Garden centre buyers have just a couple of weeks left to register to visit the final Toolbank spring trade shows of 2015.
The one-day show at Chepstow Racecourse is on Thursday April 23 from 2pm-9pm, followed by the Great Eastern Show at Norfolk Showground in Norwich on Tuesday April 28 (12.30pm-7.30pm), and then by the Great Northern Show at the Macron Stadium, Bolton, on Thursday April 30 (noon-9pm).
Each show has between 50 and 70 exhibitors, many of them offering garden tools, accessories and sundries, and all of them working to attract visitors with show deals, discounts, special offers and promotions.
At Chepstow, visitors will be encouraged to maximise their spending with a ‘prizes for points’ promotion. “The more you spend, the more you get,” said organiser Eddie Brown. “There will be great deals on the day, with free catering, a free bar and free parking.”
At Norwich and at Bolton, there’s an extra bonus for visitors: a choice of a £20 Tesco voucher or £100 of FOC Faithfull stock to assist with any travel costs of attending. At both events, there will be a Show Stoppers draw, giving one fortunate visitor the chance to win many thousands of pounds worth of stock at list price. “This year’s Bolton show will be the largest Toolbank trade show we’ve ever had,” said organiser Mark Mulholland. “There were buyers last year from as far away as Exeter, the Isle of Man and Scotland, and we’re aiming for 20% more this year.”
Norwich organiser Simon Spanton confirmed the growing trend: “This year will see a significant growth in brands exhibiting on the day that should give retailers many new ideas,” he said. “We’ll continue to make a visit to the show interesting and informative – and most importantly, grow your turnover and margin throughout the spring and summer periods.”
The shows are open to all bona-fide garden centre buyers as well as hardware and DIY retailers and builders’ merchants. You don’t have to be an existing Toolbank customer, but it is essential to pre-register – there’s no walk-in on the day. To register for the Chepstow show, call Elaine or Sheila on 08444 636060; for Norwich, call Melissa on 01603 671627; and for Bolton, call Darren on 01274 853110.
