glee 2019 review
Sustainability and retail theatre drive optimism for the 2020 season
An atmosphere of optimism resonated throughout the halls of Glee during September’s show. Following a buoyant spring and summer season, with many garden retailers experiencing strong growth in key categories, an upbeat trading atmosphere prevailed, underpinning the garden retail sector’s resilience to economic headwinds in the run-up to Brexit
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n a year of monumental change for the industry, it has never been more vital for suppliers to forge new relationships with buyers, and Glee played a pivotal role in enabling the trade to witness the latest in innovation and confidently place orders for the 2020 season. Glee 2019 raised the bar in terms of innovation and creativity – drawing praise for both the quality of visitors and an increasing
international contingent, too. To gain a deeper insight into how this year’s show unfolded against a backdrop of seismic industry change, Garden Centre Update reveals key trends that shaped this year’s show.
An evolving place to do business Following consultation with all partners, Glee moved seamlessly into a new Tuesday to Thursday slot this year, a decision taken in
response to feedback from retail visitors. This move allowed those in the retail trade to focus on post-weekend trading and stock replenishment on the Monday, ahead of visiting Glee, a move that resulted in an upbeat opening to the show, allowing buyers to focus on networking and meetings without interruption.
More than 550 exhibitors set across eight carefully edited show sectors. As an added bonus, the new Glee Connect matchmaking service helped exhibitors and visitors to strike meaningful connections. Using AI technology, the connect platform was able to give all parties a higher return on time invested in their visit. Elsewhere rebooking for the 2020 event reached 61 per cent during the show, as brands look to secure their investment in the coming seasons. In general, the 2019 event saw strong numbers across the board. Including revisits, over 7,800 people visited the show, with visitors coming from over 40 countries. The good news is 40 per cent of visitors were new to Glee, with retail buyers with sole purchasing responsibility seeing an increase of 14 per cent year-on-year. And 22 per cent of all visitors also had a purchasing budget over £1million.
A hub for innovation
New Product Showcase at Glee hosted a record 362 entries, hammering home the level of product foresight that’ll hopefully keep tills ringing next season. It was a similar story at the brand-new Pets at Glee New Product Showcase, with fierce competition helping to maximise product exposure to buyers, while revealing the most exciting new lines that hold the potential to inspire pet-owners to make in- store purchases.
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www.gardencentreupdate.com GCU October/November 2019
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