Glee 2019 opens its doors tomorrow (Tuesday) and after several hectic days of build up hundreds of exhibitors are ready and waiting to show you the thousands of new products and services on offer...

To get in the mood for three days of Glee, we gave our photographer an hour to whizz round the show as build up nears completion. There is a lot to see...see you in the morning.

Online registration for Glee is live, enabling buyers and retailers to get online and book their free ticket to the leading showcase for the garden and outdoor living industry.

Register for your free ticket by clicking here.

Below is our gallery of pictures from Build-Up Day

The final touches are being put to Glee 2019 where 550 plus suppliers will join with 7,000 UK and international key decision makers, buyers and trend setters, to showcase the future of gardening.

Matthew Mein, Glee’s Event Director, said: “The market is reporting a strong start to the 2019 season, with sales up 37% year-on-year.

"A combination of good weather, and consumers retreating to their homes in a time of economic uncertainty, has paid dividends for our industry. As such we move into the 2019 event with a sense of excitement regarding the future development and growth of our sector.

"From an engaged audience, the potential of the ‘millennial pound’, new tech hitting the market, and a wealth of existing ranges continuing to hit the mark, Glee 2019 will be a thriving hub for the garden retail market, offering unrivalled value for both suppliers and visitors.”

What’s new at Glee 2019

Educational content will bring business growth opportunities to the fore

Building more content to help support the continuous growth of gardening in the UK will be a key theme of the 2019 event. Look out for more features, seminar sessions and new-for-2019 workshops, and year-round information relating to trends, merchandising and practical advice on ways to build better business, whilst also tackling the most burning issues set to affect the industry in the years ahead.

The purrfect place to source pet products – Pets at Glee to grow

Bigger and better than ever before, ‘Pets at Glee’ will be a thriving section of Glee, designed to make it even easier for garden centre pet buyers to directly source 2020 ranges.

Featuring a multi-functional space, Pets at Glee will house interactive workshops aimed at helping garden centres start their pet retail journey, as well as provide visual merchandising inspiration that touches on key areas of pet retail including pet food, accessories, luxury and technology. It will also house a dedicated networking space for pet retailers and garden centres to connect with each other to share their experiences through facilitated speed networking sessions. 

There will also be a dedicated Pet New Product Showcase, which will showcase the latest and great new product innovations from Pets at Glee exhibitors. This year the showcase will feature nine award categories made up of: Best Pet Clothing Product, Best Pet Toys and Entertainment, Best Pet Accessories (Collars, Leads, Muzzles, Harnesses), Best Pet Health, Grooming and Cleaning, Best Pet Bedding and Travel (housing, carriers, cages, baskets), Best Pet Food and Treats, Best Pet Technology, Best Eco Initiative Pet Product Award and Best Overall New Product for Pets at Glee.

PetQuip – the leading international trade association for manufacturers and suppliers of pet care goods and services - has also confirmed that it will be continuing its support for the PetQuip Business Village.

Retail Lab set to return in 2019

The Retail Lab @ Glee – in association with the HTA - was introduced in 2017 to showcase the latest trends within the garden industry, whilst also providing retailers with hands on advice and inspirational content that they can take back to their own stores to drive sales in the coming season.  The response to this new area surpassed expectations, with suppliers and retailers remarking on the immediate ‘take home’ value of the Lab’s content. 

This year the Retail Lab will focus on two key themes ‘Shop’ and ‘Nature’, both of which will be supported by eight key themes entitled - Do it Yourself, Plant and Gift Shop, Garden Therapy, ‘Do Nothing’, Plastic Free Future?, Urban Green City, Outdoors = Indoors, Nurturing Nature, and Pet Alley – all of which represent key growth opportunities for garden retailers, whilst also addressing those issues that are shaping consumer spending habits.

Once again, the Retail Lab @ Glee – in association with the HTA - will be created in partnership with a panel of industry experts, led by Creative Director, Romeo Sommers of ByRomeo. 

In addition to the amazing team behind the Retail Lab, the area will also be supported by a number of sponsors. Woodlodge, Scheurich, Key Essentials, Apta, Meadow View Stone, Verona, Laurica Plants, BPI Products, Ivyline, and Air So Pure are confirmed as 2019 Supplier Partners, providing them a wealth of opportunity to promote their brand and latest product innovations.

This autumn Burgon & Ball, the UK’s oldest manufacturer of garden tools and accessories,  is launching an exciting new licensed range of tools in a major collaboration with Europe’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust.

Picture: Thanks to National Trust, Kingston Lacy

Making its debut at GLEE in September, the collaboration between these two trusted names in gardening offers new and exciting options for retailers. With superior quality, celebrating traditional manufacturing and a heritage aesthetic, the tools are practical, stylish and are set to have great customer appeal across the board, from weekend gardeners through to professionals. They offer the feel-good factor too, since a percentage of revenue from sales of the tools will help to support the conservation activities of the charity.  

Founded in 1895 and now with 5.6 million members, the National Trust is a well-loved and trusted conservation charity. With 180 registered parks and gardens in the National Trust’s care, it looks after the largest collection of historic parks and gardens in Europe, including many created by the most notable designers. It is held in the highest regard by gardeners and those who love visiting beatiful gardens, making it a natural fit for a collaboration with Burgon & Ball, itself with a toolmaking heritage dating back to 1730.

The new tool range consists of an invaluable core gardening tool set: digging spade; digging fork; trowel; hand fork; round-tined fork; claw cultivator; patio weeding knife; dibber; lopper; hedge shear; topiary shear; bypass secateur; and pocket knife.

The tools are crafted largely in high-carbon steel, a material which offers superior strength characteristics. Dark wood and touches of brass echo the tools’ inherent quality and also give a nod to the garden tools of yesteryear. Put simply, they have a unique look, offering gardeners a new option in terms of aesthetic.

The difference is not merely superficial, however. Across the new National Trust range many traditional manufacturing processes, little seen today, are used to create tools which deliver exceptional performance.

The spade and fork both use solid socket forging, whereby the whole toolhead and socket are forged from a single piece of steel with no welds, for unparalleled strength. The socket is then double riveted to the shaft, for the strongest structure; one not available in any stainless steel tool. High-carbon steel ‘D’ handles are also doubled riveted to the top of the shaft, ensuring they stay firmly in place through years of service. A textured powder coating in a distinctive antique bronze shade protects the exposed steel from corrosion.

The lopper is manufactured using a drop forging process, whereby the metal is heated and hammered into a die to shape it. This method removes any voids in the steel and aligns the internal grain structure, significantly improving the strength of the tool and allowing it to retain an edge for longer.

The hand tools feature brass ferrules bearing the joint National Trust and Burgon & Ball maker’s mark, unusual and highly effective sharpened tool edges to slice into the soil, real leather cords for hanging, and the antique bronze powder coating for protection.

The secateur and knife both feature stainless steel blades offering durability and improved rust resistance. The secateur has an all-steel drop forged body for maximum strength, and the dark wood handles of both small cutting tools feature solid brass rivets for a distinctive look.

With RRPs ranging from £8.99 to £34.99, the new National Trust range of garden tools made by Burgon & Ball offers outstanding quality at accessible price points. The combined customer appeal of these two trusted names in gardening offers new and exciting opportunities to retailers this autumn.

Kelkay are category leaders in decorative aggregates and its clear they’re not afraid to lead from the front when it comes to keeping the category fresh and contemporary. For 2020, they have radically moved their aggregate brand towards a much softer and tactile feel, giving it an air of authenticity and practicality that will appeal to a pragmatic consumer.

The full suite of merchandising and point of sale equipment has been updated to compliment the new packaging style with a very friendly and approachable graphic design that is designed to instil confidence in shoppers. The graphic style and images are designed to clearly communicate that this is a category that’s easy to shop and you don’t need a great deal of expertise or design flair to get impressive results.

The extensive range includes:

• 25 colour options and sizes in standard and premium chippings
• 8 styles of decorative pebbles
• 7 varieties of slate
• 6 types of cobbles
• 5 promotional multi buy lines         
• 2 types of grit            
• 4 smaller project handy packs
• Over 30 styles of rockery stones and feature cobbles

Completely new for 2020 is a range of sheer, polished feature pebbles, perfect for dressing around garden features and packed in Kelkay’s new compostable film bags which are designed to help overcome the problem of single use plastic packaging.

Additionally, and consistent with their sustainability ambitions, Kelkay have also moved the rest of their range of aggregate packaging to a new film which contains 30% recycled content.

Sarah Winn, AMES UK Marketing Dierctor, explained their strategy: “Aggregates represent an important and core category for us. We are committed to driving the category forward, supporting our garden centre customers and responding to consumer trends.

"The new POS, graphics and sustainable packaging initiatives all respond to changing consumer drivers and ensure our retail partners are well postioned to meet their needs”

The full range will be on show on the Kelkay stand in hall 6 – part of the AMES UK group of companies exhibiting at Glee 2019.

sales@kelkay.co.uk              

www.kelkay.co.uk              

Tel. 01405 869333

Apta, the leading supplier of pots and accessories to garden centres, will launch over 400 new products at Glee, continuing a strong commitment to design and innovation.

Extensions to the massively successful Granito lightweight range are just the start. There are a wealth of new ideas in composite materials, plus exclusive premium glazes and a fantastic selection of outstanding value products.

On top of this there is the launch of many new indoor planters including RHS and Laura Ashley selections, and Green Haus - a brand new environmentally friendly and ethically manufactured range.

To find out more visit stand 7J40-L41, 6L40-M41.

Johnsons Lawn Seed, the UK’s oldest seed brand with a prestigious track record of grass seed breeding and innovation, is getting ready to celebrate 200 years at the forefront of the lawn care business in 2020.

The company, now owned by Danish co-operative DLF Seeds, was founded in 1820, the year in which King George IV ascended to the throne. The story began when 17-year-old entrepreneur William Wade Johnson, a keen botanist, bought some land in Boston, Lincolnshire, and set up in business as a market gardener.

William selected his finest plants to grow on and produce a seed crop, so he could start selling seed from his stall – and in doing so, he sowed the seeds of a business that would flourish and evolve to become a household name. Two centuries later, Johnsons Lawn Seed remains firmly established as the UK’s leading lawn seed brand, offering an unrivalled portfolio of trusted products that deliver the ultimate in performance for gardeners.

Johnsons Lawn Seed’s Guy Jenkins said: “Two hundred years spent at the leading edge of grass seed innovation is a formidable milestone, and one that everyone at Johnsons Lawn Seed should rightly be proud of. The nation’s gardens have changed beyond recognition, but Johnsons’ commitment to providing the best-performing lawn care products remains at the heart of everything we do.

“With our parent company DLF Seeds pumping €14million into research every year, Johnsons Lawn Seed will be bringing to market further innovative products that have been engineered to perform in a warming and more unpredictable climate. Prior to launch, our innovations are exhaustively trialed in the most demanding of conditions, to ensure that lush, green lawns remain the focal point of the nation’s gardens. Here’s to the next 200 years!” Guy added.

The Johnsons Lawn Seed brand comprises a market-leading portfolio of top-quality products, consistently offering superior performance. Luxury Lawn, Shady Place, Tuffgrass, After Moss, Quick Lawn and Lawn Thickener Lawn Seed have become the go-to products for gardeners’ lawncare requirements, while Super Smart Lawn Feed has transformed the market for eco-friendly lawn fertilisers with its pioneering, scientifically-proven, 100% natural and organic formula.

How Johnsons Lawn Seed played a key role in the evolution of UK lawns

1820 – Keen botanist William Wade Johnson, aged just 17, buys land at Boston in Lincolnshire and sets up a market gardening enterprise. Harvesting seed for sale, the business later expands from a market stall to a shop in the marketplace.

1830 - Edwin Budding invents the cylinder mower, an adaption of a machine in a textile factory where he worked as a foreman.

1832 - Ransomes starts producing lawnmowers, ending the age of cutting grass by scythe. Small mowers cost seven guineas while larger models were priced at a costly 10 guineas.

1842 - The inaugural horse-drawn mower makes its debut.

1869 – Johnsons Seeds acquires bigger premises. William Wade remains at the forefront of the business, assisted by his son Alfred, also a botanist. Alfred developed breeding and selection programmes, laying the foundations for improved seed strains with which the Johnsons name became synonymous.

1885 - The first lawn seed trials are reported to have started in America.

1893 - Steam-driven lawnmowers go into production.

1899 – Following Alfred’s death, Mr EJ Deal is appointed as General Manager of Johnsons Seeds, joining the business from Suttons of Reading. By the turn of the century, expansion into the wholesale and general seed trade saw Johnsons offer specialities including peas, beans, cabbages, carrots and seed potatoes, as well as flower and grass seed.

1911 – Large new purpose-built premises are opened in Boston, processing seed to sell around the world.

1929 - Research into lawn turf gets underway at a research station in Bingley.

1960 - The first lightweight electric mowers appear, followed by the revolutionary hover mower from Flymo later in the decade.

1998 - Johnsons Lawn Seed is bought by Perryfields.

2001 - Perryfields is bought by Danish co-operative DLF Seeds.

2020 - Johnsons Lawn Seeds celebrates its 200th anniversary.

Find out more: To find out more about Johnsons Lawn Seed products please visit http://www.johnsonslawnseed.com/product-range.aspx

Packaging – what’s it made out of, does it contain plastic, can it be recycled and what carbon footprint will it leave on the planet? These are questions that every exhibitor is likely to face from retail buyers when Glee opens its doors at Birmingham’s NEC tomorrow and with good reason.

Cutting down on single-use plastic is at the top of the public agenda, and buyers know that truly green products that leave a minimal environmental footprint will fly off the shelves.

Here, we ask Deco-Pak Marketing Director, Craig Hall, how the family-run garden landscaping and decorative aggregates specialist is leading the way in reducing its footprint, and contributing to projects that will leave our planet with a brighter future for the next generation.

What is Deco-Pak’s policy on cutting waste?

Deco-Pak is 100% focused on reducing its environmental impact, reusing materials where possible, and ensuring that any waste is recycled. All our packaging is 100% recyclable, however, this is only the beginning and we have ambitious plans to make our operations even greener – read on!

How is Deco-Pak reducing plastic in packaging?

Our policy is reduce, reuse and recycle, with single-use plastics at the top of the agenda. One option is to reduce the thickness of plastic that we put into bags without sacrificing the bag’s integrity and purpose. Deco-Pak is currently trialling recycled plastic, made from repurposed consumer waste, into our bags. There is still a long way for the technology to come up to speed. Working with GIMA, we are investigating ways in which consumers and retail partners can close the recycling loop. GIMA will be participating in a panel discussion at GLEE on ‘Reducing plastic use: the industry’s perspective’, taking place on 11^th September.

The industry is abuzz with plastic alternatives. Why isn’t Deco-Pak switching to similar packaging?

It’s great to see so many suppliers looking at alternatives, however our research has shown that alternatives aren’t as green as we had first hoped. On first inspection, plastic alternative packaging appears to be a great idea, but drill down deeper and the reality is quite a different picture. Further factors need to be considered such as additional emissions of carbon dioxide in the production of such products, is the packaging fit for retail and consumer purpose, and how realistic logistically is it for recycling without contamination, or for composting domestically? For these reasons, we have decided to pursue other solutions.

Deco-Pak is becoming ‘plastic-neutral’. What does this mean?

Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet TV series left a global audience horrified at the devastating effect that ocean plastic waste is having on marine wildlife and the environment. We can all play a role in helping to clean the world’s oceans, and that’s why Deco-Pak is pledging to back schemes that remove plastics from the ocean, with the target of becoming plastic neutral – similar to being carbon neutral, where businesses offset their carbon footprint. This involves donating to charity partners, economic development firms that empower disenfranchised communities to collect and exchange any type of plastic for currency. This scheme makes a real difference, as ocean plastic is collected and exchanged for cash, as well as healthcare coverage, school tuition and much more.

What is Deco-Pak’s target for eliminating single-use plastics?

While all our packaging is recyclable, Deco-Pak intends to ultimately eliminate single-use plastics by closing the loop. We are currently researching ways to further reduce virgin plastic in packaging, however in the near future we intend to further highlight the way in which plastics can be recycled by consumers and retailers alike. Furthermore, all staff will become plastic-neutral, offsetting their estimated plastic waste.

Please visit Deco-Pak on stand Y40-Z41 in Hall 20 at Glee to find out more. Not only will our shirts be made from recycled plastics, but we’ll have genuinely innovative new ranges, including our exciting new Eco Stone collection of recycled decorative aggregates.

At this year’s Glee, Fiskars is showcasing its popular and successful garden tool solutions at its stand (8D80-E81), enabling visitors to see the visual impact of an attractive and effective Fiskars product display.

These include the Light range, which has been extended in 2019, bringing more accessibility for gardeners of all ages and strengths with its lightweight yet durable tools, as well as fresh targeting opportunities for retailers.

In addition, the PowerGear™ X range will also be available, which features ground-breaking cutting tools to deliver exceptional performance.

To find out more, visit the Fiskars stand (8D80-E81).

Available in January 2020, The Patio Black Spot Removal Company Ltd is delighted to announce the new addition to their exisiting range; Stone King Amazing Stone Restorer.

Supplied in a handy trigger bottle spray it’s designed to be used on vertical surfaces of garden ornaments such as statues, bird baths and ‘stone art’.

• Faster, more efficent performance from an already established brand
• Instantly removes ‘Patio Black Spots’ and Green Algae in minutes
• Greater benefits to the environment – readily biodegrades
• Pressure washing is NOT required, using less water, preventing surface damage which is kinder to the stonework and the environment
• Unlimited shelf life means no wasted stock
• Improved results producing enhanced customer experience and even greater sales foe your garden centres

ADVANCED ORDERS CAN BE PLACED AT GLEE SOME COME AND SEE US AT:

6L80-M81

Head over to see us in Hall 6, Stand 6L20-M21, M20 and discover what Primus and Perry can do to improve your sales and footfall.

We have over 120 new products for the Spring 2020 season, as well as over 150 other products released throughout 2019 including our Seasonal Range of Pumkins and Christmas themed sculptures.

Primus is working in collaboration with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to create a range of beautifully hand crafted wooden birds.

These Sculptures are made from FSC certified renewable materials and will include a sculpture specific breed guide with interesting facts and information. The launch range includes seven birds:

• Blue Tit
• Goldfinch
• Robin
• Sparrow
• Kingfisher
• Herring Gull
• Puffin

The retail boxes are made from recyclable materials and are plastic free, giving added environmental benefits for those concerned about the environment and the welfare of these birds.

The designs will appeal to young and old and are positioned to work in any retail environment, including Garden Centres and Gift Shops.

Additional birds will fly onto the shelves throughout 2020.

Pre-order at the show for an exclusive Glee discount.

Primeur are excited to return to Glee this year, to showcase their Award-Winning ranges of Recycled Rubber Garden Products. 

Their stand will allow you to view the full range and take a look at how product ranges can effectively be displayed in stores with our collection of display units.  Also on the stand, for the first time is a new planter display which will be launched with a special offer, so make sure to stop by and take a look.

The 2019 season has been a great success for Primeur.  The team is looking forward to meeting existing customers to show them our new products, and connect with new buyers who would be interested in stocking these ingenious, environmentally friendly ranges.

The Recycled Rubber Collection includes Stepping Stones, Garden Borders, Planters, Decking, Pavers and Mulch, perfect landscaping solutions for the Eco-Concious gardener.

Primeur will also be exhibiting their Mighty Mats range of doormats including environmentally friendly products such as the Scrape ‘n’ Sorb® and Contours floor mats which are made using recycled rubber. 

Also launching at this years’ Glee, Primeur are proud to offer their Christmas Doormat that has been developed with the team from Greenfingers Charity.  As well as providing festive cheer to many homes at Christmas, Primeur want to help raise much needed funds for this fantastic cause.  The cute glitter Robin design is available to order now in a great display box offer.  For each mat sold, Primeur will be donating £1 to the charity.  Please come along and view on their stand.

Find out more

The Primeur team warmly invite you to visit their stand at Glee Hall 19 D10-E11.  For more details about the company and to view their full ranges please visit www.primeur.co.uk

Nick Walton, who heads up the UK/I operation for SBM Life Science, announces that he is changing SBM’s route to market for the Garden Centre and Nursery trade.

The Bayer Garden business was sold to SBM back in October 2016 and SBM Life Science in the UK was launched. The team at SBM have been working tirelessly to establish their business and are working towards the companies ambition to become a worldwide leader for Home & Garden Solutions. Walton states; “We have invested in new brands for the UK/I market and will continue to do so over the coming years. We also continue to invest in our field sales force and since launching SBM, we have moved to 4 employed Territory Account Managers to enable our business to build more collaborative relationships with our partners”

From October 1st, 2019, SBM have agreed a sole strategic distribution partnership for the traditional trade business with Stax Trade Centres. Nick continues; “An enormous amount of work behind the scenes has gone into reviewing our current route to market and we strongly believe that Stax can help us achieve our vision. We have a fantastic relationship with the team at Stax and we have been exceptionally pleased with the commitment that they have shown our business over the last 5 years”

Stax Joint Managing Director, David Hibbert comments; “We’re delighted to have been selected as sole strategic distribution partner to SBM for the traditional trade market. They are a very significant player in the gardening solutions market and their decision to work with us reflects the growth we have made as a major distributor, both to independent garden centres and groups alike.

“Stax has worked extremely hard, to develop its own garden centre distribution capabilities, and to forge a strong and stable a relationship with SBM. This new partnership represents the reward for those efforts, and we’re very much looking forward to continuing our association with the SBM team and helping them achieve their vision.”

SBM are committed to servicing the UK/I market and see this as a positive step forward in their strategic plans to allow a more coherent and effective way of collaborating with garden centres and nurseries. UK Sales Manager for SBM, Scott Williams adds; “I have no doubt that this next step for our business is absolutely the right thing. I have personally managed the Stax account now for circa 8 years and have every belief that David, Eddie and the team will take on this challenge and excel. My team will be visiting garden centres after GLEE as we embark on our pre-season campaign, so if you miss us at GLEE, we will bring our 2020 plans directly to you.”

Simon Wright, Stax Purchasing Director adds; “I am delighted that SBM have a very clear vision of where they want to be within the market and have chosen Stax as a strategic distribution partner to help them achieve this. SBM have my full support in their route to market change and we look forward to helping them in achieving their vision of delivering excellent service”.

Nick concludes; “During this exciting transitional time, my team and I are here to support retailers and from a Stax perspective, David, Eddie and their teams will be there to do the same. I have one goal for 2020 and that is to continue to offer excellent service to our retail partners.”

For more information about SBM Life Science LTD and their future strategies for the 2020 season, be sure to visit stand 7G70-H71 at Glee 2019.

As demand for environmentally friendly gardening products continues to soar, Woodlodge, the UK’s leading supplier of pots and containers, will unveil its new collection of eco-friendly bamboo pots at Glee (NEC Birmingham, 10^th – 12^th September). Every pot in the innovative new range is made from eco-friendly bamboo.

With more consumers seeking alternatives to plastic, Woodlodge’s new bamboo pottery range will offer sustainable choices that are kinder to the environment. The collection is poised to become the go-to range for the UK’s growing band of eco-conscious consumers, while bamboo pots have the added advantage of being super lightweight, too.

Featuring square and round pots in natural shades as well as grey and black, the eco-friendly range will cater for the rising demand for fashionable, modern containers. Now, retailers will have a solution that blends contemporary style with genuine sustainability.

A percentage of sales of the new eco-friendly range will go directly to Cool Earth – a charity that works alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation and its contribution to climate change. The conservation charity says that over half the world’s rainforest has been destroyed over the past 40 years and continues to be lost at a faster rate than ever. That’s why a ground-up approach, supporting local communities needs to be the way forward.

Cool Earth works across six rainforest nations to protect 99,162 hectares of forest, storing approximately 15,679,250 tonnes of climate-changing carbon in trees’ roots, trunks and soils.   

Michael Wooldridge, Managing Director at Woodlodge, said: “Sustainable gardening is a key growth area for retailers nationwide. With our range in support of Cool Earth, Woodlodge is bringing to market an innovative range that delivers a truly eco-friendly option for consumers who want to play a role in protecting the planet. The use of environmentally friendly bamboo raises the bar for pots and containers, offering a sustainable option for shoppers who are seeking alternatives to plastic without compromising on quality or style.

“We are proud to be supporting the work of Cool Earth, a charity with an exceptional track record of changing the fate of at-risk rainforest, and protecting threatened regions of the planet for future generations,” Michael added.

Pots in Woodlodge’s new eco-friendly bamboo line-up have RRPs from £12.99 to £39.99, with sizes ranging from 25x17cm to 30x21cm for round pots, while square pots will be offered ranging from 23x25cm to 29x30cm. Point of sale material will highlight the range’s green credentials to appeal to eco-savvy shoppers.

To see the brand new eco-friendly bamboo range for the first time, buyers should visit the Woodlodge exhibition space at Glee (stand 6S30-T31) on 10^th – 12^th September.

For more about Woodlodge’s new collection in support of Cool Earth, or the company’s market-leading product offering, visit www.woodlodge.co.uk

Zest 4 Leisure is all set to showcase its decorative timber garden products at the 2019 Glee trade show including exciting new concepts and its customer service support package.

The company, an award winning supplier of high quality FSC® timber garden products, returns to Glee with its new-look stand and a team focused on showcasing the best from Zest.

In response to customer demand, Zest is proud to introduce a range of new products, including the innovative and stylish Santorini swing, the Appleton Gazebo and has added a new Raised Herb Planter to the popular “space saving” Grow Your Own range. Also on display will be the “on trend” Pyramid Display Stand, allowing customers to combine outdoor and indoor living, and for the first time Zest are introducing a beautiful hardwood seating set direct from Brazil.

Zest are also launching the Tiverton Charity Planter to raise money for Greenfingers. The new planter has been designed in-house by the Zest design team, and with an RRP of £14.99, for every planter sold, £2.50 will be donated to Greenfingers Charity, and Zest 4 Leisure have set a target to raise £10,000 for the charity.

The new range of Zest aggregate will be launched at Glee. The aggregate will complement Zest’s range of timber garden products and has been developed in response to customer demand. Zest are offering a choice of coloured decorative gravel, MultiCem® Mix and pre-crated rockery stone.

Steve Morgan, Managing Director at Zest 4 Leisure said: “Glee is always an opportunity to focus on new products but we are also very proud of our whole range, including garden trade favourites such as the Noah’s Arbour and the Emily bench range.”

“We always look forward to Glee. It’s a time when the company comes together and harnesses all our skills and talents to create the whole show package; from the new-look stand built by our timber buildings division, to visual merchandising created by our in-house design studio and marketing team, to our customer service support package delivered by our sales and account managers. It’s an opportunity for us work together and bring the best of Zest!”  

Visit Zest 4 Leisure on stand #20Z30 to see 2020 timber garden products and to meet the team or visit www.zest4leisure.co.uk.

Come and meet our new collection! You can find us in Hall 06-19, Stand 20V20-W21. Will we see you there?

As usual, we added new series, textures and models to our 2020 collection. You will also find a new range of accessories this year with a focus on biodiversity and our environment.

We look forward showing you our new items and tell you more about the recycled materials we use and our Made in Holland pots being 100% recyclable.

Capi for Biodiversity

The climate is changing and the weather is becoming more extreme. To help maintain a water friendly garden, Capi has developed this design rain barrel.

Bee hotel

‘If the bee disappeared off the sur-face of the globe then man would have only four years of life left’ – Albert Einstein

If bees are that important, why are they threatened with extinction and why not help them? By placing a Bee hotel in your garden you don’t only protect the solitary bees, but also assist the bee in reproduction.

In our biodiversity family you can also find different bird houses designed for specific bird species and a bird feeder. All available in 3 colours.

You can always rely on Durston Garden Products to put on a show at Glee, and this year is no exception. 

Model Alice, in a futuristic costume, is well and truly wowing visitors to the Durstons stand in Hall 8, and the message to the trade is two-fold: one of NEW modern packaging from Durstons-which was recently shortlisted at the GIMA Awards for its design element, and the second, a campaign very close to Durstons heart-plastic recycling.

By creating a futuristic character, Durstons wanted retailers to know that everything they do both as a company and as a supplier they do with a conscience, and are constantly looking forward at ways to improve its work ethic and practice in line with everyday environmental issues.

One of the company’s recent recycling projects involved looking at how its own plastic packaging was being produced and by simply making a one-off change to the over-printing of the bags it uses, the bags literally over-night, became 100% recyclable.  It was such a simple change that Durstons then went viral in a plea to other businesses in the trade to follow suit, and sure enough the campaign fast started to gather momentum.

“And, whilst this may be classed as only ‘one small step for retail’ says company spokesman, Dan Durston, “if we all pull together and do our bit, it has surely got to be, ‘a giant leap for the environment’. After all, until a realistic alternative to this toxic material has been discovered, we are all basically stuck with it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t reduce, recycle and re-use plastic wherever we can. So surely it’s down to us all to do our bit”.

Durston Garden Products is a modern forward thinking company whose knowledge and expertise on the subject of growing-media is well respected.  At its Somerset base, here in the UK, the company has a long history of managing its land with the environment in mind and continuously works hard to give back to nature whatever it takes out. On top of that, the quality of the growing media it produces, and the value-for-money its products offer, is well documented. What’s more, you won’t find Durstons products cheaper in any of the supermarkets, let alone in Outer-Space!

So, if you’re looking for a forward thinking, out-of-this-world experience this season, then be sure to pop along to Durston Garden Products stand E20-21 in Hall 8 where you can be sure of a galactic welcome!

The Pet Care market is growing very fast and since everyone is passionate about pets at Smart, it seemed only natural to launch Smart’s very own brand, called Zöon.

A dedicated team of experienced pet industry marketeers have developed a range of truly innovative Pet Accessories along with co-ordinated “lifestyle” collections. Smart is initially launching an impressive 660 items encompassing an extensive range of Dog and Cat Accessories including Bedding, Toys, Bowls, Collars and Leads along with Dog Snacks and Treats.

In line with the Company’s updated environmental policy, there is also a selection of both degradable and bio-combustible poop bags. “Dog business” can be green!

The Zöon range will be available with a complete range of merchandising solutions available to show off the products to best effect in store, regardless of the space available. These include slat-wall displays and free-standing bespoke stands for fast moving categories such as Bedding.

Zöon will be officially launched at Glee and the complete range can be viewed thereafter at the Smart showrooms in Abingdon and Peterborough.

Bord na Móna will launch the Happy Compost range at this year’s Glee event, boasting a completely peat-free brand featuring six new products.

The Happy Compost product range includes vegetable compost, tomato planter, rose, tree and shrub compost, soil improvers and an all-purpose compost available in two different sizes. Bord na Móna is pleased to launch a range that caters to the needs of any gardener, whilst also staying true to its environmental responsibilities.

The most eco-friendly range yet, Happy Compost’s packaging is recyclable, using 30% recycled plastic in the bags – the highest amount achievable. The core raw materials in Happy Compost products are either recycled or by-products including bark, green compost, wood fibre and coir, all of which are 100% peat-free.

Steve Harper, Head of Commercial & Marketing for Bord na Móna UK, says:

“Happy Compost is our most innovative and versatile brand yet. The name Happy Compost is inspired by the feeling of happiness and contentment. The new products channel this by providing great gardening results and also supporting our environmental responsibilities by going 100% peat free. We invite everyone to visit our stand at Glee to get a first look at Happy Compost.”

Pentik is an international interior design retailer, who brings northern beauty and cosiness to homes. Pentik’s lifestyle concept is built around four seasonal collections and a steadily selling basic collection.

Seasonally changing collections give customers a great reason to make a return visit to a Pentik shop, to see the latest products and also to get seasonal decoration tips for their own homes.

Stores are the face of Pentik.

Pentik seasonal collections change four times a year, like seasons change in the northern nature. New collections surprise customers with freshness, bringing a northern breeze in to every store.

The Pentik store concept options range from a small 10 m² shop-in-shop, a medium sized store and all the way up to a fully stocked Outlet store.  Pentik store concepts provide a clear floorplan layout and designated areas and display suggestions e.g. for tableware, textiles, gifts and ceramic art.

Pentik is a family-run business with around 60 own shops in Finland. Pentik franchisees run Pentik shops in Sweden, Czech Republic and Russia, and around 15 shop-in-shops in home décor and gift stores in Finland. Over 20 Pentik shop-in-shops can be found in Finnish department store chains Stockmann and Sokos. In addition, Pentik products are sold in home décor and gift stores and online stores in e.g. Japan, Germany, France, Norway and the U.S. Pentik’s first UK retail store opened in Belfast in 2019. Pentik’s proven shop-in-shop concept options can be easily integrated into any different Garden Centre retail layout.

Pentik’s merchandise team prepares supporting display guidelines for every seasonal collection and new basic line launches. Marketing materials for online and offline marketing, pictures and videos are available for all retailers from Pentik’s material bank.

Pentik started as a pottery manufacturer in 1971, but it is nowadays famous for textiles and fabrics, home décor and gifts. Pentik´s signature style combines authentic Nordic simplicity, rustic nostalgia and the exoticism of distant lands to create beautiful and harmonious interiors. Many of Pentik’s patterns depict seasonal changes in the Nordic nature.

Come and have a chat about your own retail needs and ideas at our stand 19K24-L25.

You can also view our carefully selected products displayed in Glee's Retail Lab feature.

Town & Country continues to provide the garden industry with the most comprehensive collection of gardening gloves on the market and will be launching a wealth of new products at this year’s Glee.

Following feedback from the trade, the Thermal AquaMAX glove has been developed to provide maximum thermal and waterproof protection for gardening in cold and wet conditions. They have a durable, 100% waterproof coating and a thermal liner for additional warmth and comfort. A nitrile coating adds extra protection and grip on the palms and fingers.

A new range of Comfort Fit Leather gloves have reinforced palms for protection and a spandex back which allows freedom of movement and breathability. Extra protection on the fingers makes these gloves perfect for pruning roses and other thorny bushes. The fitted wrist with secure strap helps to keep the gloves in place for comfortable working. There is also a thermal lined version of this glove which is ideal for gardening during the winter months.

The Cut-Less gloves feature a high strength composite polymer woven into the core of the fabric which protects against scratches, scrapes and abrasion.

A refreshed range of FlexiGRIP gloves are ideal for carrying out light work and have a latex coated palm and fingers to provide added protection and grip for a multitude of tasks. The triple pack features an autumnal leaf pattern and comes in teal, purple and red.

Following extensive industry research and customer feedback, several of the gloves in the existing range have been expanded and improved. The popular bamboo gloves now have a more user-friendly grey lining and are available in extra small sizes. The Mastergrip gloves are now available in extra large and the AquaMAX gloves are now available in small.

The entire range, along with merchandising options can be viewed at Glee on stand 7J30-L31.

Evergreen Horticulture is a long established & reputable horticultural manufacturer of Premium Quality Growing Media Products.  Exciting developments are in progress to add 'peat reduced' and 'peat free' alternatives to our extensive range of growing media which we are very excited to showcase at this year's Glee.

Today, quality continues to be pinnacle to the Evergreen ethos and we remain a dynamic, family-run business, perfecting our craft and making every effort to continually add value to our extensive range of growing media, from retail products to crop specific substrates, ensuring optimum growing results are achieved from the hobby gardener to the commercial grower.

For Evergreen, quality is not only a promise, it's a genuine performance and remains the driving force behind our family business in terms of exceptional products, competitive prices, service and delivery. The strength of the Evergreen brand is now a key factor in distinguishing our products from that of other competitors, hence why Evergreen remains to be one of the leading manufacturers of growing media products within today's horticultural industry.

Creating quality growing media products from sustainable natural resources, with an emphasis on 100% recyclable packaging, remains at the fore of our business. Our 250 acres of Irish Peat Bogs are non-designated SSSI sites ethically and environmentally managed to support re-growth.

Come visit us at our stand no. 6P20-Q21.

Wilkinson Sword continue to provide the garden industry with cutting-edge garden tools and have further expanded their Ultralight Collection with a new pair of 24” Bypass Loppers to be launched at this year’s Glee.

The loppers are the latest product to be launched in a collection of gardening tools which are up to 50% lighter than standard. The weight saving significantly reduces arm fatigue, meaning that users of all ages and abilities can enjoy gardening for longer. Included in the range are 16 tools for tasks all around the garden, including pruning, cultivating, digging and lawn care.

The new loppers feature a larger profile, curved cutting head which allows the user to cut through branches up to 30mm thick, with precision ground blades delivering a clean and precise cut.

A bespoke freestanding display unit is available to showcase the entire Ultralight range and provide optimum visibility in store. The slimline stand groups the range by task and provides a 360-degree view of all products with point of sale material included to inform the consumer.

The new loppers, along with the entire Ultralight Collection and other new garden tools, can be viewed at Glee on stand 7J30-L31.

With homeowners and industry alike seeking to purchase more sustainable, yet still efficient and cost-effective fuels, bio-bean’s Coffee Logs offer the perfect solution.

Made from recycled coffee grounds, our coffee fire logs are a sustainable log perfect for domestic wood burners and multi-fuel stoves. And they really turn up the heat, burning 20% hotter and longer than their wood counterparts.

Sustainability is the latest buzz word. From fair trade sourcing to single-use plastics, the environmental, economic and health impacts of retail products are under growing scrutiny. When it comes to what they put into their homes and onto their bodies, consumers are increasingly demanding greater responsibility and transparency from businesses.

This demand will only continue to grow as the world continues to feel increasing impacts from climate change, overstretched natural resources and the swelling global population.

And when it comes to heating their homes and getting cosy by the fire, consumers are beginning to think more carefully about the source of their fuel. Our Coffee Logs are environmentally friendly home fire briquettes made from recycled coffee grounds. In fact, each Coffee Log contains the grounds from around 25 cups of coffee, collected from businesses across the UK.

The UK drinks 95 million cups of coffee every day. This creates around half a million tonnes of waste coffee grounds every year, which typically get discarded into landfill along with general waste where they emit harmful greenhouse gases, including methane. Methane is 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period and is one of the leading causes of climate change.

We divert these waste coffee grounds from landfill, taking them from coffee shops, restaurants and office blocks, and even airports, train stations and instant coffee factories, and recycle them for reuse. By recycling waste grounds into Coffee Logs, we save 80% on CO₂e emissions compared to the grounds being sent to landfill.

And not only do Coffee Logs save on harmful greenhouse gas emissions, they also burn efficiently – 20% hotter and longer than kiln-dried wood – while averting the carbon-heavy footprint associated with coal or from importing wood from overseas. They are the perfect fuel for heating your home without heating the planet.

Interested to find out more? Pop into our stand (6S19) for a rest on our couches and a chat. And while you’re there, make sure to enter our raffle for your chance to win a free pallet of Coffee Logs. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced by GIMA Director Vicky Nuttall on Thursday at 2pm on our stand.

With Glee literally just around the corner, G Plants have launched their 2020 brochure of summer flowering lines, available for delivery from January.

G Plants new brochure is filled with new growing gifts, easy gardening lines and season long grass seed, why not visit G Plants stand at GLEE Hall 8 D92-E93 to see the full range and ask about the best deals for you.

Launching at Glee is the new Bee Friends^® ECO Box seed shaker video unit, ideal for garden centre sales. A beautiful Bee Friends branded wooden display filled with 400 retail units priced at £4.99 RRP, with video unit playing an easy instruction guide with footage of wildflower gardens from G Plants’ flower trials, where the consumer can see flowers filled with butterflies and bees.

Many retailers have already expressed the power of the Bees^® video units from stocking G Plants Bee mat display in their stores and garden centre’s.

MD Alex Reihl said: "In 2006 we launched Shake n Rake^®, our first Pollinator Friendly product with 100% plastic free packaging.

"In the early years the idea of attracting bees, butterflies and their caterpillars into the garden was not one that was received too well, however today’s consumers are embracing the need to help endangered pollinators and buy less plastics.

"With over 6 million packs sold throughout the UK, Europe & North America the outlook for the range is set to expand so lets continue the push for Eco gardening with the new Video merchandiser to send the message."

You will also see Bee Friends ECO Boxes at the New Product Showcase, which is close to G Plants’ stand - Hall 8 D92.

For more information, please contact G Plants Ltd at sales@gplants.com

Or download the latest brochure visit www.gplants.com

Vitavia Greenhouses is the British partner of the Vitavia Group, the leading name throughout Europe for quality hobby greenhouses and greenhouse accessories.

From our warehouses in Suffolk, we provide home and trade deliveries throughout the UK together with a comprehensive greenhouse installation service.  We are proud to supply quality hobby greenhouses, widely regarded as being the best value for money, backed up by exceptional customer service.

Come and browse our fantastic range of greenhouses at Hall 20, Stand X20-Y21.

New for 2020

Vitavia Greenhouses are pleased to announce that from 2020 they will be the new UK distributors for Janssens greenhouses and garden rooms from Belgium.

Seen as the perfect complement to the already well established Vitavia Range, the new alliance will be launched at Glee, Hall 20, Stand X20 Y21.

Marketing Manager, Andrea Wells explained that “it adds a new dimension to our existing successful business and we are looking forward to adding market share for Janssens alongside Vitavia’s forever growing brand.”

Would you like to win a Greenhouse?

We are extremely excited to be a running a competition where one lucky winner could become the owner of the beautiful Orion Greenhouse we have on display at Glee! All you need to do is come via the stand to find out more @Hall 20, Stand X20 Y21.  

Stay Informed!

We will be on social media leading up to and throughout Glee, so make sure you’re following us in advance so you don’t miss out on any news and offers #VITAVIALTD #GLEE2019

The Environmental Factor, one of North America's leading supplier of biological insect controls, will unveil a new range of granular nematodes products which are set to disrupt the organic controls category in 2020.

The range includes for products treating some of the most destructive pests in the consumer controls market- namely Slugs, Weevils, Leatherjackets & Ants .  The exclusive new NemaKnights brand of easy shake granules, removes the need to mix nematodes into a watering can or hose end sprayer. Visit the stand by the New products section (Stand 8B74).

Each NemaKnight product is made with a proprietary encapsulated formula which protects the nematodes on the shelf and when applied slowly releases them into the soil. Now garden centre customers can walk into their local store and immediately buy the nematode product right off the store shelf. There is no need to wait for delivery by post while slugs are munching on you veggie patch.

Traditional nematode formulations have been a successful but limited biocontrol for over two decades. NemaKnights are the next generation biocontrol as they are able to be sold on store shelves.  The latest area of innovation is coming up with a granular formulation.  Several years of R&D has finalized a new proprietary slow release formula which makes the nematodes shakeable!  Available to consumers for the very first time is a way to apply Slug and Vine Weevil control by simply opening a lid and shaking out the product.  There is no need to mix nematodes into a watering can prior to application.

NemaKnight Nematodes can be used right up to harvest in your flower and vegetable gardens, or wherever pests are causing damage.  Finally, a biological control that is safe, effective and easy to use! Once applied the granular nematodes are child and pet friendly.

For more information visit 8B74 or email jon@environmentalfactor.com

Enjoy Home, Gift & Lifestyle opportunities with ESA, who are making their Glee debut in the new Home & Gift village, showcasing their international portfolio of brands, providing retailers with the opportunity to create new consumer experiences in store.

The team are confident that they can help you to maximise sales with a broad range of products and merchandising solutions, and will be on hand to provide you with product demonstrations in their Home, Lifestyle & Gift zones.

• Home: ICO cream whippers, soda siphons and an exciting new Nitro Coffee range; TATAY lunch solutions and home storage; ZAK melamine serving ware; Salter Housewares; Lékué cooking innovations
  
  
• Lifestyle: HoMedics back massagers and air purification ranges; Ellia aromatherapy diffusers and House of Marley audio equipment with sustainability and philanthropy at its heart
  
  
• Gift: Platters Slate handcrafted slate house signs and servingware; Nordic Lights ceramic lighting; Pot of Dreams money boxes.

All visitors are welcomed to stand number 19L10 for the full experience! 

Email caroline.holford@esasales.co.uk for more information on working with ESA.

Given the climate in this island moss is an ever-present problem for lawns. We can deal it a blow by using products like MO Bacter fertiliser, but moss produces spores which it leaves behind, and these spores can survive summer droughts only to re-infest the lawn during the autumn and can continue to thrive during our warm and wet winters particularly when grass growth is at a standstill. It then suffocates the grass as it tries to establish its self again in the spring.

DJ Turfcare will be announcing a new product at this year’s Glee exhibition (10^th – 12^th September, NEC Birmingham) which will help to solve this problem for lawn owners throughout the country. Introducing 100% organic ‘MO Bacter Instant’ - the new generation of the award-winning, RHS endorsed organic lawn fertiliser, Mo Bacter.

Mo Bacter Instant – which is both pet and child safe - comes in a two-litre bottle and should be diluted with nine parts water. Simply use as a spray or with a watering can, applying the diluted mix directly to the area of moss and leave for 24 hours. The dead moss can then be raked out, and reseeding can take place straight away.

Mo Bacter Instant can be used year-round, and even after mowing.  A single two-litre bottle of Mo Bacter Instant will treat an area up to 200m².

Mo Bacter Instants, like all the organic feeds in the DJ Turfcare portfolio, won’t burn plants as so many chemical based fertilisers can do. The product will also not stain patios or garden furniture.

More importantly, Mo Bacter Instant fits the green agenda, providing a truly organic solution.

While some lawncare products have evolved beyond recognition in recent years, gardeners are still being advised to kill moss with sulphate of iron – an entirely outdated and non-environmentally friendly process.

David Jenkins, Managing Director of DJ Turfcare, said: “I believe that MO Bacter Instant will prove to be the ideal answer to persistent and difficult moss problems.”

MO Bacter Instant Lawn Tonic is part of the Viano family of premium quality organic fertilisers, established in Belgium in 1948 and distributed in the UK by Surrey-based DJ Turfcare. Viano concentrates on organic products which unlike chemical-based products, don’t harm the environment.

Find out more

To find out more about DJ Turfcare please visit www.djturfcare.co.uk or call 01483 200976.

• Safe for pets, wildlife, children and non-toxic.
• High sell through rate and quality product with high margins.
• No shelf life and simple to use.

Keep exterior areas clean and presentable for a number of months with a simple application of Algon Organic Path, Patio & Decking cleaner. 

You can use Algon on driveways and brighten up the exterior of homes and gardens.  Algon can be used on fence panels, brickwork, patio flags, conservatories, roofs, artificial grass and a wide range of materials.  It is safe to use around animals and livestock. A versatile and safe to use product where animals are without waiting for it to dry into the surface due to the non-toxic ingredients and formula.  

Application couldn’t be easier. Simply apply the non-toxic liquid to the surface with a garden sprayer, soft brush or watering can and walk away – no scrubbing or rinsing necessary. Results can last for up to 12 months and it is best used on a dry day, so it has time to soak in.  Algon can prevent surfaces from becoming slippery when wet and maintain them from attracting general build up on stone, brick, wood and much more.

Product Features:

• Organic
• Easy to apply
• Non-Toxic
• Safe for pets/wildlife/animals
• Can be used around fish ponds
• No need to rinse off
• Treatment can last up to a year
• All year round use
• Shelf life of decades 

Products Available

• 2.5 litre Algon Concentrate covers 60 square metres (RRP of £6.99) 
• 20 litre Algon Concentrate covers 480 square metres. (RRP of £49.99)

More information can be found on our website or please visit us at Glee 2019 Stand 7F92.

Simple, effective and long lasting. 

Algon Ltd. Tel: 01772 823370 email: info@algonorganics.co.uk  Website www.algonorganics.co.uk 

Garden Pride have got some exciting plans for the future and we caught up with Maxine Vincent on site at Glee on Sunday to find out more.

“We are so excited for Glee to start this year, we have been working really hard on new products and merchandising solutions this year and we can’t wait to show off the results of all that hard work this week. We are keen to catch up with our existing customers and gather any further feedback from them.

"We are also excited to meet lots of new buyers from different centres. Because of the industry shake up this year we know there our lots of new independent garden centres out there looking for unique new suppliers who can supply them manufactured UK high quality metal work for their new centres. If this is you then come and see us!

"In other news we are also relaunching our SQUIRREL BAN bird food this year which we are so excited about. Its been a long road getting SQUIRREL BAN back on the market as it was banned by Europe however its now back and better than before! More information to follow in tomorrow news.

Glee Stand number: 7H36 – J37

Eco startup 1 Tree Cards are all set to debut in the Innovations section and Retail Lab at Glee 2019 with their tree-planting, flower-growing cards.

"We were so excited to be invited to GLEE, especially as there is so much focus this year on sustainability. And as nature lovers, what better trade show could there be?" says Becky Kijima.

Becky, along with her wife Michiko, started 1 Tree Cards with the aim to use greeting cards as a vehicle for positive change. Each of their 100% recycled cards comes with the planting of 1 tree in an area of mass deforestation. Inside, the receiver is greeted by a seed token that tells them about their tree which can in turn be planted to grow bee friendly flowers.

Becky says "We wanted to not only give people an eco alternative to the standard card but one that gives hope and a tangible way to help our environment"

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, they officially launched last Summer and are now in over 80 independent stockists ranging from garden centres, zero waste shops, galleries, forest centres, vegan supermarkets, public gardens, health food shops and even the iconic Somerset House have all jumped on the 1 Tree Cards eco train.

The average person in the UK sends 33 greeting cards a year, many of which are wrapped in plastic or are foiled/glittered which makes them non-recyclable. With 2019 being dubbed 'They Year of Sustainibility', people are looking more for businesses and products with an environmental edge.

Steve Illesley from Alban Hill Nurseries says ‘we chose to go with Becky and her wonderful range of cards, we pulled out from the big boys in the card business because of the boring cards they offer, we love the thought process and the addition of the seeds, it is very much in line with our way of thinking and our customers love them too!’

Along with their now 13 collections and 200+ designs, they will be launching "The Glowing Grove" Collection at GLEE. They will also be launching the first ever Festive box selections that plant trees & grow flowers.

Find 1 Tree Cards at stand 19C64 in the Innovations section and, if you're booked in for a tour, at the fabulous Retail Lab.

Contact Details:

Becky Kijima

hello@1treecards.com

07484694951

https://1treecards.com

At DOCTOR ORGANICS we have a great way of looking after the entire garden with a natural way of life.

All that we need in gardening is catered for in the doctor organics range of products. The little creatures can find their own balance in nature when nature is giving them a helping hand. All those plant nasties that cause us to use chemicals in our gardens are simply just a call of nature asking for balance to be achieved with love. All the small insects that eat the plants are out of balance when the ladybirds and the larger insects aren't about.

All the pollinators need a helping hand to bring us the flowers we desire, so at DOCTOR ORGANICS we hold natures answer to it all. With a large amount of organic content, a bacterial ‘probiotic’ and a natural growth stimulant the plants are fully nurtured with exactly what they need to find their own strength against disease. In our product range we have included the natural humic and fulvic acids that are natures answer to poor soil and on top of all that the NPK nutrients are provided by the little bottles of magic that make plants very happy. 

DOCTOR ORGANICS BIO-STIMULANT can be applied to plants, seeds, or soil to improve a plant's vigour, improve rooting, increase yields, and relieve plant stress. Our beautiful bacteria are specifically engaged in the war against nasties. They are your gardening best friend. No need to use chemical warfare when biological warfare does the trick.

DOCTOR ORGANICS TEA is our new idea. We have put our wonderful rooting compound into a great little potting system and we are loving the whole idea. Come along and tell us what you think, we can show you how to make a wonderful cup of tea for the relaxed way to grow.

DOCTOR ORGANICS PLANT PILLS are the home growers wonderful plant pot pill to treat those plants that please you all year round in the home. Keep them happy and they will return the favour.

DOCTOR ORGANICS GRASS TONIC & SOIL CONDITIONER has the answer to all those chemical feeds and weeding systems that make the garden a chemical war zone for a few days. Every time you spray you are making a future challenge. Let us convince you to do this differently.

Our DR FEELGOOD'S range of hydroponic products are the next big thing in your garden centre, they will be leading the way to great plant growth for all those home growing gardeners that use their free will to make a difference to their lives. Interesting stuff for those who are looking to support the next big thing.

DOCTOR ORGANICS - THE ORGANIC SOLUTION

Stand: Hall 06-19 8C80

Tel 01642 42 42 65

info@organicfertiliser.info

Seed Potato deliveries in December are on the agenda for Taylors Bulbs when meeting customers at Glee. 

With an increasing number of garden retailers getting their grow-your-own spring displays organised over the Christmas holiday period, deliveries of seed potatoes, onions and veg in December are on the rise. 

Ian Clark of Taylors says; "The success of the December delivery continues and we know a lot of customers who are also looking to take a December delivery in order to fill the space vacated by the Christmas display. The benefits come when the spring gardening season starts as soon as the new year begins and the display is all set-up and ready for the keen grow-your-own gardener who visits over the new year.”

Taylors will be showing display ideas and giving hints and tips for marketing and merchandising opportunities for their range of over 50 varieties available in 2kg carripacks, bulk sacks for loose sale or in their market-leading "Taster" pre-packs.

The success of the novelty ceramic gifts from Taylors continues and the bestselling Hedgehog Planter has been joined by the Sausage Dog and Llama planters for Autumn 2019.  Also on display will be the eye-catching Chilli shaped ceramic planter alongside the bestselling Chilli Fire bucket.  Taylors are also introducing a Sheep planter with mint seeds for Spring 2020, the perfect accompaniment for that Sunday roast!

Ian added; “The ever innovative garden retail category are adding increasing amounts of style and finesse to their bulb gift displays, action that leads to sales increases.  But the last place we want to see the bulb gifts is at ankle height or with the packs that are for garden planting.  Many of the gift kits are for growing indoors and are more suited to a houseplant style of display.  We would always encourage our garden retail customers to separate all of the added value gifts and kits from the garden bulb display.”

The volume sales for the Autumn/Christmas bulb gift offer come from amaryllis and Taylors market-leading Premium Amaryllis continue to accelerate amaryllis sales for their customers.

Taylors Bulbs, are the UK's leading supplier of flower bulbs; a 4th generation family business since 1919 celebrating 100 years of growing, designing, packing and distributing all their products from their site in Lincolnshire with a sales team with a combined experience of over 250 years.  

Taylors are best placed to advise you with all of your flower bulb needs.

www.taylors-bulbs.com

As the UK’s leading independent specialists, Tildenet Gardenware return to Glee with their dramatic stand showcasing The Home of Quality Brands with a continued commitment to supply the best quality products and services to our customers alongside an environmentally conscious approach to the development of new ranges across all of their outstanding brands.

As part of an overall company drive, Tildenet are reducing plastic or using recycled plastic where possible in products, packaging and POS, whilst ensuring quality and value are maintained.

Visitors to Stand 20U50 will see 100% recycled products added to the 2020 ranges for the first time including stylish pots and planters as part of the expanded Growers Choice range made from 100% recycled waste plastic which would otherwise go to landfill – an important step in responsible use of plastics though out the brands.

Also on show will be the comprehensive and unrivalled outdoor covers range from market leading and long established experts, Bosmere. 

The breadth of range -  expanded to include covers for the latest trends in furniture and outdoor entertaining equipment – is the most comprehensive in the industry. With a breadth of fabric options to suit all markets Bosmere provides the complete solution for retailers of premium outdoor covers.

Always seeking to improve protection without compromising quality, the Tildenet team are involved at the cutting edge of manufacturing and only introduce new fabrics or production innovations to their range when they have been comprehensively tested over the many years that the customer will expect their product to last – guaranteeing a tried, tested and trusted product that has exceeds consumer expectations.

Haxnicks will be celebrating 25 years of market leading innovation, with additions to their award winning Biodegradable Bamboo Range which followed its success at GLEE 18 with a spot in the finals of the 2019  RHS Chelsea Flower Show Product Awards – the brand continues to champion invention, sustainability and practicality in their user friendly products.

Significant updates across all of the Tildenet ranges make a visit to stand 20U50 a must to see the full and exciting new products on offer from their trusted and established brands.

.

T: 0117 934 1799

E: gardenware@tildenet.co.uk

W: www.tildenetgardenware.co.uk

Why not “Dare to Sell Different” in 2020?  Make sure that Treadstone Products is on your list of ‘must visits’ at Glee this year. Fresh from the company’s double GIMA awards win for its innovative ClipGlove range, Treadstone will be launching a whole host of new products at the show.

Dean Winters, Head of Brands says:

“There will be innovation in all of our brands for 2020, not just ClipGlove. Our ever-popular Peter Rabbit collection will see the addition of a range of Garden Clogs and there’s lots new in The Good Life, our core garden range.”

The company is particularly excited about two new ranges it is adding to The Good Life, which have some strong eco credentials.

Winters adds:

“We will be unveiling these new ranges on the first day of the show. One of them is a totally new category for us, and features 100% recycled and recyclable plastic, whilst the other is a new concept to help reduce single-use plastic packaging. Both are really timely ideas which also will look great in store.”

ClipGlove will see two new promotional glove concepts added to the range, alongside a space-efficient backwall merchandising unit.  The range enhancements firmly establish ClipGlove as the ‘must have’ brand for garden gloves.

ClipGlove gets its name from the addition of an aluminum Carabiner clip, which keeps glove pairs together when being stored away so that they do not get lost. Retailers appreciate the clip and how it prevents torn header cards and allows consumers to try on both gloves easily in store plus of course how it enables the gloves to be clipped to the user’s belt, ensuring they are always to hand.

Look out here for more information in tomorrow’s GTN, but why not see the new ranges for yourself at Treadstone’s stand located at A49 in Hall 8.

It is troubling that as a supposedly green sector, it has been accepted practice within the UK horticulture trade to fly fresh cut flowers into the country, trundle perishable salad crops up from southern Europe, and import the majority of our garden plants from near neighbours such as the Netherlands. All the while proclaiming our collective environmental credentials and bemoaning the decline of our own horticulture and traditional rural industries.

Undoubtedly this has been driven in part by demand, but equally a lack of vision and imagination may have contributed to this decline of ‘homegrown’ and increasing reliance on imports. It also seems clear that whether related to consumer demand, Brexit, or neither, there is a growing awareness and priority being placed on the provenance of goods generally, and of plants in particular.

When I first visited the family-owned farm of our willow supplier in Somerset - an area of outstanding natural beauty - what actually struck me more was their passion for and deep connection with the surrounding environment and the ecology of their land.

Having also attended many consumer gardening shows since the launch of our award-winning Willow Wand, what I can also testify to, with utter conviction, is the common and growing thread of so many customers who genuinely care about where the plants they are buying come from and how they’ve been produced. Someone who might have recently bought a bunch of flowers from their local supermarket that was imported from Kenya, is delighted to find out our product isn’t just beautiful, but British too.

I have lost count of the number of even more positive comments I’ve had, when people realise and appreciate the genuinely green credentials of our product. From the outset such values have been paramount to our business. Native English willow is produced by perhaps the most ancient and sustainable method of growing - coppicing. This practice has been undertaken by generations of one family, working in harmony with precarious wetland habitats, and we then handcraft the crop here in the UK to create a stunning Wand.

In turn, our product then continues its exceptionally low carbon-footprint theme, simultaneously circumventing the multiple and increasing challenges and risks of the more common production models and products of our sector. No cross-channel logistics or fuel bills; no worries about Xyllela cross-infection and plant health regulation; no ill-effect of potential post-Brexit additional costs; no need to resort to ‘greenwash’ in our marketing. The circle is completed with customers planting and growing on this native plant in their own garden spaces, often with the added satisfaction of knowing the very British back story of this centre-piece plant.

Whilst not all plants and products will be able to match this range of attributes, another noticeable and possibly associated trend seems to be afoot: mothballed, moribund and new nurseries seem to be springing into life across the UK.

Some garden centres that started out as nurseries before moving to centralised production and then imported plants, are implementing a reverse strategy back towards their early days. In-house production seems to be on the rise, whether as a response to consumer demand, driven by the political, economic or physical climate, or by a re-awakening of a vision and passion for local production by large or local growers alike.

Whatever the cause, I for one applaud that our industry appears to be moving towards a genuinely more sustainable model of production, which places greater value on where plants come from and how they are produced and then get to the customer. If the trend continues then it may well benefit not just the environment – it could prove very beneficial for the UK horticulture sector.

The theme of provenance will be displayed in one of our Beautiful Border gardens. All the flowers and fauna featured will be from UK-growers, demonstrating the breadth and beauty of what is available from across this green and pleasant land. Featuring purples, whites, creams, emerald greens, and beautiful silvers, the ‘Great British Border’ will be a true display of UK flora and a great source of inspiration for those wanting to create a garden look that doesn’t rely on air or road miles.

For more details call 0330 120 0604 or email info@willowwand.co.uk.

Outdoor surface cleaning and protection specialist Azpects’ new range of garden-friendly products are proving a big hit with retailers seeking sales throughout the year and can be seen at this year’s Glee.

Azpects’ new EASYGarden range has turned their most popular trade-focused products into ten convenient packs aimed at garden centres, DIY stores and retailers keen to offer gardeners and consumers the easiest & most effective solutions all-year-round.

“Many people look to autumn and spring to clean their garden surfaces and prepare for the months ahead” says Ben Wright, Business Development Manager for the EASYGarden range. “Though spring can be our busiest time, we’ve always been surprised just how popular our products remain throughout the year. Our new EASYGarden range helps retailers take full advantage.”

For 10 years, Azpects have created professional grade care products to clean and protect exterior surfaces including paths, patios, drives, decking and stone features. Driven by demand, they launched their EASYGarden range to make their trusted solutions easily available to gardeners and home-makers too.

The range is packed with products ideal for solving a host of common garden challenges, from removing patio algae to sealing decking and even deodorising artificial grass. With EASYGarden, retailers can now purchase a complete range of garden surface care products from a single trusted supplier. 

Available in three handy sizes, EASYGarden includes top-selling products including Patio & Deck Cleaner, Algae Remove & Seal and a number of unique solutions including Artificial Grass Cleaner & Sanitiser, Grass & Foliage Greener and Ornament & Statue Cleaner. One litre of acid-free concentrate typically treats up to 140 square metres and can go on working for 12-months after application.

The range is available for retailers to showcase in a free-standing and eye-catching display unit, featuring a selection of products, sizes and information. Easily positioned, it’s helped many retailers boost sales and is popping up in leading garden centres and retailers across Britain.

“We knew there was demand from consumers for our products but even we’ve been surprised by the response” concludes Ben. “Retailers are reporting growing sales and tell us customers are returning to their stores to buy more whatever the weather or season.”

Established over a decade ago, Azpects have gained a strong reputation amongst professionals as the best all-weather cleaning and protection products for patios, decking and hard outdoor surfaces.

For more information visit azpects.co.uk/gardenproducts

Or visit us at Glee stand 19E36

There is no doubt that organic gardening is growing in popularity. Where chemical based solutions once dominated, there is now a clear and distinct shift towards a need and want for greener solutions. The obvious driver of this has been the rise of Grow-Your-Own as consumers look to reduce their food miles and take responsibility for the impact their diet has upon the environment. However, a new revolution is taking over – veganism – which is seeing green and organic product ranges benefiting from exponential growth.

It is estimated that there are now 3.5million vegans in the UK (*Comparethemarket, 2018). Similarly, The Guardian reported in 2018 that one in eight of the population now identifies as vegan or vegetarian. According to The Vegan Society, in 2018, the UK launched more vegan products than any other nation.

Introducing Nature Safe

With vegans cutting all animal-based products out of purchasing decisions, and growing demand for natural, organic solutions, a new generation of eco-friendly products that are free from animal derivatives and chemicals are driving change. One supplier who has recognised this potential is Ireland based, Hygeia. This Glee, the company has officially launched ‘Nature Safe’, a complete range of eco- friendly, 100% organic plant and lawn feeds that perfectly fit the vegan and organic agenda.

Tapping into a more sustainable style of gardening, the Nature Safe range – exclusive to Hygeia – offers four exciting new products: Lawn Feed with Seed, Patch Fix Seed with Feed, Granular Plant Food, and Liquid Plant Food with Seaweed.

Safe for use around children and pets, the Nature Safe range is completely plant based, and uses no animal by-products or poultry additions. Each product is designed to promote a healthy eco-system and are bee-friendly ensuring that our essential pollinators are kept safe and sound.

Hygeia’s Tom Stolworthy said: “Nature Safe is the perfect range for retailers wanting to offer their customers vegan and organic gardening solutions. The unique formulation is specifically designed to reinvigorate nature with natural ingredients and optimal micro-organisms, which means users can rest assured that each time they use a Nature safe product, they will be putting goodness back into the earth. What’s more, these products are backed by 80 years of innovation, experience and passion, and unrivalled R&D to ensure that every product deliver quality results every time.”

The Nature Safe range

Nature Safe Lawn Feed – “Nothing added but nature”

• A single 10kg pack covers an area up to 200m²
• Feed lawns and enriches soil
• Thickens lawns
• Naturally supresses weeds

Nature Safe Patch Fix Lawn Seed

• 100% organic plant-based fertiliser feed and seed
• Repairs patches quickly
• Revitalises worn patches
• Promotes healthy soil
• Available in 1kg pack

Nature Safe Plant Food

• 100% plant-based organic matter
• Offers quick and continuous feeding
• Promotes a naturally healthy eco-system
• Produces strong healthy plants
• Available as a 10kg pack

Nature Safe Organic Plant Food

• 100% organic plant food with seaweed
• Improves plant immunity
• Enriches soil
• Yields more fruit and enhances colour
• Available as both a 1kg and 20kh refillable pack

To find out more about Hygeia please visit www.hygeia.ie. You can also visit the Hygeia stand at Glee, Hall 8, stand B36-C37.

Harrod Horticultural is a place to discover distinctive UK handcrafted ranges that inspire discerning customers, an opportunity to offer longer lasting quality choice in a world of mass produced ho-hum.

Substantial and decorative, the RHS endorsed steel wire range of obelisks, supports and arches are real display pieces that can be brought to life with eye-catching visual merchandising for true point of difference. The kind of ‘wow factor’ that makes them sought after by customers to add focal points around the garden or property.

In addition to the wire range there are even more substantial RHS endorsed steel arch and obelisk designs too that are perfect for display gardens and are available with home delivery options – from display models, take orders and Harrod will ship direct to customers.

There are exciting EXCLUSIVE RANGE LAUNCHES too. The Southwold Garden Furniture Collection is a range that is inspired by traditional English blacksmith furniture and is distinctive for comfort, style and quality. 

As well as timeless elegance, a depth of study and care has been taken to ensure that the furniture is as much comfortable as beautiful.  Much thought has gone into the ergonomics of the seat designs with careful selection of strip steel material section and thickness to ensure the right amount of ‘give’ and ‘spring’ is coupled with the required structural strength. 

The handmade nature of the pieces make each one unique, which gives them real soul and charm.  All furniture is hot dip galvanised and then available with an ‘etched’ finish that gives traditional character or a painted anthracite finish for a more contemporary feel.  These are offered with home delivery options too with Harrod looking forward to working with the retail centres, offering point of sale display and brochures to support selling the range.

There is also the launch of the new boot room range that features a clever 3-in-1 boot station to jack, scrape and store, plus boot jacks, scrapers, shoe racks and coat hooks.  Beautifully designed for the boot room, hallway and porch, the clever multi-functional designs are precision manufactured from substantial steel rod and are given a premium quality powder coated finish in anthracite or black. 

FIND OUT MORE HALL 7, 7G80. retailers@harrod.uk.com

After two record breaking years Sorbus are finally bringing ARS to Glee!

The ARS Corporation in Japan have been manufacturing the highest quality pruning tools since 1876. Sorbus are the master UK importers/distributors of this impressive range which includes saws, polesaws, secateurs, telescopic pruners, shears & loppers. Also available are products for fruit harvesting, floristry and general/handycraft uses. When you purchase an ARS product you are investing in a tool for life and Sorbus supply a complete range of spare parts just in case they are required.

The secret to the superior performance of ARS tools lies in steel quality, design, thermal treatment, grinding & hardening. ARS have developed their own specialised manufacturing techniques that are unique to the ARS range. Many copy but none can match the Outstanding Sharpness and Functional Beauty of ARS tools.

Please come and say hello and see what you have been missing out on all these years!

Fountasia is celebrating it’s 20^th anniversary this year, and the family-run business is going from strength to strength.

The business has it’s origins in tin whistles, which the father of MD Michael Weedon still makes for the music industry. However the company now focuses largely in the garden centre market. Michael himself is the designer-brains behind today’s current range in collaboration with partner factories who exclusively interpret his ideas for manufacture.

Over the past five years Fountasia has grown by more the 60% each year as consumers become more aware and spend more on quality gifts and garden decorations. This has seen the company regularly appear in the GTN Bestsellers charts with a variety of different products

Turnover has now reached over £8m this year and has seen the Fountasia family grow. Michael has now been joined in the business by his sons, Nik and Khris, making it the Third Generation.

At Glee this year we will unveiling a lot of new products along with enhanced display solutions focusing around key ranges and new-to-market concepts.

We will of course be showcasing  our familiar and very successful including World of Make Believe. This has been the best new product launch in Fountasia’s history and the company is very excited about the many developments to this range including a consumer-facing website to drive footfall in garden centes. With over 1500 décor products there is a huge range from which retailers can choose.

So to see the latest range in garden décor come and visit us at stands: 6M30-N31 & 6L30-6M31

Newspan has a great reputation for transforming garden centres and here we take a look at how the company excels at both new build and refurbishment projects.

The Brief

Stansted Park Garden Centre lies within the grounds of 1,800 acres of parkland and ancient forest as part of the Stansted Park House and Grounds.  Paul Richards and Tim Mason who were looking to expand following their successful new build garden centre in Studley; ‘Your Local Garden Centre, Mappleborough Green’ recently took over at Stansted and were aware of the architectural and building efficiency challenges that the current site faced.

‘Your Local Garden Centre at Mappleborough Green’ was built by Newspan, so Paul and Tim knew they could rely on their experience in the industry to give them advice with the redevelopment. “We’d been talking to Newspan about the site’s potential before taking it on; the basic structure of the building seemed sound enough but improving the retail environment would be an immediate priority. Newspan worked closely with us to understand what we needed the redevelopment to deliver; we wanted it to be lighter, brighter and much more modern, as well as a comfortable temperature that was easy and cost efficient to control all year round”.

The Solution

Tim explains; “Newspan’s solution was to design a radical system that would transform our multispan roof into fewer, wider and higher spans, adding extra framework above existing steelwork, totally changing the profile and creating a ‘cathedral roof’ effect”. Attention to detail in the finishing on this project was crucial. From the previous project together Newspan were aware Tim and Paul would be keen on getting the finishing touches right, such as painting the roof purlins white; “painting the purlins and trellis work white, would help to achieve exactly the ambience we set out for and provide a really high quality environment for our customers”.

During the delivery phase Newspan achieved the agreed key programme dates and were flexible on site with other trades, allowing the programme to maintain its momentum. Tim describes his perspective of the on-site team and support from the office team; “Newspan kept to schedule and were considerate of the other trades working on site.  Their office team supported us fully with any queries or changes throughout the process, and the installation team were friendly and approachable – and finished on time!”.

Upon completion the transformation was so drastic that the building is now unrecognisable from its previous form. Newspan handed the project over to Tim and Paul, on time, for them to complete the fit out. The finished product goes down as potentially the biggest transformation Newspan have ever completed. According to Tim, the customers are pretty blown away by the building and he is extremely satisfied with the performance too; “The outcome was that many of our customers didn’t even realize it was the same building – they thought it was brand new! Our 160-cover coffee shop and gift areas are now air conditioned, while temperature in the plant areas is controlled more traditionally with vents.  It’s too soon for facts and figures, but we have every confidence that the building will be much more economical to run, and provide a welcoming and comfortable environment for our customers and stock all year round.”

Being able to transform the existing building beyond recognition is the ultimate accomplishment and being able to continue the working relationship with Tim and Paul has been an added bonus. Tim sums up his final points on the project; “This wasn't our first project with Newspan; before this, they’d built a new garden centre building for us at our Mappleborough Green location, but they’ve proved equally capable with both new build and refurbishment projects, and we’re currently discussing a future project as we continue to expand our business.  

Mala Leather are one of the industry leaders in leather accessories for the gifting sector.  Mala product is unique in many ways, designs are original, fun and quirky.  Attention to detail in every product is evident once you hold a piece, from the leather selection to zip pullers and lining material, each element is carefully considered.  All products are packaged in dust bags or gift boxes and available as single units.  All items are in stock and available for immediate delivery.

Mala product is a strong brand within garden centres and it has a proven resale history within many large groups. 

Mala can also offer a bespoke made to order product if you want something different with your own branding, and a short run facility.

Also within the Mala family is the Cactus brand of canvas and leather items, comprising of bags, holdalls, purses and wallets.  This brand offers a lower price point without any compromising on quality.  All  items can be seen at www.cactus-canvasbags.com

Recent success for Mala is winning best small leathergoods award from the Giftware Association / BTAA, proving how good the selection and quality of the product is. 

New products are released every year, product development and improvement is at the forefront of the business. See all items on www.malaleather.com

Come and see us at stand: 7J86

This Glee, visitors and exhibitors are being encouraged to join the Power of One movement; an international UN-backed initiative designed to demonstrate how a combination of small, individual changes can create a more sustainable future for all.

The organising team behind Glee have already made their pledges and are asking others to proudly declare their own ‘one small thing’ commitment.
 
The Power of One movement is all about committing to making a conscious change to reduce our impact upon the environment and the world in which we live. Pledges could include anything from promising to recycle more, choosing bio-degradable alternatives, or refraining from using single use plastics. Together these singular commitments add up to a much bigger and stronger impact; one that can help lead a positive change.
 
Showing your support at Glee for the initiative couldn’t be easier – simply visit the Power of One wall to make your pledge. All you need to do is snap a shot of yourself in front of the wall, share it on social media, along with your pledge.  As a little way of saying thank you, ‘pledgers’ will receive a free reusable water bottle, supplied by Glee exhibitor and Power of One partner, Summit International.  
 
You can also join in the conversation on social media by following #PowerOfOne, #Glee19 and #GleeBirmingham.
 
The Glee team make their pledges
Here is just a selection of the pledges made by the Glee organising team – let them inspire you to make similar choices. Together we can make a difference!

My Pledge is to buy from charity shops more often and recycle my own fabrics by taking them to charity shops. #BringYourOwn #PassItOn
Avoid fast fashion – take time to find out where and who I’m buying from #PowerOfOne
Be more conscious about the brands I invest in and the items that I buy. #ActuallyIcan #PowerOfOne
Pledge to only use reusable shopping bags #BringYourOwn
Prepare lunches and transport them in reusable Tupperware - rather than buying lunches that are contained in single use plastics #BringYourOwn #PowerOfOne
My Pledge is to have shorter showers and save on water consumption! #GetDirty #PowerOfOne
My pledge is to recycle as much as I can and to only drink from my reusable bottle. #PassItOn #PowerOfOne #BringYourOwn
My pledge is to wrap up warm and turn down the heating at home. #TurnItDown #PowerOfOne
My Pledge is to cycle more and avoid polluting the environment #ActuallyICan #PowerOfOne
My pledge is to live by the ’30 use challenge’, if I don’t think I’ll use or wear something at least 30 times, think twice about buying! #ActuallyICan #PowerOfone

With over three quarters of Glee’s audience coming to source new products, with many stating the importance of being able to touch and feel products previously only seen in catalogues, Glee 2019 will see even more focus on new products, including the New Product Showcase – created in partnership with Garden Trade News.

This ever-popular competition sees new designs and products perfectly displayed for your consideration, with the best of each category receiving the accolade of a ‘Glee Award.’ Show visitors can also cast their vote for their favourite, awarding one lucky entrant with the title of ‘Retailers Choice Award’.

This year’s New Product Showcase categories will be:

• Garden Plants, Seeds and Bulbs
• Garden Growing Materials (Plant feeds, pest and weed control, growing media, cloches, seed trays etc)
• Garden Growing Containers (All pots, planters, hanging baskets etc)
• Garden Decoration (Garden ornaments, garden lighting, plant supports, wall art etc)
• Garden Tools & Machinery (Hand and powered garden tools, garden gloves, garden kneelers etc)
• Garden Landscaping (Paving, statuary, garden buildings etc)
• Garden Leisure & Entertaining (BBQ's, garden furniture and accessories etc)
• Garden Wild Bird and Wildlife Products (Wild bird feeds, feeders, wild life products etc)
• Garden Home, Giftware and Clothing
• Garden Retail & Industry Services, Best of British Award
• Best Eco Initiative Product Award
• Best House Plants and Accessories

Plants will also be celebrated through the ‘Best Green Heart Display’ award, in partnership with Woodlodge, whilst Garden Trade News’ annual Great Awards will be celebrating the ‘Greatest Awards Best Plant Retailing Team’.

The Glee Buyers Power List has been set-up to recognise the individual buyers and buying teams who have gone above and beyond to make a difference within the garden retail industry this year. Voting has been open since early summer, with nominations flooding in from all corners of the market. Now, details of those shortlisted have been confirmed.

Formed of the top nominations in each of the eight categories, the shortlist is representative of the leading buyers and buying teams from retailers across the country. The shortlist is now open to the industry to cast their vote for their top buyers or teams in each category. These votes will then be counted, with the buyer or team with the most votes being crowned as individual category winners during a special Buyers Power List ceremony taking place on Wednesday 11^th September (12:30pm – 13:30pm) at Glee 2019.

Voting for the top buyer or teams featured in the Glee Buyers Power List shortlist closes on August 31st. Casting your vote couldn’t be easier. Simply log onto https://www.gleebirmingham.com/visit/glee-buyers-power-list#/ to make your vote matter or e-mail with your vote to:

Grace.reilly@ite-exhibitions.uk  Voting is open to everyone in the industry.

Best single site independent Garden centre

Almondsbury

Alton Garden Centre

Ayletts Nurseries

Barton Grange

Bents

Bents

Chessington

Cowells

Fron Goch

Glendoick

Poplars

The Old Railway Line

Woodstock Buying Group

Best multiple site independent garden centre (5 stores or less)

Coolings

Grovewell Garden Centres

Haskins

In-Excess

Planters and Garden King

Longacres

Millbrook

Perrywood

RHS Retail

Rosebourne

Scotsdales

Stewarts

Best Garden Centre groups (6 stores or more)

Blue Diamond

British Garden Centres

Caulders

Cherry Lane

Choice Marketing

Dobbies

Great Western Partnership

Hilliers

Klondyke Strikes

Notcutts

Otter Nurseries

Squires

Best Supermarket/department store buyer/buying team

Aldi

Asda

Waitrose

Best Online retailer buyer/buying team

Crocus

Ocado

QVC

Richard Jacksons Garden

Gardensite

Amazon

RHS

Waitrose

Wayfair

Greenfingers.com

Best high street garden retailer buyer/buying team

John Lewis

Sainsbury’s

Argos

Morrisons

Waitrose

Tesco

Aldi

Best DIY/Builders Merchant buyer/buying team

Homebase

Screwfix

Wickes

Toolstation

Screwfix

Wickes

B&Q

Travis Perkins

Best Pet Category Buying team

B&M Stores

Bents

Chessington

Jollyes

Knights Garden Centres

Ocado

Pets at Home

Pets Corner

Planters

Scampers

Scotsdales

Waitrose

Squires

Voting for the top buyer or teams featured in the Glee Buyers Power List shortlist closes on August 31st. Casting your vote couldn’t be easier. Simply log onto https://www.gleebirmingham.com/visit/glee-buyers-power-list#/ to make your vote matter or e-mail with your vote to:

Grace.reilly@ite-exhibitions.uk  Voting is open to everyone in the industry.

PAWExpo – a new high-end pet focused exhibition – will launch in September 2020, supported by the team behind the annual Glee trade event A special ‘first look’ at what is to come will be unveiled at the official PAWExpo reveal party on Wednesday 11th September at the Pets Café area, in Hall 19.
 
PAWExpo – Pet & Animal Wellbeing Expo – will offer a fresh look at pet product and accessories. Pet care, wellbeing, premier and luxury products will take centre stage, showcasing brands that cover everything from food and health, to accessories, technology and retail solutions.
 
Matthew Mein, Glee and PAWExpo’s Event Director, said: “The way our pets are integrated into our lives has changed exponentially in recent years. Animals no longer regarded as pets, but as one of the family, and it is this that is driving category growth, and why we have seen unprecedented level of premium and artisan products launched over the past five years, projecting luxury pet goods into the mainstream market.

"Pet owners are willing to offer animals their own products and unique items, which often carry a higher price tag. This is a great opportunity for retailers who want to optimise this long-term (and recession proof) potential, and to offer a new generation of pet products.

"At PAWExpo everything retailers need to create a strong and future-facing retail experience – from core products to exciting gifting ranges – is presented under one roof, at a time of year when ranges for the following season are most commonly selected. PawExpo is an exciting prospect, and one that we are looking forward to bringing to market.”
 
At a glance - a look at the UK pet market

• According to AMA Research, the total UK pet market was valued at £6.5billion in 2017, when the pet market accounted for 1.8% of the UK retail market.
• Analysts have predicted “modest but continued steady growth” in the pet market – with a value of £7billion forecast for 2020-21.
• Mintel’s latest research (October 2018) found that 59% of British consumers own a pet, with full-time workers the most likely to own one (66%). Dog ownership peaks among men, with 35% owning a hound compared to 31% of women, and younger millennials aged 19-28 (42%). Cat ownership peaks among Brits aged 25-44. A third (33%) of Brits own a dog while three in ten (29%) own a cat.
• Mintels’ report also highlighted that the highest proportion of Brits who said they’d be prepared to put their pets’ needs before their own were millennials – those aged 19-38 – with 54 per cent saying they’d go without so they could afford to pamper their pets. In fact, millennials take their pets’ wellbeing so seriously, the survey claimed, that 30 per cent of young pet care shoppers said it was important that their pet keeps up with the latest trends such as clothing and grooming styles
• Another factor that’s shaping the fortunes of the pet trade is the rise of animal social media influencers, which are most likely to appeal to the millennial demographic.

Further details about PawExpo will be announced shortly.
 
Find out more
To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2019 call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.

As a leading showcase of pet product suppliers, trendsetters and emerging brands, Pets at Glee is set to be a thriving platform for any retailers wanting to optimise the ‘pet pound’. Now it has been confirmed that Glee has introduced an additional added value feature to Pets at Glee called ‘The Marketplace’.

This exciting new feature may be small in size, but it will certainly pack a punch in regard to content! Positioned in Hall 19, the Pets at Glee ‘marketplace’ has been designed to support small independent pet brands that are looking to expand and break into the garden retail and pet markets.

Featuring first time exhibitors, such as BESTT, ‘The Marketplace’ will be a leading showcase of exciting, new and niche products from these grass roots businesses. Any retailers wanting to source products before they reach the mass market can do so by visiting The Marketplace, providing them with the opportunity to offer something different to their customers. What’s more, these products will fit perfectly into existing pet ranges; ranges that are so often influenced by consumers’ need for high-end, design driven products

Ruthie Conway from BESTT, who will be participating in the Marketplace said: “I decided to join the Pets at Glee Marketplace and am happy to be at its inaugural event. I believe this is a unique opportunity for me to showcase my brand of new and exciting eco-friendly dog biscuits. There is no other brand like mine, made only from fresh ingredients with no other additives. Baked ethically, sustainably and with a special regard to our planet in everything we do. I believe we have the BESTT biscuits in town - Baked Ethical, Sustainable Tasty Treats!

Matthew Mein, Glee’s Event Director said: “At Glee we love being able to help new and emerging brands come to the fore. Doing so not only does helps businesses break into the mainstream, but it also provides an exciting opportunity for our visiting retailers too. So much of the strength of garden retailing comes from its ability to provide a unique retail experience, and this includes offering products that often can’t be found anywhere else. We’re excited to bring ‘The Marketplace’ to Pets at Glee in 2019, and hope that retailers make a beeline for it as I know they’ll find something that will capture their – and their customers’ - imagination!”

In addition to ‘The Marketplace’ Pets at Glee will also be home to a wide range of leading pet brands including Vital Pet Products, Trixie, Butchers, Canine and Co, Jacobi Jayne & Company, Marriage Specialist Foods, The Barking Bakery, Winners Europe, Bon EOOD, Global 1^st Ltd, and H.von Gimborn, Pets at Glee will be the go-to destination for all pet care professionals who need to be first to see the latest trends and innovation.

A journey of discovery is coming to Glee this September as the key industry event confirms two exciting guided tour opportunities to ensure retailers make the most of their time at the show.

As the leading garden retail event in the industry calendar with unrivalled new product sourcing opportunities, it is vital that businesses get the most out of visiting Glee.  Plus, with Glee’s ever-expanding portfolio of show features it is more important than ever that visitors are armed with the right information to maximise their time at the show.

One of Glee’s most visited features, the Retail Lab - in association with the HTA - will benefit from a series of guided tours. Led by the Retail Lab’s Creative Director, Romeo Sommers, the Retail Lab tours will give visitors explanations and further knowledge into the key insights and trends being showcased on the Retail Lab feature in 2019, including ‘Do it yourself (and have fun)’, and ‘Saving the World – Nurturing, Nature and Animals’. Throughout the tours, Romeo will also provide top tips on how retailer and merchandisers can implement the trends within their own stores with quick and easy ‘takeaway’ advice.

The Retail Lab tours will take place daily at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm, and will operate on a first come first served basis. To join one of Romeo’s tours please visit the Retail Lab ahead of each tour to secure your place.

Visitors will also be able to take full advantage of all Glee has to offer with the Discovery Tours led by Glee’s dedicated PR partners, Hornby Whitefoot PR. Offering a unique and bespoke visitor experience, the walking tours will take in the unmissable feature areas of the show including the New Product Showcase, Green Heart and the newly enhanced and dedicated pet sector - Pets at Glee. Each ‘stop’ on the tour will outline what is on offer, how retailers can benefit from spending time in each area and how they can maximise the inspiration and educational takeaway available.

The Discovery Tour will take place daily at 10:15am. Open to both new and regular visitors on a first come, first served basis, each tour will last just 45-minutes and will help visitors to plan the rest of their time at the show efficiently and take in the hottest new products from over 550 companies across eight sectors.  To join the Discovery Tour please visit the #PowerOfOne wall in the atrium and look out for the Hornby Whitefoot PR team.

Find out more

Glee is the UK’s leading garden retail show, focusing on building year-round profits for buyers and suppliers within the core gardening and outdoor leisure product categories.  To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2019 call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.

Retailers seeking products of the future and the latest in-store merchandising ideas need look no further than the Retail Lab at Glee. Now in its third year, this inspirational feature area, in association with the Horticultural Trades Association, is bursting with ideas. In fact, 61% of Glee’s visitors say they will attend Glee 2019 as a result of seeing the Retail Lab last year. Here, we catch-up with Scott Thomas, Director of long-term Retail Lab sponsors, Ivyline.

Why have you chosen to return as a sponsor of the Retail Lab in 2019?

Last year’s Retail Lab was a great success, so we were keen to replicate this in 2019. Each year the Retail Lab delivers some highly innovative and creative displays, and as leaders of innovation in the UK market, we are keen to be part of this and help to create a place to showcase our new products and concepts. More so, the Retail Lab attracts people interested in unique and trend-led products, and we love being part of helping the garden centre industry to evolve into leaders in retail innovation. Of course, the exposure we gain within the Retail Lab also translates into extra traffic to our stand, so for us, it’s a win win!

What appeal does the Retail Lab hold? Why should retailers/ merchandisers/ buyers visit this area?

The Retail Lab at Glee represents some of the best merchandising examples. Each display, no matter the theme, is thought provoking, and presents exciting new concepts to the retailer. It’s also a great hub for the industry, providing the opportunity to meet with new contacts, and gather best practice advice.

What products/ranges will you be supplying to the Retail Lab in 2019?

Ivyline has earmarked a wide selection of its market leading indoor pots and planter ranges for the 2019 Retail Lab. Look out for our trend-led indoor planters, the on-trend natural woven lined basket planters, cacti and succulent planters, terrariums, and plant stands. We’ll also be showcasing some of our outdoor ranges, including outdoor planters, firebowls and outdoor candles.

What current trends are shaping your business most? How do you see this changing in the next 12-24 months?

Health and wellbeing is driving an unprecedented demand for foliage plants, and we don’t expect to see this trend slow any time soon. Working alongside this are trend leading retailers and bloggers, who together are attracting a far younger audience into the benefits of houseplants, with cacti, succulent and other low maintenance plants continuing to drive volume within garden centres.

Elsewhere we’re seeing an obvious thirst from consumers for new materials and natural products such as ethically sourced woven basketware. Biophilic design is becoming a huge trend in interiors as well as the workplace, whilst we’re also seeing a high demand of trend-led prints. Additionally, the notion of moving the indoor out is a huge trend driving sales of outdoor firebowls and outdoor accessories.

What can you tell us about Ivyline’s plans for Glee 2019?

We have a huge amount planned for Glee 2019, most notably our new themed collections which include ‘Inspired by the sea’, ‘Botanical’, ‘Desert Boho’, and Scandi designs to name but a few.

We’ll also be introducing even more trend-led indoor planter ranges, as well as an expanded range of ‘fun’ cacti planters. Newness can be expected across our ranges, from firebowl designs to outdoor planters, plus an exciting new category introduction – details of which are firmly under wraps until the show itself!

We meet one of the sponsors of this year’s feature, Meadow View Stone, who brings over 25 years’ experience of supplying the widest range of imported and exclusive decorative aggregates and landscaping stone to the garden centre industry.

Meadow View Stone’s Marketing Director, Sarah Hill, said: “We’ve been a sponsor of the Retail Lab since its initial conception, and see it as a fantastic tool to not only showcase our products, but also view it as an opportunity to gain great insight into current trends/buying direction.

“For us, we view the Retail Lab as a great hub of inspiration, providing garden centre retailers and merchandisers with invaluable insight into how to display products in store to drive sales and provide effective cross selling opportunities.  We strongly support this theory as we have similarly merchandised a selection of our key accounts with extensive lifestyle display gardens, which have inspired and influenced customers and as a result returned excellent sales growth for these accounts.”

Whilst the Meadow View Stone team are still deciding which products will feature in the Retail Lab come September, Sarah has confirmed that a selection of the company’s porcelain

paving and some of its exciting new product lines - yet to be released - will form part of the various displays.

With future trends such a key focus of the Retail Lab, Sarah shares some of the key trends that have been shaping Meadow View Stone’s business in recent months, and will continue to influence future ranges. She said: “The colour grey has been a major influencer on both our paving and aggregate collections. This has been proven over the past two years and is featuring heavily in our product selections and sales performance for the immediate future.

Looking ahead to the wider show, Sarah added: “We will be maintaining the same core elements of the stand, with our extremely successful Gin Bar and Innovation Hub, both of which were immensely successful last year. 

“The Innovation Hub will continue to feature market leading insight into how garden centres can increase the sales value of their areas, whilst providing invaluable trend reports and case studies from customers who have embraced our stocking suggestions and recorded some excellent sales successes.  The Gin Bar, undoubtedly, is now an established part of our stand and provides an excellent informal and relaxed social space, allowing us to conduct private meetings whilst rewarding our customers with a well-earned drink!

“Our POS and innovative display gardens will also feature as a means to show retailers how to inspire their customers and generate increased sales. With two new product categories also to be unveiled we have an exciting collection of products and merchandising to suit every garden centre visiting Glee 2019.

We meet Latvian timber furniture and garden accessory manufacturers, EKJU, to find out more about why they have got involved with this thriving area of Glee 2019.

Why has EKJU chosen to be a sponsor of the Retail Lab?

End user trends are extremely important to us and our knowledge of these are invaluable to our retail partners. We are close to trends throughout Europe in markets such as France, Germany & Scandinavia.  For some product categories trends align in these markets and we can share the knowledge on trend developments in outdoor living, grow your own & vertical planting. We will be showcasing products linked to these trends at Glee.

What appeal does the Retail Lab hold? Why should retailers/ merchandisers/ buyers visit this area?

We believe the retail lab offers interactive insight into the future trends and therefore this is a great tool for visitors to help grow future sales, be it products, concepts or merchandising ideas.

What products/ranges will EKJU be supplying?

Some of EKJU’s best furniture products are being used to bring people together at the lab. The ‘Raised Bar Set’ and ‘Cesis Table & Bench set’ is being featured in the HTA bar area. In the Urban City zone, EKJU’s grow your own products are heavily featured. The ‘Garden’s Table’, ‘Raised Six Section Planter’ and the ‘Four Level Vegetable Bed’ are all being featured.

Additionally, the unique ‘Hanging Pot Shelf’ will be showcased, which is ideal for ‘grow your own’ enthusiasts with a smaller available outdoor space. This product has been designed for growing herbs and plants, as well as a decorative option for displaying flowers, supplying a fantastic vertical planting solution. The shelving sets are available in 3 treatment options – green, brown or grey and come complete with fixing kits for assembly on a wall.

What current trends are shaping your business most? How do you see this changing in the next 12-24 months? 

Our love for timber has always meant we hold sustainability sacred to our mission. We recycle all timber waste from production and see more and more companies adopting this type of stance wherever possible. We are finding there is even more appreciation than ever for sustainability in 2019 and is a movement that we see continuing into 2020 and beyond.

Increased awareness of climate change and heightened sustainability movement against single use packaging have been 2 recent trends that have led to a buoyant traditional ‘grow your own’ market. There has also been a shift towards younger audiences interested in ‘grow your own’ leading to alternative space saving products for end users who have smaller gardens and outdoor spaces.

Outdoor Living is becoming more and more popular with rising temperatures meaning more time spent enjoying the outdoor space and a willingness to decorate the garden in similar themes to inside the house.  As a result, this is likely to increase popularity in painting outdoor furniture and accessories a consistent colour throughout the garden. After extensive market research in identifying the top trending colours’ in European gardening, Grey treatment is now available across the entire EKJU range.

This enables the end user to create a grey collection consisting of timber furniture and accessories, to complement the desired decorative look and colours in the garden.  At the same time garden sizes are reducing in size in the UK and we are focused on creating products that adapt to all sizes of gardens. Most importantly we create products that are simple for the end user to build, which is key to ensure people’s busy lives are not taken up by frustration during assembly. We have been taking this a step further with assembly videos which demonstrate how to assemble our key products. Our focus on customer experience will continue into the future.

What can you tell us about your plans for Glee 2019?

Our heritage as craftsman and focus on quality underpins our strategy of supplying the best range of sustainable timber garden furniture with the end-user’s comfort in mind. Our products offer a solution for end users regardless of the size of their outdoor space and we remain focused on delivering high standards on all of our range. At Glee we will be showcasing products both traditional and on trend and showcasing our new grey treatment, which now joins our green and brown treatment options. We look forward to welcoming people to our stand - Hall 6, stand Q20-R21.

We meet the German pot, container and plant accessories manufacturer Scheurich, which is eager to demonstrate its latest creations when the Retail Lab throws open its doors.

When it comes to stylish pots and plant accessories, Scheurich is a household name for both garden centre buyers and consumers alike. The Retail Lab at Glee holds strong appeal for Scheurich, as it is a repeat sponsor. The company’s Sales Director, Peter Taylor explains why: “Scheurich has chosen again to sponsor the Retail lab as it shares the same forward-thinking strategy, strongly focusing attention on innovation and customer story-telling, as well as capturing and inspiring the fast developing 'social consumer' in their quest to achieve the right look.”

Scheurich will showcase its indoor house plant ceramics and outdoor planters at the Retail Lab. Peter explains why the lab ticks the boxes as a centrepiece for innovation: “The appeal to Scheurich is the promotion and development of forward-thinking across the gardening category. Retail is evolving fast, and attention must be focused on who our customers are, how they wish to buy 'the look' and share images with their friends.”

Houseplants are one of the fastest-growing garden centre categories. Popular with millennials who share images of their urban jungles on social media, Scheurich is witnessing a resurgence of interest in accessories for indoor plants. Peter says: “Trendy indoor plants such as cacti and succulents will continue to develop, along with a greater emphasis on architectural foliage plants. This is leading to demand for bigger sizes of pots - fashionable ceramic containers with an emphasis on practicality. Consumers are looking for a guarantee that containers are water tight and offer ease of watering.”

Scheurich believes that environmental issues will shape consumer choices of pots and containers: “Planet-friendly materials such as clay appeal more as consumers see the effects of a disposable, throwaway world.

Product materials, fuel, labour, production processes, packaging and even the distance a product has had to travel to be on our shelves will define a retailer and shape consumer decisions in years to come,” Peter adds.

Scheurich says it plans to “tantalise” Glee visitors with a raft of new designs that mirror current trends. Peter sums-up: “The jungle look, distressed metal and retro kitchen memorabilia are just some of the inspired designs to be showcased alongside the latest fashionable colours. In a world filled with social media, creating a library of inspiration online, Scheurich pots with their colours, sizes and designs fulfil consumer requirements and meet both new and developing trends.”

We meet first-time sponsors, Verona Group, to find out more about the UK’s leading distributor of tiles and mosaics in natural stone, porcelain, ceramic and glass from the company’s Product Marketing Executive, Rosie Preston.

Why have you chosen to be a sponsor of the Retail Lab?

This is our first time as a Retail Lab sponsor. Not only practical, the Al Fresco premium outdoor porcelain collection has been carefully selected based on current trends and I see this as a great opportunity to showcase a new and exciting product to a wider audience via the Retail Lab.

What appeal does the Retail Lab hold? Why should retailers/ merchandisers/ buyers visit this area?

The Retail Lab at Glee is a great place to see a wide variety of products come together. It can be hard for an audience to visualise the whole package when presented with products individually, but by visiting the Retail Lab it’s easier to see the bigger picture and how these products are shaping current and future trends.

What products/ranges will you be supplying?

We will be showcasing our complete collection of indoor and outdoor premium porcelain tiles to create seamless open plan living spaces. The collection features a variety of styles from slate and travertine effects, to concrete and wood effects in multiple size options. We will also be featuring our pedestal support system.

What current trends are shaping your business most? How do you see this changing in the next 12-24 months?

From the use of raw, natural materials in the home, through to evolving the trend for open plan living, the great outdoors continues to influence our interior spaces, especially when it comes to our flooring choices.

What can you tell us about your plans for Glee 2019?

We will be showcasing two collections, ‘Al Fresco Indoors & Outdoors’ and ‘Al Fresco Trade’. The Al Fresco Indoors & Outdoors collection features 14 designs including 10mm thick tiles for indoor use, and 20mm thick tiles for outdoor use to create seamless open plan living spaces, whereas the Al Fresco Trade collection features 12 designs in 20mm thickness exclusively for outdoor use. Each collection has its own dedicated display stand and consumer brochure.

We will also be launching our brand-new portable sample box for each collection containing 15x15cm swatches of each tile displayed in a fully printed graphic box. These are ideal for architects and landscapers to take to home visits with clients, or for smaller businesses to use as a display where space is limited.

Finally, we will be featuring our pedestal support system. Pedestals are a great way to create a patio without the need for lots of equipment. They also allow for drainage and you can hide cables and equipment underneath. As the tiles are not attached with adhesive, you can easily move them around if you change your mind. The pedestal system can be laid over any solid surface such as patios, concrete or balconies.

Green gardening is not a fashion or a passing fad – it’s here to stay. With sustainable growing championed by the likes of BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don, demand for eco-friendly gardening products is on the up.

The top priority for the nation’s growing band of environmentally conscious consumers is cutting down on single-use plastics, an issue that was propelled to the top of the agenda when Sir David Attenborough’s landmark Blue Planet series highlighted the devastating effect that plastic waste is having on marine wildlife.

Here we look at how exhibitors at Glee are planning to reduce dependency on single-use plastics, while also examining manufacturers’ and suppliers’ efforts to boost recycling and lower carbon footprints. We focus on core gardening – suppliers of goods that help consumers to grow, sow and mow – and investigate what they’re doing to relieve their burden on the planet.

Garden products giant Evergreen Garden Care says it is “committed to finding new ways to reduce waste” and points out that it has systematically reduced the weight of packaging since 2001 by more than 1,000 tonnes. Recent initiatives include virgin plastic reduction of 800 tonnes via improvements made to its bottles, caps and sprayers. For example, the new Miracle-Gro 1L bottle saved 40 tonnes per year, according to the company.

An Evergreen Garden Care spokeswoman adds: “We have saved 420 tonnes of plastic with the introduction of recycled material in our compost packaging. Paper has reduced by 600 tonnes, with 95% of cartons made from 100% recycled paper fibres. Packaging recycling on sites has increased by 30% in the last 12 months, with all initiatives saving 2,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide in one year.”

Eco-friendly supplier Primeur offers a range of garden products all made from recycled rubber tyres that would otherwise be sent for landfill or burnt. With well over 2.5 billion tyres manufactured globally every year, the company says finding ways to repurpose the waste rubber has never been more vital.  Primeur won a GIMA award in 2018 for its Recycled Garden Borders, followed by the GIMA Sword of Excellence this year for its Recycled Planter range.

Primeur’s Sarah McLafferty said: “We know that recycling waste products has never been more important to our customers and we are already exploring how to expand the range with new innovation. As one of the major importers of doormats to the UK, we are also looking to bring environmentally friendly materials to this category. Our Mighty Mats range already includes mats made with Recycled Rubber and manufactured in a way to reduce pressures on the environment. We are working with our factories to create more recycled and recyclable products.”

Neudorff has made a big impact in the UK as demand for organic gardening goods grows. Its accolades include being crowned ‘National Champion’ at the European Business Awards in the Environmental and Corporate Sustainability category in 2016, while it also won the title of ‘Germany’s most sustainable company’ in 2014.

In recent years Neudorff has focused on helping retailers and their customers to use less single-use plastic by introducing refill options. But Jude Beharall, sales director at Neudorff UK, points out: “Plastic packaging is essential for many of our weed and control products, due to registrational reasons. However, we have taken steps to help customers make reductions. For example, our best-selling Sluggo Slug & Snail Killer range was the first slug killer to be made available in cardboard cartons. We encourage customers to use the 300g and 1 kg cartons wherever possible, thereby significantly reducing the quantity of plastic being added to landfill as a result of gardening activities."

Where plastic currently remains a necessity to deliver an eco-friendly product, suppliers have been taking other steps to reduce their burden on the environment. Equigrow, based in north London, produces and distributes compost, with the range featuring manure-based and straw-based green waste products.

Equigrow Director, Allan Clutterbuck, points out that although compost currently comes in plastic bags, the company is reducing its carbon footprint: “We source all of our horse manure and green waste locally, and deliver to the local area, although bulk loads sometimes go farther afield. Our products are ’green’ because they have been recycled from waste. We don’t add any chemicals and they are peat-free, contributing to the preservation of peat bogs and fens. We add nothing to our composts, and they decompose through a process of shredding, turning and heat.”

Promoting sustainable growing is the goal of Deep Roots, a company that’s dedicated to replacing plastic in both gardening and agriculture. Its own roots lie in a small town in western India, when in late 2017, Deep Roots founder, Nikunj Agarwal, saw saplings being nurtured and raised in single-use plastic containers. Nikunj said: “This seemed a huge irony, and since then, Deep Roots has dedicated all its resources to the pursuit of protecting of our ever-degrading environment.”

He adds: “DeepRoots brings Jute Grow Pots, the first of its kind for sustainable growing. Jute Grow Pots are organic plant-raising containers made out of natural jute fibre. They’re 100% bio-degradable and a great alternative to plastic pots. Not only is our primary raw material from a renewable source, we also run a zero-waste facility while, at the same time, promoting employment among under-privileged in society. We can do business and we can do good!” The company says sizes of Jute Grow Pots can be customised for various growing needs, from starting seeds to transplanting or as an attractive stand-alone planter.

Vegepod, a supplier of self-contained raised garden beds, says it is often asked about the green credentials of its polypropylene plastic, eco-climate covers and containers. A Vegepod spokeswoman says: “Because our containers are durable and designed for optimal plant growth, an individual Vegepod has a minimum 10-year lifespan. Most untreated timbers are lucky to last longer than two years before rotting and breaking down. The impact of such timber production, the repeated timber growing, harvesting and rebuilds would make an interesting study when compared to a one-off plastic container that lasts up to 10 years.”

But are Vegepod’s containers made from recycled plastic? The company points to an important issue: “Recycled plastic is unable to be certified as ‘foodsafe’ as it contains many different grades of plastic. Vegepod will not allow such material to be used for organic food growing, despite the appeal of the tagline ‘Made from recycled plastic’.  However, our eco-covers and containers are completely recyclable and do not end up in landfill.”

Vegepod puts forward a strong argument for the use of robust, long-life plastics in gardening. The spokeswoman adds: “When it comes to garden materials, there’s nothing more beautiful than timber. Unfortunately, termites agree. Untreated wood also has very little resistance to the elements such as moisture, mould, fungi, heat and pests. This significantly shortens the lifespan of such beds.  Corrugated iron beds also eventually rust and breakdown, and can leech harmful elements into the surrounding soils and plants. In our opinion, polypropylene pods are safer, more productive and a more sustainable way to garden. They’re durable, long-lasting, affordable, water efficient, and when all is said and done, they’re 100% recyclable.”

Speaking about the garden trade’s increasing focus on environmental awareness, Glee Event Director, Matthew Mein, said: “The garden industry is channelling huge efforts into sustainability initiatives, delivering a new generation of products with truly green credentials. Not only will such initiatives play a role in preserving the planet, but they serve to cater for consumers who are increasingly demanding gardening goods that are free from single-use plastic while still delivering great results. We’re really excited about the level of product innovation at Glee 2019, and to see this combined with a focus on eliminating single-use plastic means there will be plenty to whet the appetite of buyers looking for the latest eco-friendly products.”

Find out more

To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2019 call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.

The Gardenex export federation will be hosting the International Buyers’ Centre at Glee 2019, which is valued by the international buyers as a business hub within the show. The Centre will be located once again close to the entrance of Hall 6 on Stand N10-P11.

The PetQuip association, a sister division of Gardenex, will also be providing business services to pet product suppliers and buyers on its Stand 19R51 in the PetQuip Village section of the exhibition.

During the three day event, an important element of the Federation’s export business creating activities will be the staging of a series of International Buyers Connect sessions.  The 10-minute introductory meetings will be held each morning of the show and are available exclusively to exhibitors at the show.  The International Buyers Connect sessions have played an important part in generating new export leads and sales for many UK participants over the years.

Buyers are still being recruited by Gardenex and to date the following have confirmed their participation:

• A buyer from an Austrian internet shop that stocks quality tools and other practical, decorative and wildlife products will be looking for quality British products to complement its existing range.

• A Canadian buyer from a leading wholesaler and distributor to garden centres and landscapers on the east coast of Canada will be seeking practical gardening products to add to its range.

• Two buyers are taking part from an import company in China, whose CEO is also the President of the China Horticultural Society who visited Glee in 2018.

• Three garden product distributors/online retailers from the growing Romanian market will be attending the sessions.  Also visiting Glee is a leading media company on the Romanian DIY and garden markets which operates several e-newsletters across different retail categories.

• A buyer is taking part from a Swedish online store selling direct to the general public that also acts as importer and distributor for several UK companies.  The buyer is seeking to source new, innovative garden products to add to its B2C online store and is also hoping to widen its range of seeds and unusual plants.   

• An importer and distributor from The Netherlands is attending the meetings.  The firm supplies independent garden centres, landscape businesses and garden centre chains.  It also has a well-established B2C garden online store, as well as a wholesale distribution business specialising in high-end garden items. 

• A buyer from a specialist mail order company from the USA will be looking for greenhouse-related and other practical gardening products to complement its existing range.

In addition to the International Buyers Connect meetings, the Centre will provide a wide range of other facilities and information for both international visitors and for UK suppliers.  

As well as meeting with international buyers and addressing their UK product sourcing enquiries, the Gardenex and PetQuip teams will be available throughout the show to meet with existing member companies and potential members.  Export advice and details of the wide range of business-generating services provided by the two associations will be available from the association teams, as well as early notification of business initiatives, events and export government grant funding opportunities for UK businesses over the coming 12 months.  

The GIMA Business Village is home to a great selection of up and coming companies exhibiting with the support of GIMA. 

Glee is also pleased to present the GIMA Business Lounge, an ideal place to take a break, arrange meetings and catch up with key suppliers.

It is also home to the “Buyers Connect” speed networking sessions which will see selected exhibitors meet with show visitors for 10-minute power-networking sessions.

Celebrating its 10th ‘birthday’ in 2019, the Glee Innovators Zone has already helped more than 275 companies break into the garden retail market. 

This special area is designed to help nurture valuable grass-roots product development and one-off design ideas, whilst also bridging the gap between market-ready new product launches from established companies and pre-commercial product ideas. 

Innovation will also be celebrated within GIMA’s Innovators’ Seed Corn Fund (GISCF). Since its launch in 2014, the GISCF has already witnessed great success. All previous winners have gone on to enjoy great commercial success; going from new brands to established and growing suppliers within the garden retail market.

Vicky Nuttall, director of GIMA said: “The GISCF is designed to help start-up businesses take their product from concept to reality, and with a £6,000 grant up for grabs it is always a hotly contested part of our annual programme of activities. The calibre of entries in recent years has been of the highest quality, and this year is certainly no different.”

As always Glee will offer visitors a free, three-day Seminar Programme organised in conjunction with the HTA (Horticultural Trades Association), providing an enriched programme of expert business and garden retail advice to help grow your business through challenging trading conditions.

This content will be derived from extensive industry research and is set to tackle key talking points, struggles and successes.

This year they will focus on sharing their insight on the health and outlook of the industry and also how garden centres can engage with millennial and younger gardeners who will really drive the growth of the sector in years to come.

Having hosted the ceremony to critical acclaim at Glee 2018, following a move from their previous home at the Edible Gardening Show, the Great British Growing Awards are set to return to Glee 2019.

These awards recognise all that is great within the gardening industry – from tool companies, to seed suppliers, garden writers to fruit nurseries and everything in between, as well as garden volunteers and community growing spaces.

This year, the awards will be supported by a panel of industry stalwarts making up the judging panel, including Katie Lane (Lavender & Leeks), Rob Smith, Charles Dowding, Will Livingstone, and the GYO team.  In an exciting move, the winners of the 21 categories for the 2019 awards will not be announced until the exhibition itself, making it an even more thrilling prospect for nominees and the wider market.

In a repeat of 2018’s successful competition, GYO magazine will again be holding a special competition that will see 10 lucky readers win the chance to visit Glee to see tomorrow’s bestsellers, today.

During the show these consumers will be hosted by GYO and given a guided tour of the halls, and features such as the Retail Lab and New Product Showcase.  They will also award their favourite product with a special ‘GYO Consumers Choice Award’, as well as receiving VIP access to the exhibition.

Located by the entrance within the atrium area of the NEC, this year’s Green Heart is the first element to welcome you to the Glee 2019 show.

The Green Heart really is the horticultural hub of Glee and features a huge selection of UK and international growers and plant specialists.

This year’s Green Heart will be made up of over 50 benches, containing a selection of indoor and outdoor plants making it the biggest one to date!

Flick through the pages of any trade or consumer horticultural magazine and you’re likely to see a mention of the ‘trend’ for green gardening.

In fact, far from being a passing fad, the shift to planet-friendly gardening started in the 1980s when organic TV gardener Geoff Hamilton took the helm of BBC Gardeners’ World. Three decades on, in a world where concern about the planet is escalating, and politicians are declaring a climate emergency, eco-friendly gardening is firmly engrained in British culture.

With a growing band of consumers choosing to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables organically, it’s no wonder that demand for natural plant feeds and pest controls is skyrocketing. However, the organic movement has evolved, to encompass soaring interest in vegan gardening. Championed predominantly by a younger generation of eco-savvy consumers, the number of shoppers who are switching to a plant-only, planet-friendly diet is on the up – and that’s driving sales of vegan gardening goods, with this fledgling category set to expand exponentially.

The figures speak for themselves. In 2016, The Vegan Society revealed there were 540,000 vegans living in the UK. In the space of just three years, that figure has soared to an estimated 3.5million vegan Brits, according to research by Comparethemarket.com, published in The Independent. According to The Vegan Society, in 2018, the UK launched more vegan products than any other nation.

Demand for meat-free food in the UK increased by 987% in 2017 alone. Last year, the value of the UK plant-based food market hit £443million, with the society claiming that veganism “now gets almost three times more interest than vegetarian and gluten-free searches”. It’s no wonder that manufacturers are clamouring to capture a share of the vegan pound.

With the UK population about to hit 67million, vegans remain a minority, and that’s why synthetic plant feed and pest control products still dominate the market. As the garden trade gets ready for Glee, the industry’s leading exhibition (NEC Birmingham, 10th – 12thSeptember), we look at the latest developments in the sector, and investigate how the market for fertilisers and bug killers is being shaken-up by the unstoppable rise of veganism.

One company that’s riding the crest of a wave from growth in the number of vegans is Natural Grower. It’s a supplier of organic fertiliser that’s free from any animal matter and made from a bi-product of an anaerobic digester that is fed with maize to make renewable energy for the National Grid. The products are approved by organisations including The Vegan Society and the Soil Association.

Owner, Charlotte Beaty said: “Vegan gardening is the growing movement of the moment. Organic gardening has steadily grown over the last few years, and more people are now looking to grow veganically. Most organic fertilisers or soil conditioners have animal bi-products in them, so vegan growers have been delighted to finally have a nutrient-rich product to use to grow their fruit and vegetables”.

The family has farmed in Market Harborough for over 50 years. They invested in the anaerobic digester five years ago and discovered that one of the process’s bi-products was a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser, free from animal matter, that could be used to fertilise crops. They used the fertiliser to replace chemical fertilisers on their land and soon saw outstanding results in their crops, garden vegetables and plants. Charlotte adds: “Naturally, we wanted to share this success with other keen gardeners looking for an effective, organic and vegan-friendly fertiliser solution.” At Glee, the company will showcase the liquid and mulch (soil conditioner) versions of Natural Grower.

German organics giant Neudorff has made big inroads into the UK market for green garden products that harness the benefits of natural active ingredients. Many of its products are already certified by the Organic Farmers and Growers Association, but to meet growing demand from vegan consumers, the company will launch a new Vegan Society-accredited range of products at Glee. Buyers will be aware than vegan lines have been included in Neudorff’s line-up for some time, but the new stamp of approval – which runs across new and existing products – gives the range additional clout.

Neudorff’s Jude Beharall said a new generation of gardeners and increased consumer awareness of the ingredients used in weed, feed and control products was driving demand for vegan products. He explained: “Our range already included vegan-friendly liquid feeds, and in order to market them more effectively, we sought accreditation from The Vegan Society for those products. Furthermore, we will introduce a new vegan product at Glee.”

Continuing the eco-friendly theme, Hozelock will be promoting its Pure BioMix, which helps consumers to create home-made natural fertiliser. A Hozelock spokeswoman said: “Natural fertilisers are considered to be more productive, and to have higher active constituent levels, than artificially created feeds, without any risk of harming wildlife or pets. With Pure BioMix, in addition to helping protect plants from disease by creating their own fertiliser, gardeners will also reduce the amount of single-use plastic used compared to buying ready-to-use packs of artificial fertilisers. The BioMix will provide free natural fertiliser on tap.” As well as promoting Pure BioMix to buyers, Hozelock will be celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Lawncare is another category that’s being driven by demand for natural products, and DJ Turfcare, supplier of the established MO Bacter fertiliser brand, has a new addition in its stable that’s 100% organic and safe to use on lawns frequented by pets and children. MO Bacter Instant Lawn Tonic is said to destroy moss in 24 hours, and it can be used throughout the year as long as there is no threat of frost. Dead moss can be raked out and reseeding can take place straight away. Managing Director of DJ Turfcare Equipment, David Jenkins, said that he believes that MO Bacter Instant Lawn Tonic will “prove to be the ideal answer to persistent and difficult moss problems”.

Another launch aimed at gardeners who are concerned about the environment will come from Doctor Organics, which says it has a new product to “help the organic-conscious gardener to provide probiotic nutrition and strengthen plants, thereby helping with many common diseases while keeping pollinators happy”. By helping pest-eating insects, the company says, a balance can be established in gardens that results in easy pest control.

A spokesman says: “We have a small plant protection spray that dilutes to 100 times its volume to treat plants to a break from nasties that like to eat or set-up home in leaves and flowers. We have a soil treatment for lawns that is animal, child and worm friendly, whilst making grass healthy and green.”

Even outdoor cleaning products are being tailored to the chemical-free markets. Block Blitz will launch Block Blitz Zero at Glee – a new naturally-derived, chemical-free outdoor cleaning and protection product. It has been designed to remove dirt, grime and mould from all outdoor hard surfaces while deterring algae, moss and weed growth, reducing the need for chemical weed killers and toxic biocides.

A Block Blitz spokesman said: “There is growing demand for natural controls in the garden care sector. Block Blitz Zero contains active botanical ingredients and no synthetic chemicals. It is child safe, pet safe, wildlife-friendly and suitable for the vegan market. Packaged in 100% recycled plastic, the ground-breaking formulas are the result of a slow manufacturing process that requires minimal energy consumption.”

While rivals are focusing on the market for vegans and organics, garden products giant Westland says its strategy for Glee will be to “highlight changes being made across the company’s entire portfolio, to reflect key trends and industry changes”. Westland’s Head of Communications and Insight, Jo Wilkinson, said: “Shifting consumer behaviour means that the horticultural industry needs to adapt, which is why we are making it our focus to protect, educate and innovate for the future of gardening.”

Westland’s Glee launches will focus around “an ethos of problem prevention instead of solving.” Resolva Weed Stop Decorative Ground Cover is made of wood fibre and bark fines and is said to deliver 75% better weed prevention than bark, while Resolva Weed Preventer is an “innovative new product that seeks to create a new sector in the market”. Its 100% natural formulation is claimed to reduce the need for hand-weeding in beds, borders and veg patches, by preventing weed seeds developing. Westland will also “launch a new category” at Glee with 2-in-1 Feed and Protect products which strengthen plants, helping growth to remain disease-free. Products will be aimed at rose, and buxus growers.

Glee Event Director, Matthew Mein, said: “The shift towards natural, organic and vegan products is generating an outstanding level of innovation across the industry, with new categories set to emerge that cater for the next generation of environmentally conscious consumers. Whether it’s plant feed, pest prevention or weedkillers, buyers looking to stock the latest must-have products will be spoilt for choice at Glee this September.”

The team from GTN are proud once again to be the official media partners for Glee producing the Glee Planner, the Glee Show Catalogue and the Glee Daily News.

From now until the end of September the Glee Daily News, in its unique e-mail format, will keep visitors up to date with what they can see at the show and gives exhibitiors the most up to date e-mail vehicle for ensuring buyers know about their new products and other Glee activities.

To make sure you get your own copy of Glee Daily News sign up here

For advertorial and advertisng opportunties please contact Ben Greenwood, Alan Burdon or Mandy Davies at Potting Shed Press Ltd, 01733 775700, owners and publishers of Garden Trade News, Garden Radio and The Greatest Awards.

In support of Greenfingers Charity's special 20^th anniversary year, the Glee team, supported by Garden Trade News, are this year urging exhibitors and visitors to Glee to put the floral FUN into FUNdraising at Glee on Thursday 12th September.

With thousands of visitors and exhibitors at Glee on Thursday, it is hoped that the power of the flower will allow a brand new record to be set for the most people wearing floral themed shirts, dresses, ties, suits or jackets on the same day and in the same place.  All those taking part will also be invited to support the charity by buying a raffle ticket which will be entered into a prize draw to win fabulous prizes.

Greenfingers Ambassador Trevor Pfeiffer suggested the idea after getting so many positive comments while wearing floral shirts at Glee last year. “Every time I wear a floral shirt for work it makes people smile so if we can get as many people at Glee on Thursday wearing floral what a happy place it will be!”

“The plan is to sell raffle tickets as exhibitors and visitors enter the halls on Thursday morning with the Floral Thursday raffle being drawn at 2:00pm on the Glee stage. If everyone wearing floral attire could bring a little (or a lot!) of cash, buy a raffle ticket and then join us on the Glee Retail Growth Theatre stage for the prize draw, we will set a new record for the most people wearing floral attire in one place, and at the same time raise a record amount of money for Greenfingers in the charities 20th year. What great bit of PR for our industry that would be!”

Speaking about Floral Thursday, Glee Show Director Matthew Mein said: "We're all looking forward to a great show and to hopefully seeing many smiles as our industry friends don their favourite flowery outfit and put the FUN into FUNdraising to support the garden industry's favourite charity. "

Greenfingers Charity's Director of Fundraising & Communications, Linda Petrons said: "This is a fabulous new initiative which we hope will become a regular event in the Glee and Greenfingers Charity calendar.  We're hugely grateful to ITE and Garden Trade News for their support which will not only raise the profile of the charity but also help to make a difference to life limited children and their families who spend time in hospices."

Matthew, Linda and Trevor are calling on volunteers to help on the day by collecting donations and selling raffle tickets between 7.50am and 11am on Thursday 12th September.  If you are able to spare an hour or two, please contact Linda by emailing Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk

Greenfingers are also asking Glee Exhibitors if they would like to donate any prizes for the Floral Thursday raffle, please contact Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk.  Thank you.

The winner of the 2019 GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund is poised to receive a £6,000 grant, and unrivalled developmental and marketing support to help them break into the garden retail market.

Last year’s winners – Bloomin Amazing from West Country Soil Development – drew praise from the judges thanks to the company’s and product’s environmental credentials, and volume sales potential. 

Now 12 months on since the win, we catch up with the Bloomin Amazing team to find out how it has shaped the business, and to learn more about how the company has been thriving during its first full season in the garden retail industry. 

Tell us more about what winning the GISCF meant to you and your business?

As a start-up enterprise with limited resources, winning the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund really helped us make our modest resources work much more effectively. It raised our profile during Glee thanks to the great PR coverage, and then the fund allowed us to continue to invest in promoting our product all through the season.

What was the immediate impact of your win?

At Glee 2018 we signed up lots of new customers and during the subsequent few weeks we built up our distribution significantly which allowed us to consider selling to a much wider network. We now reach North up to Manchester whereas before we restricted ourselves to a 100-mile radius of the plant. Approaching 12 months on from the win we can now boast nearly 100 garden centre stockists.

How was your first experience of Glee?

Glee was a great launch pad for our new business, and we found the networking opportunities extremely helpful. It’s a very competitive environment but we also found people in the garden market a friendly bunch and we got lots of helpful advice.  Winning the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund and the New Product ‘Best of British’ awards at Glee was an incredible boost for us.

How did the award win shape your plans for the year ahead?

We attended the Garden Press Event where we met some highly influential media people which has really helped to keep the profile of Bloomin Amazing high on the agenda, especially in social media channels. We’ve also been able to retain the services of some specialist trade marketing support which eases the pressure on the small team with which we run the business, and of course the grant has paid for a big part of the stand for this year’s Glee.

How has your business grown in the last 12 months?

Sales of Bloomin Amazing have more than doubled in the last year and we have now invested in and installed a second screw press system which will allow us to double our production output. We’ve recently moved to the use of euro pallets which allows us to increase loading to cope with our all-time peak in daily output.

What’s next for Bloomin' Amazing?

We are embarking on the next phase of our growth plans and aim to double our retail listings in the next few months. Next month we are back at Glee in the GIMA village on a larger stand (6R80) where we are looking forward to meeting current and new customers, including those being introduced to us for the first time by our new agents for different areas. Also, we are now in discussion with potential partners who are developing the use of Bloomin Amazing in blended growing media – something which is being strongly driven by the trend away from the use of peat.

Why should brands/ suppliers consider entering the GISCF?

The GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund is critically assessed by industry experts so winning is a really important and significant reflection on the potential for a new product. Their verdict is respected, and the spotlight is thrown on the product, but most of all the business generated is not something that could be bought with even a huge budget!