DID YOU SEE AT GLEE?
“We have already taken a significant number of re-bookings from suppliers keen to secure their places at Glee 2018, as well as Glee @ Spring Fair in early spring 2018.”
Ecstatic exhibitors
The Scotts Company (UK) general manager Sheila Hill was one of the exhibitors who praised this year’s event, describing it as a “fantastic show”, adding “the strong BBC Breakfast coverage demonstrated progress in the industry and allowed us to raise the profile of our brands.” Ms Hill, who was one garden industry representatives interviewed by the BBC’s Steph McGovern, added: “As well as its usual high calibre visitors and exhibitors, Glee highlighted clear trends for the coming year, including the need to address changing demographics and demand for natural product ranges. We were delighted to see the positive response to our new products and comments from visitors on how our innovative stand design is helping to inspire retailers to display products in new ways to excite customers.” Smart Garden Products had a great show and noted a marked increase in orders this year. Managing director Jonathan Stobart said: “Visitor traffic on the stand was strong once again
RETAIL LAB
A popular feature at this year’s show was the Retail Lab. We took a tour with trend watcher and ‘green stylist’ Romeo Summers. Here are his thoughts on what he sees as the biggest trends for the sector and how businesses can put them into effect in a retail environment:
COMMUNITY
Community is about seeing someone who is valuable for your shop – don’t simply view them as a customer. Know who they are and what they want Youngsters/hipsters have a different way of thinking – they are looking for something exotic in their garden centres. There is too much thinking as a commercial
director and not buying what people actually want. Community is about older people who have knowledge and giving that information to the youngers who don’t.
Look at the displays in your garden centre
- surprise the customer before they surprise you; make changes and work with the seasons. The problem is we talk like a horticulturist and we don’t talk the language of the customer
FAMILY Younger fathers want to work four days a week, they want to have a bond with their children. There’s a difference between masculine and feminine plants – retailers need to know the difference between these.
20 DIY WEEK 13 OCTOBER 2017
Your offer has to be ‘instagrammable’ The hipster wants exotic – youngsters want to keep the life they have (to travel) and have plants that last for three weeks without water. You have balcony terraces now – that hipster urban feel. Children need to lose the Nintendo – have no digital world. Get the children to learn how fun it is to work with plants. Have fresh herbs by the BBQ to work with while you cook.
MATERIALS Plastic isn’t as bad as we think because it can be recycled. Make sure you source materials locally so your carbon footprint Is lower – source from Europe not China
WELLBEING Make a garden fun – consumers have to experience it. It’s a sensory experience. They need to feel the benefits of plants to de-stress, create pure air and for the aesthetic Shoreditch/Hackney coffee shops appeal to people who are busy and frantic in London, if there are lots of plants, they are instantly relaxed Work with a theme – masculine/feminine Why not have yoga demonstrations in a garden centre? – surprise the customer
www.diyweek.net
this year. We introduced a selection of Glee-only offers and as a result took a significant number of orders, with a value over four times higher than last year.
“It was immensely satisfying to
receive so many positive comments about the new product introductions, as well as the new packaging and merchandising concepts. We were very happy with the show and have already booked a larger stand for next autumn, with 50% more space overall, enabling us to show even more product as we continue to add new products and categories.” While a handful of exhibitors suggested they thought footfall was down slightly on the Monday and Tuesday, they were quick to add that the quality of visitors they had seen on stand were exactly what they were hoping for. Fallen Fruits area sales manager Shaun Wixey told DIY Week that the quiet periods had proved beneficial when doing business. “In some ways it’s actually a bit better because you aren’t too busy to speak to people. We’ve been very happy with the visitors we’ve had on stand.” Gardman sales director Mark Portman made his Glee debut this year, having only taken up his role with the company six weeks prior to the show. He praised the quality of
visitors and relished the opportunity to get in front of quality retailers – particularly the vast number of independents that attend. “Independents are hugely important to us and there are 1,200 attending Glee,” he said. “They are the bedrock of the business, as are the buying groups. After spending three days here I can see why Glee exists. We will continue to be here. It’s a real opportunity to engage.”
A must-attend event Visitors had a lot of good things to say about their time at the show and found its features, including the seminar content, Retail Lab and the array of new products on show, of real interest to their business. The Gardens Group founder and
director Mike Burks said of this year’s show: “I thought that there was a freshness and a really positive buzz at Glee 2017. There were plenty of new things to see and it has reclaimed its place as a must-attend event. The Retail Lab worked well, as did the product awards and these demonstrated the way the industry is working together for the same aim. I came up for one day but I should have stayed for two.”
Fiona Pringle of Enchanted Earth, which was named as the Best Online
Buyer in the Glee Power Buyers Awards, commented: “For me this was the best Glee in all my years of attending. I attend each year, as it is the best show to see brand new ranges and trends in the garden centre sector. I like to meet with new and old suppliers. I particularly enjoyed the Retail Lab - the use of the plants and the design was amazing and really helped me to unwind and focus, great idea and so calming.”
Stone revival
Last July at the Hampton Court Flower Show we reported that stone was becoming increasingly popular again in gardens, particularly in sculpture form, and UK manufacturer Willowstone has noticed a similar uptake in demand. “It’s been a good summer, we’ve had a great season. Stone is having a revival,” said director Julian Palmer. “While it is still very much a traditional product, more contemporary and unusual designs are helping create a greater appeal to younger customers.
“The Easter Island stone planter heads are really popular - they’re our best seller and have had so much interest,” explains Mr Palmer. “We launched them three years ago and they are the perfect product
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