SOLEX takes place in Hall 5 of the NEC in Birmingham.

The exhibition is open for three days – Tuesday and Wednesday, July 7-8, 9am to 5.30pm; and Thursday, July 9, 9am to 5pm.

There are large car parks at the NEC, and parking will be free 

To register your place for SOLEX click here

For more information about SOLEX visit the exhibition website at http://www.lofa.co.uk/solex/home.html

Andrew MacMillan, an expert in differentiating business through customer experience, is the guest speaker at SOLEX and is giving talks each day of the show.

Andrew McMillan started his career as a management trainee with the John Lewis Partnership at Brent Cross. He quickly moved up through the management ranks and progressed to the head office to take charge of the department stores’ customer centric Intelligence Team. They acted as an internal business consultancy reporting on competitive strategy, product differentiation and value, catchment area and demographics for new branches and customer service.

In 2000 Andrew was asked to lead on customer service for the department store division. The role saw him develop JLP’s market-leading culture and attitude towards customer service and sales with the 20,000 customer-facing Partners in 26 John Lewis shops across the UK. That customer-driven culture is something that has now become synonymous with the John Lewis brand.

Andrew joined a City based consultancy as a Principal Consultant before setting up his own consultancy in 2012 specialising in employee engagement, customer experience and customer centric business change. Consulting clients have included: Argos, Asda, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Kwik Fit, Jardine Motors Group, Lookers Motor Group, Greene King, Vauxhall Motors, Peugeot Citroen and Virgin Atlantic.

Andrew will be speaking again at SOLEX on:

• Thursday - 10.30am

Andrew says: "What did your business set out to do for its customers at its inception? In a fledgling business high quality personal customer service is a given or the business will fail. However, as a business develops it can lose touch with its roots as growth and financial control start to dominate the agenda.

"So, when was the last time you really thought about your customers experience when they interact with front-line staff and how those customers subsequently feel about your business? 

"Many businesses find themselves focussing on developing their products, services or processes when they think about customer experience and the interaction with staff is left to chance. 

"The reputation John Lewis enjoy is equally based on the quality of the experience delivered through their staff, as that is the value and quality of their products and services. It's a potential major point of differentiation in a crowded marketplace and one that many businesses fail to capitalise upon."

Andrew conducted a number of "secret shopper" visits to garden centres in preparation for his SOLEX seminars so he has some interesting an insightful comments to make on real likfe garden centre examples.

Bosmere's range of barbecue and garden furniture covers has been extended with the launch Thunder Grey at SOLEX (stand 630).

In the past the covers market was quite conservative and the products were purely functional. To move the market forward Bosmere introduced fashion  in a new 'urban chic' range in the form of Storm Black. That range really took off and substantially increased the sales of premium covers.

"Interest in the Thunder Grey covers and orders at the show have exceeded expectations," said Steve Millington.

"New materials have been used and PVC backing eliminated through the use of a unique coating developed by Bosmere technicians. The covers are therefore much more environmentally friendly.

"New premium packaging has been introduced with a smart new logo 'badge'."

Napoleon Grills is launching two new gas BBQ models for 2016 where user friendliness is the watchword. The new P500 and PRO500 models include new features, restyling and stress free assembly in less than 30 minutes.

A large selection of new grilling accessories will also be available.

The P500 now benefits from one of the company’s most popular designs features that already appears on the Triumph range, namely a fold down side shelf; this makes for easier storage and safe manoeuvrability. Door handles and control knobs have been restyled and the drip tray is accessed from the front.

The PRO500, in line with most quality kitchens, now enjoys soft closing doors to its storage unit, which now has internal shelving. New features include interior lights, a new control panel and NIGHT LIGHT control knobs. The drip tray on this model is also accessed from the front.

Martin Sobey, UK Sales Manager, comments: “We are always aiming to improve our products and with both of these models we have made significant refinements ensuring excellent functionality and user-experience are at their core.”

Napoleon Grills are on stand 645 at SOLEX.

To find out more visit www.napoleongrills.co.uk on 01676 522788 or email info@napoleongrills.co.uk

Garden giftware company Fallen Fruits, whose many themed and designer collections are inspired by both by nature and the impetus to recycle and make anew, is promoting its Fancy Flames range at SOLEX . The range incorporates everything from candles and tealights to chimineas and firepits – plus all the accessories the retailer could wish to feature.

The Fancy Flames collection brings together eastern European, traditional and contemporary design influences to create a wide range of attractive products and accessories all united by living flames for stylish outdoor spaces.  Lighting options include scented candles, traditional tealights and novelty lanterns. 

Firepits, braziers and chimineas in traditional antique iron finishes complement contemporary rust finished designs and Turkish influences.  The range also includes barbecue options, fuels and outdoor cooking accessories. A perfect lifestyle choice for style conscious garden centre shoppers, the collection also contains ideal gift options, even including wedding or setting up home potential.  

RRPs start from £2.99 for a set of small citronella garden torches to £599 for an extra large wood store.  Fallen Fruits managing director Michael Hall explained, “This collection has fantastic appeal for both gardening enthusiasts and consumers who just want to enjoy their outdoor space.  It’s a real opportunity for garden centres to maximise their consumer appeal.”

As with all Fallen Fruits garden and giftware ranges, the Fancy Flames collection is well supported at point of sale. 

Shropshire-based Fallen Fruits combines excellence in global purchasing with product design and service dedicated to developing aesthetically pleasing, handy, helpful, quirky, original and fun items to make gardening easier and gardens more enjoyable. 

Garden retailers can contact Fallen Fruits for more information about this and other collections by contacting the company on 01584 873377 or by emailing sales@fallenfruits.co.uk.

Innovators International have expanded their award-winning bar set range to include a contemporary designed 8-seater bar set featuring stainless steel accents and an integrated ice bucket. This set can be purchased in a mixed container with other sets from the range.

Innovators have also taken the popular lounge dining sets to a new level with the introduction of the adjustable height tables on their Hervey and Botany sets. This allows for the transition from dining to relaxed living.

Managing Director Nick Joels  gave his reaction to the reception of the new lines.

“I am delighted that the innovative concepts developed by our young design team that have proved to be market focused due the fantastic reception from our customers.

"In the current environment one cannot afford to stay still and investment in product design is not optional but essential.”

Innovators International are on stand 430 at SOLEX.

  

Premier (stand 420) launched a host of new products at SOLEX yesterday to enhance their increasingly in-depth offering across outdoor leisure categories.

Top-end al fresco dining is covered by the Italian-made Fontana ovens range, some offering the ability to cook pizza and barbecue food at the same time, by virtue of a cantilevered pull-out grilling surface.

Also new are attractive bistro furniture sets in a choice of pastel colours, priced to sell in volume.





Above: new bistrro dining sets from Premier

http://news.sky.com/story/1514455/government-makes-u-turn-on-sunday-trading

An underlying trend from the BBQ and grill exhibitors at Solex this week is the increasing number of Al Fresco Pizza baking options for retailers to choose from.

Al Fresco Pizza baking, either on a BBQ or in an outdoor pizza oven is a growing market.  As the team from firepitsuk told the Solex Sun “every family has a youngster who loves pizza.”

With plenty of new pizza related developments at Solex there’s every possibility retailers can use the pizza effect to sell a new piece of Al Fresco cookware to families and bbq aficionados next year.

Premier Decorations are importing the European market leading range of Pizza ovens from Fontana.  They are 100% Italian made, with certified food safe stones and even have a double chimney version which will be an ideal sale for the “mine’s bigger than yours” brigade.

As well as the wood charcoal fired ovens The Fontana range also includes a Gas Pizza Oven with burners that are 2mm thick to push out 12,000 btu.  “Italian pizza ovens are designed to cook a pizza in 2 minutes,” Premier Decorations Pravin Patel.

Lifestyle Appliances are also showing a new range of gas Pizza Ovens.  Their stainless steel deluxe model which can be used as a pizza oven, bbq, smoker and general oven will retail for about £599.

Other pizza ovens at SOLEX include the Foretto from Grakka, which also includes an electric warming drawer for proving pizza dough.  La Hacienda have their bestselling Bakerstone which fits on top of traditional BBQ’s and a new concept Pizza oven model.  Firepitsuk are manufacturing a metal pizza oven in the UK that heats up to temperature for cooking in 20 minutes and Gardeco have a new Pizzaro pizza oven made from their unique Chimalin fire clay with a 5 year guarantee which with it’s metal stand will retail for £500.

Outback have launched their Jupiter gas bbq with a built in pizza stone and then there are a host of pizza stone accessories from the likes of Napolean and Weber.  “It’s one of our high volume accessory sales lines, with free pizza cutter.  Adding pizza to the BBQ menu gets the whole family involved, the Napolean team told Solex Sun.  Weber feature a pizza stone as one of their gourmet options.

The biggest range of al fresco cooking accessories including pizza baking possibly goes to Cadac.  The team were keen to demonstrate their modular cooking system which can produce a Seafood Pizza using the tepanyaki plate to cook the seafood and then the baking stone with the lid closed to bake the pizza.

So how big could Al Freso pizza business be in the coming years?  As Louise Edkins from Lifestyle Appliances said “Pizza Hut are doing OK.”  So perhaps selling pizza ovens and even giving live in store demonstrations must be worth exploring, even in the Clyde Valley!

Katie Blake by Glencrest Seatex are showing an amazing range of garden furniture on stand 415 at SOLEX.

Included in the range is a beautiful Gazebo with a Rattan roof features three 3-seat benches with cushions and scatters plus a coffee table.

Even the roof is lined on the inside, making this a really luxurious Gazebo.

Easy to assemble, it is an ideal garden centre product not available through internet-only companies.

SOLEX takes place in Hall 5 of the NEC in Birmingham.

The exhibition is open for three days – Tuesday and Wednesday, July 7-8, 9am to 5.30pm; and Thursday, July 9, 9am to 5pm.

There are large car parks at the NEC, and parking will be free 

To register your place for SOLEX click here

For more information about SOLEX visit the exhibition website at http://www.lofa.co.uk/solex/home.html

LG Outdoor’s Green Room concept, which enables garden centres to offer own-brand ranges and compete with online sales, now accounts for almost 50% of the company’s business, group chairman Richard Grimmer told SOLEX Sun yesterday.

Green Room is a working name for LG’s volume business which gives garden centres access to ‘affordable containers’ of unbranded product which they can own-brand and and price without fear of comparison with branded goods sold online. The process by which consumers check out product in store and then buy from the cheapest online source is known as ‘showrooming’.

“The beauty of buying unbranded is that they can call it what they want and price it how they want,” said Richard. “It’s been a huge success for us and we’re doing more and more every year.”

Meanwhile, LG continue to innovate elsewhere in the range. More accessories have been introduced this tear, many in full-colour packaging, to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of Solus products in the category.

One of the most innovative new products on the stand (515) is the new Hanoi Harbour range featuring an attractive rattan-style weave made from hard-wearing rope (pictured below), which gives the furniture a soft, tactile feel. Tables are have detailing made from brushed acacia.

Also new are Sail Canopies – combining the benefits of a canopy and a gazebo.

Furniture sets aimed at the younger garden-lover have proved a popular hit for Brundle Gardener this year.

The mushroom and animal-themed furniture have been a unique feature for garden centres while enhancing Brundle’s ethos of offering something different.

The furniture sets will be a centrepiece for Brundle Gardener at this week's Solex trade show and a spokesman for the company said: “The mushroom furniture set offers some enchantment to any garden.

“You can easily see children’s playing a game of make-believe with the set acting as a centrepiece for their imagination.

“We see the garden as a natural extension to the home so why shouldn’t children have their own area to host their own tea parties or play other fun and games? This has certainly caught on as garden centres view children’s furniture as more and more important.

“We have received a number of orders from garden centres looking to add some unique child-friendly products to their range.”

Both furniture sets are made from tough, robust fibreglass and vibrant water-based colours.

They are also UV stable to ensure they withstand the British weather.

For more information on the products, please visit www.brundlegardener.co.uk or phone 0131 335 5955.

Below is a range of colourful garden accessories you can see on the Brundle Gardener stand 360.

The main focus of SOLEX for SolarCentre is their new solar fairy light string called “Lumify”, part of their guaranteed winter working range,

They promise to yet again impress any solar critics by pushing the boundaries of what can be expected from solar in winter.  With working performance on a winter’s night purely from solar allowing the lights to run at full brightness for 6hrs a night, they also have a power saving mode which will enable the user to get up to 80 hrs run time from the included batteries and to top all this off a USB charge function too.

Also being launched at SOLEX by the SolarCentre are two new post lights, four new wall Lights, two new spot lights and one new security Light.  Plus the powersaving functionality is being added to the best two garden centre sellers at no additional cost, further improving customer satisfaction.

David Eaton, Director at the SolarCentre, said:  “Our goal at the SolarCentre is to keep pushing the boundaries of what is achievable from solar, for exterior home and garden lighting.  It is not just about brightness and performance but also about build quality to deliver great value for money.  We want customers to be proud to own a SolarCentre light and to share their satisfaction with all their friends.”

For more information visit www.solarcentre.co.uk

Gardeco launched a unique range of chimeneas at SOLEX today made from the world's first  crack-proof fire clay

Chimalin AFC fire-proof clay is exclusive to Gardeco, who developed the new material  in a top-secret process that took seven years to perfect.

Because of the strength and durability of this new advanced fire clay, the new chimeneas, shown on the SOLEX stand in a number of a glazed finishes, are offered with a five-year guarantee against thermal cracking, enabling users to fire a clay chimenea in the same way as a cast iron  for the first time.

There are also new fire bowls and a pizza oven made from Chimalin AFC

The launch is supported with an in-store vido and POS banners.

Above: Gardeco’s managing director, Isabelle Harris, launches the new Chimalin AFC range.

Alexander Rose announced at SOLEX today that they are to continue with their Outdoor Furniture Student Design Competition following the outstanding success of this year’s contest.

The number of entries this year trebled – from 17 after the 2014 launch to 56 – and the company believe it will grow year on year.

The company’s marketing consultant Giuseppe D’ana, announcing the 2015 winners, said the outstanding quality of the entries had given the judges a difficult job but was encouraging for the future of the industry, which is worth around £960 million.

The winners were:

Gold: Peter Geissler (De Montfort University)

Silver: Kacper Benicewicz (UCA Rochester)

Bronze: Joshua Younger (UCA Farnham)

Kacper Benicewicz’s design – a garden bench – has gone into immediate production in the Alexander Rose range as the Augusta bench, made in Vietnam from cornis, an affordable hardwood.

Above: Kacper Benicewicz (left) and Joshua Younger (right) with their winner’s certificates. Peter Geissler’s Gold award was accepted by his university tutor, Nicki Theokritoff (centre).