Woodlodge is to launch a range of bumblebee-inspired pottery, helping retailers to boost sales of containers as public concern over pollinator decline escalates.
The Bee Kind range, which sports attractive, eye-catching bumblebee designs, will be unveiled on the Woodlodge exhibition space at Glee (stand 6S30-T31), which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC on 10th – 12th September.
Sales of Bee Kind pots, available in shades of green, grey and white, will support the efforts of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which works tirelessly to improve bumblebee habitats while encouraging action that can boost pollinator populations. Bee Kind pottery will launch with recommended retail prices ranging from £8.99 to £34.99, with sizes 18cm – 37cm. For each product sold, Woodlodge Products is donating 10 pence to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a registered charity No.1115634 & SC042830.
Michael Wooldridge, Managing Director at Woodlodge, said: “Encouraging pollinator-friendly planting is a high priority for retailers, as public awareness over bee decline and its impact on future pollination of flowers, fruit and vegetables continues to grow. The Bee Kind range, with its innovative and eye-catching bumblebee designs, will encourage consumers to plant bee-friendly flowers, driving sales of pots and helping retailers to expand category sales as the 2020 gardening season gets underway.”
Supporting point-of-sale material will help retailers to maximise the sales potential of Bee Kind pottery, reminding consumers of the plight of pollinators at the point of purchase. Marketing materials will state: “We can all do our bit to support bumblebees. Why not plant flowers rich in nectar, such as lavender and bluebells, which help bees to find the food they need?”
According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, bumblebee populations have crashed during the last 80 years. Two species have become nationally extinct, while others have suffered dramatic declines. A staggering 97% of wildflower habitat has disappeared from the countryside, which has left bumblebees with little to feed upon which is largely due to intensification of agriculture, increased use of pesticides, climate change and pests and disease in wild pollinators.
The Bee Kind pottery range will spearhead a new drive to get shoppers planting pollinator-friendly flowers. With pots available in a range of sizes, consumers who only have a balcony or patio, as well as households with traditional gardens, will all be able to create a mini bumblebee-friendly flower haven. Retailers nationwide are embracing use of the RHS Plants for Pollinators logo, helping consumers to choose pollen and nectar-rich flower varieties that are perfect for bees that forage in domestic gardens.
Woodlodge’s new Bee Kind range will inspire consumers to choose perfect containers, and bee-friendly flowers, that will lure bumblebees to gardens. As bumblebees feed only on flowers, they require specific plants that are rich in pollen and nectar according to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which points out that a colony must have enough flowers available to sustain 40 to 400bumblebees for its lifespan, commonly between March and October. The Royal Horticultural Society says that out of 24 bumblebee species in Britain, 12 are commonly seen in gardens – further highlighting the role of container gardening in maintaining a healthy population of pollinators.
To find out more about Woodlodge’s new Bee Kind collection, or the company’s market-leading product offering, visit www.woodlodge.co.uk
