This family has been selling showbags since 1947. These are their favourites

Life is sweet when your family runs showbags stalls at the Melbourne Royal Show – and Samantha Atkinson doesn’t disagree.

When she was a child in the 1980s and ’90s, Atkinson was like a kid in a candy store with free access to Barbie, Cadbury and her favourite, Hubba Bubba chewing gum showbags.

She doesn’t try to play it down. “It was amazing,” she says. “I’d just go behind the counter and take them.”

Now Atkinson’s own daughter, Asher Gilbert, 12, has her pick of bags, of which her favourite is Squishy Things, which features squeezable toys shaped like cheeses and dumplings.

But it’s not all choccies and novelty stickers. Asher is happy to help behind the counter, re-stocking and selling bags alongside her mum and her grandpa, Marcus Atkinson.

It’s not a chore. “It makes me happy because I get to work around fun things and be with my family,” Asher said.

Asher is the fourth generation to sell showbags at the show for the family business, Bensons Trading, aka showbags.com.au.

In 1947, Asher’s great-grandparents, Bill and Muriel Atkinson, started selling Nestle chocolate showbags at the Show, and over the years, their brand list multiplied.

Bill died at home on Show Day night in 1967, aged 47, of a heart attack. His widow Muriel kept the business going with the help of her three sons, and it flourished.

Today the Atkinsons sell 200 different showbags in four big stalls in the Showbags Pavilion.

They have 160 employees and distribute showbags to over 150 Australian shows.

Marcus, a full-time employee since 1972 when he was 16, says the Hot Wheels, Barbie and Pokemon showbags have long been top sellers. The family expects to sell more than 350,000 showbags over the course of the event.

Cadbury remains the most popular brand. At this Melbourne Royal show, Bensons Trading expects to sell 95,000 units across 15 different Cadbury showbags, which sell for between $5 and $20 each.

A major change, and extra cost, came five years ago when authorities directed that plastic bags be phased out in favour of paper.

Curiously, Marcus’ parents started the business with paper showbags until paper became too expensive.

In February 2025, Marcus handed the CEO role to his daughter Samantha, but he is still in charge of orders and stock replenishment and, like Samantha, he travels to international trade shows and overseas suppliers.

Samantha quit her job as a Virgin domestic flight attendant 20 years ago to join the family business, feeling that it gave her more opportunity for growth.

While it’s hard work and she keeps tabs on product trends, she enjoys travelling and meeting people and is always learning.

Samantha says Asher is interested in working in the business in future, and she would encourage her.

“It’s a successful business, but she’s going to have to work hard to continue on with it,” Samantha said. “Or she might be able to evolve it into something else, you never know.”

The 2026 Melbourne Royal Show continues until Sunday, October 4.

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