There are only a few hours left to go until Glee - the UK’s biggest garden product buying opportunity - opens its doors here at the NEC, and there is excitement in the air.

Several hundred suppliers, large and small, British and international, are busy putting the finishing touches to their new product displays, ready to impress the thousands of buyers who will be flocking through the doors in the next three days.

Working with our exhibitors as they prepare for Glee I have been able to see for myself many of the truly exciting new innovations that are being launched here at the show. The very best of these will be collectively displayed in our new Shop Window area in Hall 4; the ideal first stop for any retailer looking for best-selling new ranges for 2013.

We also have several other special new visitor features designed to help garden centres and other retailers do better business in these challenging times. A new Food and Catering Zone, sponsored by Vision Commercial Kitchens, includes both exhibitors and a daily programme of live demonstrations to help you optimise the growing profit opportunities offered by café and food sales.  

You can take a walk through our fascinating Trend Tunnel, designed by trend forecasters WGSN, demonstrating how to tap into current consumer trends with effective merchandising and point-of-sale. You’ll also find invaluable, business-minded advice at our Knowledge Hub seminars and workshops, or by joining one of our expert-led new Guided Tours around the show.

Added to the thousands of exciting products, brands and suppliers that are waiting to be discovered here, Glee is without doubt the year’s single most effective chance to grow your business and get ahead of the competition. So make sure you invest a day or more to make the most of it: the show is open Monday – Wednesday this week, from 9:00am.

See you here soon!

Nick Davison

Show director

Glee 2012 has new products by the shedload…as a quick scout around the halls by the Glee Daily News team as the show took shape today revealed. Buyers in search of innovative new lines to stock for the 2013 season will not be disappointed. In Garden Care alone, we found exciting examples  

on the Westland, Scotts Miracle-Gro and DLF Trifolium stands, while in Garden Leisure, a new offering by Forest Garden is just one among an Aladdin’s Cave of outstanding concepts and developments. The new Glee Shop Window feature promises an impressive overview of highlights, while The Knowledge Hub will deliver a tanatalising  programme of seminars and debate.

Grass seed suppliers DLF Trifolium (5D38-E39) launch a new brand at Glee tomorrow in a move designed to give retailers access to the most comprehensive selection of lawn seed solutions on the market.

Turfline®, with its four new lawn seed mixtures using unique blends of seed species, will target mass market sales.

Eco Lawn Seed is a low maintenance mixture with high resistance to wear and tear, as well as drought.  It contains microclovers, which produce their own natural fertiliser to feed the grass and keep it looking healthy and green, while their deep roots reduce the need for watering.  Eco Lawn Seed has been awarded the Waterwise mark due to its water saving properties.

Finest Lawn Seed is a superior mixture promising a neat and compact lawn.  The low-growing and fine-leaved species minimise the opportunity for weed establishment.

Multi-Purpose Lawn Seed produces a quality appearance whilst also being hardwearing

Tough Lawn Seed  is a quick-to-establish blend of perennial ryegrass and red fescue, providing good green cover

Eco Lawn will be available in sq.m. packs, whilst Finest, Multi-Purpose and Tough Lawn varieties will also be available in 42 sq.m. and 70 sq.m.  packs.

DLF’s Spencer Goodall says Turfline® marks an exciting new chapter for DLF.  “The brand is already extremely popular in Europe, and we hope to repeat this success in the UK market,” he told Glee Daily News. “ Sitting alongside our already market leading Johnsons Lawn Seed brand, Turfline® makes our world-leading science and technology accessible to all gardeners.

“But more than this, we believe that by adding Turfline® to our brand portfolio we will be able to strengthen the core value that drives our business – helping retailers to boost profits.  By offering complementary brands with a range of price points retailers will be able to maximise lawn seed sales from across the board, whilst safe in the knowledge that they will always benefit from the world-leading heritage and expertise that goes into every box of our lawn seed, no matter what the brand.”

With fresh packaging and supporting point-of-sale, DLF Trifolium are aiming to make it easy for end-users to choose the right mixture for their lawn. QR codes on all new Turfline® packaging give smartphone users access to a video on how to establish and maintain a lawn. 

A large international clothing and footwear specialist is launching into the gardening market at Glee 2012 with innovative new products designed to catch everyone's eye.

Seeland is a Scandinavian company specialising in country and outdoor garments. On view will be two distinct ranges from their award-winning collections:  the Winter, waterproof collection including jackets, trousers, shirts and wellington boots for men, women and children.  In addition, there will be a preview of their Spring collection including a new Safari-style range made from 100% cotton/canvas. 

One interesting new product to watch out for is the Crieff overtrouser. The trousers are fantastically hard wearing and protective from wind, rain and thorns.  The Crieffs come with a full side zip design allowing you to put them on and whip them off in seconds, without removing your boots.

"Whether you are managing vast acres, driving a mower or digging your own garden, the Crieff overtrousers are a wonderful addition to your outdoor wardrobe.  They are protective, comfortable and extremely practical,” explains Simon Esnouf, Seeland's British Agent. The Crieffs retail at £69.99. 

"With Seeland you are sure to get the maximum of quality and good value for money.  Our design process is a long one, all the materials we use are carefully chosen and put together to ensure each product performs brilliantly,” adds Simon. 

Other Seeland products on view at GLEE will include: footwear - the Allround 18” 4mm side-zip wellies; the pretty Pemberley womens’ wellies; plus a selection of shirts, jumpers, casual trousers, hats, gloves, thermal underwear and socks. 

Retailers will be offered a unique opportunity to gain useful insight from industry consultants as part of Glee’s newly-launched Guided Tours.

Working closely with The Gardenworks Group Ltd, the tours have been designed specifically with retailers in mind and will deliver support and advice to ensure they get the most from their visit to Glee.

John Connel from The Gardenworks, said: “The Glee Guided Tours will undoubtedly help you get a unique perspective on this year’s show. We believe they will make retailers’ visits more insightful and relevant to the needs of their business and customers. 

"Embracing Glee’s core values of ‘Guide’, ‘Connect’ and ‘Innovate’, each tour will be led by an industry expert who will help retailers to focus on the most vital aspects for the development of their business, such as key consumer trends, new category opportunities, as well as highlighting how to make the most of meetings with suppliers.”

Each guide has been carefully selected by The Gardenworks for their wealth of experience and varied expertise. Names include Andy Campbell from Andy Campbell Consulting, and garden retail experts Roger Crookes and John Stanley. Lynda Murray, former Director of Visual Merchandising at House of Fraser, and the current MD of International Visual Ltd and senior consultant with The Retailer, will be bringing over 20 years of experience to the tours to help retailers translate trends and products on display at the show. 

Phil Hill, Creative Director at International Visual Ltd, is also confirmed as a tour guide, and will be helping to identify creative ideas that will stimulate visual thinkers. John Connel and Kevin Waters are also stepping into the role of tour guides to share their own retail experience.

The tours will take about 40 minutes each and provide layout orientation as well as highlighting the show’s educational content.  Participants will be able to network with their peers and to ask questions.

Other features

Take a look at what else there is at Glee to give you the best visitor experience ever.

Whether you’re thinking of introducing a café in your shop or redeveloping an existing one, The Food & Catering Zone, in partnership with Vision Commercial Kitchens, will offer  advice, information and inspiration.

Chosen by a cross-section of industry experts and retailers, the Shop Window is designed to provide a unique snapshot of the best products from around the show. Featuring the pick of the new products and innovations from across Glee’s many sectors, the Shop Window can help you discover next year’s best sellers.

The new Trend Tunnel area is designed to give you an insight into future trends, courtesy of WGSN, and how you can translate them into effective merchandising ideas, product ranges and point of sale displays. It will collate inspiration from a range of media including mood boards, case studies and product displays.

Solar garden product specialist Smart Solar is launching an exciting new range of gift lighting products at Glee.

From solar powered owls and birds to fairies, as well as string lights and table top lanterns, the new products have appeal as all-year-round accessories for the home and garden.

For romantics, the Heart Light String will adorn any shrub or fence with 16 glowing red hearts with LEDs that are powered by a remote solar panel while the Moroccan Lantern Light String provides 16 miniature white lanterns.

Based on its success this year, the Bright Eye range has been extended for 2013 with a collectable set of Cats and Happy Hens as well as Ceramic Owls. These collectables incorporate a subtle solar panel with two bright LED lights as eyes, creating an attractive ornament by day and a light by night.

With three different coloured fairies, each in a specific pose, the new Fairy Spot Lights are a collectable set of figurines that will appeal to both young and old alike. Sitting in a woodland setting, these lovable fairies have coloured translucent wings that produce an attractive effect in the light at night.

Smart Solar has invested in practical merchandising units and displays for many of its new gift products, helping garden centres to increase sales by placing them on the sales floor for impulse purchasing. The products, which are available immediately, will provide an additional opportunity for sales as gifts and ornaments throughout the autumn.

“With garden centres able to start stocking these new gift products from early autumn, we are confident that they will bring additional all year round sales," said Jonathan Stobart, Smart Solar’s managing director.

"We have also extended our POS and merchandising units across the range to support garden centres with displaying the Smart Solar range of products.”

You can see the Smart Solar range on stand C19 in hall 5.

Vitax will be launching its new growing media range at Glee with a total of 17 exciting new products hitting the shelves this autumn...

Among the new lines is the John Innes Compost range comprising of three different products to aid gardeners through each stage of a plant’s lifecycle.

The formula for John Innes Composts was developed over 50 years ago and is trusted by gardeners worldwide. Based on a specific mix of loam, peat, grit and carefully balanced plant nutrients, Vitax has carefully designed a three-stage process for growing media in response to customer demand.

The range includes the John Innes No.1 Potting Compost to encourage seedlings, young plants and rooted cuttings; John Innes No.2 Potting-on Compost for potting-on young and established plants, and John Innes No.3 Compost for Mature Plants for the re-potting and planting of mature plants.

Each of the John Innes Compost range is available in a 20 litre pack.

Vitax has also extended its market-leading Q4 range to include two new products - Q4 Multipurpose Compost and Q4 Multipurpose Compost with John Innes.

Q4 Multipurpose Compost is based on the finest Irish moss peat and has been carefully formulated as an all-round growing medium for seed sowing, striking cuttings and potting on plants. Q4 Multipurpose Compost with John Innes is a premium-grade compost for use all around the garden.

Q4 Multipurpose Compost is available in either a 20-litre or 56-litre pack with Q4 Multipurpose Compost with John Innes available in a 20-litre pack.

There are also an additional 12 new compost and mineral treatment lines including Irish Peat, Aquatic Compost and Ericaceous Compost among others.

To find out more about these new products visit Vitax in Hall 5, Stand E30-F31, or log onto www.vitax.co.uk

There's a big welcome fur Glee visitors from Petface.

Several team members will be doning unique Petface character suits to greet you...

Stand 5A04 is their base but watch out they will be out and about too...

First Franchise has employed retail concession specialist Niall O’Regan as it continues to expand and develop its successful garden centre concession business.

Niall’s main role will be to identify and secure concession opportunities for retailers across all UK garden centres, and to assist in the roll-out of First Franchise’s new venture to garden centre operators, FF-Garden Centre Services.

Niall has a wealth of experience in the garden centre concession market, having previously worked at garden centre property advisors, Hammond Phillips, and latterly as an independent retail consultant for both national and local retailers, as TerraFirma Consultants.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to focus on a side of the garden centre concession business with massive potential," said Niall.

"Most garden centres now understand the benefits a good retail concession can provide, both as an additional offer to attract new customers and as a steady rental income to boost garden centre’s bottom line.

"First Franchise have a great team and I look forward to working with them to help grow the concession opportunities across the country.” 

Niall will be joining the First Franchise team at Glee on its stand in Hall 5, D56.

According to Suntime the latest innovation in gardern furniture is Textfibre, and the company will be showing how it has incorporated it into its new range at Glee.

Suntime (5F01-J03) will again be showcasing its latest ranges for 2013 and with a wide range of materials and colours, the company has something to suit all tastes.  

For instance, the Fairford 55cm Steel Bistro Set comes in either bright pink or lime green and retails at £199.

Suntime boasts a full and impressive range of fashionable styles in many different materials, from colourful textiline to fashionable all-weather rattan and beautifully hand-crafted hardwood.

Visitors to the Floramedia stand at Glee (4D46) will have the chance to win a smartphone.

The horticultural design and print company are giving away a Samsung Galaxy Ace phone in a prize draw which visitors can enter by dropping their business card in the pot on the stand. “All business cards must have the entrant’s contact details on them,” said managing director Nick Mathias.

The draw will take place after the event on Monday October 2. The winner will be announced in Floramedia’s October e-newsletter, which all entrants will receive.

Full terms and conditions are available on the stand.

Nick added: “Glee is the UK’s largest horticultural industry exhibition and is a must for anyone associated with the horticultural industry. We’re delighted to be going to the show again this year.

“We have a stand at the event and would like to take the opportunity to say ‘hello’ to lots of new people as well as meet up with our current and potential clients. We’ll also be giving out free information to anyone interested in finding out about the products and services we offer.”

Floramedia has one of the UK’s largest range of stock plant labels with more than 10,000 to choose from in nine different label shapes. It also has a picture library with more than 250,000 images available for garden centres to use to create their own marketing materials.

“Floramedia is made up of a team of professional, committed people with extensive expertise and knowledge of horticultural print, creative design, garden centre retailing and commercial plant production,” Nick added. “We draw on these skills to provide the best and most effective products, sales and marketing support to growers, nurseries, garden centres and retailers in the UK.”

Gardman has notched up sales of over a £1 million since the national launch of its new water feature category at last year’s Glee.

“We were confident that we could build this category rapidly and successfully, even in the current economic climate," said Tim Stainton, Gardman’s UK Managing Director.

"We’re delighted with this sales performance and the fact that we have 120 major customers already, including both national retailers and independent garden centres. We’ll continue to build the category and our customer base in 2013.”

Gardman are launching 10 new water features at this year’s Glee, broadening the design spread in the category, with retail prices ranging from £39.99 to £299.99.

As well as the new water features, the star product on Gardman’s stand at Glee is a two-metre plus megalith, Forest Falls (pictured below), which retails at £1,999.99. Gardman believes that this statement water feature would be ideal for the grandest of gardens, or even as a centrepiece in a garden centre.

Midlands based M&M Timber Ltd, the manufacturer of machined round timber products for agricultural fencing and landscaping industries, has introduced a new delivery system to help its customers reduce their stock holdings.

Renowned for its flexibility in the supply of machined timber, the company has offered a free just-in-time delivery service throughout the UK for some time now and is always happy to supply mixed loads of one-stop shop sizes.

“Many trade suppliers insist on customers and stockists taking a full load, which often results in having to accept other, less popular, products that end up as unwanted stock,” says Commercial Director Andy Hodge. “We have a reputation for giving customers what they want, not what we think they must have.”

Also in response to customer demand, M&M Timber has now adopted an innovative packaging system for its machined round and peeled timbers. Bundled and bound in an easily managed layer system, the stakes are securely square-packed for ease of storage and handling. The packaging method also reduces in-transit damage.

The agricultural and landscaping industries represent a large market sector of M&M Timber’s business, which extends into garden products and play area equipment.

All agricultural fencing and landscaping timbers are pressure treated for long life, making them suitable for most applications.

However, to help meet an increasing demand for its optional micronized treated timber products, M&M Timber has invested heavily in an advanced micronizing process, which raises the minimum service life of timber to 15 years.

Class 4 micronized treatment for ground contact applications is also beneficial to aquatic and terrestrial environments, since it virtually eliminates the release of copper particles.

The Ebert and Sankey brands in the Fiskars group are to merge, creating a new super-brand servicing the pots, planters, conservation, irrigation and propagation categories.

The new business, to be known as ebertsankey, dramatically widens the ‘one-stop’ product choice for both Sankey’s UK buyers and Ebert’s European customers. Newly-developed products will join existing ranges under the new branding, which gets its UK launch at Glee (5A10-B11)

Both companies have been part of the Fiskars family for more than 10 years; with Sankey based in Nottingham and Ebert in Germany. Between them, the companies boast 200 years  of experience in plastic garden products manufacturing and marketing.

Under the strapline ‘ebertsankey – home of happy plants’, the new brand will a focus on customers and consumers in an offering with fresh lifestyle-led easy-to-shop point-of-sale presentation.

Kostja Ebmeyer, business unit director container gardening, who heads up the brand, believes there is “tremendous potential” for the trade to maximise the sales of container gardening. “ebertsankey is focussed on helping our customers to unlock this potential,” he said. The POS hierarchy would lead to quicker buying decisions.

The full product range covers orchid care, indoor containers, watering cans and sprayers,  hydroponics, patio containers in contemporary and traditional styles, troughs and brackets, watering cans , gro pots and propagators, water butts, composters, garden waste solutions, trellis and plant supports and garden aids.

Products for Glee’s hotly contended feature, the Shop Window, designed to find next year’s most innovative products from around the show, have been decided following a rigorous judging day. 

The dozens of chosen products from across eight garden retail categories will be revealed in a special Glee Shop Window display in Hall 4 at the show.

With more than 270 products from over 130 companies submitted for consideration, the Shop Window has clearly proven to be in instant hit with exhibitors. 

With so many products to choose from, the panel of independent expert judges - made up of HTA Director General, Carol Paris; CEO Hillview Garden Centre & Garden Re-Leaf founder Boyd Douglas Davies; John Connel from The Gardenworks; John Little, of Poplars Garden Centres;  Scotsdale’s Caroline Owen; Trevor Pfeiffer from Garden Trade News and Tamsin Westhorpe of The English Garden magazine –  had their work cut out deciding which products would make it onto the final product showcase at the show.  

Rating each entry against a range of exacting commercial, practical and environmental criteria, products were also judged on their innovation, design and originality, as well as how well consumer needs are met.  Unique features or technologies setting the product apart were also considered. 

In addition packaging, point-of-sale and supporting marketing campaigns helped some products stand out from the crowd to secure one of the coveted places within the Shop Window.

Glee event director, Nick Davison, explains: “The introduction of the Shop Window marks an exciting new chapter for Glee.  Our aim is to create a product showcase that is a true representation of what’s new, innovative or simply great within the industry.

“The judging day was a particularly interesting day - not only were we blown away by number of products that were submitted, but also by the quality and variety on offer. From essential garden care products and innovative landscape solutions, to stylish gift ideas and new seed varieties, our judges had some tough decisions to make, but I believe they have chosen a superb showcase of the best that industry has to offer.  I’m looking forward to seeing the products in-situ at the show, and hope that the display will help retailers find the next bestsellers that will boost profits in 2013 and beyond.”

In total, 112 products from across Glee’s eight categories – Garden Care, Garden Design, Garden Leisure, Home & Gift, Retail Support, Nursery & Planteria, Pet, and Catering & Speciality Foods – were hand selected to be displayed in the Shop Window. 

Each product has been awarded one of three special titles – Top Pick, Shortlisted or Highly Commended - depending on how much they impressed the judges.  In addition, those products that really stood out from the rest within their category will also be awarded the Special Award. 

Products with exacting green credentials or deep-seated roots within UK manufacturing are also eligible to scoop the Green Innovation or Best of British Award respectively.

Nick added: “We want the Shop Window to very much be a ‘living, breathing feature’, in that products can be added throughout the show.  We’ll have a large screen within the Shop Window where images of other products that have caught the judges’ eye whilst walking the show can also be displayed - the Shop Window really cannot and should not be missed!”

Now you’re committed to Glee, you’ve booked your stand, you’ve allocated the staff and paid for the hotels – make sure visitors stop by your stand and talk to you. 

Over 15,000 Glee Daily News e-newsletters will be sent every day of the show.

Don’t miss the opportunity to flag up your Glee offers and brands by placing a button, banner or an advertorial story with pictures in the new look Glee Daily News.  Email mandy.atkin@tgcmc.co.uk or phone 07912 170953 for more details.  

Town & Country  (5C04/D01) will give Glee visitors tomorrow their first glimpse of the UK’s most sustainable gardening gloves to date. They are made of bamboo.

Bamboo is considered one of the most sustainable plants because it grows very quickly without the need for pesticides or chemicals and it doesn’t require an irrigation system.  Bamboo also makes a luxuriously soft fabric that feels like brushed cotton to touch, but is also very strong and flexible - making it the ideal material for gardening gloves.  

Town & Country are confident that the green credentials of these new gloves, coupled with the superior fit, grip and protection that they offer, will make them a sales success.  They will be available in mint and raspberry colours (small and medium sizes) and in navy (large size only).

Bord na Mona UK has added a new category to its established portfolio of peat-free and peat-reduced composts and fertilisers with the launch of a winter fuels and ignition range under the Firemagic brand. 

Trialled last season with the eco-friendly Firemagic Firemaker, the full Firemagic range now comprises fourteen fuel and ignition products and claims to be the most comprehensive and best supported winter fuels offer in the garden retail market.

Positioned as a convenience-led range, the emphasis is on a quick and easy pick up solution for consumers looking for real fire romance and aesthetics, a cosy night in or a focal point for entertaining.

To ensure that the offer is 100% viable for retailers, both from a buy-in and a sell-through perspective, the Firemagic range also features eco-friendly products for real fires and stoves and traditional fuel products like housecoal and smokeless to cover the last minute or distress purchase.

“Firemagic represents a real opportunity for garden centres to add a well researched, properly structured range to their winter offer," said Maryanne Stokes, national accounts manager for Bord na Mona UK.  "Firemagic is fully merchandised and supported and has the benefit of a recognisable brand, which we will promote to consumers.   

“This combination is a first for the fuels sector and will ensure that Firemagic turns fuels from add-on products into a fully-fledged new category, providing an additional income stream to boost the traditionally less profitable months between Christmas and spring. 

"80% of convenience fuel sales are between October and March and, properly presented, the convenience fuels market covers both aspirational and distress purchase, exactly what Firemagic offers.  With the general move back to solid fuel use across the country, the exponential rise in the use of stoves and the availability of eco-friendly fuel solutions, we believe the launch of Firemagic is perfect timing.

Hand protection experts Globus Ltd has added new additions to its range of Showa glove floor standing display stands for garden retailers...

The new eye-catching units enable consumers to experience the Showa ‘second skin comfort’ and ultimate dexterity that the gloves offer before they decide to buy.

To make the purchasing decision even easier and guide the user to select the most appropriate gloves for the task, each display stand also contains new, easy-to-understand icons situated on each of the shelves.  

Each display stand comes conveniently pre-loaded with a stock profile designed specifically for two audiences –  ‘Lawn and Garden’ and ‘Tradesman’ with a ‘Winter’ variant also available for both. 

To optimise sales opportunities for retailers, each stand’s stock profile has been carefully selected to contain a cross-section of the most popular gloves for each audience.

“Showa gloves are among the best in the world and these new display units showcase them perfectly for retailers," said Jonathan Prest, Business Development Manager.

"The new icons make it easy for the consumer to find the right pair for their needs, and with each stand weighing only 12 kgs, they are easy to position in-store.”

Be the first to get your hands on Lafarge’s new tubs

Leading building materials manufacturer Lafarge (4A14) launch their latest packaging innovation at Glee tomorrow – cement in plastic tubs.

Lafarge is the first major cement manufacturer in the UK to produce some of its packed product range in resealable plastic tubs, which have been designed primarily with the DIY and landscaping market in mind. This latest innovation will be available at builders’ merchants from mid-September.

Experts from Lafarge Cement will be on hand in a specially designed garden at to give visitors a first-hand demonstration of the tubs, and the easy, cost-effective solution they provide for transport and mixing for typical jobs such as brick walls, path or quick concrete repairs.

Lafarge will also showcase its new specialist ready-to-use packed concretes, launched earlier this year. Requiring only the addition of water, the Quickset, Multi-Purpose and High Strength concretes are reliable and easy-to-use, making them an ideal choice for landscapers and DIYers. 

 The Aggregates team from Lafarge have also developed a new product, Capillia, which responds to the demands set by the Flood and Water Management Act and will be on display at Glee. Capillia is a new SUDS sub-base which can be placed under paving or concrete and allows local government authorities and land owners to meet the sustainability standards set out by the Act by ensuring any waste water collected on their site is drained effectively.

 Landscapers, retailers and merchants will be shown a second new product from the Aggregates team at the event – a decorative stone for gardens, paths or driveways. The Spectrum range of stones was launched this year as an alternative to traditional gravel and will form part of the bespoke garden display created by Lafarge for this year’s exhibition.

As well as its popular YouTube Channel and iPhone app, Lafarge will show its new DIY website, featuring ‘how to’ videos as well as practical adviceaimed at customers using its packed product range. 

This year at Glee, business guidance will be at the heart of the show’s dedicated education programme, located within the Knowledge Hub in Hall 4.



Developed in association with, The HTA, the Knowledge Hub’s seminars and workshops have been designed specifically to arm retailers with a wide variety of tools to improve and build their business, as well as helping them to identify key consumer trends for the year ahead.

http://www.gleebirmingham.com/showseminar1_new1.aspx

Each day the Knowledge Hub’s activity will kick off with a special Garden Industry Question Time, where topics for discussion will include ‘Making the social / local connection’, as well as investigating ways of attracting and retaining younger gardeners.  Garden centre catering will also take centre stage during Wednesday’s ‘Selling like hot cakes’ Question Time session, which poses the question ‘What can garden centres do to ensure they are maximising the potential of their catering offer?’  Each session will be chaired by the HTA, including the new Director General Carol Paris, whilst special guests will join the panel for a hearty and interesting debate. 

Other key seminars will include international retail guru John Stanley’s session, ‘Garden Centre 2013 and beyond’.  Held daily, this special session will investigate the changing garden retail model and how it will affect the way we do business, as well as the role of the virtual garden centre.  Consumer expectations will also be a focus of these sessions, helping retailers to adapt their businesses and teams to better suit consumer needs and demands.

Bill Bown, marketing director at innovative Canadian garden retailer and greenhouse specialists, TERRA, will also be joining the Knowledge Hub on Wednesday 19^th.  During his session, Bill will be talking about how TERRA refocused its marketing, purchasing and branding strategies to address a changing marketplace, with the aim of inspiring others to look at how their business sits in the changing landscape.

Another ‘not-to-be-missed’ seminar will be Lynda Murray’s Visual Matters – Learn how to unlock the potential of your store through the expertise of Visual Merchandising.  As the former Director of Visual Merchandising at House of Fraser, and the current MD of International Visual Ltd and senior consultant with The Retailer, Lynda will be bringing a wealth of experience to The Knowledge Hub, where retailers will learn how to use creative techniques to develop striking displays - from the simplest, cheapest ideas right through to spectacular, grand installations.

Special workshops will also boost the Knowledge Hub’s offering during 2012.  From getting under the skin of the latest trends to top security advice and ways to identify and ‘win’ different types of gardening consumers, the workshops will add an interactive edge to the Glee’s educational programme.

Any retailers wanting to make the most of on-line opportunities must attend the brand new E-commerce workshop entitled ‘Start selling online in less than 30 minutes’ taking place each day of the show.  Barclaycard has teamed up with Powa Technologies Limited, a global leader in eCommerce solutions, to provide retailers with everything they need to start selling online. Join Powa’s Steve Emecz for a live demonstration where he will build a web shop in just 30 minutes, followed by a Q&A session with best practice tips for selling online successfully.

Glee’s event director, Nick Davison said: “This year we are doing things differently. From the addition of the workshops and Trend Tunnel to the brand new Food & Catering Zone, in partnership with Vision Commercial Kitchens, and Guided Tours, we’ve listened to the audience and tailored our approach to content accordingly. There will be something for every retailer wanting to boost their business in 2013 and beyond.

“I’d like to also extend our thanks to The HTA for their continued support and assistance in developing our educational content.  Their expertise and knowledge of the changing marketplace are invaluable and will no doubt encourage retailers to take the time to attend one of our highly informative sessions.”

Glee is witnessing the UK launch of Smart Hose, an intelligent garden hose that expands in use and automatically retracts when not in use, making it the world’s most compact and easily manageable hose that never kinks.

Until now hoses have been fairly standard in design, and gardeners everywhere have had to put up with the continual laborious process of rolling them up after use to avoid annoying kinks that block the water flow next time around.

Smart Hose solves that problem as it automatically expands with the water flow from the tap, but more importantly, retracts as soon as the water pressure stops, meaning it can be just pushed back into a compact space after use.

It has also been designed so on expansion it does not, and will never kink, and water flow is interrupted as it is with standard hoses.

To see the Smart Hose in action visit stand D76. 

Forest Garden (5D04/E05) will launch a new ‘Accessible Gardening’ range at Glee tomorrow.

Forest say the offering, developed in an exclusive partnership with the Thrive charity, marks an exciting new chapter in the company’s product portfolio. 
Thrive helps people living with a disability or mental ill health to transform their lives through gardening and horticultural therapy.

With mass market appeal but designed with less able gardeners in mind, the Accessible Gardening range includes raised beds and. The compact nature of some designs also makes the range an ideal option where space is at a premium, making it easy for even more people to grow their own plants and vegetables.

Vicky Nuttall, head of marketing at Forest Garden, said: “The range has been specifically created to promote gardening for less able gardeners, from wheelchair users to those who have trouble bending, or simply need to sit down when working in the garden.  We understand that gardening shouldn’t be a chore but something to be enjoyed, and we hope that this new range alleviates some of the stress that can be experienced when accessibility becomes a problem.”

 She believes the range offers a unique opportunity for retailers to maximise sales within their key demographic.  “We know that this audience loves to garden, but it is only now that a garden timber product range has been adapted and directly targeted with them in mind,” she said. “To support retailers to push this message in-store we have also created a range of co-branded point-of-sale and merchandising displays that will help consumers to make informed decisions about the products that will make gardening more comfortable and enjoyable than ever before.”

Each of the products in Forest Garden’s Accessible Gardening range has also been road tested by members of Thrive at the charity’s gardens in Reading.  The testers praised them for their practicality and affordability for a wide range of gardeners, including the elderly, wheelchair users and those with limited mobility.   

The Accessible Gardening range will include existing products such as the Kitchen Garden Trough, Caledonian Raised Beds, Bamburgh Planter range and the Cascade Planter.  New products for 2013 will also include a new range of Table and Trough Planters, as well as a selection of Mini Garden Troughs.  A 2.5% donation from the sale of every Accessible Gardening product will also be donated to Thrive.

Anglo Eastern Trading (5A52) have a new range of plastic Chinese planters and baskets, soms hand-painted and others featuring a ‘glazed’ wipe-clean surface, believed to be a first in the UK market.  

Sales Director Nigel Guffogg is pictured with the Ruby Red and Midnight Blue versions of the impressive Aegean Bowl range, available in seven different warm Mediterranean colours. The composition is a mixture of clay and recycled plastics – environmentally friendly as well resistant to climate extremes.

 The planters come in a range of sizes from 3 litres to 40 litres, some with a label slot on the rim. Standard colours are terracotta and green but vibrant primary colours and earthy tones also feature. Bespoke tooling and specific Pantone colours are available to order.

Guffogg says the hand-painted lines fulfill a need for something different and unique. “It will evolve over the coming years,” he said.

You can download a catalogue at www.angloeasterntrading.co.uk

There's still time, just, for you to book your tickets for The Greatest Awards Party on September 17th, the first night of Glee, when all of The Greatest Awards winners for 2012 will be revealed.

The evening starts with reception drinks at 7:00pm, followed by a 3 course meal.  The Greatest Awards will then be presented to the winners by our special surprise Greatest celebrity and to keep us in the party mood there will be dancing to our Greatest live band - New Amen Corner.

Tickets cost £95.00 plus VAT for 1-2 tickets, £90.00 + VAT for 3-5 tickets, £85.00 for 5-9 tickets, £80.00 plus VAT each for a table of 10 or more.

Tickest can be purchased on-line here, or call Pat Flynn on 07778 313623, or e-mail pat.flynn@tgcmc.co.uk

Ticket Prices - including VAT

1 Ticket £114.00 GBP2 Tickets £228.00 GBP3 Tickets £324.00 GBP4 Tickets £432.00 GBP5 Tickets £510.00 GBP6 Tickets £612.00 GBP7 Tickets £714.00 GBP8 Tickets £816.00 GBP9 Tickets £918.00 GBP

Table Prices - includng VAT

Table of 10 £960.00 GBPTable of 12 £1,152.00 GBP

PARTY BOOKING FORM for postal or faxed ticket bookings

The judging for The Greatest Awards 2012 and the Jubilee Doorstep Challenge has come to and end and the winners certificates are being prepared for The Greatest Awards Spoecial Guest celebrity to hand over on Monday night.

Despite the difficult trading year The Greatest Awards has attracted nominations and entries from over 150 garden centre teams, teams who someone in the trade judges to be doing a great job.  On Monday 17^th September we’ll be announcing who are The Greatest Garden Centre relating teams.  All will be revealed at The Greatest Awards Party Night which is held at The National Motorcycle Museum, just across the M42 from the NEC. 

Teams from the following garden centres have been shortlisted by the judges for the awards:

• Altons
• Armitages Pennine
• Barton Grange
• Baytree
• Bents
• Bicester Avenue
• Birkacre
• Brigg
• Brimsmore
• Burston
• Busy Bee
• Byrkley
• Cadbury G&L
• Caulders Braidbar
• Chessington
• Cleeve Nursery
• Coletta & Tyson
• Coolings
• Cowells
• Davids Nurseries
• Endsleigh G&L
• Fairways, Ashbourne
• Fermoys
• Frosts - Brampton
• Frosts - Woburn Sands
• Garsons Esher
• Goredale
• Gouldings
• Goulds Weymouth
• Groves
• Houghton Hall
• Huntingdon G&L
• Kershaws
• Langlands Leeds
• Langlands Shiptonthorpe
• Loch Lomond
• Melbicks G&L
• Monkton Elm
• Old Railway Line
• Pennells Lincoln
• Perrywood
• Planters Tamworth
• Podington
• Poplars
• Poppies Oban
• Pot House Hamlet
• Raglan
• Scotsdales
• Shackletons
• Simpsons
• Squires Badshot Lea
• Stewarts GardenLands
• Strikes Northallerton
• Strikes Weavervale
• Sunshine
• Tenterden GC
• Value House
• Van Hage Chenies
• Van Hage Gt Amwell
• Van Hage Peterborough
• Webbs
• Whitehall Lacock
• Woodcote Green

To book your tickets for The Greatest Awards Party on September 17th, the first night of Glee, when all of The Greatest Awards winners for 2012 will be revealed, follow this link Buy your tickets on-line here or call 07778 313623.

The Greatest Awards 2012 are sponsored by: