As we head into spring and gardeners around the UK get planting and digging, plans for Glee – the International Festival for Garden, Leisure and Pet being held at the NEC from June 27 to 29 – are also hotting up.
This year the focus will not just be on the great outdoors, as a new Home, Gift & Clothing sector is about to take shape on the exhibition floor.
The 2023 show will be the first time that such a strong focus has been placed upon gifting, homeware, fashion accessories and apparel – including the greeting card sector.
Visitors will be able to source from suppliers offering products that range from candles, toys and crafting kits to greeting cards, giftwrap and stationery, while specialists in hats, scarves, gloves, boots and other winter woolies will help retailers get set for the festive season.
Some of the biggest names in the greeting card industry will showcase their latest collections and merchandise solutions at Glee, including UK Greetings, Woodmansterne Publications, Noel Tatt Group, Giftwrap UK and Museums & Galleries.
Joining them on the show floor will be fabulous British companies exhibiting a wide variety of gift and homeware product, much of which has a sustainable angle or is made here in the UK. These include The Candle Brand, The Crafty Kit Company, Playpress Toys, The Wheat Bag Company, Out of the Kiln (Pam Peters Designs), Alex Sharp Photography, Robert Frederick, Kushboo Soaps, Tilnar Art, New English Teas, Ivy & Twine Candles, Jarapa, Hippychick, Playmonster UK, Seedball, Art on Scarves, Victoria Eggs, Freckleface Designs, Rainbow Designs, Naked Shells, Brass Bee and Soake.
Glee Director Matthew Mein commented: “Home, Gift & Clothing is an exciting new sector for Glee, and we’re thrilled that such an exceptional mix of companies will be joining us at this year’s show, many of them for the first time. As well as inspiring garden centres to further diversify into lucrative new categories, we also want to show traditional home and gift retailers how to integrate gardening into their lifestyle merchandise mix.
“Millions of British consumers are out in their gardens digging, planting up containers on balconies or cultivating houseplants. The upsurge of interest in nature and desire to be more sustainable is driving huge interest in certain sectors – pots and planters, gardening tools, outdoor clothing and seeds, for example – and we want to show gift and home retailers how they can benefit from these vital growth areas.
“Not only can buyers take steps to break new ground at Glee, but they can also stock up on the crucial staple products which will keep tills ringing in the run up to Christmas – whether it’s home fragrances or giftwrap, flower vases or gardening gloves, wall art or woolly socks, Glee is the show which addresses all angles of the consumer lifestyle shifts that are shaping retail.”
