49 GLEE PREVIEW As the premier event in the garden retail sector gets set for its 50th anniversary, the best of home, gift and clothing suppliers are gearing up to join the Glee community at the NEC, Birmingham, from 10th-12th September. Many companies exhibiting under the Home, Gift & Clothing banner are exclusive to Glee this season, ranging in size from artisan British producers to some of the biggest suppliers in the business and nationwide buying groups. With the garden industry performing better than most retail sectors and consumers still striving to merge their indoor and outdoor spaces, there has never been a better time for home and gift retailers to gain market insight at Glee, where they’ll discover a lot more than fertiliser and seeds! State of the art garden solutions will share exhibition space with fantastic gift ideas that will delight the millions of amateur gardeners who live in our green and pleasant land. Outdoor clothing and greetings cards, toys, home fragrances and lighting will all be there on the show floor, alongside decorative accessories for Christmas and spring seasons. Commenting on the importance of gifting in garden centres, especially at Christmas, GCA CEO, Peter Burks, says: “Giftware is fairly steady throughout the year, with a 20 percent rise above the average in March/April due to Mother’s Day and Easter but then 40 percent of the total years sales are done in Oct-Dec, with December being well over double the monthly average. These non-gardening categories are seen as very important to our members as a way of getting both the weather impact and the seasonality of gardening reduced.” HOME, GIFT & CLOTHING AT GLEE Returning to Glee in 2024 is Cardgains (Stand 9C85), the national buying group for independent retailers selling cards, gifts and associated products, and a very familiar name to the home and gift retail community, for whom it’s been central to the independent trade for 35 years. This underscores the evergrowing importance of garden centres to the UK’s world-leading greetings card trade. Cardgains MD, Penny Shaw, commented: “At Cardgains, amongst many other card and gift selling retailers, we support quite a few independent garden centre members and will be looking forward to seeing them at Glee. We also hope to get to know many more garden centre people at the show. We know that Glee is a great show for both retailers to visit and suppliers to exhibit at, so we’re hoping to engage with those already associated with Cardgains and those who want to find out how we can work together. I will be on the stand at the show with our Financial Director Helen McManus and our Sales Manager, Charles Dyson. We’re excited to welcome everyone to the Cardgains stand in Hall 9, stand C85 As well as being represented by Cardgains, Woodmansterne, Noel Tatt and UK Greetings will have their own stands at Glee, offering a golden opportunity for retailers to view their extensive new collections in a major exhibition setting. They are joined by the master of humorous greetings cards, Emotional Rescue, whilst major stationery brand, Robert Frederick, will bring an exceptional collection of licensed paper products and gifts to the powerful Glee audience. Matthew Mein, Glee Event Director, commented: “As the GCA trade barometer consistently demonstrates, home, gift, clothing and related product categories are of great importance to an increasing number of garden centres, which especially rely on the Christmas gift trade and typically inspire buying with fantastic in-store displays. The presence at Glee of major industry suppliers from non-horticultural sectors is further indication that gift shops in garden centres are very much here to stay. With so many exceptional brands and products to source from, the 50th anniversary of Glee is a must-attend show for both garden centres and high street gift shops who want to find something new and exciting ahead for the Golden Quarter of the year when the bulk of profits are made. We are looking forward to welcoming many of them to the show in September!” EXHIBITOR PROFILES Visitors to Glee’s dedicated Home, Gift & Clothing sector this September will be treated to a wealth of established brands and new names, including the likes of Creative Products, UK Greetings, Rouchette, Woodmansterne, Blade & Rose, Tilnar Art, Seedball, Freckleface, Biohort and Turtle Mat. Here we shine a light on those brands that are not only new but exclusive to Glee, meaning you won’t find them at any other UK trade show this year. GARDEN GIFTING Meet your new favourite suppliers at Glee Home, Gift & Clothing – the home of exclusive and new brands IN BRIEF: WHO: GLEE, www.gleebirmingham.com WHERE: NEC, Birmingham WHEN: 10-12 September, 2024 Annie Bennett Jewellery: Stand 9A70 Annie is a Bristol-based jeweller whose jewellery is made entirely from recycled silver giftware, silver jewellery and silver electronics. Packaging is also recycled and recyclable, meaning that every part of the making and packaging process is eco-friendly and sustainable. Annie’s designs are inspired by geometric shapes found in nature as well as by abstract art. By Jo Crafts: Stand 9E62-D63 By Jo Crafts is a small business run by two ladies who enjoy bringing colour and beauty into people’s homes, whether that’s with coasters, hessian bags, scarves or Christmas decorations, we have amazing products with vibrant designs to suit every home, every room, and every season. Jo comes from a family of artists with her background in teaching Art & Textiles, whilst Gem’s experience of working in the corporate world brings organisational skills and business acumen to drive the business forward. The result is that By Jo Crafts is a multi-award winning company with products sold across the globe. Jo & Gem are both mothers and wives who love spending time with their families.
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