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Patio furniture, outdoor tools, grills and more are all on display at spoga+gafa, the world’s largest lawn, garden and outdoor living trade fair, which opened today in Cologne, Germany.
Visitors from more than 50 countries gathered at the show, which includes products from five areas: garden creation (tools, plants and flowers), garden living (furniture, decor and grills), garden care (machines and tools), garden basic (inexpensive garden products) and garden unique (premium garden furniture).
“A foreign exhibitor contingent of over 80 percent, a range of exhibits unique in scope and depth, more ‘living green’ and an interesting supporting program will enhance the attractiveness of the garden fair even more,” says Katharina C. Hamma, chief operating officer of Koelnmesse GmbH, the organization that puts on the show.
Grilling Out Remains Popular
At spoga+gafa, there were plenty of grills on display, both indoors and outdoors. The outdoor Grill Park offered an open-air zone for visitors to see—and taste—grills in action.
One new trend in grilling is portable grills that are small and easy to pack in a car to take on a camping trip or tailgating. They’re also more convenient for those who live in the city or in an apartment or condo and have limited patio or outdoor space.
Grills also have become multi-functional. In the past, consumers used grills for their chicken or steak and cooked the rest of the meal in the kitchen. That doesn’t have to be the case anymore, as many grills have separate burners that are side-by-side or on different levels. This makes it easy for consumers to cook their meat or fish and vegetables at the same time and even keep bread warm on the side.
There’s no shortage of grilling accessories, either. Everything from pizza stones to high-end grill utensils is on display at spoga+gafa.
Other Trends
Hardware Retailing’s editors are reporting live from spoga+gafa, so stay tuned to www.hardwareretailing.com to learn more about other trends spotted at the show. spoga+gafa will run through Tuesday, Sept. 2.
