Food @ Glee: A delicious new chapter for the UK’s leading garden retail trade show
The UK’s most anticipated garden retail trade event, Glee (16th–18th September, NEC Birmingham), is set to return for its 51st edition with an exciting and flavourful new addition – Food @ Glee. This brand-new sector promises to transform the show experience, giving garden centres, retail buyers and catering managers the opportunity to explore the growing world of food and drink in garden retail.
Food meets garden retail
Launching exclusively at this year’s show, Food @ Glee brings together a carefully curated selection of producers, suppliers, and innovators from the world of speciality food and drink, catering solutions, and destination retail experiences. As garden centres continue to evolve their role as lifestyle destinations, food is increasingly shaping the customer journey. Glee’s organisers have created a dedicated platform where quality, provenance, and commercial opportunity converge, providing a must-visit zone for buyers seeking to capitalise on the powerful connection between food and leisure.
Exhibitors and highlights
The inaugural line-up for Food @ Glee showcases a high calibre of brands and expertise, including many exclusive to the 2025 event. Brakes – a Sysco Company, the UK’s leading wholesale food supplier, marks a major coup for the show. Coffee King Ltd will bring café culture solutions tailored to garden retail, while Appetite Me / Twisted Vanilla is renowned for bespoke food development in farm shops and food halls. The Full Range Ltd adds procurement expertise to help garden centre operators streamline supply chains and drive profitable catering operations. Arrange Spaces Ltd will highlight its skills in restaurant design and build, creating standout farm shops and delis, while Magrini Ltd will showcase commercial coffee and milk equipment, complemented by live barista demonstrations from 200 Degrees Coffee.
The line-up is further enriched by Beanworks Coffee Roasters, CAYE Coffee Machines UK, Co-op Wholesale, iSqueeze, Long Clawson Dairy, Ritual Coffee Roasters, Smoked Bishop, The Amazing Chocolate Workshop, Tudor Tea & Coffee, Stagecraft Display Ltd, Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment, Nisa Retail, and Pleydell Smithyman. Together, these exhibitors promise a diverse mix of indulgent food experiences, specialist equipment, and strategic insights, reinforcing Food @ Glee as a must-visit showcase for 2025.
Workshops, demos, and the Feed Your Business Stage
Beyond exhibition stands, Food @ Glee provides practical workshops and live demonstrations of pop-up cafés and mobile food units. Sessions cover menu development, supplier selection, sustainability, and cost management, giving visitors actionable strategies to enhance their food offerings.
On the Feed Your Business Stage, expert-led talks explore menu engineering, kitchen design, food truck partnerships, farm shop development, technology-driven cooking, and coffee model evolution. Participating brands include Brakes, WhitCo, Debag, the Foodservice Equipment Association, Choice Marketing, Perrywood, Raemoir, and Warbeck Garden Centres, equipping operators with tools to maximise dwell time, margins, and customer loyalty.
Key stage sessions include:
- Tuesday 16th Sept | 15:30–16:00 – The Psychology of Design: How Smart Choices Drive Business Success
- Wednesday 17th Sept | 10:45–11:15 – Kitchen Revolution: Modern Cooking Tech That Reduces Energy Bills & Improves Food Quality
- Thursday 18th Sept | 13:30–14:00 – The Perfect Rise: Baking Technology That’s a Secret Weapon
Celebrating excellence: Greatest Food & Drink Awards
In partnership with Garden Trade News, Food @ Glee will host the Greatest Food & Drink Awards, recognising the very best in garden centre food and beverage, including The Greatest Food & Drink Team, Greatest Catering Support Team, and The Greatest Garden Centre Afternoon Tea.
Exhibitor spotlights
- Magrini - visitors can experience a range of commercial coffee machines and hot and cold milk solutions, including traditional espresso machines with automatic tamping and stand-alone milk texturing units. Live demonstrations show how automation can reduce queues, increase productivity, and cut milk waste. Amanda Grove, Marketing Manager, says: “Glee is the perfect exhibition to showcase what Magrini can offer the garden centre café market.”
- The Full Range Limited - sharing a stand with Brakes, The Full Range will showcase procurement solutions designed to streamline operations and improve margins. Nicky Prentice, Managing Director, notes: “Managing a garden centre day-to-day is a huge job; we take care of your supply chain so you can focus on your customers. Our speaker sessions will provide practical insights into profitable catering operations.”
- iSqueeze - demonstrating a variety of juice, smoothie, and plant-based milk machines, iSqueeze will highlight how high-quality beverages can differentiate garden centre cafés and increase customer dwell time. Elias Ebert, Managing Director, says: “Garden centres are more than plants; refreshing, top-quality juice can drive repeat visits and boost profits.”
- WhitCo Catering & Bakery - WhitCo brings over 30 years of foodservice expertise with a fully integrated hospitality stand featuring Debag, Wilmax, Tilia, and LightFry, alongside bespoke design services. Visitors can explore air-frying technology, German-engineered bakery ovens, and stylish furnishings that optimise customer flow and profitability. CEO Vita Whitaker adds: “With the right partners and tools, operational pressures can be turned into commercial opportunity.”
Why Food @ Glee matters
Food is no longer an add-on in garden retail, it is a core ingredient in creating vibrant, multi-sensory retail environments. Whether for grab-and-go, café menus, or curated in-store food halls, Food @ Glee is the hub for discovering ideas, sparking collaborations, and shaping future success stories.
Find out more
Glee 2025 promises garden buyers an unrivalled opportunity to discover an exceptional mix of new, returning and long-standing exhibitors. From fresh innovation to trusted favourites, the show is the ultimate destination to explore the latest products, connect with industry leaders, and gain valuable insights into emerging trends. Make sure to mark your diaries for 16th–18th September 2025 and be part of the event that continues to define the future of garden retail.
For more information, to register your interest in exhibiting, or to secure your free ticket to Glee 2025 please visit www.gleebirmingham.com or call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.