Each year Reed Gift Fairs Sydney, the largest retail sourcing event in New South Wales, gives independent retailers an inside look at what customers want next.

In a world of instantly available Temu-style products of questionable quality, Australian independent retailers are finding a competitive advantage in locally crafted products that tell a story and don’t skimp on quality.

Despite challenging times, boutique stores continue to serve communities with carefully curated products that keep up to speed with, and often, set the trends that catch on.

For thousands of Australian stores, Reed Gift Fairs is the place where those discoveries are made.

Take reusable water bottle juggernaut Frank Green, for example. It started in Melbourne in 2013, and years after first exhibiting at Reed Gift Fairs, it’s become a global sensation.

“Everyone’s looking for the next Frank Green bottle, but no one knows what it is,” says Cory McCarrick, portfolio director of the fair’s parent company RX Global.

“What [retailers] are always looking for is that product that is about to take off.”

Over the past 50 years, Reed Gift Fairs’ Sydney and Melbourne events have connected premium wholesalers with retailers looking for unique products to stock their shelves with.

The next event, Reed Gift Fairs Sydney, will pack more than 350 premium wholesalers under one roof at the levels one and four of the ICC Sydney, from February 14 to 17, 2026.

It’s an opportunity for retailers to touch and feel products, meet the makers and suppliers, network and hear from industry experts sharing their retail know-how.

For many, it’s a chance to restock empty shelves after Christmas and be on the pulse of what’s next. So, let’s dig into some of those retail trends.

1. Outdoor living is in

Garden & Outdoor Living is a new category at the fair, joining the existing mix of Gift & Lifestyle, Home & Decor, Fashion & Accessories, Kids & Family, and Beauty & Wellness.

“Outdoor living is the one that is exploding,” Cory says. “Previously, we’d have outdoor living products all tied into the other categories. But from our visitor surveys, the retailers tell us they want more outdoor living products. More, more, more.”

Outdoor entertaining has always been part of the Australian lifestyle, but Cory is seeing consumer demand grow for more bespoke offerings.

The data backs it up: the most recent ABS statistics show that household spending on furnishings and household equipment is up in seven of the eight states and territories, with New South Wales reporting the highest increase.

If you’re looking for both indoor and outdoor furnishings, Reed Gift Fairs is co-located with another retail trade show this year: Life Instyle. “It’s a boutique-curated event so the products are very high quality and much smaller runs,” Cory shares.

2. Australian-made is all the rage

Consumers overwhelmingly want to buy Australian products from Australian retailers, especially in today’s global climate.

Recent Roy Morgan research found that 95 per cent of Australians say they’re committed to buying Australian products – while demand for US products has plummeted and Chinese products have modestly increased.

“We hear this a huge amount,” Cory says. “People want Australian-made products. The retailers are often trying to compete with places like Kmart and Aldi bringing in lots of really cheap Chinese products. So they need a point of difference and Australian-made is that point of difference for them.”

From artisan-made jewellery to chocolates made from local ingredients, there’s a pride that comes in supporting local creators. Plus, a lower carbon footprint than sourcing from overseas.

Reed Gift Fairs Sydney has partnered with the Australian Made campaign (the green and yellow kangaroo label on many products) to hero local suppliers in the Australian Made Pavilion. “People look for it, they head for it as soon as they get to the show,” Cory says.

3. What’s the story, morning glory?

Another factor that ties in with the Australian angle is that retailers need products that tell a good story.

Fancy branding and packaging will only take you so far – people want the details about the who, what, why, when, where and how.

“Retailers often will tell me that when they’re in store, they need a story about the product,” Cory shares. “Like, ‘this jewellery was handmade in Victoria from recycled glass.’”

“When you can tell this nice story, they’re more likely to sell it. If you can say it’s made in Australia, that’s part of the storytelling.”

Cory recalls one particular story of an exhibitor who had to reteach herself how to make her jewellery after losing her memory in a car accident.

“She came to Reed Gift Fairs and killed it,” he says. “She made so many wholesale orders that she wasn’t expecting. Every show since, she has grown and grown.”

If there’s no big personal story to tell, leaning into unique ingredients, materials, design processes and places of origin helps colour in the details.

Sustainability and social responsibility remains strong selling points in brand storytelling. In fact, 146 of this year’s exhibitors are labelled ‘ethically made’.

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4. Take a chance on the new and novel

With everything seemingly at consumers’ fingertips, it’s still remarkably hard to surprise people with new things they didn’t know they wanted.

Local retailers that put that extra effort into sourcing special products that aren’t a dime a dozen will reap the rewards.

“The biggest challenge we have is that nobody knows what they want,” Cory observes. “The consumer doesn’t know. They want to walk into a store and find something new that they’ve never seen before. And they don’t know what that is until they’ve seen it.”

Reed Gift Fairs spotlights new products in their Breakthrough Brands area, featuring either brand-new products or businesses who’ve never wholesaled before.

Of the 350+ exhibitors this year, 120 are new. In Breakthrough Brands, there’s everything from an aromatherapy shower steamer that turns any shower into a spa, through to an award-winning travel accessory that promises to “turn economy seats into first-class comfort for kids”.

Noice, different, unusual, as some Australian TV legends might say.

Register to attend Reed Gift Fairs Sydney for free now. Your badge includes access to both Reed Gift Fairs and Life Instyle – one badge, two shows. *TRADE ONLY

This article is brought to you by Business Builders in partnership with Reed Gift Fairs Sydney.