glee 2019 review The greatest showroom


Now an established feature, the Retail Lab returned for its third year, with a theatrical theme for 2019. Run in association with the HTA, and brought to life by Retail Lab creative director, Romeo Sommers, the 2019 theme of The Greatest Showroom offered inspiration for merchandisers, showcasing the latest trends and highlighting how a bit of theatre can entertain and engage customers.


The Lab’s two key themes – Saving the world: Nurturing, Nature and Animals, and Do it yourself (and have fun) tapped into the fashion for bringing nature into our homes and threw the spotlight on in-store concepts that capture the imagination of customers and inspire consumers to connect emotionally with issues they care about, such as reducing plastics, caring for pets and urban greening, all of which can lead to increased sales when presented alongside future products.


Harnessing the power of one This year sustainability dominated the agenda. With GCA members turning out in abundance, as well as representatives from DIY sheds, supermarkets and DIY chains, buyers were out in force looking for products that demonstrated a closed-loop approach to usage of materials. Many exhibitors were taking steps to move away from single-use plastics, while there was a significant shift towards products that repurposed former waste items. The industry has made strides to cut the volume of peat used in compost, and while the Government’s voluntary 2020 target for retail horticulture to be peat-free isn’t yet reality, the latest peat-reduced and organic formulations made their debut at Glee – alongside a growing band of natural, chemical-free plant foods, pest controls and weed killers which are all experiencing strong demand as organic gardening gains momentum.


With environmental initiatives topping the


retail agenda, it was timely that the team behind Glee, along with visitors and exhibitors, made their #PowerOfOne pledges at the show – a new feature for Glee 2019 that saw the exhibition team up with the Power of One movement, an international UN-backed initiative designed to show how small, individual changes can create a more sustainable future for everyone. From embracing reusable shopping bags to shunning fast fashion, pledges on social media came thick and fast across the three days of Glee.


Inspirational expert speakers Industry collaboration is at the heart of everything at Glee and this year’s line-up of guest speakers inspired with their in-depth knowledge and expertise. Ellen Mary, best known as a presenter of The Plant Based Podcast and a host on Future Radio, presented Grow Your Own magazine’s 2019 Great British Growing Awards, throwing the spotlight on suppliers and retailers who, through innovation, have driven demand for grow your own to new highs. Other keynote talks provided insight into visual merchandising, harnessing the power of SEO, successful catering, using social media to grow businesses, reducing plastics and getting the


most out of new ranges – all offering inspirational ideas packed into 30-minute sessions, while the Glee Buyer’s Power List Awards celebrated the outstanding talent of retail buyers whose influence shapes today’s garden centre market.


Glee to grow alongside new Pawexpo It has been confirmed that Glee will be back on 15-17 September 2020, again taking advantage of its new Tuesday to Thursday slot at the NEC. While the show will continue to evolve, reflect the latest industry trends, the key news is that a new pet show designed to meet the growing demands of the pet-buying market will run alongside Glee next year. Launched at a special drinks reception at this year’s Glee, the Pet & Animal Wellbeing Expo (Pawexpo) will support suppliers and retailers across this rapidly expanding industry, helping to maximise sales and revenue opportunities while adopting a personal touch to the pet trade show experience with a fully curated offering.


uwww.gleebirmingham.com GCU October/November 2019 www.gardencentreupdate.com | 7


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