SHOW PREVIEW: GLEE 2026


biggest commercial opportunities and challenges facing modern garden retail.


Alongside Europe’s biggest buying moment – which sees Glee co-locate with Autumn Fair for two days – visitors can also look forward to the return of the hugely popular Glee New Products Showcase, providing an exclusive first look at the latest launches, breakthrough innovations and retail solutions set to shape the seasons ahead. Together, the seminar programme and New Products Showcase reinforce Glee’s position as far more than a trade exhibition, offering buyers the opportunity to source new products, discover emerging trends, hear from industry leaders and take away practical ideas to help their businesses thrive.


Business insight for every retailer Built around themes including market insight, leadership, people, productivity,


sustainability,


customer engagement, food and hospitality, and innovation, the programme ensures every visitor can tailor their experience to the areas most relevant to their business. Centre Stage will welcome many of the industry’s biggest names, including an exclusive keynote interview with David Robinson, CEO of Dobbies Garden Centres, who will discuss leading one of the UK’s best-known garden centre businesses through a period of transformation, sharing his thoughts on leadership, customer expectations, investment and the future of the sector. People also remain firmly on the agenda. In ‘People, Pay and Perception: Fixing the Talent Challenge in Garden Retail’, Guy Moreton, Managing Director of MorePeople, will explore one of the industry’s most pressing issues, examining how businesses can attract, develop and retain talented people whilst changing perceptions of careers within garden retail. The programme begins with Laura Loveridge and


Redman from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), who will present ‘The State of Garden Retail: What the Data Is Really Telling Us’, providing exclusive insight into the latest consumer trends, market performance and


Mr Plant Geek’s Future Plants Tours return to Glee 2026 What will customers be buying next season? Which new plant introductions have the potential to become tomorrow’s bestsellers? And how can retailers stay ahead of changing consumer trends? Those


questions will


profitability, while Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) returns with his ever-popular Future Plants Walking Tour across all three days. Wednesday sees Sam Dickson, Managing Director of Squire’s Garden Centres, reflect on his first year leading the business, alongside practical discussions around smarter water management featuring Wave and the National Trust. Whilst, on Thursday, James Shorey from Planet Mark joins George Hillier to explore how Hillier is successfully combining lower carbon with lower costs, before Floral Thursday rounds off the programme with fundraising and celebrations in support of the Greenfingers Charity.


Harry


Spotlight on food and hospitality Reflecting the growing importance of hospitality within modern garden centres, the dedicated Feed Your Business Stage returns with practical sessions designed to help operators maximise the commercial potential of their catering and food retail operations.


coffee trends, menu engineering, restaurant design,


opportunities


shaping the industry. Retail productivity also comes under the spotlight as Vanessa Cranford, Phil Wright and Josh Novell of Polhill Garden Centre demonstrate how better use of business


data can improve


operational efficiency and 24 DIY WEEK AUGUST 2026


Sessions will cover topics including food safety,


staffing, customer experience and creating food propositions that drive footfall, loyalty and profitability. Supporting Glee’s expanded Food Hall and Food & Beverage sectors, the stage provides specialist insight for businesses looking to grow one of garden retail’s fastest-expanding revenue streams.


all be


answered when Mr Plant Geek’s Future Plants Tours return to Glee 2026, giving visitors an exclusive insight into the innovations set to shape the future of garden retail. Led by renowned plantsman,


broadcaster and trend forecaster Michael Perry, better known as Mr Plant Geek, the ever- popular sessions offer retailers a unique opportunity to explore the newest plant introductions, emerging consumer trends and the innovations set to influence future garden centre sales. Running across all three days of Glee, each session begins with a lively presentation on Centre Stage before Michael leads visitors onto the exhibition floor for an exclusive guided tour of the standout plants, pioneering breeders and exciting innovations making waves across the industry. With his trademark enthusiasm, extensive plant knowledge and unrivalled eye for spotting the next big thing, Michael will reveal exciting new breeding developments, standout varieties and the consumer trends influencing future purchasing decisions.


The tours conclude at Michael’s specially curated Future Plants Display, bringing together many of the innovative plants featured throughout the walk and giving retailers the opportunity to discover


products that could


become tomorrow’s must-stock lines.


Better still, there’s no need to book. Simply head to Centre Stage before the session begins and join Mr Plant Geek as he takes you on an inspiring journey through the future of horticulture. Whether you’re a plant buyer, garden centre owner, retailer or simply passionate about discovering what’s next, these popular tours are not to be missed.


More than a buying event From discovering


tomorrow’s


bestselling products within the Glee New Products Showcase to hearing from the industry’s leading retailers, researchers and innovators, Glee 2026 combines buying with business learning like no other event in the sector. The full seminar agenda is now available online - www. gleebirmingham.com/whats-on/ agenda - allowing visitors to plan their visit in advance and make the most of every moment at Glee 2026. Free visitor registration is now open at www.gleebirmingham.com. Glee takes place at the NEC Birmingham from 8th September 2026,


to to create 10th


Autumn Fair on 8th and 9th September


co-located with Europe’s


biggest buying moment of the second half of the year. Visit www. gleebirmingham.com for further information and to register.


www.diyweek.net


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40