The Summer Outdoor Leisure Exhibition or for those in the know SOLEX, will be opening its doors to the most influential buyers from within the garden industry on 9^thJuly 2019.  It will be packed full of the freshest designs from 60 LOFA members, with the full A-Z and everything in between that the outdoor and leisure industry has to offer. 

The SOLEX exhibition is all under one roof, and in one hall, so you won’t have to walk for miles and miles to find the most inspirational and innovative products for the 2020 season. In fact it is a great place to do business, this relaxed and friendly exhibition is where you can establish new relationships and develop existing ones. So, whether you are a garden centre, a retail outlet, department store or multiple retailer, SOLEX has everything you could possibly want or need.  

There’s nothing like some outdoor lighting to add a little “je ne sais quoi” to your garden. It’s the perfect way to create atmosphere, highlight your favourite parts of the garden and provide illumination for warmer evenings spent outside. With the arrival of spring, it’s the perfect time to look at your garden and think where and how some lights could make it come to life.

There are various different types of outdoor lighting available - in this post we’ll go through them and look at the different types and how you can use them.

Leading garden centre group, Haskins Garden Centres, is delighted to announce the launch of its new Garden Gang Facebook page, designed to get children outside and involved in gardening.

The Facebook page provides parents with regular updates suitable for children, including how to encourage wildlife into the garden, an array of fun and educational worksheets, sowing seeds and a selection of gardening games.

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins, commented: “Family is rooted into our core here at Haskins so we feel we have a responsibility to help parents encourage their children to get involved in gardening. 

Henry Bell & Co, the family-owned and leading quality animal feed producer announces the release of its own brand: Henry Bell Wild Bird Care.

Henry Bell has over 20 years’ experience in the bird food industry and has been pivotal in the growth of many private label wild bird food brands. The company has now combined its strong expertise and knowledge to launch its own high-quality range of products specially designed to provide health and wellbeing for wild birds.

The horticultural heart of the exhibition, Glee Plants, showcases an extensive range of plants, trees and shrubs from UK and international suppliers. To date a host of brands – of all sizes – have confirmed their presence at the September show (10th – 12th September, NEC Birmingham), bringing with them the best new plant varieties for the season ahead.

Look out for key suppliers such as Laurica Plants, Javado, Florna Plants, Strawson Woodland, H.S Hommes & Sons, Key Essentials, Leybaert BVBA, and The Christmas Cabin. Together these brands – along with a host of yet to be confirmed names -will be showcasing an exciting mix of nursery stock, bedding plants, house plants, cut flowers, trees and shrubs, herbs and florist sundries.

Manchester-based pet bedding and accessory specialists Scruffs® have confirmed their participation at this year’s Zoomark® in Bologna next month.

Based in Hall 25, B96-C97 this year; Scruffs® are set to re-imagine their “British Country Manor” themed stand, with notable improvements to display space and overall aesthetics.Scruffs® will be showcasing several new product ranges and designs this year, as the brand continues to update its core collections to reflect changes in the market.

Dubby Klyne, Sales Director at Scruffs®, said: “We’ve been hard at work over the past two years, and since our last visit to Bologna there have been various enhancements to our product range. We are excited to display our new-looking pet bedding and accessory collections, with improvements and additions throughout.”

The UK's premier showcase of housewares, tabletop and small domestic appliance brands returns in June 2019 as two shows, Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical, take place in London.

These shows guarantee an explosion of new products, the very latest on trend creations and Christmas gifting collections showcased by the 150 plus exhibitors.

Visitors have the unique opportunity to gain an understanding of the very latest styles and trends interpreted for the housewares market by trend experts Scarlet Opus. They will share their predictions for future high street and internet trends with talks, tours and displays. This is essential inspiring knowledge and is fundamental to purchase decisions to ensure product selected will appeal to today’s consumer. 

The Garden Industry Manufacturers’ Association’s AGM and Day Conference took place on 10th April at Ettington Chase Hotel, Stratford-Upon-Avon, with 60 members in attendance.  With a packed agenda, the day tackled everything from how consumers are changing the face of retailing, to the impact of technology upon purchasing decisions, the importance of inspiration, and how one retailer is forging ahead in this new retail landscape.

GIMA’s Director, Vicky Nuttall kicked off proceedings, updating the room with positive news, in that GIMA has witnessed its fifth year of member growth, with 171 brands now forming the membership roster. Vicky continued to highlight a great start to the year with events such as Glee at Spring Fair and the Garden Press Event. The association also has a number of key events upcoming such as Buyer Connect (May 29th, and July 10th) as well as the Charity Day (June 6th) and annual GIMA Awards (July 4th), to which members were invited to attend.

Following Vicky was Philip Benton, Research Manager for Euromonitor International’s Home & Tech division. In his session Philip highlighted opportunities for growth through ‘megatrends’. According to Euromonitor’s data, key drivers for future growth of the garden market will be technology, the shifting economic power, population change, and environmental shifts, which Philip broke down into three megatrends. The first was ‘Ethical Living’ best summarised by more eco-conscious consumers, who will be focused on sustainability, veganism and the anti-plastic movement. 

Barlow Tyrie is approaching 100 years since starting as a specialist manufacturer of Teakwood outdoor furniture. We are known and respected in developed markets worldwide having progressed from humble beginnings in East London to be the oldest remaining manufacturer of this very traditional English product.

We are very proud of our ranges, designed for both contemporary and traditional palates. Our design team have created new additions that sit perfectly with our current ranges. We are excited to introduce our new products and reinvigorated designs.

Layout collection – is a modular deep seating system which brings elegant indoor lounging to outdoor spaces. The collection is comprised of two upholstered seat sizes and seven tables which together create intimate or grand seating environments. Create and configure an individual system that perfectly fits your own outdoor living, as you wish. Upholstered backs and arms are separate components, using the best Sunbrella® Rain® waterproof fabrics that the outdoor industry has to offer. These can be attached on any side of the seats to create sofas, corner sectional, loungers, chairs, and many asymmetrical configurations. Refined frames support both the upholstered seats and a choice of teak or terrazzo table tops. Layout is a creative kit of parts to build your perfect outdoor living room. (designers: Nathalie de Leval and Andrew Jones)

If you’re looking into ways to keep your dog active, then read the review below on the wonderful PitPat. 

I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on a product that I never even knew existed until now. The Pitpat is a health monitor for your pup, which tracks how much exercise they’re getting each day, giving owners and their dogs a chance to win prizes with the points they collect. It’s a great way to keep your dog active and a perfect excuse to get out into the big wide world. If you're struggling to find that perfect thing to keep you and your dog entertained, then this is the perfect way to keep those tails wagging!

I received my Pitpat in a handy box including a membership card, Eukanubafood sample, a keychain for a collar, some stickers, and the Pitpat itself. It felt really personal. It’s always a surprise to get more in a gift than you expected!

It’s far from a dog’s life for man’s best friend at Balmer Lawn, as it launches an exclusive ‘Barking Lawn’ menu for its four-legged guests.

The award-winning dog-friendly Hampshire hotel has always welcomed the furry fraternity through its doors but has now decided to offer them a place to sit at the table rather than underneath it to enjoy a bowl (or two) of what they really fancy – and what’s good for them. 

The Barking Lawn menu, which launches on Monday, 1^st April, begins with a flavoursome pawsecco aperitif, sure to leave your hound bright eyed and bushy tailed for the menu ahead. Next up, your faithful friend can enjoy a fresh pulled pawk salad, featuring crisp leaves from our homegrown vegetable patch. For mains, your four-legged friend will enjoy a delicious poochini mushroom risotto; a nutty blend of porcini mushrooms gently sautéed in truffle-infused oil and rosemary.