Love Letter to Retail 

For Spring Fair 2027, we asked the people behind UK retail one simple question: what do you love about this industry?

Buyers, founders, independents and brands wrote back. Their letters tell the story of first orders and long partnerships, of tough years and the reasons they keep showing up.

Every letter here is part of A Love Letter to Retail, our theme for 2027. It's a celebration of the people, partnerships and stories that make retail what it is. Read them here, then add yours to the collection ahead of Spring Fair 2027, 7–10 February at the NEC Birmingham.

Every retailer has a love story, so we asked a handful to tell us theirs. You'll hear from a department store CEO with three decades in the trade, a founder who opened a gift boutique with her daughter, and a childrenswear brand still run by the family that built it.

None of it is about margins or footfall. It's about the customers who become regulars and the curation that takes years to get right. It's about the familiar faces at the counter, week after week, and the physical stores that keep retail personal.