BHETA has held another of its popular face-to-face Meet The Buyer days, this time with garden centre group, Dobbies. The event which was entitled an ‘Innovation Day’ attracted 56 attendees representing 42 suppliers, who met with six Dobbies buyers across a wide selection of categories.

Dobbies was keen to see both new and existing suppliers to develop ranges and extend the offer for the garden centre group’s loyal customer base.  It briefed the event to include sectors such as home décor, outdoor living, tableware, cookshop, utility and small domestic appliances – as well as gardening. 

Commercial Director, Andy Hannan commented, “Today's been brilliant. It's the first time we've done this type of event and it's been really a good opportunity for the buying team to reiterate we open for business and open to new ideas.  We’ve seen some cool products coming through in new categories and some existing, as well as some exciting premium products.  My team is really buzzing.

“Sometimes as a retailer, you've got your current supplier base and you've got your current ranges, and you sort of know what you know.  But trying to get to newness can be a real struggle.  So, getting this sort of speed dating approach is beneficial. We’d definitely do it again.” 

Suppliers attending the event were equally enthusiastic.  Clive Rubin, Managing Director at Out of the Blue Studios Limited said, “BHETA’s Meet the Buyer events are a great way of cutting the red tape and showcasing your goods to the right people, at the right time and place.”  Steve Richardson, UK Sales Director at Portmeirion Group added, “Today’s Meet the Buyer for Dobbies worked really well.. We haven't dealt with Dobbies this year and I know there’s been some changes within the buying team, so it's been a massive benefit to meet their buyers again, sit in front of them show them and show what we've got.”

Another enthusiast was Guy Weaver, Chief Executive at A365 Limited: “Dobbies is a new customer for us with tremendous potential, and this event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with key buyers and showcase our products. For a small company like ours. These events provide an invaluable chance to engage with decision-makers who might otherwise be hard to reach.”  Louise Hickling, Head of Sales for Polti UK added, “It was fantastic to meet the buyers in that setting. These events are incredibly valuable because they often connect us with companies we might not initially consider as obvious trading partners. But as retailers like Dobbies diversify, BHETA Meet The Buyer events open up great opportunities.”

BHETA’s DIY & Gardening sector manager, Steve Edwards commented, “It was great to see such commercial excitement from both Dobbies and its existing and potential suppliers.  BHETA’s Meet The Buyer events are a real must for companies interested in cementing current relationships and expanding into different categories or channels to market.”

More details of BHETA’s events programme, which includes webinars, Meet The Buyer events and networking forums with leading retailers can be found on the BHETA website www.bheta.co.uk