Blogs

Smart Garden’s successful year continued at Glee with a marked increase in orders while new introductions in its renowned solar lighting range proved a hit with retailers.

The leading supplier of garden products has seen phenomenal growth in 2017, resulting in it outgrowing its warehouseas Smart Garden continues to meet consumer demand for trend setting and high-quality product ranges.

With an increased stand presence in the halls and extensive development of existing ranges, Smart Garden had itslargest and strongest new product introduction ever, which…

The initial reaction was a combination of excitement and interest. The Retail Lab was new to Glee, and as such a visual feast for the senses, many people were stopped in their tracks before coming onto the area to find out more. 

Once the initial surprise passed, people were keen to learn more about how they could recreate the themes and ideas within their own retail environments – which is exactly what we wanted; to inspire! The great thing with the Retail Lab was the fact it was such a tactile feature. People were able to pick…

Haskins Garden Centres have launched a completely new seed layout this autumn to attract new customers and make it easier to shop.

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins Garden Centres, commented: “Previously seeds were displayed by supplier, which meant that customers might find tomatoes in three or four different places. The new layout is arranged by product type, so the customer can easily find the seeds they want then choose between different brands and different varieties. We saw this done successfully in France, and have been trying to find a way to do this with our…

There is no time like the present to reach new heights in the garden and cut back overgrown tree branches with the help of Fiskars’ brand new PowerGear™ X Telescopic Tree Pruner!

First-class in its field, this versatile addition to the Fiskars PowerGear™ X family is a must-have gardening tool, carefully designed for ultimate convenience and performance. Thanks to its extendable shaft, which reaches up to an impressive six metres compared to the standard 3.5 metres, this pioneering tree pruner enables gardeners to easily trim overhead branches. It reaches even the tallest…

Creative Products is celebrating a successful Glee 2017 having impressed buyers with its latest product offerings and new heritage-inspired packaging.

As well as enticing visitors to the stand with its range of quirky products,including the cleverly designed Slide and Store fridge storage system and the on-trend sequined Mermaid Cushion, Creative Products was also shortlisted for a Glee New Product Award, with the company’s Star Magic Motion Christmas laser lights catching the judges’ eyes.

Creative Products managing director, Mark Hall said, “Glee 2017provided us with a…

Amongst the many new plant novelties we see on the circuit, often some of them are not that great, just new! They can be almost identical to what is currently on the market and in reality, some should not really see the light of the day!

Consumer-Lead

If we are to expand the plant and garden market, we must be quite selective when introducing new products and understanding that ultimately its the consumer that keeps us in business.

We would not produce a new car that is poor on fuel consumption, only has a reverse gear, and runs on square tyres!  In today’s…

Twenty-two companies in the pet care industry were honoured on Sunday 24 September 2017 at the PetQuip Awards Dinner & Party, which took place in the Ludlow Suite at the Telford International Centre, in association with PATS Telford.  

Also presented was a Lifetime Achievement Award for Terry Brown, the founder and current chairman of Pedigree Wholesale Ltd, one of the UK’s largest wholesalers in the independent pet and aquatic trade.

In front of a packed UK and international retailer and supplier audience that represented all sectors of the pet…

PetQuip Awards Lifetime Achievement Award 2017 Introductory speech by Amanda Sizer Barrett, MBE director general of PetQuip

The winner of this year’s PetQuip Lifetime Achievement Award is the owner of a family business founded in 1926 by his grandfather as boarding kennels, a farm was acquired and the business expanded again into breeding farm livestock. 

Our award winner, the founder’s grandson, helped out on the farm from an early ageand on the day he passed his driving test he was sent by his father to work at the kennels.

In 1963 the business launched …

YoYo – self-extending and retracting

Discover the new system for watering and washing with the self-extending and retracting YoYo expandable hose. Turn on the tap and watch as it fills with water, the hose extends to twice its length. Once the water drains away, it retracts back to its original size. YoYo is available in 4 different lengths (8, 15, 20 and 30 metres), it is attractive, flexible, soft, pleasant to the touch and comes with a 5 years guarantee.

International award winner

YoYo received the prestigious ‘2016 International Red Dot Award’ for Design, having…

DJ Turfcare – one of the UK’s most formidable suppliers of lawn care products – is excited to announce that it is launching its first-ever RHS endorsed range of chemical-free lawn fertiliser products.

Made up of MO Bacter, Bio-Lime and Recovery, the range – created by Belgian lawn care experts, Viano, and distributed by DJ Turfcare in the UK – marks the first lawn care range of this type to receive endorsement from the Royal Horticulture Society.  

The new RHS range will also be supported with newly designed packaging.  Featuring a prominent RHS logo,…

The team working at Haskins Garden Centre in Roundstone reached its fundraising target to pay for charity Canine Partners to train new puppy, Bloom.

Haskins staff raised £6,564 for the charity over a two year period through fundraising initiatives at the Roundstone centre. The garden centre’s donation covers the purchase and training of puppy Bloom to become a Canine Partners assistance dog.

Bloom is a three month old Labrador, currently being trained at the Puppy Training Satellite in West Sussex. Over time, she will be trained to help with a range of…

For more than half a century, Plantpak has been a respected supplier to the UK garden market, the name is synonymous with quality propagation equipment for the amateur gardener. The introduction of the Plantpak Hydro-Pod Indoor Garden marks a major development for the brand, bringing easy to use high tech hydroponics into the home allowing anyone to be a gardener.

It is possible to grow herbs, vegetables and flowers quickly and easily as no horticultural expertise is needed. Hydro-Pod has a stylish compact design which incorporates two self-watering chambers which automatically…

GARDEN centres saw seed and bulb sales soar by 23.44% in August compared to the same month last year according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade (BoT) report.

Houseplant sales were also up at 15.03% and clothing was up 14.74%.

Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, said: “It’s great to see that customers have been out in force at their local centres and are still enjoying their gardens, particularly by purchasing bulbs and seeds to plant out in readiness for a colourful display next spring.

“The strong houseplant…

Wood grilling over open flame is a cooking method that has existed for thousands of years and yet it is perceived as something new and trendy. Cedar Bay has refined this ancient method, packaged it, and made it easy for consumers to use and enjoy today.

Our grilling planks are made of Canadian Red Cedar from the forests of British Columbia, Canada. We have packaged them together with Cedar Bay’s finest spices, to offer consumers a fun, unique and easy way to grill fish and seafood that is savoury and aromatic, and is sure to impress dinner company!

Salmon is…

Zest 4 Leisure, a leading trade supplier of quality timber garden products, is celebrating its 5th consecutive year at GLEE with a good news story for customers.

Zest’s new range of products for 2018, the announcement of its recent warehouse and distribution centre purchase, a new operations system and new HR Director, means a bright outlook for the new garden leisure season.

The new centre, based in Saltney, North Wales, will provide further room to stock and store a wider range of Zest 4 Leisure items, allowing for the planned future expansion and…

Eleven ground-breaking new garden products have been confirmed as the winners of the coveted Glee New Product Awards 2017, at a special award presentation organised and run by Garden Trade News.

Selected from hundreds of entries showcased at Glee (11th – 13th September, NEC Birmingham), the winning products were chosen by an expert panel of judges, representing independent and multiple retailers and international suppliers.

Entries were submitted into twelve key garden retail categories, comprising: