Gardenex and PetQuip are holding a series of virtual Meet the International Buyer events, following the success of the first of its kind organised by the Federation.

Director General, Amanda Sizer Barret, said: “We were very pleased that the first of our virtual Meet the International Buyer events proved positive for all parties. In this challenging business environment, we are working hard to deliver new sales opportunities for our member companies and this is just one of the solutions we are offering them. We now have a series of ‘virtual’ events planned.”

The next event takes place on Thursday (18 June 2020), when PetQuip will be holding a virtual Meet the International Buyer session with leading French online pet retailer Wanimo.

Wanimo is the number one wholly French web-shop in the pet sector with around 600,000 unique visitors each month and nearly one million views per month. The company, whose warehouse is located near Lille in northern France, handles around 300 brands and a range of 9,000 products. Already working with some UK suppliers, Wanimo is looking for new, innovative items to complement its existing range.

Meanwhile, Gardenex will hold its second virtual Meet the International Buyer event with Econova, Sweden’s leading importer/distributor of garden products, on Wednesday 24 June 2020.

Econova produces environmentally-friendly soils, bark mulch and composts by recycling waste/by-products from the forest, energy industries and local authorities. It is also one of Sweden’s largest independent suppliers of biofuel. The company’s focus is to source goods which are environmentally-friendly.

On Wednesday 15 July 2020, Gardenex has arranged for UK suppliers to ‘meet’ with the The British Shop, a large family run business specialising in high quality British products in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The British Shop, which already works with some Gardenex member companies, is particularly looking for top quality doormats, garden tools and accessories, garden decoration, and garden textiles.

Amanda Sizer Barrett confirmed: “We are pleased to add these new events to help support our member companies. We are thrilled that several companies are joining the association at present, ready to benefit from our comprehensive business services, sales leads and expert advice as we start to see business gearing up for the future and especially the international challenges and opportunities following the UK’s transition from the EU.”