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“The perfect tool for thinking differently about
the retail environment” Glee retail lab creative director Romeo Sommers, talks a little bit about his background and gives us further insight into what we can expect at the retail lab this year.
Tell us a bit about your background in your career?
My career has been incredibly varied, including everything from being a concept designer, marketeer and stylist, as well as working in TV, floristry and horticulture, as an importer, buyer, collector, and product developer. I trained in business administration and specialised in horticultural marketing, which offered me the first step on the career ladder as an international buyer and trend predictor for a seasonal décor brand, before joining a leading Dutch garden centre chain as category buyer and trend watcher, and in time I became the “face” of the brand. This exposure, coupled with my trend insight shaped much of the rest of my career. I was lucky enough to have my own TV programme in the Netherlands before setting up my current trend agency, ByRomeo, as well as Green Your Day, which focuses on delivering instructional and inspiration content to help people engage with plants and horticulture.
What is the most exciting project you have worked on?
Year one of the Retail Lab at Glee will always be a highlight for me. It was the first time
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www.gardencentreupdate.com
something like the Retail Lab had been seen within the UK market so I knew it would be approached with a mixture of intrigue and apprehension. However, the response from those that sponsored the area, or visited during the show, far exceeded expectations. It was good to see people challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zones in regard to the trends and merchandising concepts. Since that show we’ve seen some of the more ‘out there’ concept come to life in real retail settings, including yoga in garden centres. The first Retail Lab was also around the time when houseplants were starting to witness a resurgence, so to see the meteoric rise of them to where we are today has been amazing.
How has the Retail Lab developed at Glee since you launched it, and what are you hoping to achieve from this year’s show? Since its launch in 2017, we have learnt that the UK market is reasonably cautious, therefore we have to ensure we don’t go too extreme with the trends that we highlight. This certainly doesn’t mean that UK retailers are not open to new ideas – far from it – but we do need to ensure that the trends and concepts we present can be easily implemented in
store, which is why we have tried to create a rich catalogue of direct and tangible ‘takeaway’ content.
Can you give us an idea as to what we can expect in terms of trends for this year/next?
For the 2019 show, two sub-themes have been identified that will help shape the content, both of which offer ideas and solutions that meet those trends that are impacting consumer buying habits. The first theme, “Do it yourself (and have fun)” has been created to help retailers to be inspired by the retail environment and stage a variety of creative and fun in-store concepts that engage customers and encourage them to purchase outside their normal buying areas. The second theme shaping the Retail Lab
content in 2019 is ‘Saving the World – Nurturing, Nature and Animals’, and is designed to answer questions such as ‘how can retailers connect with their consumers?’ by showcasing the benefits of bringing nature into consumers’ homes and lives. It’s a strongly held belief of mine that garden centres that connect emotionally with customers on issues they really care about will win customers for life.
GCU August/September 2019
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