Gift Focus - Mar/Apr 2020 (Issue 118)

83 GLEE AT SPRING FAIR Glee at Spring Fair report Exhibitors kick-started the 2020 spring sales season in style at Glee, held at Spring Fair on 2 nd -6 th February, with suppliers reporting strong levels of enquiries from UK and overseas visitors Buyers from independents and retail chains flocked to the NEC in Birmingham to see the latest innovation from the garden trade, and snapped up new products for 2020 that offer the potential to drive retail sales this season. At Laurica Plants from Belgium, which specialises in the cultivation of bay trees, manager Elie Devisch praised the quality of visitors, pointing out that he had made seven new contacts in the space of a day. He said: “I have seen old and potential customers and met with visitors from the US and Canada – as well as from Ireland, which is important for our market.” An upbeat mood was evident on the stand of Riverco Trading, supplier of British-made wooden garden furniture, which returned to Glee at Spring Fair for the third year. Riverco Trading owner, Peter Wootton, said: “It’s a good show with lots of potential. We’ve taken orders and secured several new accounts.” The company reported that its flat-packed bench pallets, which contain nine benches on a pallet with free delivery, had been a star seller at the show, with strong interest also reported in Frogsuit, a wood protection product that has been in the best-sellers list on TV shopping channel QVC. It was a successful show for Creative Products, providing the company with a platform to showcase its Creative TV services – instore merchandising solutions with built-in screens that inspire consumers and drive impulse sales. Creative products director, Mark Hall, said one of the highest levels of enquiries had centred around its new product that won best in show at Glee at Spring Fair: double-sided, ultra-strong, reusable and waterproof Nano Gel Tape that sticks to wood, metal, plastic and glass, while its Dickie Birds Fat Ball Garland, a ‘highly commended’ new product at the show that allows fat balls for birds to be hung individually or joined together to create an attractive garland, was the centre of attention, too. First time exhibitor potterypots.com , distributed by My Gifts Trade, aimed to inspire buyers by staging dramatic ‘retail theatre’ with a range of container designs on its stand. My Gifts Trade purchasing manager, David Homer, said the company’s new-for-2020 Zayn bamboo 