Renowned for years as the ‘must-visit’ show for garden centre buyers, Glee is set to expand its offering into a dedicated Home, Gift & Clothing ‘village’ for the 2023 event, reflecting the importance of these categories in garden centres around the UK.
This expertly curated sector of the show, which takes place from June 27 to June 29 at the NEC in Birmingham, will incorporate a wealth of new products especially suited to the home and gift trade within garden centres.
Products will include outdoor clothing, footwear and fashion accessories, greeting cards, stationery, books, home fragrance, decorative accessories, toys, and other gifts for children.
For garden retailers seeking to diversify their offering, Home, Gift & Clothing at Glee promises to have the trend-led solutions they need, while traditional gift shops and homeware retailers will have the chance to see stand-out suppliers in a different setting and discover product innovations that will inspire their customers in seasons to come. The event offers a golden opportunity for home, gift and clothing retailers who seek to bring the outdoors in-store and build an all-round lifestyle merchandise mix for their customers.
The late June timing of Glee is also ideal for gift, homeware and apparel buyers in search of the hottest new merchandise ahead of Christmas. This was demonstrated at last year’s edition of the show, where buyers turned out in droves to do some serious ‘Christmas shopping’.
The introduction of a dedicated ‘village’ for Home, Gift & Clothing will facilitate show navigation for retailers seeking exciting new brands, trend-driven collections and Christmas-ready ranges across complementary merchandise categories.
Glee Director Matthew Mein commented: “We are incredibly excited about the next edition of Glee, where so many plans for the future of both this event and the garden retail trade will finally start to manifest. We have a lot to share with our audience and look forward to welcoming suppliers and retailers from across the home, gift and clothing spectrum to the NEC in June, where they will find a natural home alongside our fabulous garden offerings, DIY and retail solutions. All these elements together will help make Glee an event which really taps the seismic consumer lifestyle shift towards gardening and pet care, grow-your-own and houseplant cultivation: all-round outdoor living with a strong sustainable ethos. Home and Garden are as one at Glee.”
Home, Gift & Clothing Exhibitors
A host of new names will join returning exhibitors across the home, gift and clothing spectrum, including greeting cards publishers Woodmansterne, UK Greetings and Museums & Galleries; British providers of candles and home fragrance The Candle Brand and Freckleface; crafting specialists Search Press and The Crafty Kit Company; eco-friendly and Fairtrade home and gift supplier Tilnar Art; APAC, which has major brands including Bolsius Candles; eco-friendly gift and homeware supplier Jarapa, which specialises in recycled glass products; wholesale supplier Global Journey Gifts, whose gift ranges are supplied on customised displays with vibrant point of sale; handmade wooden plaque and giftware supplier The Giggle Gift Company; international supplier of candle holders Hellmann-Versand; Little Karma; The Wheat Bag Company; and garden lighting specialist Lighting Legend.
For the first time in 2023 they will be joined by licensed gift wholesaler GB Eye (Abysse UK), which has a huge array of branded products featuring a multitude of licences from across the worlds of music, film, and television. Toy companies joining the line-up include Hippychick, Playmonster UK, Playpress Toys, Robbie Toys and Toyway by Bachmann.
On the Clothing side, names include the outdoor sock brand HJ Hall (a great gift for hikers and outdoor workers); Fairtrade knitwear supplier Black Yak; Soake; and ultra-lightweight wellington boot brand Leon Boots Co, which can effectively cross the divide from garden centres to specialist shoe shops and department store retailers.
Elsewhere at Glee, buyers in search of the latest trends in home accessories can discover the luxurious, design-led gardening, houseplant and outdoor accessories of garden centre favourites such as Burgon & Ball, Ivyline, Capi, KW Metal Flowers and Jonart.
New Look for Glee
Reflecting the diversity of companies and brands who come together under one roof at Glee, the show has unveiled new-look branding. Featuring a bright colour palette and icons representative of Glee’s product categories, the branding’s rich visual tapestry captures the lifestyle ethos of an event where consumer trends take shape and come into bloom.
Find out more
To keep up to date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com
To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2023, call 0203 3545 9752.