcasing trends for 2023 and 2024, including ‘Permacrisis’ – a defiant design response embracing joyful, nostalgic, and creative outlets through bright colour and bold pattern; and ‘Psychedelia’ – surreal expression and dreamlike movements, with layers of colour and morphing shapes which create a hypnotic and surreal aesthetic.

Becoming increasingly diverse, furniture and interior brands from more than 18 countries are exhibiting, including from Australia, the USA, Italy, and Germany. There will be several International Pavilions, representing Vietnam, Portugal, and Poland, and more than 350 brands signed up so far to attend.

The Furniture Talks Stage will see a number of engaging topics across the four days, with a focus on sustainability, innovation, trends and insights. The schedule features masterclasses, panel discussions and interviews with renowned makers and designers, industry trailblazers and recognised thought-leaders. The line-up so far includes:

• John Hubbard, Technical Consultant for FIRA International, on leveraging the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP)
• Franky Rousell, Founder & Creative Director of Jolie Studio, on working with sensory design
• Panel discussion hosted by Made in Britain CEO, John Pearce, featuring founders of British brands including The Soho Lighting Company and Wrought Iron and Brass Bed Co.

The VIP programme has also been remodelled for 2023, following consultation with key buyers, and will focus on those with spending budgets of £500k and above, in particular international buyers. The programme offers unrivalled networking opportunities with bespoke content and insight, fast-track registration, free parking near the NEC, as well as access to ‘The Suite’, a new VIP lounge where complimentary lunch, beverages, refreshments as well as invitation-only round tables will take place.

Following the success of last year’s showcase, the Young Furniture Makers will be back, bringing even more emerging designers and new talent in the industry. There will also be a focus on sustainability with live furniture making and demonstrations from renowned designers, with further details to be announced imminently.

James Howard, Show Manager, said: “The 2023 show promises to be one of our biggest and best yet, with exciting new launches, fresh brands, industry insights and emerging trends. Our talks programme will be tackling some of the most pressing issues in the furniture and interiors market, from sustainability to the impact of Brexit on import, export and storage, and the importance of skills sharing for future generations.

“We are committed to offering our audience the most valuable takeaways possible, and it’s a unique opportunity to be able to provide small businesses with trend content and forecast information that would usually be unobtainable.  The Better Trends Company provides digestible and aspirational reports, inspirational new installations, and expert sessions to deliver ‘shop-able’ trends on the show floor as well as informative digital content that is easily adapted to suit each business’s needs.

“The UK furniture industry is now worth £15.8bn, with 3.8% growth year on year (Statista Furniture Report, 2022) More international brands than ever before are being attracted to the UK and our show is a key place for brands to showcase their products, learn more about how to make their businesses more successful, and make valuable industry connections.”

The January Furniture Show has been running for 32 years.  More than £500m is spent at the show, which is attended by professional retail buyers from independent retailers, department stores and multiples, online retailers, architects, interior designers, garden centres, contract buyers, procurement managers, hoteliers and property developers.

The brands exhibiting will be displayed across four halls: Premium Design; Interior Accessories & Furniture; Living, Dining & Bedroom; and Upholstery & Beds. Many brands are returning following previous successful years, such as Abbeylands Furniture Ltd, Buoyant Upholstery, La-Z-Boy UK, Highgrove Beds, Tetrad, Breasley UK, Forte Furniture, Alpha Designs, Bluebone, Mindy Brownnes, Pacific Lifestyle, Kettle Interiors, Wiemann, Rauch, Lebus, Mlily, Bresley and Westbridge.

A wide range of exciting new names will also be in attendance, including 3C Candy, Aquinos Sofas, Pole Position, Merlino International, Arredoclassic, PF Furniture, Duxiana, Gruppo Mastrotto, Composad, Harrison Spinks and idzczak Merle.