The organisers of the Merchandise World shows have announced that the upcoming September event will be “paused” while they carry out consultation and future planning.
The event, which complements Merchandise World in January, was dubbed Sustainable Merchandise World when it was held in September last year in Milton Keynes. The show in September 2027 is still scheduled to take place.
Merchandise World at CBS Arena in Coventry will take place on 20 and 21 January 2027. Showcasing promotional clothing and other promotional products, its exhibitors in 2025 included Stanley/Stella, Stormtech Europe and United Brands of Scandinavia.
The organisers said it would be a “fallow year” for the September show after gathering feedback from both exhibitors and distributors as well as insights from Sustainable Merchandise World.
Conversations highlighted the need to reassess the event structure, timing and overall value to ensure the events continued to serve the evolving needs of the UK promotional merchandise market.
A structured consultation process will now begin, starting with a formal working group session at the BPMA Conference in June, followed by direct engagement with committed exhibitors and a broader industry-wide survey.
Phil Goodman, CEO of the BPMA, said: “Merchandise World has always been about bringing the industry together in the most effective way possible.
“With January going from strength to strength, this is the right moment to step back and ensure September is equally aligned to industry needs.
“This pause allows us to engage meaningfully with our members and the wider market so that what we deliver in 2027 reflects exactly what the industry wants.”
