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For over 50 years, Glee has been at the heart of garden retail. It's where long-standing supplier relationships are built, where new brands find their first stockists, and where purchase-ready buyers and suppliers come together to launch new ranges, place orders and shape the season ahead.
What happens at Glee every September
Source across 11 product sectors
Garden retail is diversifying, and Glee has moved with it. 2026 brings new areas for Food at Glee and Home and Garden Improvement, giving buyers access to new territory and suppliers a direct route into categories that are growing fast.
Learn from the best in the business
Keynote speakers, expert-led seminars and the New Product Awards. Find out what the best-performing garden centres are stocking, where the growth is coming from, and what your customers will be asking for next season.
For exhibitors
Find out who attends, what exhibiting at Glee involves, and why it's the most direct route into garden retail in the UK.
For buyers
Find out what to expect at Glee, who exhibits, how to plan your visit and why thousands of garden retail buyers make the trip every September.
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"The conversations we had with visitors confirmed that our products are exactly what retailers are looking for. We came to meet new stockists, and we left with large orders already placed." - Best of British award winner
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“We have visited around several times in the last 10 year and the new September timing has been so much better and truly makes sense. We come to Glee knowing what we want and come specifically to look for new suppliers that we haven’t yet placed orders here yet.”
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"We've already met four garden centres that want to work with us – buyers we simply wouldn't have found anywhere else."
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"The quality of leads has been good, and we won an award at our very first outing. We'll be back."
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"Plenty of orders taken, new accounts opened, and strong interest in our new ranges. We couldn't have asked for more from three days."
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"We met many new potential customers and received firm orders right on the stand. The response was strong enough that we rebooked immediately."
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"We've been growing for 40 years and Glee is a great way of getting in touch with the garden centre trade. It's a good show in a good location."
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"We can see this making a big impact in food courts and delis. The product really suits garden centres and Glee was the right place to launch."
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"We decided to launch at Glee and some of the bigger buyers have already been to see us. The show has a really nice, positive feel."
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"A great mix of diverse visitors – we made contact with all sorts of people we wouldn't have reached elsewhere."
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“Glee is the main show in the UK and I’ve been multiple times to look at what’s new and gain inspiration for the year ahead. “
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“Do a fantastic job, they have a huge craft department and it has big time grown their business.”
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“We come to Glee every year and have done for many years. It is great for us to network. The show works better for us than Autum Fair, whilst the September dates work better as it means we will have sold all our summer stock and can get ready for the new season.”
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“I’ve been coming to Glee for almost 40 years! Enjoying seeing new products at the show this year and meeting with our main suppliers. I’ve also been able to source some different products which will really stand out in store. Glee is one of our main shows.”
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“its our first time at Glee, quiter than we expected but its only day one so we’ll see. I’m not sure where our stand is ideal but everybody is very friendly and it’s a lovely environment.”
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“it’s a lovely show, we’ve been before, its a bit quiet where their stand is this year, but we’ve had a steady flow of people and have got some good leads.”
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“Feels the show is quiet, but they’ve made some good leads so far, so we’ll see. Hoping to get more traction in the next couple of days.”
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“the show had got off to a great start, was very busy on the stand in the morning but had slowed down during the afternoon. She was expecting it to be busy later in the week.”
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“Its smaller this year and doesn’t feel quite so busy as previous years, I think it’s a trend with trade shows because so much can be done online now and people don’t necessarily need to attend.”
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“The show has a really nice feel, very diverse and has a very positive feel. Some of the bigger buyers have been to see us, so we are happy!”
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“Our first appearance at GLEE was such a success that we immediately re-booked for next year’s show, which will be combined with the Autumn Fair. The response to our collections - especially the new RHS range - was fantastic. All in all, we couldn’t be happier with how GLEE went and are excited to build on this momentum at next year’s combined GLEE & Autumn Fair event.”
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“We are a one-stop-shop for a food shops and departments in garden centres. We’ve seen a mixture of new and existing customers at Glee and we’re pretty happy with the amount of leads we’ve had.”
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“We’ve had quite a few prospective stockists and new leads so for the networking Glee has been good for us. We’ve met quite a few charities and our product also works perfectly in garden centres. We have a sock for many occasions!”
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“It’s our third time at the show an the majority of what we’ve brought here has been new product. The quality of customers has been really good at Glee this year.”
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“We’ve been really busy during the show and have had good feedback on our Spring/Summer 26 ranges. We’ve seen plenty of export customers and lots of orders have been taken, both for in season ranges and new products for the coming year. We’ve also opened new accounts so we’re very happy with that.”
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“The show has been good for networking with other suppliers and to do our marketing for the brand. I’ll be back next year!”
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“We’ve had a team of buyers at the show for the full duration of Glee, which gives us the opportunity to catch up with hundreds of our suppliers in one place whilst also looking for new suppliers. We’ve had some really useful discussions with companies so the show’s been very helpful to our planning. We also want to get the name out about our garden centre business”
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“This fits in with a high end consumer lifestyle”
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"I’d like to make it more affordable for them so the garden offering is deeper. We should have an active supplier base that’s manufacturing in the UK so we can support British businesses. You have to back British made, that’s what gives you the point of difference. And you’re not just backing British, it’s also more sustainable.”
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“We’ve been trading for 15 years and this is our first time at Glee as the UK distributor for Citrocana. Some of our biggest customers are farm shops so we’ve come here to see if we can expand further into garden centres. The quality of leads has been good and we’re also delighted to have won an award for another of our brands, a plant-based milk, Numilk. It’s particularly good to win an award at our first outing here. We’ll be back!”
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“This is our first real trade show in years and we’ve come to Glee because we can see this making a big impact in food courts and delis. The product really suits garden centres and taps into the male gifting market.”
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“We’ve seen a lot of new customers and e-commerce sites”
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“It was a natural progression for us to move into garden centres. We also offer display stands so that customers can make their own floral bouquets. They make wonderful gifts, especially around key occasions such as Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Easter”
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“We’ve seen some existing customers and also a few new ones. Grass seed is one of our best sellers and that’s up 40% year-on-year because of the weather. Since the rebranding we’ve introduced a lot of new products, with a lot of items aimed at teaching children to grow. We’re focusing on the easy gardening side of things."
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“You do a really good job of marketing the show!”
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“We’ve been going for 40 years and we’re very buoyant as a company; we’re still growing. Glee is a nice show in a good location and a good way of getting in touch with the garden centre trade.”
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“Does your website convey what you do and where you do it? Garden centres are all thinking, how do we diversify and where do we start? You need to stay in the zeitgeist of your local customers”
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“We are all about bio-diversity in farming and only use wool derived from high welfare animals. We had lots of wool that was going to waste and started making it into pellets for the garden”
Explore our show sectors
Landscaping & Garden Decoration
Home, Gift & Clothing
Garden Care
Outdoor Entertaining
Plants
Pet Products
Retail Experiences & Services
Food & Beverage
Home & Garden Improvements
Food Hall
Speciality food and drink brands for garden centres and farm shops.
Latest articles
Stay informed with our Glee Birmingham articles. From garden product innovation and retail trends to expert opinion and show floor highlights, our editorial team covers the stories that matter to the garden industry, all in one place.
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Glee trade show FAQs
How do I exhibit at Glee Birmingham 2026?
To exhibit at Glee Birmingham 2026, businesses can apply for exhibition space through
apply for a stand. Once submitted, the Glee team will provide stand options, pricing, and guidance on how to showcase your products effectively at the trade show.
How do I register to attend?
To claim your spot at the definitive garden retail show, you can
register your interest in attending Glee 2026. Once registration opens, you will be notified and can secure free or trade-only tickets to attend the event.
Where is Glee held and how do I get there?
Glee is held at the NEC Birmingham, a major UK exhibition venue. Glee is proud to have found a home at the
NEC Birmingham. Travel to and from the venue is extremely accessible and we have plenty of tips on how to
plan your visit.
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