Ground-breaking new garden products have been confirmed as the winners of the coveted Glee New Product Awards 2019, run in association with GTN...

The winning products were chosen by an expert panel of judges representing independent and multiple retailers, consumer gardening media and trade media.

After initial judging of the 362 new products entered first thing the judges selected finalists in each category. Then those finalists had the opportunity to meet the judges, answer questions and make a pitch to be chosen as the winner.

The results:

Garden Decoration: Jardinopia Cane Companions

Growing Containers: Primeur Tierra Verde Planters

Garden Growing Materials: Environmental Factor NamaKnight Nematodes Biological insect control

Garden Giftware, Home & Clothing: Joint winners – Luxa London,The Holly Branch Candlesticker and Smart Garden Products Faux Bouquets

Garden Landscaping: Patio Blackspot Removal Co Ltd, Stone King Restorer

Garden Leisure & Entertaining: Mookie Toys Muddy Madness Wooden Mud Kitchen

Garden Tools & Machinery: iTip Rotating Handles for Wheelbarrows

Garden Plants, Seeds & Bulbs: MNP Flowers, Granvia Gold Zerochrysum

Garden Retail & Industry Services: The Christmas Cabin, Vacu Bio Net Christmas Tree Netting

Garden Wild Bird and Wildlife Products: Jacobi Jayne, Easy Peasy Bird Food

Best House Plants and Accessories Award: Tradescantia Nanouk from Javado

Best of British Winner: iTip Rotating Handles for Wheelbarrows

Best Eco Initiative Award: Tierra Verde Planters by Primeur

Best Overall New Product at Glee:  Granvia Gold Zerochrysum from MNP Plants

With a record 362 entries this year, the Glee New Product Showcase, in association with GTN, generated huge interest as Glee opened on Tuesday morning with hundreds visitors heading to the stand as part of their planning of visits for the rest of the show.

Prior to the show opening, the panel of 10 Glee New Products judges started the process of making their selections from the 363 new products entered into the showcase across 11 product categories.

From the initial judging process the products with the Top 3 scores in each category have been announced and they now have the opportunity to make a 2 minute pitch to the judges this afternoon, before the final decisions on the winners are made.

Here is the list of shortlisted products:

Garden Decoration

DecoPak - 20Y40-Z41 - Rockin Pebbles and Pens

Jardinopia - 6S81 - Cane Companions

Primus - 6L20-M21 - RSPB Hand Crafted Wooden Birds

Growing Containers

Jagram – 20W20-X21 - Hexagonal Planters Set

Primeur – 19E10-E11 - Tierra Verde Planters

Vegepod – 8C75 - Vegebag

Woodlodge – 6S30-T31 - Weave Pots

Garden Growing Materials

Environmental Factor – 8B74 - NamaKnight Nenatopes Bio-logical insect control

Melcourt Industries Ltd - 7K19 - Melcourt Bag for Life

Natural Grower Ltd – 7J82 - Natural Soil Conditioner for Organic Growers

Garden Giftware, Home & Clothing

Greenkey Garden & Home – 19C35 - The Brick & Tile eco style recycled doormat

Luxa London – 7F70 - The Holly Branch Candlesticker

Smart Garden Products – 6L50 - The Faux Bouquets

Garden Landscaping

Azpects Ltd – 19E36 - EASY Garden Range

Kelkay – 6Q40-S41 - Feature Pebbles Midnight

Patio Blackspot Removal Co Ltd – 6L80 - Stone King Restorer

Garden Leisure & Entertaining

Capi Europe – 20V20 - The Rain Barrel Rib

EcoGrill UK – 19B72 - Eco Grill Eco Friendly BBQ

Mookie Toys – 6R10 - Muddy Madness Wooden Mud Kitchen

Garden Tools & Machinery

Handy Distribution – 6M40 - Greenworks Cordless Pressure Washer

Hotbin Composting – 6M70 - Hotbin Mini Composter

iTip – 19B64 - iTip Rotating Handles for Wheelbarrows

Garden Plants, Seeds & Bulbs

Javado - 19G40 -Tradescantia Nanouk

MNP Flowers – GH23 - Granvia Gold Zerochrysum

Wyevale Nurseries – GH3 - Agapanthus Poppin Purple

Garden Retail & Industry Services

Garden Pride Marketing – 7H36 - Guarded Pin Tree Stand

The Christmas Cabin – 20Y20 - Vacu Bio Net Christmas Tree Netting

Wheelie Klips Ltd – 19L15 - Klip ‘n’ Fresh

Garden Wild Bird and Wildlife Products

Leisuregrow Products – 6S50 - Bee Hive – Solar

Leisuregrow Products -6S50 - Insect Hotel – Solar

Jacobi Jayne - 6M90 - Easy Peasy Bird Food

Pet Products – in Hall 19 Pet New Product Area

Dickie Bag –19S60 - Neoskin Treat Bag

Scruffs –19Q32 - Scruffs Santa Paws Box Bed & Gift Set

Scruffs – 19Q32 - Thermal Blanket

Henry Bell – 8A50-B51 - Dog Gone Fishing

Trixie – 19Q30-R31 - Cat litter tray sieve-mat

Trixie – 19Q30-R31 - Dog Activity Flower Tower

George Barclay – 19R50-S51 - George Barclay Holmsley, Italain Leather Pet Carri

There’s a bewildering choice of ceramic pots and planters, and the space dedicated to the category in garden centres is testament to the growth in patio gardening over the past few years. 

But, thanks to AMES 160 years of global expertise and their £100million global turnover, Kelkay have benefited from unrivalled sourcing and supply chain access. That’s why Plant Avenue, Kelkay’s new brand of indoor and outdoor pots is a little different.

Ceramics, zinc and resin pots are certainly beautiful, but they can be heavy, easily damaged and prone to chips, sensitive to extremes of weather and sometimes pricey. Plant Avenue pots and planters are made from recycled* plastic, moulded and finished to look exactly like natural materials such as metal and ceramics. They’re very lightweight and affordable and when planted up its almost impossible to tell them from traditional conventional materials.

As the market has come to expect from Kelkay, they have also created a bespoke merchandising solution for Plant Avenue. There are four main collections, each dedicated to reflect current outdoor living trends, with a strong tiered display designed to hold a full collection and the accompanying branded POS is striking and distinctive. There’s also a range of traditionally styled ‘oak’ whisky barrels. 

Retail prices start at £9.99 In addition, there’s a range of promotional opportunities from Plant Avenue available in ready merchandised pallet units.  

*Plant Avenue pots are 100% recyclable and already have a minimum of 50% recycled content with a target of 100% within the next 2 years.

sales@kelkay.co.uk

www.kelkay.co.uk

Tel. 01405 869333

At Glee this year visitors are able to see the whole of the range of Corona tools now available in the UK.

With tools engineered for lasting performance, the brand is the choice of professionals as well as keen gardeners, and selected Corona lines were previewed at Glee last year to great acclaim. This September the entire UK selection will be at the show, offering exciting new opportunities to retailers.

For decades, Corona has been a by-word for quality in North America. Professionals and keen gardeners alike rely on Corona cutting tools, hand tools and long-handled tools for their long-lasting durability and performance. These trusted tools combine superb engineering with the highest quality materials and advanced technical design, to ensure that Corona tools are more than up to the job, however tough it gets.

The Corona ranges specially selected for the UK market include high quality cutting tools, saws, axes, digging tools and long-handled tools. These ranges offer a wide choice of designs, incorporating advanced technical features to create the perfect tool for every task - and for every gardener. Ranges include the MAX FORGED range of professional-grade tools built for strength and durability, and the ComfortGEL family of feature-rich tools for the keen domestic gardener; tools such as the patented FlexDIAL branch and stem pruner with adjustable dial for a custom fit (RRP £34.99).

Corona Tools is America’s leading tool innovator. From its beginnings in the Southern California orange groves back in 1928, when the invention of a small shear for harvesting oranges revolutionised the citrus industry, the manufacturer recently celebrated 90 years of growth, innovation, and engineering expertise.

Since its inception, Corona has excelled at combining the best of American engineering with a can-do approach to solving real problems. Its MAX tools offer the lasting sharpness, strength and durability which hard working landscape professionals depend on, season after season.

Corona tools are now available in the UK through Burgon & Ball, now also a part of the Venanpri global family of the finest hand tool brands, already home to Corona Tools. For further information, including a catalogue showing the complete range of tools, please visit www.coronatools.co.uk.

Apta’s Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep figures have been generating a buzz on the first day of Glee. They seem to be the focal point of an already busy stand, helped by appearances by Shaun the Sheep himself!

James Hoad, Apta’s Commercial Director, says “the Aardman characters have really captured customers’ imaginations, as they appeal to such a broad range of ages – Shaun is especially popular with children, and Wallace and Gromit are national treasures to anyone who’s seen their films over the last 30 years.”

See the cracking selection for yourself on stand 7J40-L41, 6L40-M41

A new grass seed mix that has been scientifically proven to resist damage caused by dog urine is being exclusively introduced by Johnsons Lawn Seed.

Tuffgrass with Dog Patch Resistance is a unique new product that has been formulated to banish the problem of yellow patches and dead areas of grass caused by dogs urinating on lawns. By incorporating naturally tolerant grass species, scorched patches in lawns will be consigned to history, without consumers having to change their dog’s diet or behaviour. Even if slight discolouration occasionally occurs, grass will recover.

World-leading grass seed specialist DLF Seeds, the parent company of Johnsons Lawn Seed, carried out 672 tests to simulate the effect of dog urine on individual types of grass. It tested 168 varieties of grass across seven species – trialing each variety with dog urine mixtures in four concentrations. Results showed that certain grasses offer better resistance to dog urine than others, while some did not suffer any detrimental effects.

Johnsons Lawn Seed’s Guy Jenkins said: “When dogs use a lawn as their toilet, acid in canine urine causes burns on the grass, a problem that in the past has forced consumers to undertake time-consuming lawn repairs. By introducing dog patch resistant grass seed, gardeners will benefit from lawns that are robust enough to cope with the stress caused by even concentrated dog urine, without discolouration or patches.

“The development of dog patch resistant grass seed was based on rock solid data from trials, with the product rigorously tested by scientists at DLF Seeds in Denmark. Following extensive research and development, we are bringing to market a unique product that has proven its ability to create dog-resistant lawns that are tough enough to stand up to the wear and tear of family use. As an added bonus, it has an excellent resistance to low temperatures and snow, with improved drought-resistance,” Guy added.

Establishing a new lawn using Tuffgrass with Dog Patch Resistance is a one-off job and requires no more effort than sowing any other type of lawn from seed. For consumers who are unable to renew their entire lawn, existing turf can be overseeded with dog patch resistant grass seed in autumn or spring.

Overseeding will gradually introduce patch resistant grass into established lawns, which will steadily gain the benefits of dog urine resistance over time.  For consumers who have only a small amount of dog urine damage in their lawn, dog patch resistant grass seed can be used to repair affected areas.

In line with consumer trends for products that are kind to the environment, Johnsons’ dog patch resistant mixtures are natural and safe for family use. The product contains 100% grass seed and nothing else.

Visit Johnsons Lawn Seed at Glee (stand 8B50-C51) to be first to see Tuffgrass with Dog Patch Resistance, which has an SRP of £4.15 for a 250gm pack and £7.25 for 500gm. A 1.5kg pack has an SRP of £16.99 while a large 5kg pack has an SRP of £44.00.

Find out more

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

If there’s one message that will resonate loudly across the halls of Birmingham’s NEC as Glee gets underway, it’s that environmental issues are topping the agenda for the gardening industry. But with so many eco-friendly claims being made, what differentiates genuine initiatives from corporate greenwash? GIMA council member and Deco-Pak Marketing Director, Craig Hall, outlines six ways in which the landscaping and decorative aggregates supplier is taking action to cut its plastic footprint and protect wildlife, delivering results that set a benchmark for sustainable business.

1) Turning trash into treasure: Deco-Pak’s new EcoStone range raises the bar when it comes to sustainability, transforming waste materials once destined for landfill into decorative aggregates that meet the latest design trends. Glasglo are new translucent tumbled glass stones, pot topper stones and cobbles made from recycled televisions; EcoStone Rubber Chippings give new life to former tyres, recycled into chippings that provide safe play areas and act as a weed-suppressing mulch, while EcoStone Sea Shells – sourced from a whelk processing factory, transform pots and terrariums when used as a dressing, and provide natural slug control in borders, too.

2) Thinking about the birds and the bees: Pollinator decline is a global crisis, with numbers of bees and beneficial insects in freefall. As concern escalates over how flowers, fruit and vegetables will be pollinated in years to come, Deco-Pak is adding new designs of Insect Hotels that allow consumers to create essential habitats for threatened pollinators. Made from FSC wood, these sustainable wildlife havens tick all the boxes for eco gardens and will provide havens for struggling bees and insects. For every insect hotel sold, five pence will be donated to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

3) Getting tough on plastic: While all our packaging is recyclable, Deco-Pak intends to ultimately eliminate single-use plastics by closing the loop. We are currently researching and trialling ways to further reduce virgin plastic content in packaging with our bag suppliers, however in the near future we intend to further highlight the way in which plastics can be recycled effectively by consumers and retailers alike.

4) Become plastic neutral: Visit the Deco-Pak stand at Glee (Hall 20, stand Y40-Z41) and find out about our exciting plan for staff to become plastic neutral. It means we’ll be offsetting our plastic footprint by donating to plastic retrieval charity partners, which help underprivileged communities around the world who collect plastic waste from oceans and exchange it for benefits such as currency, education and healthcare. It’s a fantastic way to make a real difference. At Glee, our shirts will be made from recycled plastic!

5) Supporting pollinator charity: Deco-Pak’s new EcoPave Decorative Stepping Stones, which feature attractive bee designs, are made from 30% recycled materials and are manufactured using locally sourced materials. A percentage of sales from these charming honeycomb inspired shaped stepping stones will also support the work of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

6) Supplying sustainable products: Deco-Pak’s Alpine EcoRacer is a prime example of a new product that delivers on sustainability. This stylish midnight black eco sledge is backed by a rock solid eco pledge – not only is it made from 100% recycled plastic, but it’s manufactured in the UK, too.

Find out more

To see Deco-Pak’s latest introductions please visit the company on stand at Glee 2019, Hall 20, stand Y40-Z41.

Fiskars continues to lead the way when it comes to the delivery of results-driven marketing campaigns to help enhance sales for retail partners.

The company is following on from its highly successful ‘0% Stress, 100% Happiness’ spring campaign with an autumn ‘0% Leaves, 100% Happiness’ promotion, which aims to capitalise on the increase in gardening activity in preparation for the winter months.

Customers who purchase a Fiskars tool between 2nd September and 10th November, can enter into a competition to win a garden makeover contribution of £3,000, or one of 10 garden toolkits worth £370 each. The launch of this campaign is set to attract significant consumer interest and will also help to drive footfall.

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

This year at Glee we are excited to announce that 2020 will see the introduction of new and improved Supreme Green Lawn Care range.

Our popular Supreme Green Lawn Seed and Liquid Lawn Feed will have an eye catching new livery and the range will now include a 4.5kg granular Lawn Feed & Improver containing active biology. Empathy now offers gardeners the chance to establish lawns with optimal biology and to further feed both the turf and the soil that supports it throughout the year.

The launch of our Lawn Feed & Improver is especially exciting as in conjunction with our eco-friendly packaging suppliers, we are pleased to announce that the beautifully in mould decorated printed TUB, will be made from recycled material that would normally be destined for landfill, put simply this means that 100% recyclable packaging becomes packaging again.

Last year saw the launch of RHS Wild Bird Feed, a considered range of top selling lines that can be supplied with a fully merchandised shelf unit. PlantWorks have had much support from the Royal Horticultural Society and the RHS branding is now featured on most of our Empathy products, adding both technical credibility as well as increasing brand value and recognition for retail customers.

All the Empathy gardening and bird food ranges will be on show on the PlantWorks stand at Glee 2019 and will be supplied with the same rapid service and care that Garden Centres have come to enjoy when working with us. We look forward to meeting you there.

The focus on ‘Green’ products has never been more important and the trend is only set to keep on growing.  Primeur works hard to innovate new garden products made from recycled rubber tyres which would otherwise be sent to landfill or to be burnt. 

The team are happy to be back at Glee 2019 to showcase their expanding, innovative range of Eco-Friendly products.

With a wide range of multiple award-winning products including Stepping Stones, Garden Borders, Planters, Decking and Mulch, the collection offers customers a unique solution to help the environment through recycling and reducing the use of plastics.  The products are also incredibly hard wearing, easy to install, maintenance free and will last for many, many years.

Designed to replicate the look of traditional stone without the same disadvantages of the heavy weight, or a plastic product with a tendency for cracking and breaking in the cold weather.  The recycled rubber garden borders also have the added benefit of flexibility, allowing the consumer to bend these around the natural lines of their garden.

Also displayed on this year’s stand will be the Mighty Mats doormat range which includes environmentally friendly products such as the Scrape ‘n’ Sorb® and Contours floor mats which are also made using recycled rubber. 

As part of the Mighty Mats doormat range, 2019 will also see the launch of a Charity Christmas Doormat which 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

There was such a fantastic response to the landscaping range launched last season that Smart has adopted a new word for this massively expanded collection for 2020, “Smartscaping”, which perfectly embodies what Smart is trying to achieve with the products in this core gardening category.

There are 90 new products in this range for the 2020 season, covering a range of gardening essentials: Nets & Meshes, Wire Netting & Fencing, Films & Fabrics, Weed Control, Edgings and a wide choice of handy Garden Extras. Within this selection, there is also adding a selection of popular items in both pre-pack and bulk roll formats.

A multitude of garden usefulness!

This also enables our customers to buy many of their core stock lines in one delivery from Smart – how convenient is that?!

Extra-large amaryllis bulbs are proving a big draw to the Taylors Bulbs stand (6N03) on day one of Glee and are stopping visitors in their tracks. 

The supersize bulbs are the same size as those offered at last year’s GLEE and are true showstoppers, timed to arrive as amaryllis are about to hit the shop floors of garden retailers nationwide at the beginning of October. 

“Amaryllis kits have become an important season in their own right and sales have grown consistently year-on-year driven largely by the increase in popularity of the Taylors Premium amaryllis gift boxes” said Adam Taylor, Director of Taylors Bulbs.  “These extra-large bulbs were very popular last year and we know they catch the eye of discerning garden retailers.  Earlier this spring, we then had people sending us pictures of the flowers they had grown on social media.  They caused quite a stir.”

Also on promotion from Taylors are Extra Large Allium christophii bulbs, Snowdrop bulbs as big as tulips, and the spiderlike Foxtail Lilies.  The giant Eremurus have become a staple of the Taylors stand at Glee and commonly feature in Halloween displays in garden centres.

Adam added; “We always like to bring some big bulbs here to GLEE and the growing season always offers different options.  The giant Snowdrop bulbs were here last year but are an even bigger size, and the star patterned giant flower heads of Allium christophii always make it a popular variety so these extra large bulbs will be even more impressive in the garden.”

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

Zest 4 Leisure had an excellent first day at Glee, with huge interest in its new range of timber garden products, in particular the innovative Santorini swing, “on trend” Appleton Gazebo and the new range of decorative aggregate.

The Santorini swing has been designed with comfort and style in mind and features bowed laminated supports and side trellis panels, giving it a beautifully enhanced look and offers uninterrupted panoramic views of the landscape.

Alwyn Williams, Head of Zest 4 Leisure said: “We were delighted with the response that we received for the new timber product range. Visitors to our stand complimented us on the elegant look of the Santorini Swing and it was also pointed out that the Appleton Gazebo is ideal to support the current trend in outdoor entertaining.”

Another product Zest have launched today at Glee is the Tiverton Charity Planter raising 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.

Commenting on the Planter, Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Greenfingers said: “We are thrilled that Zest 4 Leisure has chosen to support us this year and are sure this lovely new planter will appeal to lovers of large and small gardens and also those who are keen to pretty-up their balconies and courtyards. The funds raised through sales, will help us to bring the gift of a garden to more life-limited children in hospices and also help to raise the profile of Greenfingers Charity.”

The wide range of products on display on stand #20Z30 included decorative garden furniture, beautifully displayed Grow Your Own products, fencing, trellis, gazebos, arches and the new range of decorative aggregate.

The Zest aggregate range includes a choice of coloured decorative gravel, MultiCem Mix® and pre-crated rockery stone.

Steve Morgan, Managing Director at Zest 4 Leisure commented: “Our new aggregate range compliments our timber garden products allowing gardeners to easily change the look and feel of their outdoor space. Decorative Aggregate has been introduced in response to customer demand and I’m pleased to say it is available now. Products are packed and stored onsite at our Saltney depot, ready for dispatch.” 

Zest 4 Leisure reported a busy first day on the stand with the team talking to visitors and introducing its new product range and discussing with customers their commitment to continuous improvement.

Zest 4 Leisure is looking forward to another busy day tomorrow. Visit stand #20Z30 to see its 2020 timber garden products and new aggregate range and to meet the team, or visit www.zest4leisure.co.uk.

Woodlodge, the UK’s leading supplier of pots, containers and outdoor living accessories, has taken the wraps off its newly branded Water Studio range at Glee – a stylish line-up of plug-in-and-go water features that are set to drive outdoor living sales in 2020.

Featuring innovative branding, Woodlodge’s aquatic offering will be split into five key ranges, helping retailers to cater for a wide spectrum of consumer tastes. The Blossom, Modena, Classic, Earthenware and Indoor ranges will offer inspirational designs that appeal to shoppers looking for the ultimate in style and convenience.

Water Studio will retain Woodlodge’s proven approach to water features, with each model incorporating a pump. Consumers need only add water and plug-in to enjoy a relaxing water feature that blends seamlessly into any garden setting – whether it’s a balcony, urban patio, indoor area or traditional suburban garden.

Made from the finest materials and designed to bring authentic detail to outdoor spaces, each water feature comes with a 10-metre cable, allowing consumers to position units for the ultimate effect without being restricted by the location of power suppliers. In a further move to boost convenience, no water source is needed.

Michael Wooldridge, Managing Director at Woodlodge, said: “It is well documented that the sound of water adds an atmosphere of serenity and relaxation to any garden setting. Woodlodge’s newly-branded Water Studio range combines the ultimate in style and convenience, creating a line-up that will appeal to consumers regardless of the size of their garden. With a growing segment of the population restricted by limited outdoor space, Water Studio water features provide the perfect solution for consumers who crave the soothing sound of water but lack the time and space to install and maintain a traditional garden pond. The extensive range of styles incorporated into Water Studio will help retailers to expand sales in 2020 and beyond.”

Woodlodge is known for refreshing up to a third of its range each year to drive category growth and stimulate impulse sales. The company expects demand for water features to be further driven by television garden makeovers, which have proven their ability to ramp-up consumer interest in outdoor living. Retail buyers can experience the newly-branded Water Studio collection and witness the range’s extensive sales appeal, by visiting the Woodlodge exhibition space at Glee (stand 6S30-T31).

To find out more about Woodlodge’s new Water Studio collection, or the company’s market-leading product offering, visit www.woodlodge.co.uk

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

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!

Squirrel Ban is a premium seed mix treated with Garden Pride’s patterned Chillimega which realises on a very powerful American Chilli.

To get Chilli this powerful it was extracted from a genetically modified crop which was banned from Europe in 2015. Dispute this Chilli not being for Human consumption Europe would not allow us to import this into England and we were forced to very sadly remove Squirrel ban from the market.

However, through selective breeding and working closely with America the USA have been able to replicate a powerful enough chilli in a non GM form allowing us to reformulate Chillimega and relaunch squirrel ban into the UK market.

Squirrel Ban FAQS.

What is Squirrel Ban?
A premium seed blend that has been treated with chillimega™

What is Chillimega ™?
It’s a quality blend of nutritional oils and chill extracts. It’s packed with vitamins and omega goodness with hot chilli to deter the squirrels.

How does it work?
Squirrels, rats and mice have a receptor that tells them chilli is hot and to avoid it. However birds do not have this receptor and therefore they eat it normally without knowing its there.

Is it natural?
Totally natural! In the wild the heat of chilli protects it from animals that would normally eat it but its seeds are spread by the birds that are naturally immune to the heat. It’s totally harmless to birds, squirrels and humans.

What’s it suitable for?
It’s ideal for all bird types and is best feed from any standard bird seed feeder.

If you are visiting Glee this year, looking for new exciting lines to boost sales throughout the year – take a look at the great ranges G Plants are exhibiting in Hall 8 stand D92.

As part of the glee 2019 product launch, G Plants have created a fantastic ‘multi-buy display’ offer, ideal for garden centre sales.

Following the success of the BEES^® Seed Mat video display unit and the popularity of their best selling Shake n Rake^® seed shakers, G Plants have launched a new video unit for Bee Friends^® ECO Box seed shakers as part of their pollinator friendly gardens range.

To boost sales throughout the year, G Plants have also created a double wooden display unit, which can be filled with unique season long gift lines from their best selling BEES^® brand, or mix and match with other gifts from their range for maximum sales.

All of the new retail-display units will be on display at Glee, so visit their stand for more information on how to receive the best discounts on 3 display units (2 video units and 1 double gift unit).

Alternatively if you can’t make it to glee this year, please contact G Plants Ltd direct by email sales@gplants.com

Or download the latest brochure visit www.gplants.com

The recent surge in sales within the house plants sector which is up 31% year on year, has led Meadow View Stone to develop a new ground-breaking product.

This latest innovation in house plant technology will complement and actively cross sell into the decorative aggregate sector in which we specialise.

We are delighted to introduce our new Potstars collection which brings together a selection of highly decorative, smaller graded gravels in eight distinctly different colours and styles. 

These decorative gravels and sands can be used in conjunction with Easihold, a water based, resin fixing spray which binds the stones together.

Potstars creates a decorative bound surface that stops animal or child related soil dramas that are usually associated with loose gravels.  

This easy to use spray contains NO harsh chemicals yet is tough enough to create a firm but flexible finish that is fully permeable and helps to alleviate moisture evaporation.

The product is suitable for any plants, trees or shrubs, pots or troughs, with a recommended laying depth of the gravels or sand at 20mm.

The Easihold spray when applied will then fix and bind the 5mm top layer of gravel in a strong, durable finish, but will leave a loose buffer layer of stones directly contactable with the soil or substrate below. This allows the finished surface to be more pliable and easier to remove and re-pot over time.

It hides away unsightly roots, soil or compost, and enhances any house plant to create a decorative feature in the home.

Potstars and Easihold stone binder collection is the latest innovation in house plant technology.

Come and see us at Glee 2019 on stand 19C30-D31 to find out more about this fantastic new product for the house plant sector.

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.

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 Emoji Company to create a truly unique, fun and exciting range of 3D embossed Emoji wall plaques. Made from metal, in bright and vibrant colours, they are an ideal decoration for teenagers and children’s rooms, games rooms and anywhere you want to bring in the fun!

The launch range includes five plaques:

• Smiley Face
• Smiling Face with Heart Eyes
• Face with Tears of Joy
• Smiling Face with Sunglasses
• Winking Face

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

The designs will appeal to all generations and make great gifts for parents to hand out. The fun packaging will work in any retail environment, including Garden Centres and Gift Shops.

Additional designs will be sent to shelves across the country throughout 2020.

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

Job done® Garden Ultrafast Weedkiller is the new Glyphosate free solution from the revolutionary Job done® range from SBM Life Science LTD.

A ready to use spray for easy application, it also has a unique “see where you’ve been” formulation, making weedkilling an easy job! Targeting a wide range of weeds, as well as moss & algae, results can be seen in one hour and is ideal for use on natural surfaces.

Head of SBM Life Science LTD UK, Nick Walton states, “It is our ambition to become a worldwide leader for Home & Garden solutions, by offering an innovative portfolio that will continue to meet the evolving expectations of the UK and Ireland gardening markets.”

He continues, “As the landscape continues to evolve and look further at greener, more natural solutions we feel that it is important to answer these needs. Glyphosate, which is in a large proportion of weedkillers on retailers’ fixtures continues to attract media coverage and whilst we will continue to support this active whilst it is registered, we are taking this opportunity to launch a natural herbicide under the growing Job Done® brand at GLEE this year to support the changing needs of our consumers”.

Job done® Garden Ultrafast Weedkiller is available in 1L and 3L bottles.

SBM Life Science LTD will be showcasing the new Job done® Garden Ultrafast Weedkiller as well as its full product portfolio at Glee 2019, Stand 7G70-H71 – make sure you visit!

The new Nature Groove collection is inspired, as the name says, by grooves. In particular, it takes inspiration from the vertical grooves in rocks and mountains that arise from natural changes occurring over the years.

Made in Holland collection:

Part of our production takes place in our own factory in Tilburg. You can recognise these planters by their unique orange interior. This was intended to represent their place of origin and it is nowadays a recognisable feature of our brand. The orange layer also provides the planters with insulation, offering your plants extra protection against both heat and cold.

We have paid particular attention to the design of our Made in Holland series. Although these pots can be used outdoors irrespective of the wind and weather, we’ve noticed that more and more customers are using them indoors

as a design object. That is why our Made in Holland planters are designed for indoor & outdoor use.

All Made in Holland flowerpots are UV- and frost-resistant, as well as being fracture resistant and extremely light, which makes them both convenient to use and easy to maintain.

All of the pots manufactured in the Netherlands are made with recycled materials and 100% recyclable. Therefore they are very sustainable. Due to these features, we can guarantee high quality planters with a long lifespan and we provide a 10 year warranty with this collection.

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.

A giant wooden garden bench towers over the furniture displays on the Charles Taylor Trading stand (20U20-V21) to punch home the message that the company is the UK’s largest suppliers of benches.

While not for retail sales, the bench makes a dramatic natural prop for garden centres looking to create a touch of retail theatre in their outdoor leisure departments – and six had been sold for that purpose by the time Glee Daily News called on the stand earlier today.

Other news from the brand included the launch of the new Gold Series of benches and chairs which have been tanalised for extra long life and thus  carry an impressive 20-year guarantee. Buyers can take advantage of show offers – for example, the Gold two-seater bench is available from £64.95.

The usual Charles Taylor Bakers Dozen Event – buy 12 and get 13 – offers a useful discount on a range of planters and window boxes.

Information: click here (www.charlestaylortrading.com) or call 01538 361382

Bord na Móna has launched the Happy Compost range at Glee, 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.”

Everyone wants a nice green lawn but what do you do when your lawn suffers from a prolong period of drought which leaves it looking parched and dried out?

Many garden advisers think that nitrogen equals green, but they are wrong. Pushing nitrogen at a parched lawn is not good practice even when it starts to rain. This is because the grass plant is already stressed and trying to put all its efforts into producing new green leaves will ultimately just weaken the plant even more.

At DJ Turfcare we have proven time and again that the best way to solve this problem is to stimulate the roots so that they begin to develop quickly. The whole plant can then take up the nutriments it needs to recover and produce the strong green leaf we are looking for without stressing the plant further.

Achieving beautiful lawns is easy with Recovery from DJ Turfcare

The key is to stimulate the micro-organisms in the soil. They play a key role; first, they move the nutriments through the soil and take them to the plant roots. They also attach themselves to the grass roots stimulating growth and helping them to develop the fine hairs which in turn take up the goodness that feed the rest of the plant.

Viano – a leading supplier of organic fertilisers - has developed a product specially designed to do just this. Recovery contains a special compound (Humifirst) which stimulates micro-organisms and causes them to multiply rapidly. Humifirst contains both humic and fulvic acids which in together improves the soil physically, chemically and biologically. When this fertiliser is applied the root development is dramatic, and the lawn is fed for up to three months. Because the roots are stimulated the plant easily takes up the nutrients first of all nourishing and encouraging root growth which then feeds the rest of the plant.

Burned up lawns need not be a disaster but an opportunity for garden centres to demonstrate their know-how and provide the help their customers need.

About Recovery

Recovery 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 fertilisers improve soil structure by increasing organic matter and stimulating soil organisms. Unlike chemical-based products, organic fertilisers don’t dissolve quickly but instead are broken down by micro-organisms in the soil, resulting in better plant growth and development with no leaching.

Crucially, Viano organic feeds won’t burn plants, and they don’t contain any risky organic waste materials. It’s a winning formula that’s good for an increasingly eco-focused generation of gardeners, for retailers to grow sales of lawncare products, and of course for the environment.

Find out more

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

The multi award-winning artificial grass supply and installation brand, Easigrass, is showcasing the latest in its innovative product range at Glee.

Visitors to the trade event can experience first-hand the incredibly realistic RHS-medal winning artificial grass lawn products in the Easigrass show area, which also features the industry-acclaimed Easi-Wall and popular Easi-Animal sculptures.

As the UK’s premier supplier and installer of exceptional quality artificial grass and flora, the talented Easigrass design team continue to fashion some of the most unique and creative designs in the gardening world for the creation of low maintenance green landscapes. Visitors to this year’s Glee can discuss bespoke domestic and commercial projects with the experienced Easigrass professionals, as well as discover how the brand can enhance their business supply, design and development opportunities.

The premier artificial grass brand, which already has long-standing successful established partnerships with Squires and John Lewis, also plans to expand its high-end retail market presence by working closely with other garden retail outlets in the UK. Garden centres owners are invited to discuss the opportunities available to become a retail partner and sell RHS award winning grass direct in store.

As part of the eye-catching display in the Easigrass showcase area, the contractor and landscaper artificial grass – first launched in 2018 - will be featured, in addition to the RHS Gold Medal premier domestic garden and pet range. The industry acclaimed Easi-Wall will also be on show. Meticulously built by hand in England with high quality hand-picked artificial flowers – which have been carefully selected to mirror the look and feel of natural vertical planting – Easi-Wall continues to inspire and transform the possibilities of unique inside and outside garden design.

Easigrass is the number one choice for high quality artificial grass supply and installation. The brand’s headquarters is based in Greater London, overseeing a partnership network across the entire UK and a team of international partners across four continents.

Harrod Horticultural are excited to be launching the hand crafted traditional Southwold Garden Furniture Collection in Hall 7 at GLEE that is distinctive for comfort, style and quality.

The timeless designs feature 3 shapes of dining table, as well as bistro and coffee table designs, different variations of benches and chairs too. 

All are made from high grade steel which combined with excellence in British engineering and market leading finishing delivers exceptional quality that is made to last generations. In particular, careful consideration for comfort has been at the cornerstone of the design process, making these the choice for outdoor dining and relaxing.  

Offered with home delivery options, Harrod looking forward to working with the retail centres, offering point of sale display and brochures to support selling the range.

Timeless Elegance

Harrod’s designs are inspired by traditional English blacksmith furniture which became popular at the start of the industrial revolution over 200 years ago. Many of the shapes, forms and general look and feel quote directly from this heritage. 

Enduring Comfort

Where the Harrod designs differ from tradition however, is the depth of study and care taken to ensure that the furniture is as much comfortable as beautiful. Much thought has gone into the ergonomics of the seat designs and careful selection of material section and thickness to ensure just the right amount of ‘give’ is coupled with the required structural strength. The chair designs for example use a range of thicknesses of strip steel depending on the design need. The legs use 8mm thick strip for strength and rigidity whereas the seat base and back rest uses 3mm slats to give comfort and spring to the seat base. Cushions can be ordered with the furniture for ultimate comfort but we are confident that even without padding the chairs will be kind to your behind.

High Skilled Production

All of our furniture is hand made by skilled technicians and finished in our workshops in Suffolk where we have been manufacturing for over 65 years. Due to the handmade nature of the products all pieces are unique, these slight differences add up to sets of furniture with real soul and charm in a world of mass produced conformity. Before final finishing all of the products are dipped in a bath of molten zinc which envelops the steel in a blanket of sacrificial rust protection. Each furniture piece is therefore extremely tough and durable, and with a substantial weight, so will withstand the most extreme British weather.   

Durable Finishes

The furniture collection is guaranteed against rust for 10 years and structurally for 15 years, but testing suggests that the furniture can genuinely be considered as heirloom pieces that will last for generations if looked after.

Before the final finish, all furniture is hot dipped galvanised.

Painted Finish - high temperature powder coated in a 5 stage process using a technically advanced spray-line.

‘Etched’ Finish - the product is chemically ‘etched’ by hand after the zinc coating is applied leaving an antiqued appearance which improves as the product weathers. The magic of this finish, is that the character of each piece only improves with age, the more seasons pass the more the appearance is enhanced.

Seat Cushions

Make seating extra comfy with classically tailored, high quality external grade acrylic canvas seat cushions (PU coated). In a stylish pale grey colour, the rain resistant design is complete with button detail and 5mm piping around the top and bottom seams.

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

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

The team behind the popular Willow Wand has unveiled its new self-contained trolley display units, perfect for helping retailers drive sales instore.

Pre-loaded with 100 Willow Wands, in three sizes, the display unit has been designed to make it unbelievably easy for retailers to start selling; simply unload, wheel into position and let consumers take their pick.

Based on a Euro-trolley design, the new Willow Wand display units serve as both secure transport, and also a superb eye-catching display with full point of sale materials to maximise sales. What’s more, the tiny 0.48m2 footprint offers significant profit potential, with featured stock offering an RRP of £1,500, supported by great profit margins.

The full trolley - delivered for free, and collected at the end of the season - can be purchased for £455 excluding VAT, offering a great ROI, and makes it easy to maximise sales in high-footfall areas thanks to the flexibility that is afforded by the mobile unit. What’s more, retailers can re-order more stock and top-up orders at any time, enabling them to better manage stock handling throughout the season.

Simon Read, Willow Wand MD, said: “Willow Wands are proven to offer great gifting, and pick-up line potential, which is why we have created this new trade display unit. Placing it in store within high footfall areas couldn’t be easier, whilst the dedicated point of sales material does the hard work for you, delivering a great return on investment. With three different sizes of Willow Wand available, and prices ranging from RRP £10 - £20, there is something for all tastes and budgets, whilst the ease of use of the product means repeat sales, and great cross-selling potential with pots and planters.”

About Willow Wand

Hardy Willow Wands are hand-crafted in the UK from nine living willow stems, each expertly selected by the company’s master weavers. The finished product – a stunning symmetrical wand that forms an eye-catching feature in any garden – is woven by hand with impeccable accuracy and skill.

Stems of the Willow Wand remain fixed at the same height, but over the years they’ll graft together and become one single willow trunk, while retaining a beautiful twisted decorative effect.

In as little as six weeks after planting, decorative stems of the Willow Wand will have grown a delightful topiary crown. All gardeners have to do is trim the crown into any desired shape – no expertise is needed. Wands create wow factor when planted as a centre piece, in groups or to form standard decorative hedging. They’ll thrive in sun or shade.

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

Looking for a more sustainable fire log to offer your customers? Coffee Logs are made from recycled coffee grounds, collected from businesses throughout the UK.

A compact fire log for wood burners and multi-fuel stoves, Coffee Logs are sustainably made from recycled coffee grounds and they really turn up the heat. Burning 20% hotter and longer than kiln-dried wood, Coffee Logs help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the heavy carbon footprint created by coal.

Coffee Logs are made from waste coffee grounds collected from cafes, offices and instant coffee factories, and even airports, train stations and universities throughout the UK, giving your daily hit of caffeine a second life. In fact, each Coffee Log is made from around 25 cups of coffee!

The UK alone drinks 95 million cups of coffee every day, fuelling not only the daily grind but also a growing amount of unnecessary waste. All that barista brilliance creates around half a million tonnes of wet coffee grounds typically headed for landfill, where they emit harmful greenhouse gases, including methane.

By recycling the nation’s cappuccinos into Coffee Log heating briquettes, we reduce emissions by 80% compared to those grounds sitting in landfill, making these efficient Logs a sustainable alternative for fuelling your fire without heating the planet.

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.

Interested to find out more? Come by our stand (6S19) for a chat. And while you’re there, be 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.

Outdoor surface and patio care specialist Azpects are in attendance at Glee to exhibit their new consumer-friendly EASYGarden range and give away a fantastic 50” TV.

To help celebrate their 10-year anniversary and the launch of their new gardener-focused range, Azpects are pulling out all the stops for Glee and offering a chance to win a 50” Smart TV simply by visiting them at stand 19E36.

With their new EASYGarden range, their trade professional-strength and trade-favourite products are available for the first time in convenient consumers packs. Ideal for garden centres, DIY stores and builders merchants keen to increase year-round revenue, the range features ten products delivering exceptional cleaning and protection for patios, decks, paths and features. They can even help restore greenery and artificial grass!

Here’s a quick look at some of the stand out products in the range:

1. EASY Patio & Deck Cleaner

Stubborn dirt and grime can make patio and decking appear tired and unloved. This powerful multi-purpose cleaner is one of the fastest and most effective ways to tackle unsightly marks and mould. It’s easy to use and can be applied to decking, sheds, fences, driveways and even ornaments. Like their EASY Algae Remover, it goes on cleaning and protecting long after application.

2. EASY Grass & Foliage Greener

Brown lawn and lacklustre leaves can take the shine off an otherwise stunning garden. Azpects’ innovative solution is a water-based and bridgeable greener which you can simply spray onto grass and plants for an instant burst of green. In just minutes, gardeners can produce a faultless effect that lasts for weeks. It’s ideal for special events!

3. EASY Ornament & Statue Cleaner

Ornaments, statues, headstones and other features often take pride of place in gardens but can soon attract dirt and grime. Our rejuvenating EASY Ornament & Statue Cleaner is a non-solvent and non-acidic cleaner which quickly removes natural soiling and revitalises concrete and stone. Results can be seen quickly with further improvements and protection after 24 hours.

Azpects have gained a strong reputation amongst professionals as the best all-weather cleaning and protection products for patios, decking and hard outdoor surfaces. Now available in three handy sizes for consumers, they’re proving equally popular amongst the UK’s gardeners and householders.

For more information visit stand 19E36 or azpects.co.uk/gardenproducts

In addition to new products and promotions in its ClipGlove and Peter Rabbit ranges, Treadstone Products is launching many new products in its ‘The Good Life’ range.

The new Recycled Pot Range is 100% recycled and also 100% recyclable, thus reducing environmental impact and plastic waste.  The heavy-duty pots are made in Italy and feature a unique, textured surface and on-trend mocha colour reminiscent of natural clay.  The neutral colour not only looks great in any environment, but it is the perfect foil for both flowering and foliage plants.  The range includes Cylinder Pots, Troughs and Saucers and is supplied with a ‘chalkboard’ style display table.

A stunning new addition to the company’s portfolio is the Gardeners Pick & Mix range, featuring 20 best-selling garden accessories.  Treadstone thinks it is the most ‘mouth-watering’ way to sell garden sundries!  Consumers simply fill the boxes provided for a fixed retail price.  Not only does the concept provide a stunning addition to the shop floor, it also eliminates the need for plastic retail packaging because the cardboard ‘fill boxes’ provided are 100% recycled and recyclable!

Also making its debut at the show is the new Cottage Garden Raised Bed.  This stunning circular raised bed is 80cm in diameter and includes an 8-pole 1.5m wigwam.  The bed itself is hand-woven using natural willow on a sturdy steel frame.  The bed is easily assembled using hook & eye fittings and is available with an eye-catching display bin.

For the perfect linked sale to terracotta and ceramic pots, why not try the new Terraced Pot Stands?  These clever wire frames are available in different heights and diameters to create stunning cascade features on patios and decks. The brushed pewter finish looks good with all pot designs, both traditional and contemporary.  As an added sales feature, the towers can also be used in pots or borders as conical trellis.

Treadstone’s stand is located at A49 in Hall 8.

There’s a seismic shift taking place that’s shaking-up established categories in garden retail. Where packs of chemical fertilisers and soil improvers once dominated, retail managers are tailoring their offering to cater for a new generation of gardeners who will only grow flowers, fruit and vegetables organically – and take time to track down products with genuinely green credentials.

Much of the growth in the sustainable gardening sector has come from the upwards march of grow-your-own. It’s estimated that more than 90,000 Brits remain on allotment waiting lists, with more than half of the population dabbling at kitchen gardening at home. The biggest revolution, however, is being driven by growth in the number of vegans.

It is estimated that there are now 3.5million vegans in the UK (*Comparethemarket, 2018). Similarly, a report in The Guardian last year found 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.

The growth in veganism has huge implications for garden retail. Traditionally, gardeners have relied on products such as blood, fish and bone – as well as synthetic fertilisers – to boost nutrient levels in flower borders and veg plots. But 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.

A rapidly expanding brand

At the forefront of this revolution is Natural Grower, a new and rapidly expanding brand with a growing list of stockists. Natural Grower products are approved by The Soil Association, Organic Farmers and Growers, and The Vegan Society, so both novice and experienced gardeners can harness the benefits with full confidence that the fertilisers are truly organic as well as being free from animal by-products.

Owner of Natural Grower, Charlotte Beaty, points out that consumers are looking for “effective, organic and vegan-friendly fertiliser solutions”. She explains: “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 by-products in them, so vegan growers have been delighted to finally have a nutrient-rich product to use to grow their fruit and vegetables”.

New to market this year, Natural Grower is reporting strong demand from buyers for both of its products, which are 100% earthworm-friendly and ideally positioned to help retailers expand sales in the fast-growing organic and vegan sales categories. The first, Natural Liquid Fertiliser, is supplied concentrated. Once diluted, it can be poured around the base of border or container plants – adding nutrients precisely where they’re needed with no waste – so the goodness is rapidly absorbed by root systems as a potent nutrient boost.

The second product, Natural Soil Conditioner, is an innovative mulch that’s designed to be dug into garden soil prior to planting. Because it’s rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and trace elements, the goodness is gradually broken down by soil-borne organisms, making Natural Soil Conditioner the ultimate eco-friendly long-term slow-release fertiliser.

Deep-rooted environmental commitment

So how did it all begin? The story that brought Natural Grower to market is an inspirational tale that underpins the brand’s deep-rooted environmentally friendly ethos and commitment to bringing new vegan fertilisers to market. Natural Grower’s owners, Charlotte and Richard Beaty, come from a family that has farmed at Nevil Holt in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, for over 50 years.

Formerly a dairy unit before diversifying into arable, in 2014 the business invested in an anaerobic digester, a smart piece of technology that uses naturally occurring bacteria to break down maize without the use of chemicals. While the resulting biogas goes into a power unit that converts it into electricity to supply the National Grid, providing renewable energy for 1,000 homes each year, the process also produces a by-product called digestate, the magic ingredient behind the Natural Grower brand.

Digestate is fed into a separator to produce a liquid fertiliser and a mulch. This free-from-animal-matter fertiliser was used on the family’s farm to replace chemical fertilisers, with outstanding results witnessed in farm crops, as well as in garden vegetables and plants. While the nutrient rich liquid fertiliser and mulch is spread on the farm’s fields to grow the next crop of maize, extending its use by launching into the consumer market was a natural progression for the business, as it looked to fill a gap in the market for vegan-approved fertiliser. Crucially, Natural Grower is safe to use in gardens that are home to children, without posing any risk to pets or wildlife – a key demand of modern consumers.

Helping retailers to grow sales

The benefits of Natural Grower can now be harnessed by domestic gardeners, via a rapidly expanding network of stockists. Launched in February 2019, Natural Grower already has 15 stockists across the UK, and the list is set to grow.

Natural Grower fertiliser is attractively packaged to boost sales and competitively priced to help retail managers grow sales of organic plant food and soil improvers. A 2-litre bottle of Natural Liquid Fertiliser costs £12.99 with a 10-litre liquid bottle carrying an RRP of £34.99. The 16-litre tub of Natural Soil Conditioner is priced at £17.99.

To meet consumer demand, Natural Grower has just added a selection of eco-friendly accessories to its portfolio. The Green Pockets, The Green Bag and The Green Pot offer consumers an environmentally friendly way of growing and displaying flowers, herbs vegetables and fruit – while these strong, reusable containers are perfect for patios and balconies as well as traditional gardens.

Retailers can find out more about Natural Grower by visiting stand 7J82 at Glee, the industry’s showcase exhibition, which takes place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre from 10^th – 12^th September. Buyers are encouraged to view this innovative new brand at Glee, while sampling organic British wine that will be served on the stand!

For more information about Natural Grower and how it can help retailers to expand fertiliser category sales, visit the website at www.naturalgrower.co.uk

• 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 

The day has finally arrived and we cannot wait to see you all @Hall 20, Stand X20-Y21!

If you haven’t heard about us already, Vitavia Greenhouses is the British partner of the Vitavia Group, the leading name throughout Europe for quality hobby greenhouses and greenhouse accessories.

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, supported by our exceptional customer service.

Come and browse our fantastic range of greenhouses and you never know, you could be the lucky winner of our competition and take one home with you!

Tell me something new!

Ok, listen up! 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.”

Are you wearing your lucky pants today?!

If so, head on over to see us @Hall 20, Stand X20 – Y21 where we will be running a competition to win the beautiful Orion Greenhouse we have on display at Glee! All you need to do is come via the stand to find out more, and don’t worry, we won’t be asking to see your pants!

If you know, you know!

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

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

As a leading supplier of organic and veganic plant and lawn feeds, Hygeia is clearly a brand that cares for the environment. Now the brand has taken this a step further to strengthen both its own green credentials, and those of its retail customers and end-users with the introduction of its new refill retail concept – designed to dramatically reduce single-use plastic within the fertiliser and plant food product category.

Available as a 20-litre pack, the new Hygeia dispenser-style packaging is designed to enable consumers to refill their own vessels (maximum 1-litre dispense) with either the new-for-2019 Nature Safe 100% organic Liquid Seaweed Plant Food, or the ever-popular Goulding Concentrated Tomato Feed. In doing so, Hygeia believes that thousands of single-use bottles could be saved from going into landfill each season.

Tom Stolworthy, Hygeia’s UK Country Manager said: “The popularity of tomato growing continues to flourish, with over three quarters of domestic greenhouses being home to tomato plants. Couple this with the fact that tomato feed enjoys such a great reputation, and it’s easy to predict that each season there will be thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of bottles of tomato feed purchased to ensure a bumper crop. Whilst the need for such feeds hasn’t waned, the desire to reduce the packaging impact has. Our new refillable concept – available for both tomato feeds and our new Organic Seaweed Plant Food – is designed to minimise packaging waste without compromising on the quality of the product on offer.

“What’s more, the new ‘bag in a box’ dispenser will also reduce space taken up on the retail shelf, providing retailers with a better return on investment than traditional plastic bottles. This is a real win/win concept for retailers, and one that delivers a viable alternative to the single-use plastic issue that is shaping both the political and economical agenda. At Hygeia we’re dedicated to limiting our impact upon the environment and will continue to push core green messaging and associated products.”

Not only does Hygeia’s new refill concept offer the potential to significantly reduce dependency on single-use plastics, but its launch at Glee will blend perfectly with the ‘Power of One’ – a new initiative being adopted at the show where exhibitors and visitors will be asked to commit to one small change that will reduce their impact on the planet. With ‘pledgers’ receiving a free reusable water bottle supplied by Glee Power of One partner, Summit International, Hygeia is also urging the industry to extend the concept from drinks bottles to fertilisers, by pledging to trial its new refill retail concept and help customers to cut their reliance on single-use plastics.

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

Bloomin Amazing’s impressive sustainability credentials include being sourced entirely from renewable by-products from the making of biogas.

Its multi-purpose uses are also a powerful selling point – it’s an ideal mulch, weed suppressant, soil conditioner and plant food, with additional moisture retention and even slug-deterrent properties being reported by a growing group of gardening fans. It’s light, clean to handle and almost odourless and represents great value with a retail price of £6.99 for 70 litres

Sales of Bloomin Amazing have more than doubled in the last year and West Country Soil Improvement Ltd have now invested in and installed a second screw press system at their production site on Rainbarrow Farm which will allow production output to be doubled in response to the growing demand.

The business has also recently announced the appointment of new sales agents to expand their distribution network across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and North London, West Midlands, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincs, Northants, Notts, Shropshire, Staffs, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Bloomin Amazing and the team from West Country Soil Improvement will be in Hall6 on stand 6R80. To find out more about Bloomin Amazing^TM go to www.bloominamazing.com or e-mail Nick at nfinding@bloominamazing.com or call head office to speak to us on 01305 889525

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

Garden timber furniture experts EKJU, are showcasing new on trend products and capabilities previously unseen in the UK timber furniture market at Glee 2019.

EKJU stay close to trends across Europe and have an assortment of new garden furniture products and accessories that the UK consumer will love. The range consists of Picnic Sets, Table & Bench Sets, Garden Benches & Chairs as well as fantastic ‘grow your own’ products such as Raised Beds and Planters.

EKJU predicts a rise in the popularity of outdoor living related products over the next 5 years. There has been previous trends such as ‘zoning’ outdoor spaces for differing uses in the garden and now consumers are looking take it one step further to use decorative products to extend the internal themes in the house into the garden. 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 joins the green and brown treatment options and 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.

After another summer of rising temperatures and most consumers resisting the urge to move house before Brexit, a ‘stay and improve’ movement is likely to produce increased demand for outdoor furniture for 2020 outdoor entertaining. Look no further than the EKJU ‘Raised Bar Set’, a robust raised table and 4 carefully crafted matching stools. This stunning set transforms an area of the garden into an outdoor entertaining area, ideal for having friends over for Friday night drinks and tapas.

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. EKJU have options for all audiences, from traditional Raised Beds, Raised Planters and Hanging Shelving for herbs and pots. EKJU designed the Outdoor Hanging Shelving range for ‘grow your own’ enthusiasts with a smaller available space 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.

EKJU Sales & Marketing Director Laura Galzone explained ‘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 such as outdoor living & vertical planting and are showcasing products linked to these trends at Glee’

As well as demonstrating on trend solutions on their exhibition stand, EKJU have also sponsored the Glee Retail Lab, an exciting and innovative feature area showcasing future product, in-store experience and merchandising trends. For Glee 2019 the Retail lab have selected relevant EKJU products linked to key trends for 2020 and beyond.

Whether it’s about consumer habits, colour preferences or sustainability, the EKJU team are available to discuss key trends in relation to their garden timber range at Glee 2019 Hall 6, stand Q20-R21.

ABOUT EKJU - EKJU is a timber garden product manufacturer, based in Cesis, Latvia. The company was founded in 1992 by four founders - Egons, Klauss, Juris & Uldis and the brand name is based on their first names. EKJU specialize in quality timber garden furniture made from timber sourced from Northern European forests. EKJU are committed to sustainability and are members of the forest stewardship council (FSC). For more information please contact Rob Giles, at Stratrg Ltd – E: rob.giles@thestratrg.com M: 07735 618972 or visit www.ekju.com.

Energizer, Europe’s number one battery brand, has launched a range of innovative cordless garden products, powered by an interchangeable battery.

The garden centre trade will now be able to stock and sell an innovative and brand-leading garden tool range – including a lawnmower, hedge cutter and leaf blower – which offers the very latest cordless technology, safe in the knowledge that complicated customer after-care issues, such as technical queries and machinery servicing, will be handled by a dedicated service from SWAP Europe.

The Energizer SWAP service means garden centre sales teams are fully supported and can reduce their own staff’s involvement in the after-sales support.

product range, maximising retail space and reducing staff involvement. All technical questions, from assembly and operating issues, to warranty claims are taken care of externally and backed up with a 24/7 support website and a dedicated UK based freephone helpline. Consumers will be directed to a freephone helpline manned in the UK or a 24/7 website.

The logistical and environmental benefits of cordless garden machinery are well recognised.  They are light, require no engine servicing and emit no toxic fumes. In addition, there will be no drop in stored energy from lithium-ion batteries when they are not in use.

In contrast, petrol engines are heavy and noisy and emit toxic fumes. Equally, the cables which power electric machinery can act as trip hazards, become tangled and even be cut through.

Energizer’s new range, which sits in-store in a bespoke display unit, is powered by lithium-ion batteries in both 2Ah and 4Ah capacity. The batteries are interchangeable between all machines.

The six products in the range each fulfil a specific garden task and are supplied with batteries and fast chargers.

•                Lawnmower – Designed for compact lawns and will cut ¾ of a tennis court in just one charge

•                Hedge cutter – 24 minutes of super lightweight cutting

•                Grass trimmer – A rotating head means one machine can cut both lawn edges and brush

•                Leaf blower – Lightweight and quiet – so no broom or backache

•                Telescopic hedge cutter – 46cm blades that reach up to 280cm, with an adjustable head to do the top of the hedge

•                Pole saw – Cut branches up to 8cm thick up to 280cm high

Visit stand 7J30-L31 to see the entire range, along with in-store display solutions.

Jardinopia, the company that introduced its first products to the wholesale market at Glee @ Spring Fair in February 2018, celebrates the second birthday of its incorporation at Glee 2019 this week.

Having formed in September 2017, Jardinopia launched their popular Potty Feet™ plant pot feet early last year at their very first trade show – and won the Best New Garden Product award at Glee’s New Product Showcase.

This was the stimulus required to take the start-up to the next level, allowing them to rapidly introduce many new Potty Feet™ designs. Having launched with 9, Jardinopia now boast over 100 Potty Feet™, which are sold and distributed in 15 countries. They return to Glee’s New Product Showcase this year with the launch of both their Aardman Studios globally licensed Wallace, Gromit and Shaun the Sheep Potty Feet™, and a new sister brand – Cane Companions™.

Jardinopia’s Andrea Barnett said ‘it has been an incredible 2 years, from designing initial prototypes, to be working now with some of the biggest players in the retail space. We still pinch ourselves when we look at the growth of the brand in such a short timeframe.’

Not content to rest on their laurels, Jardinopia are opening warehouse facilities in the USA later this year, where Potty Feet™ are proving hugely popular, and will be further extending their international distributor network to support the new designs and brands on their way.

As part of their long-term business growth strategy, Cane Companions™ is just the start of Jardinopia’s plan to bring more innovative brands to the garden and gift retail sector, blurring the lines between garden sundries and gifting, by creating ranged brands that drive more impulse sales, with consumers selecting traditional gardening products as popular gift ideas.

Jardinopia’s Tony Barnett commented ‘We are creating a further 10 exciting garden gifting brands that are all under development and that will sit comfortably alongside Potty Feet™ and Cane Companions™ in terms of style, design and target audience, and we will further reinforce their appeal through the use of a number of additional global licensing deals that will see the first products hit the shelves in February 2020.’

To find out more about Jardinopias’ Cane Companions™ and Potty Feet™ brands, visit them at Stand 6S81, or take a look at the current range at www.jardinopia.com.

Over the last 12 months Protek have been investing in their commitment to the Garden Leisure retail sector with an exciting and modern packaging redesign across the whole range.

There was a desire to develop an easily recognisable signature look across all products that demonstrated Protek’s core values of environmentally friendly wood treatments.

Working with a highly experienced and award-winning designer – Tracey O’Doherty, the packaging has radically changed. 

Her first job was to update the logo, which has been tweaked in shape and colour. Now in a more modern colour pallet of white, black and orange it has brought it bang up to date.

The Packaging Design 

The new packaging reflects the importance of wood to Protek.  Using wood images to distinguish between the designs, the individual products now have a fresh new identity that is clean and clear.  

The range has been clearly differentiated by colour banding.

Preparation products such as wood preservers and primers are in Red. Wood Preserver Plus uses a sawn tree stump as its image highlighting the beauty of wood and the need to protect it.

Core products are in Grey, this includes Wood Stain and Protect – this great all-round garden product uses fence slats to showcase the bright and varied colour palette.  With over 35 colours to choose from it is now available in three pack sizes and is sure to be seen in many outlets across the UK.

Protek’s flagship premium product Royal Exterior is set on a Putty coloured base that really highlights the sophistication of the product. With cool blue coloured cladding and white windows, it now has an aspirational feel that the product deserves.

New Timber Eco Shield is dramatic in Black, the image of raindrops on a vivid green leaf show the water repellency of the product and it’s eco credentials.

Icons

Alongside the new designs are icons.  The icons were designed to make it easy to see the different product features and benefits. Every feature has an icon- e.g. whether it is sprayable, uses nanotechnology, is child, pet and plant friendly or the coverage per SQ M. 

Packaging

With the attention on plastic and plastic pollution Protek have made the decision to move their products into tins.

The only exception to the tin policy will be Shed & Fence which will be moved to a plastic container that contains 100% recycled plastic and is in turn fully recyclable.  

These packaging changes have now created a strong clear identity across all of the Protek products.

Please come to stand 20Z20 to see them for yourself or email sales@protekwoodstain.co.uk

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.  

Now in its fifth year, the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund has helped to bring to market a series of brands, many of which are considered key players helping to drive growth and diversification of the garden retail sector. This year’s winners – Natural Grower – are sure to be no different as the trend for organic and veganic gardening continues to shape consumer spending habits.
 
Natural Grower is reporting strong demand from buyers for its products. Its hero product, Natural Liquid Fertiliser, the product which caught the eye of the GISCF judges in 2019 - is supplied concentrated. Once diluted, it can be poured around the base of border or container plants – adding nutrients precisely where they’re needed with no waste – so the goodness is rapidly absorbed by root systems as a potent nutrient boost.

Beating off stiff competition and judged by a panel made up of both Glee and GIMA representatives, Natural Grower – as GISCF winners - will receive support up to the value of £6,000 to help with development and marketing costs associated with entering the UK garden retail market, including a year’s full GIMA membership, and a wide range of business support tools.
 
GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall said: “We’re incredibly pleased to confirm that Natural Grower is the 2019 winner of the GIMA Innovators’ Seed Corn Fund.  The product offering, and story behind the brand, is right on message and fits perfectly with the trends that are influencing category growth and consumer demands. An incredibly strong entry, Natural Grower offers well delivered products and a branding that stands out on the shelf. We’ve no doubt that retailers will be wanting to know more about Natural Grower!”
 
In addition to choosing a winner, the panel also selected iTip Handles and Coco & Coir as 2019 runners-up, with both demonstrating great innovation and alternative solutions to existing products.  Vicky added: “The 2019 GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund received more entries than ever before, and I must say, the competition was tough! It’s great to see so many new businesses coming into the sector and doing so with products that are so well thought out and commercially ready.”
 
As the winner, Natural Grower is now set to receive funding and help with the development and marketing of their product, together with support from experts within the industry.
 
To find out more about the GIMA Innovators’ Seed Corn Fund please join GIMA on-stand at Glee 2019, Hall 19.
 

Meet Natural Grower
At the forefront of the organic and veganic gardening revolution is Natural Grower, a new and rapidly expanding brand with a growing list of stockists. Natural Grower products are approved by The Soil Association, Organic Farmers and Growers, and The Vegan Society, so both novice and experienced gardeners can harness the benefits with full confidence that the fertilisers are truly organic as well as being free from animal by-products.

Owner of Natural Grower, Charlotte Beaty, points out that consumers are looking for “effective, organic and vegan-friendly fertiliser solutions”. She explains: “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 by-products in them, so vegan growers have been delighted to finally have a nutrient-rich product to use to grow their fruit and vegetables”.

Natural Grower’s products are 100% earthworm-friendly and ideally positioned to help retailers expand sales in the fast-growing organic and vegan sales categories. In addition to Natural Liquid Fertiliser, the company also offer the Natural Soil Conditioner, which is an innovative mulch that’s designed to be dug into garden soil prior to planting. Because it’s rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and trace elements, the goodness is gradually broken down by soil-borne organisms, making Natural Soil Conditioner the ultimate eco-friendly long-term slow-release fertiliser.

Deep-rooted environmental commitment
So how did it all begin? The story that brought Natural Grower to market is an inspirational tale that underpins the brand’s deep-rooted environmentally friendly ethos and commitment to bringing new vegan fertilisers to market. Natural Grower’s owners, Charlotte and Richard Beaty, come from a family that has farmed at Nevil Holt in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, for over 50 years.

Formerly a dairy unit before diversifying into arable, in 2014 the business invested in an anaerobic digester, a smart piece of technology that uses naturally occurring bacteria to break down maize without the use of chemicals While the resulting biogas goes into a power unit that converts it into electricity to supply the National Grid, providing renewable energy for 1,000 homes each year, the process also produces a by-product called digestate, the magic ingredient behind the Natural Grower brand.

Digestate is fed into a separator to produce a liquid fertiliser and a mulch. This free-from-animal-matter fertiliser was used on the family’s farm to replace chemical fertilisers, with outstanding results witnessed in farm crops, as well as in garden vegetables and plants. While the nutrient rich liquid fertiliser and mulch is spread on the farm’s fields to grow the next crop of maize, extending its use by launching into the consumer market was a natural progression for the business, as it looked to fill a gap in the market for vegan-approved fertiliser. Crucially, Natural Grower is safe to use in gardens that are home to children, without posing any risk to pets or wildlife – a key demand of modern consumers.

Helping retailers to grow sales
The benefits of Natural Grower can now be harnessed by domestic gardeners, via a rapidly expanding network of stockists. Launched in February 2019, Natural Grower already has 15 stockists across the UK, and the list is set to grow.

Natural Grower fertiliser is attractively packaged to boost sales and competitively priced to help retail managers grow sales of organic plant food and soil improvers A 2-litre bottle of Natural Liquid Fertiliser costs £12.99 with a 10-litre liquid bottle carrying an RRP of £34.99. The 16-litre tub of Natural Soil Conditioner is priced at £17.99.

To meet consumer demand, Natural Grower has just added a selection of eco-friendly accessories to its portfolio. The Green Pockets, The Green Bag and The Green Pot offer consumers an environmentally friendly way of growing and displaying flowers, herbs vegetables and fruit – while these strong, reusable containers are perfect for patios and balconies as well as traditional gardens.

Retailers can find out more about Natural Grower by visiting stand 7J82 at Glee. Buyers are encouraged to view this innovative new brand at Glee, while sampling organic British wine that will be served on the stand!

Visitors to Glee have the opportunity to win a stunning water feature brimming with fabulous bottles of bubbly thanks to long-term Greenfingers supporters, Woodlodge.
 
Taking place on Woodlodge’s Glee stand (Hall 6, stand S30-T31) the ‘Fountain of Fizz’ raffle will help to support Greenfingers, and will also help to celebrate the company’s newly branded Water Studio collection of aquatic features. Visitors need only join the Woodlodge team on stand to purchase a ticket, with the lucky winner set to be revealed on Thursday 12th September.
 
Michael Wooldridge, Managing Director at Woodlodge, said: “Woodlodge is proud to support Greenfingers, a charity that has created the most amazing gardens at children’s hospices. These brilliantly designed outdoor resources offer so many benefits for life-limited kids, as well as their friends and families, who can enjoy precious time together away from the bedside in a natural environment. We hope that the Fountain of Fizz raffle for Greenfingers at Glee will generate significant additional income to assist the charity in its mission to build more stimulating gardens at hospices. To be in with a chance of winning the water feature and its bottles of fizz, I would like to encourage everyone at Glee to visit the Woodlodge exhibition space, where tickets will be on sale.”
 
Woodlodge has a long track record of helping to generate funds for Greenfingers Charity. The company’s Richard Newton undertook a parachute jump with colleague Abigail Stocker in 2017 and raised £2,355 for the charity, while Woodlodge assists Greenfingers throughout the year with its printing service, helping with signs and banners for charity events, product promotions. This year Woodlodge donated 10,000 jointly branded linen give-away bags for The Greenfingers Charity Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
 
For more about Woodlodge’s market-leading product offering, visit www.woodlodge.co.uk

The 2020 Garden Re-Leaf Day event was officially launched at Glee today with Greenfingers Charity calling on all sectors of the garden industry and others to get involved in this exciting and pivotal part of the garden retail calendar.

Greenfingers Charity is delighted to announce that the 2020 event will take place on Friday 13th March and will once again include the popular Garden Re-Leaf Walk and Cycle Challenge, as well as other FUNdraising events which will take place across the country.

Garden retailers, manufacturers and suppliers are invited to participate by holding their own events, like a quiz night, raffle, auction, cake sale, virtual in-store challenge, spending the day in fancy dress or making a donation from every cuppa sold in the café.  It really is a great FUN way to increase footfall or awareness whilst at the same time engage with customers, motivate your team and raise your profile both locally and in the garden industry press.  There really is no better way to start the gardening season!

Garden Re-Leaf has raised over £55,000 this year, taking the total to £600,000 since it was founded by Boyd Douglas-Davies in 2012. 2019’s highlights – which also coincided with the charity’s 20th anniversary - saw over 120 people take on the Garden Re-Leaf and Cycle Challenge in Buckinghamshire. Garden centres across the country got into the FUNdraising spirit with curry and quiz nights, charity walks and bike rides, garden centre tours, coffee mornings, raffles, planting weekends and much more. Suppliers also dug deep and held car wash and barbeque events, bike rides and fun-for-all-the-team events such as the mushy pea challenge and summer fetes. QVC also showed its support once again with a £1.50 donation from every plant or product sold during a special Garden Re-Leaf/ Greenfingers show.

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Greenfingers Charity said: “The support that the garden industry has shown for Garden Re-Leaf Day has always blown me away. Seeing so many different events take place to celebrate the day, to kick-start the gardening season, and to raise money for Greenfingers, is such an exciting and touching thing. I know it is appreciated so much by everyone at Greenfingers, and also by the children, their friends and families who enjoy time in a garden created by Greenfingers. I am sure the 2020 event is set to be even bigger and full of even more incredible events, demonstrations of support and the endless enthusiasm that makes the garden retail sector such a joy to be part of.”

If you want to find out more about how to get involved in Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day 2020, whether by putting on events in your garden centre, through sponsored solo activities or simply by donating, the Greenfingers team can be found on the HTA stand in Hall 19, stand no N50-P53

Alternatively, please contact the Greenfingers office on 01494 674749 or email Linda@greenfngerscharity.org.uk.

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

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.

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.

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.