Outdoor garden furniture, wooden products and decorative garden structure specialist, Zest 4 Leisure is investing upwards of £400,000 in product development facilities and personnel, ahead of the 2022 season.  The company has appointed Neil Sholes into a new role as Head of Product Design and Innovation and is building an ‘Innovation Centre’ at its headquarters.

Neil was previously with Scientific Games and Hughes Safety and has a passion for developing market and user requirements into impactful, desirable products, satisfying need, but also creating lasting enjoyment and pleasure.  His remit for Zest is to spearhead a dedicated team researching and designing new products in line with consumer trends, meeting customer product requirements, and further developing key concepts such as ‘easy to build’ and sustainability.

The Innovation Centre, which is currently under construction will be a state-of-the-art product design and development suite including research and concept development, the latest CAD design technology, a prototyping build area, a production studio, and a marketing zone.  The facility will launch over the summer.

Zest 4 Leisure’s managing director, Steve Morgan commented, “Enjoying outdoor space in whatever context has never been more important and Zest plans to ensure it can embrace all trade and consumer requirements.  Supply and customer satisfaction are top priorities for Zest, and it is great to be able to announce such significant plans for investment at Solex Online, which the company has always believed to be a leading show for this industry.”

Zest 4 Leisure was established in 2005 to bring high quality, FSC® (C114990) certified timber garden products to garden centres, online retailers, builders’ merchants, and major purchasing groups across the UK. 

For further information about Zest 4 Leisure’s alfresco dining products and its wider range, visit www.zest4leisure.co.uk.