Darren Bastin, Sales Director UK and Ireland at RetailSystem, details why Dublin matters more than ever.
There is always something special about the Irish Furniture & Homewares Show in Dublin. Maybe it is the welcome, maybe it is the atmosphere, or maybe it is simply the fact that you can walk the halls and know you are surrounded by people who understand the Irish retail market properly.
For Irish retailers, the Dublin show has always had real value. It is close to home, easy to get to, and full of familiar faces. But in recent years, I think it has become even more important.
Since Brexit, importing furniture from the UK has not exactly become simpler, has it? Retailers have had to deal with extra paperwork, customs delays, changing costs, longer lead times, and the occasional “where on earth is that container now?” conversation. None of it is impossible, of course, and many retailers manage it very well, but it has definitely added a few more grey hairs to an industry that already had enough to be getting on with.
That is why the Dublin show matters.
For Irish furniture and bedding retailers, there is huge reassurance in being able to see products, touch fabrics, test comfort, speak to suppliers face to face and know that what is being shown is properly available for the Irish market. Not in theory. Not “subject to this, that, and the other”. Actually available.
That makes a difference.
Customers still want choice, quality, and value, but retailers also need confidence. Confidence that the ranges they commit to can be supplied. Confidence that lead times are realistic. Confidence that when they put something on the floor, they can stand over it with their own customers.
The Irish show gives retailers that confidence in a very practical way. You can walk around, compare products, ask straight questions, make decisions, and come away with ideas that are genuinely useful for the business. It is not just a day out, although it is usually a very good one. It is a chance to plan properly.
And the best thing is, the show keeps getting better. Every year there seems to be more energy, more ambition, and more of a sense that the Irish market deserves its own proper spotlight. It has become a strong meeting point for retailers, suppliers, reps, agents, and all the people who keep this industry moving.
For RetailSystem, Dublin has always been one of our favourite shows. There is a brilliant openness about it. Conversations happen naturally, familiar faces stop by, new introductions are made, and there is always that lovely Irish mix of business, humour and honesty.
So, as the doors open again from 23rd to 25th August, I think there is every reason to feel positive. The challenges are real, but so is the opportunity.
Dublin gives Irish retailers something hugely valuable, a show that understands where they are, what they need and how the market actually works.
And in a world where getting goods from A to B can sometimes feel like a minor Olympic event, that matters more than ever.
www.linkedin.com/in/darren-bastin-429a0a2b7/ / darren@retailsystem.com
