London Home Fragrance Show a success as Gift & Lifestyle Consortium showcases number of brands

The inaugural London Home Fragrance Show has been hailed a success after attracting 1,012 industry visitors, with the Gift & Lifestyle Consortium (G&LC), part of the Bira Group, and Bira showcasing a range of independent brands at the new trade event.

Held at London’s Business Design Centre on 9–10 July, the show brought together brands, retailers, distributors, manufacturers and suppliers from across the home fragrance sector.

Brands showcased across the Bira and G&LC stands included The Tipsy Candle Co, Candle Wise, ARTH, The Victorian Candle Co, Belly Button Designs, Shifa Aromas, Halliesphere, Kinfolk and Henry & Co.

Many of the brands were brought together in the Fragrance Emporium, a space curated by the G&LC to give independent businesses exposure at a leading trade show that may otherwise have been more difficult to access individually.

The G&LC said the initiative demonstrated how independent brands can benefit from coming together, while the presence of both the G&LC and Bira highlighted the role trade associations play in supporting independent retailers and brands, particularly in the giftware sector.

Bira CEO Andrew Goodacre also spoke at the event about how independent retailers are evolving to meet changing consumer expectations, highlighting the innovation, adaptability and resilience shaping today’s high streets.

The event also featured a fireside chat titled ‘From Maker to Market – Building a Brand Retailers Want to Work With’, which saw Sarah Ward, Executive Director of the Gift & Lifestyle Consortium, join Alexandra Hunt, Managing Director of London Luxury Candle Supplies.

The discussion covered Hunt’s experience of building and growing a home fragrance brand, including choosing waxes, wicks and fragrance oils, product testing, branding, pricing, launching collections, scaling production and working with retailers.

Sarah Ward said: “The idea behind the Fragrance Emporium from the start: growing a brand is demanding work, and showing at a trade event shouldn’t be out of reach for the businesses doing it. Together under one roof, each brand went further than any could alone.

“Thank you to everyone who stopped by to discover ARTH Wellness, Belly Button Designs, Candle Wise, Halliesphere, Henry & Co Home Fragrance, Kinfolk Studio, Shifa Aromas, The Tipsy Candle Co, The Victorian Candle Co and Total Wardrobe Care.

“We can’t wait to do it again.”

The show featured a broad range of home fragrance products, including scented candles, reed diffusers, room sprays, wax melts, textile and linen fragrances, natural and vegan formulations, scent accessories and private label solutions.

Organisers said the strong support from exhibitors, buyers and industry professionals demonstrated demand for a dedicated home fragrance trade event, with the UK market now worth more than £1 billion.

Planning is already underway for the next London Home Fragrance Show, with organisers aiming to build on the success of the inaugural event and continue growing its role as a meeting place for the home fragrance sector.

Image credit: Bira