What's new at the 2025 UK Food & Drink Shows?
Farm Shop & Deli Show - part of the UK Food & Drink Shows - is the must-attend event of the year for independent food and drink retailers, buyers and suppliers.
Thirty thousand visitors and 1,500 exhibitors will come together for the UK Food & Drink Shows, which is taking place at the NEC Birmingham from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 April.
The UK Food & Drink Shows comprises four shows under one roof: Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show, Food & Drink Expo and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions.
Innovation is one reason the event was last year crowned ‘Best UK Tradeshow more than 8,000 sq m’ in the Association of Event Organisers Excellence Awards. That innovation continues in 2025 with new themed areas:
- Future Food Zone will offer a broad and diverse range of food and drink products from on-trend categories including keto, kombucha, fermented foods, whole foods, CBD, functional foods and more.
- Coffee Zone has been launched in partnership with The London Coffee Festival and will host top roasters and products such as alternative milks and sustainable cups.
- Packaging Zone will be a one-stop-shop for solutions to packaging and plastic challenges, with an emphasis on sustainable solutions.
- Business Advice Hub is a dedicated area providing exhibitors and visitors to the show with access to free business advice and services.
Also new for this year will be street food areas serving a wide selection of dishes and snacks.
Once again, the shows will offer a packed programme of insightful and inspiring presentations and panels on a wide range of topics including:
- Lovingly Artisan Bakery, 2024 Farm Shop & Deli Retailer of the Year, on building an award-winning business (Monday 7 April, 2.15pm)
- A panel discussion on how farm shops are driving sustainable practices, and the impact these may have on profits (Tuesday 8 April, 10.45am)
- Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, aka The Black Farmer, on the future of farm shops (Tuesday 8 April, 1.45pm)
- A former senior retail leader on why he left his high-profile career to take over The Bakewell Tart Shop (Wednesday 9 April, 10.45am)
- Dragons' Pantry sessions featuring brave entrepreneurs making 15-minute pitches for their new products to industry experts (Each day, various times)
To ensure visitors make the most of their time and don't miss out on the great content, the new UK Food & Drink Shows Digital Event Companion app offers a digital show guide featuring exhibitor directory, product listings and live event schedules; an interactive map that guides visitors to exhibitors, events and amenities; and an appointment scheduler that enables visitors to book meetings in advance.
To find out more and register for free tickets visit the Farm Shop & Deli Show website.