RHS and licensees out in force at major UK garden and outdoor living trade event

This year’s GLEE — the UK’s most valuable garden and outdoor living trade show for the retail industry, taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 11-13 September — will see a major RHS undertaking to raise awareness of its home and gifting offering to the gardening products retail trade.

The RHS stand (17p01) will be featuring licensed merchandise from no fewer than 15 RHS licensees and endorsed partners in the home and gifting sectors as well as the gardening category. Buyer and retailer visitors to the stand will also receive a gift bag and RHS Licensing Directory, listing all current licensees and their contact details.

But that’s not all. More than ten RHS licensees and endorsed partners will also have their own stands at the show, underlining the reach of the RHS brand in the home and gifting categories as well as its already strong presence in gardening products.

This is the first time the RHS has promoted its entire licensing programme at GLEE with the RHS stand showcasinga significant number of licensed and endorsed products in one place. The aim is to raise the profile of its growing home and gifting licensee list, in order to reach retailers that already take RHS licensed gardening products but may be unaware of the full range of RHS-supported products available. By raising awareness of the breadth and variety of its licensed offering the RHS hopes to encourage retail supporters of RHS gardening merchandise to stock RHS gifting and home products as well.

The licensees and endorsed partners featured on the RHS stand underline the extraordinary diversity and reach of the RHS brand and its licensing programme. They are:

Amelie Chocolat (luxury chocolates and confectionery)

Apta (planters and accessories)

Bronnley (toiletries, fragrances and soaps), 

Burgon & Ball (garden tools and gifts for gardeners)

Churchill China (tablewear)

Frances Lincoln (stationery and gifts)

The Gourmet Candy Company (novelty chocolates and confectionery)

Kettler (garden furniture)

Melcourt (mulches, growing media and more — all peat-free)

Otter House Card and Gift (stationery)

The Original Muck Boot Company (gardening shoes and boots)

Turtle Mat Company (washable door mats and runners)

Ulster Weavers (home textiles)

Wax Lyrical (home fragrances)

We Love Cushions (cushions, deckchairs and floor cushions)

Licensees and endorsed partners with their own stands are:

Apta (stand 19C20-E21): planters and accessories

Burgon & Ball (19C26-E27): gardening tools and gifts

DJ Turfcare (19A03): chemical-free lawn fertiliser products

Goldleaf (18K01): gardening gloves

Harrod Horticultural (20R21): arches, obelisks, trellis, plant supports and planters

Kelkay (19A10-C11 and 19A20-C21): aggregates and paving

Melcourt (20N03): peat free composts and soil conditioners

Mr Fothergill’s (19G50): RHS endorsed vegetable and flower seed ranges

The Original Muck Boot Company distributed by Gardiners (19C66)

Plantworks Ltd (18H20-K21): mycorrhizal fungi treatments to encourage good root growth

Turtle Mat Company (17R60-S61)

Cathy Snow, Licensing Manager, RHS, says: “Not only is this is our strongest presence yet at GLEE but we feel that it demonstrates our total commitment to building a robust, sustainable and balanced licensing programme. We’ve invested significant marketing time, effort and resources into supporting our partners and promoting the truly impressive diversity of the RHS licensing campaign — but for a show as important to retail as GLEE it’s more than worth it.”