In This Issue
It’s a sell out!
Record sales on top of record sales in Scotland
It’s like Christmas, only bigger!
Fire at Millbrook Gravesend destroys compost and furniture
The biggest week for Growing Media sales, ever!
Thank you for bringing a little floral cheer on #FloralFriday!
Dobbies sign up on new site that will be the biggest Dobbies in the South West
Bents dedicates more resource to popular Food Box service
Jump starting the gardening industry
Festives' trade ordering website sees significant growth in orders
2020 RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year Announced
Working together to meet the uk’s unprecedented demand for Growing Media
Innovative ideas for making outdoor dining safe
spoga+gafa 2020: Trends and new products for the outdoor season
2020 is one for the record books, says LifestyleGarden®
Fourfold sales increase for new Greenworks battery-powered mower
A speedy solution for queuing in comfort
Adapting sanitisation needs is key to garden centres staying open, says Cleaner Retail
Firewood sales have increased by over 320%
Gardenex launches website information source exclusively for member companies
Plant Area General Assistant
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
All seasons, all reasons with new Multi-Tool Attachments
New record set for Garden Product sales
Trevor Wellington 29/4/47 – 14/5/20
Baker & Taylor ready to support your needs at short notice
Plants up by 35%
Four Oaks Trade Show 2020 Cancelled
Record Veg sales beat pre-lockdown peak
Smiemans to build huge leisure centre for Plantorama
HTA Launches New App
The best of last week's
Garden Centre sales reach record levels 2 weeks after re-opening
"Open For Business: Lessons Learned from Lockdown and The First Week of Trading". Watch the webinar replay now
Covid-19 Safe - Barton Grange Style
Post-Lockdown trading re-starts at 48% down year to date
GrowNation stores take 40% of sales outside business hours. Online garden sales booming.
Garden Centre Photo Tours
Haskins Snowhill re-opens after £15m re-vamp
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
Catering Design Group's ten top tips for reopening your catering facilities safely
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spoga+gafa 2020: Trends and new products for the outdoor season

The garden as a sustainable retreat is the focus of the coming spoga+gafa. From 6 to 8 September 2020, the world’s largest garden trade fair will again showcase current trends and themed areas in the gardens sector. International exhibitors will present pioneering solutions from the world of the garden and offer a comprehensive overview of the new products. With this year's focus "Sustainable Gardens", spoga+gafa is setting the scene for a more conscious lifestyle. The key theme is present across all segments. The diversity of offers ranges from outdoor furniture and design for garden equipment, to garden appliances, BBY and outdoor kitchens, through to decorative accessories for outdoor living – a glance at the themes of the outdoor season.

 

Salutary green: The garden as a place of retreat
The garden has always been of special significance as a place of relaxation and retreat. One's own patch of green plays a major role especially in times of uncertainty. Here the everyday routine appears to be unaffected. Garden work offers a distraction and helps people come to rest. Fresh air and plants promote health and regeneration. Which is why all the more today the garden serves as extended living space. The trend of the past years towards designing outdoor areas in a homely manner is thus ongoing and indeed increasing further. New outdoor furniture combine the comfort of the living room with extremely durable materials for outside. Lounge groups and upholstery can be combined to form convivial seating arrangements. Matching accessories such as cushions, carpets or lanterns provide a homely touch. And people, without their own garden, don't have to do without greenery either. Indoor gardening is becoming more and more popular especially among city dwellers. Plant pots, mini greenhouses and herb shelves add a dash of fresh green to the balcony or own four walls. This not only contributes towards creating a cosy ambience, but also towards self-sufficiency.

Mega trend sustainability: The green industry is getting greener


In addition to overcoming the Corona pandemic, climate protection takes top priority in shaping the future successfully. The coming spoga+gafa is thus placing the focus on the theme sustainable gardens. The green industry has not just been occupying itself with sustainable concepts since Fridays for Future - whether it be in the production, transport or use of products for the garden. The exhibitors of spoga+gafa have been providing resource-saving solutions for some time already. For example, the factor longevity plays a particular role for outdoor areas. For climate change reasons, the current outdoor furniture is also extremely weatherproof and thus has a long shelf life thanks to innovative materials. Wood from sustainably managed forests is frequently implemented for the production of furniture. Green alternatives offer reused or residual materials. Today, garden furniture, outdoor carpets or plant pots often contain plastic from the oceans and PET bottles. Recycled metals and used woods from fish boats are also implemented for new furniture items.

 

Flourishing landscapes: Gardening as naturally as possible
The awareness for environmental protection is also growing with regards to garden work. Back to nature is thus the motto for many outdoor areas. Natural gardening is high on trend. Instead of gravel deserts, blooming oases with plants and shrubs for bees and other insects. Potting soils and fertilisers made of regional raw materials ensure sustainable growth. Bee-friendly plant protection or bio-degradable planting aids and pots support the eco-friendly garden care. The "green" spark has also flown over to the BBQ section too. New coatings made of organic materials for grills and outdoor kitchens are free from toxic materials and are particularly durable. The disposable grill made of natural and bio-degradable materials such as bamboo and lava-stone is a clever idea. Even the barbecue charcoal is sustainable manufactured and originates from ecological projects for the landscape protection for instance.

 

Pure design joy: Simplicity rediscovered
Another trend is also characterised by the longing for proximity to nature. More conscious lifestyles are promoting the desire for authentic materials and simple design. In this way, designers are often letting themselves be inspired by organic shapes and colours from the world of nature for new garden furniture. Materials like wood, rattan or bamboo also establish a connection to the natural environment of the garden. The current collections also find added value in reduction. Here purist design stands for refrain and linearity. In their no-frill design, many new pieces of outdoor furniture and accessories take on a thoroughly minimalist appearance. Filigree frames for tables, chairs and garden loungers convey a new air of lightness. Reduced shapes for sofas and seating arrangements provide more clarity. Bright colours that enhance classic outdoor shades like grey and brown add a casual touch. Fireplaces in the form of braziers, outdoor fireplaces or pieces of cubic furniture ensure a genuine garden feeling. They not only provide natural light and warmth, but are also suitable as barbecues.

 

One for all: BBQ is becoming more versatile
In general, diversity is called for in the BBQ section – also in extremely confined spaces. Whereby one no longer has to decide between charcoal and gas. Hybrid grills can alternate between the two or be fuelled by both simultaneously and can be easily switched over. The preparation of food is also flexible and dependent on the accessories. Easily changeable attachments make it possible to cook, bake, grill, simmer or smoke food using one device. Ceramic grills are particularly highly appreciated for their versatility. In the meantime, the egg-shaped models in classic Japanese Kamado style are also available in king-size format. They are controlled via the ventilation, are equally suitable for baking bread as for indirect grilling and reach temperatures up to 800 degrees. Such extreme heat is a further focus of the 2020 barbecue season. Thanks to new technologies, the fast grilling of steaks is not only possible on a charcoal grill, but also using gas and electric barbecues. New OLED displays enable the precise regulation of the temperature here.

 

Diversified cooking enjoyment: Outdoor kitchens provide variety
The manufacturers are also accommodating the increasing desire for diversity. In this way, the equipment of the recent models is on a par with those of a small fitted kitchen. Individual cooking and preparation modules can be individually compiled following the modular principle. Instead of being limited down to gas or charcoal, different cooking appliances can be installed. And the possibilities are being continually extended. The classic stainless-steel look of outdoor kitchens is being enhanced today with cladding made of teak and textiles as well as worktops made of terrazzo. Elements like a fireplace or side furniture such as greenhouses and mobile bars for the decorative preparation of cocktails add a homely touch. Compact pizza and wood-fired ovens for home use enable culinary variety in the open-air kitchen.

 

Ergonomic added value: Appliances for healthy gardening
The theme health is not only high in trend at the moment due to the current situation. With a view towards the growing target group 50+, garden work is becoming simpler and safer. Surveys show that many hobby gardeners belong to the 70-and-over group. Hence garden appliances are becoming more user-friendly and easier to operate. Starting systems for lawnmowers facilitate the operation, whereas ultra-quiet robotic lawnmowers take care of the work completely. Ergonomics is no longer merely a theme for office work. In order to relieve the shoulders and joints, the construction of the handles of the new garden appliances is being improved. Furthermore, ergonomically-shaped handles ensure an optimal leverage effect. The weight is also an important aspect for new garden appliances. Materials like aluminium or fibre glass facilitate the work. Several manufacturers are even going a step further and are offering classic garden tools to improve one's physical fitness. Furthermore, today fast charging batteries as well as sensors and apps for garden design, irrigation and garden care ensure added comfort.

 

Playful creativity: More personal design freedom
As part of the private environment, the garden is designed according to personal preferences. New and modular furniture series make manifold combinations possible. Configurable table systems and sofas can be adapted to suit different needs. Fresh colour ranges for furniture and sunshades satisfy the desire for individuality. Beyond this, different colours or sizes for a model can be combined, which lends the design a playful aspect. Plant pots and decorative items also expressly invite the users to mix and match: Current designs are aligned to match existing collections, present series are extended to include trend colours. Personalisable products such as plant pots allow creativity a free rein. Hence, in the scope of one's own needs, atmospheric outdoor areas with an extremely personal touch are created.

 

The coming spoga+gafa will show how the totally personal extension of one's home can be designed. Here, exhibitors from all over the globe will be presenting the complete spectrum of new products and trends - in a diversity that is unique worldwide. Hereby, the clearly structured sections garden living, garden creation & care, garden bbq and garden unique serve as orientation and offer a comprehensive overview. This year's spoga+gafa with its focus on "Sustainable Gardens" offers a promising outlook: of a conscious, more environmentally-friendly and healthy future.

 

Koelnmesse – Global Competence in Furniture, Interiors and Design: Koelnmesse is the world’s top trade fair organiser for the areas of furnishing, living and lifestyle. At the trade fair hub of Cologne, the leading international fair imm cologne as well as the trade fair formats of LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa, interzum and Kind + Jugend rank among the internationally renowned and established industry meeting places. These fairs comprehensively represent the upholstered and case furniture segment, the kitchen industry, the office furniture sector and outdoor living as well as the innovations of the furniture supply industry. Over the last few years, Koelnmesse has specifically added international fairs in the most important fast-expanding markets to its portfolio. These include idd Shanghai, interzum bogotá in Bogotá, interzum guangzhou in Guangzhou and Pueri Expo in Sao Paulo. With ambista, the online portal for the interiors business, Koelnmesse offers direct access to products, contacts, expertise and events relevant to the industry all year round.

 

Further information is available at: www.global-competence.net/interiors/
Further information about ambista: www.ambista.com/

 

The next events:
spoga+gafa - The garden trade fair, Cologne 06.09. - 08.09.2020
Kind + Jugend - The Trade Show for Kids' First Years, Cologne 17.09. - 20.09.2020
ORGATEC - New Visions of Work, Cologne 27.10. - 31.10.2020

 

The spoga+gafa 2020 is open to trade visitors on 6 and 7 September from 09:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m. and on 8 September from 09:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. Further information is available at www.spogagafa.com.

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