Garden retailers and pet buyers will be spoilt for choice, says the show’s organisers, with a host of UK and international exhibitors lined up for Glee 2017, along with a newly-launched Buyer Connect event and news that the Petquip Business Village has doubled in size.

This year Glee says it will provide the widest range of profit-boosting products, advice and ideas that businesses need to stay ahead and capitalise on the expanding petcare sector.  The Petquip Business Village has been “vastly expanded” and exhibitors in the category include a host of “big name brands and niche suppliers” from both the UK and international markets.

In 2011 Glee took the decision to integrate pet suppliers into the main show rather than host a separate standalone show, Petindex. Speaking at the time, then event director Nick Davison said: "Petcare represents a valuable and growing sales opportunity for the thousands of garden centres, online retailers, DIY retailers, supermarkets and High Street names that Glee attracts.”

The sector has continued to grow, with a recent report revealing that 70% of UK garden centres now feature a dedicated pet care section. Total spend on pet care in the UK reached a record high of around £5.08 billion last year.

Pet food, treats and complementary foods, by far the largest segment of the UK pet sector, will be well represented at the show, organisers explain, with extensive ranges on show from exhibitors such as Burgess Pet Foods, GA Pet Food Partners, Supreme Petfoods Ltd, Carnilove, The Dog Treat Company, TDHGroup (Pet Cuisine), Feelwells, and The Barking Bakery. 

Within pet accessories - also a huge area of growth for garden retailers – exhibitors will include Petface, Unipet, Scruffs, Trilanco, Group 55, Aristocrats, Loving Pet Products, PacDog, Pet Rebellion, Pet’s Up Products, PetMaxi and many more.

The Petquip Business Village will also be bigger than before. Introduced in 2015, the area is designed to offer pet suppliers wanting to build their presence within garden retailers, a platform to launch and showcase their latest ranges. This year the area has doubled in size, providing more space for suppliers to showcase their pet ranges to garden retailers.

Lead by Petquip - the UK trade association for suppliers of pet products, accessories and services – the ‘village’ is open to both members and non members, and will also play host the first ever pet-focused Buyers Connect event. Taking place throughout the show, the event will place pet suppliers directly in front of buyers from key garden retailers with 10-minute speed networking sessions.

Glee event director Matthew Mein explained: “We have invested a lot into our pet offering in 2017 and can assure the market that we have taken great strides in creating something unlike anything we have offered previously. Pet products is a huge part of garden retailing and we wanted this reflected in what we offer to the market. From an exciting collection of exhibitors to business support, pet buyers at Glee will be able to arm themselves with everything they need to build profits throughout the 2018 season and beyond.”