The UK’s leading garden retail showcase makes a welcome return to Spring Fair, creating an essential early-season touchpoint for garden buyers and retailers
Glee is set to return to Spring Fair in February 2026 for the first time in six years, taking advantage of Spring Fair’s scale, cross-category audience and influential position in the early retail calendar.
The Glee at Spring Fair concession show will strengthen Spring Fair’s garden and outdoor offering, bringing the very best in garden, outdoor living, decorative accessories and leisure to the NEC Birmingham – this time with a refreshed and carefully curated format designed to meet the evolving needs of the garden retail sector.
Glee’s September edition achieved record success in 2025, say organisers, and its return to Spring Fair strategically extends the show’s influence into the early buying season. It also responds directly to retailer and supplier demand for a complementary spring touchpoint. Spring Fair is the natural home for this edition, offering the scale, reach and cross-category audience needed to maximise the opportunity for the entire garden retail sector. Together, the two events create a strengthened annual sourcing cycle, September for forward planning and February for in-season agility, supporting retailers throughout the year.
Supporting the garden & outdoor living retail buying cycle
Glee at Spring Fair 2026 will serve as a vital early-season touchpoint within the UK’s most established retail event. Retailers and buyers will benefit from the opportunity to finalise pre-season orders, plug last-minute gaps, and respond to early trading patterns, all while exploring Spring Fair’s 16 curated destinations and more than one million products.
The timing allows buyers to:
- Complete spring and summer ranges
- Top up core and seasonal stock ahead of peak footfall
- Explore cross-category opportunities across décor, gift, lifestyle, and fashion
- Connect with both established garden suppliers and emerging design-led brands showcased throughout Spring Fair.
Benefits for exhibitors
Suppliers will benefit from:
- A centralised, high-traffic garden and outdoor hub within the wider show
- Access to thousands of buyers seeking newness across home, décor, lifestyle, and gifting
- Visibility alongside complementary categories that drive cross-purchase behaviour
- Spring Fair’s elevated visitor experience, curated design, and new feature zones introduced for 2026
- This integration positions garden retail firmly within the wider retail ecosystem, reflecting the sector’s growing presence in lifestyle and home merchandising.
Matthew Mein, event director of Glee, said: “Bringing Glee back to Spring Fair is an exciting step forward for both events and for the garden retail community. It strengthens Glee’s position at the heart of the industry and offers a dynamic new platform for growth at a key moment in the buying year. The combination of Glee’s specialist focus and Spring Fair’s extensive reach creates a powerful opportunity for exhibitors and buyers alike and we can’t wait to see the results in 2026.”
Glee at Spring Fair 2026 will be held from February 1–4 at the NEC Birmingham, as part of the UK’s leading home, gift and lifestyle event.
Glee located with Autumn Fair will be held from September 8-10 2026 at the NEC Birmingham.
