Clarion Events, the team behind some of the Retail industry’s most celebrated shows –January Furniture Show, Manchester Furniture Show, Home & Gift and Top Drawer – has announced the launch of their much-anticipated digital offering, a trade e-commerce platform called REVEAL.

In a move to unite the industry not just on live show days, but all year round, REVEAL, powered by Treniq technology, will be a hub of product discovery, easy ordering, inspiration and insight, 365 days a year; a rotating shop window highlighting the work of amazing lifestyle brands, big and small.

REVEAL is the place for the product obsessed. Designed to complement the existing live show offering, for suppliers, it will be a 24/7 digital shopfront, placing products at eye-level for the UK’s largest network of sought-after buyers. For retailers, it will be a daily dose of product discovery, and a unique opportunity to source, connect and buy, as well as learn and be inspired.

The retail landscape has changed dramatically over the past 12 months, and the Clarion Retail team has committed itself to better understanding exactly what it is retailers, designers, buyers, brands and suppliers want and need, both from a digital platform and live shows, in this new climate. During REVEAL’s inception and development, the team undertook an intense research programme, which included multiple pilots on both the buy and sell-side.

Following the pilot, participant Lee Stoller of home furnishings retailer, Stollers, said: “The best thing about having a marketplace is actually having a proper trade hub. The Furniture Shows epitomise the whole of the industry, and this is 365. I think it’s absolutely essential that we have one. How have we lived without this for so long?”

Portfolio Director, Zoë Bonser said: “Regardless of whether buyers are B2C or B2B, the past year has really changed how purchases are made, with 88% of our community telling us that, off the back of our award-winning virtual events, a trade marketplace would be useful to them. What’s more, when a marketplace is available, they want it to be amazing – as shown in a recent Gartner report, where 80% of B2B buyers said they expect an online experience with the ease and efficiency offered by the likes of Amazon.

With that in mind, we’ve taken our time to do thorough research, run pilots, partner with the best tech in the industry, and build a platform that is not just a temporary alternative to live events, but an exciting, essential product for our buyers and brands to do business all year-round. This marks the next chapter in the holistic Clarion Retail offering, where the seamless integration between REVEAL and our world-class events will sit at the heart of everything we do. We can’t wait to share more in coming weeks.”

With the launch of REVEAL bringing the shows within the Clarion Retail portfolio even more closely together, the events have also had a refresh; marking an exciting new era for the iconic shows.

On these rebrands, Zoë says, “It’s been such a shame that we’ve not been able to run our events in a physical format for the past year, but we’ve used this time to listen to our industry and identify what it is people want from our shows – and we cannot wait for the onsite experiences to come. This rebrand will breathe new life into our historic events as they make their return to a live format from July, and this is just the beginning in ensuring each of our shows has its own identity, while remaining connected to the portfolio and REVEAL as we continue to shape our digital offering.

For a combined 130 years, our events have built a legacy of providing the retail, interior and design industries with unmissable opportunities to connect, learn, do business and be inspired, and we look forward to delivering these same exceptional experiences, both in-person and online, for the next 130 years to come.”
Launching with a selection of furniture brands, with other sectors to be added later in the year, REVEAL is giving an exclusive opportunity for a limited number of retailers to gain early access to the platform from next month, those interested can sign up here.

If you would like your products to be featured on REVEAL, find out more or request a demo here.

The first of Clarion Retail’s live events will take place 18-21 July with the co-location of Home & Gift and Manchester Furniture Show in Harrogate.

 

 

—ENDS—

For more information and high-resolution images, please contact: Jordan Evans | Jordan.evans@clarionevents.com

About Clarion Retail
With its holistic offering of in-person events and online experiences, Clarion Retail is the UK’s premier provider of trade sourcing, learning and networking opportunities for the Retail Industry. The portfolio includes annual events Top Drawer S/S, January Furniture Show, Manchester Furniture Show, Home & Gift and Top Drawer A/W. REVEAL, the portfolio’s digital trade marketplace, offers daily inspiration and 365 access to the UK’s most sought-after network of lifestyle brands and buyers.

About Clarion Events
Clarion Events organises over 200 exhibitions, conferences and events annually across the globe and employs over 2500 people in 15 different countries. More than 16,000 companies trust us with their custom each year and over 1,000,000 people give their valuable time to visit our events. More info at: www.clarionevents.com