The Glee Roadshow 2026 Highlights

There are events, and then there are days that genuinely move the needle. The Glee Roadshow's East edition, held on Thursday 30th April at Gates Garden Centre in Oakham, fell firmly into the latter category. Designed not as a conference but as a structured, working day for garden retailers, it delivered exactly what the sector needed right now: candid conversation, practical insight, and the kind of peer-to-peer problem-solving that only happens when the right people are in the same room. 

From arrival through to closing reflections, the day was shaped by the pressures, priorities and opportunities facing garden retail in 2025 and beyond. Here is what happened, and why it mattered. 

Setting the Scene: Where Garden Retail Stands Right Now 

After tea, coffee and the informal reconnections that always precede any good working day, Event Director Matthew Mein joined Boyd Douglas-Davies to open proceedings with a sector-wide discussion on the current state of garden retail. 

It was deliberately unvarnished. The conversation touched on shifting consumer expectations, the ongoing challenge of footfall, staffing pressures, margin squeeze and the operational complexity that now defines running a modern garden centre. These are not abstract industry trends; they are the daily reality for the buyers, owners and managers who attended. 

What made this opening session particularly valuable was its format. Rather than a presentation delivered from a stage, it was a moderated discussion shaped by the experiences of those in the room. Garden retail in 2026 is not struggling, but it is being tested. According to industry data tracked by the Garden Centre Association, the sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience, yet costs from energy and labour to wholesale garden supplies continue to press hard on margins. 

For those exploring wholesale garden suppliers or managing relationships with wholesale garden distributors, the discussion underlined a simple truth: the smartest businesses are not waiting for conditions to improve. They are adapting now. 

Learning from a Fourth-Generation Business: The Gates Story 

One of the most anticipated sessions of the day was a conversation with Nigel Gates, Chairman of Gates Garden Centre, the very venue hosting the Roadshow. His talk, framed as Growing a Modern Family Business, offered the kind of insight that cannot be found in a market report. 

Over four generations, Gates Garden Centre has evolved from a traditional horticultural business into a destination that balances its plant and garden heritage with experiential retail, ecommerce and active diversification. Nigel spoke openly about expansion, the role of food in driving footfall and dwell time, and how a family business sustains its identity whilst embracing the commercial demands of modern retail. 

The food element deserves particular attention. Garden centres that have invested seriously in food whether through restaurants, food halls or curated artisan food and drink offerings, are consistently outperforming those that have not. This is not a passing trend. Food is now a primary driver of visit frequency, spend per head and the overall guest experience. It is, in every meaningful sense, a strategic imperative for any centre looking to grow. 

Nigel's story also touched on the premium positioning that successful garden centres increasingly pursue. Research from the HTA has consistently shown that consumers will pay more for quality, provenance and experience. Garden centres are uniquely placed to deliver all three. Premiumisation is not about alienating price-conscious shoppers; it is about giving every customer a reason to spend more time, and more money, in your centre. 

Solving the People Puzzle: Recruitment, Retention and Culture 

Boyd Douglas-Davies returned for what proved to be one of the most animated sessions of the day, joined by Guy Moreton from MorePeople. Together they tackled what remains one of the sector's most persistent pain points: people. 

Labour costs are rising. Finding skilled staff is harder than ever. Retaining talent, particularly across seasonal peaks, is a challenge that affects wholesale garden suppliers and garden centres alike. Yet the discussion went beyond the familiar complaints. Moreton and Douglas-Davies explored what is genuinely working: investment in culture, clearer career pathways, more flexible working structures, and the kind of authentic leadership that turns employees into advocates. 

Audience input shaped the session meaningfully, with the Slido discussion during lunch allowing attendees to identify their biggest challenges in real time. The results fed directly into the afternoon programme, a smart piece of design that turned a passive networking lunch into a productive data-gathering exercise. 

Experience, Transformation and Diversification: Where the Growth Is 

The afternoon opened with a panel that represented some of the most forward-thinking minds in UK garden retail. Michael Smith from Meadow Croft Garden Centre, Samantha Gibbs from Nest and Retail Mentor, and Amy Stubbs from British Garden Centres came together to explore how centres are fundamentally rethinking what they are for. 

The through-line across all three contributors was clear: garden centres that are growing are those that have embraced the idea of becoming destinations. Creative retail display ideas, thoughtfully designed spaces, events, workshops, food and wellbeing experiences, these are the tools that drive dwell time, repeat visits and basket size. 

Samantha Gibbs, whose work spans retail mentoring and commercial design, spoke to the power of the physical environment. In a world where consumers can buy wholesale garden decor, wholesale garden ornaments and wholesale garden plants at the click of a button, the in-store experience is the differentiator. The question is not whether to invest in experience, it is how quickly you can do it. 

The panel also addressed diversification in practical terms. New revenue streams through events and partnerships were discussed, as was the creative use of space within existing footprints. Whether that means a partnership with a local food producer, a series of evening events, or a redesigned entrance that creates genuine theatre. 

Small Footprint, Big Impact: Fakenham Garden Centre 

Martin and Jennie Turner of Fakenham Garden Centre joined GTN's Trevor Pfeiffer to share how they have built a genuinely award-winning business on a compact site. 

For any garden retailer who has ever used scale as an excuse for underperformance, the Fakenham story is a compelling counter-argument. The Turners have demonstrated that commercial excellence is not a function of square footage. Rigorous buying, exceptional customer service, intelligent use of wholesale garden supplies, and a clear sense of identity have created a business that punches well above its weight. 

Their story resonated in the room because it is replicable. You do not need a vast site to offer great range, whether that includes trade garden furniture suppliers, bulk buy garden stones, or carefully curated seasonal collections. You need clarity of purpose and the discipline to execute it consistently. 

Closing Reflections: What Attendees Took Away 

Matthew Mein closed the day by drawing together the key threads: the honest picture of where the sector is, the practical evidence of what works, and the personal stories that make those lessons real. 

"What we've created with the Roadshow is a genuinely useful working day for retailers," he said. "It starts with an honest look at where the sector is right now, and then moves quickly into how businesses can respond. The value comes from the room as much as the agenda, bringing people together to share experiences, challenge thinking and leave with ideas they can put into practice straight away." 

That sense of collective intelligence was perhaps the day's defining quality. Garden retail is a sector that tends to share generously, and the Roadshow format is built around exactly that instinct. From discussions about AI and how it can support everything from data cleaning to personalised customer communications, to the enduring fundamentals of good buying and team culture, the conversations at Gates Garden Centre reflected an industry that is clear-eyed about its challenges and genuinely optimistic about what comes next. 

For those who attended: the challenge now is to take those ideas back and act on them.  

Glee 2026 takes place at the NEC Birmingham 8-10 September alongside Autumn Fair, creating Europe's largest garden and retail buying event of the second half of the year. To register your interest or find out more about exhibiting, visit gleebirmingham.com.