The Royal Horticultural Society has announced its plans for Brand Licensing Europe, Europe’s most important trade event for the licensing industry, and they reflect continuing strong growth in a wide variety of categories – as visitors to stand B255 will quickly discover.
In fact BLE 2023 comes at a perfect time for the RHS. This year has seen an acceleration in licensee numbers and partner endorsements, supported by an expansion of the RHS licensing team to manage continuing growth. Plans for a busy 2024 include continuing to build on the success of the RHS’s homeware and children’s offerings as well as the enormous success of the core gardening category.
Indeed, the RHS licensing campaign may have started many years ago with a strong focus on gardening, but in 2023 categories extend into homeware, giftware, kitchenware, quilting, children’s publishing, fabrics, fragrances, greeting cards, apparel, food and drink, paint,garden fences, and even modern takes on traditional shepherds’ huts!
This growing product portfolio is also targeted at an extended age range that now includes a successful recent move into children’s products.
All of these categories are supported by a number of comprehensive style guides, which draw on inspiration supplied by the RHS Lindley Collections, the world’s finest collection of botanical art.
That said, the success of the RHS brand in gardening and related sectors is stronger than ever. For example, Woodlodge Products, the UK’s leading supplier of garden pots and gardenware, recently launched its latest RHS pot ranges supporting the ‘RHS Crops in Pots’ initiative aimed at encouraging anyone, anywhere, and whatever their indoor or outdoor space, to plant veg, herbs, fruit or edible flowers in pots and containers.
RHS Crops in Pots, with its strong message to get growing, is a big focus for the RHS this year; indeed it will be the main theme of the stand at BLE. Also highlighted are the RHS-endorsed Genus Caddy Bag that can hold everything from tools to lunch and, from Burgon & Ball, container and hand tools plus new brushes and brooms.
Even RHS kitchenware includes reminders of the core mission of the UK’s favourite gardening charity. Take this year’s product extensions to the Dexam-RHS Benary range, which add a three-piece ovenware collection, vegetable bags, placemats and coasters to last year’s successful Dexam kitchen textiles ranges. Artwork by legendary 17th century horticulturist and botanist Ernst Benaryenhances these products – and the Crops in Pots packaging – and will be part of the stand B255 wall graphics.
Recently launched candles, reed diffusers, fragrance oils and more from family-run fragrance business Freckleface, all inspired by the natural world, as well as the ever-popular botanically focused RHS Prints range further underline the diverse appeal of the RHS brand, while highlighting its important work – and will also be on display.
Cathy Snow, Licensing Manager, RHS, says: “Europe’s most significant licensing trade show is an ideal showcase for the RHS licensing programme in all its diversity and depth and to demonstrate how it supports the RHS vision of a world where gardening is embraced as a way of life. It’s also a great way to underline our success in attracting many high-quality and varied partners. Our biggest licensing team yet expects to be very busy at BLE 2023!”
