NEWSletter
SPRING 2021
Hello...
and welcome to the Spring edition of the LOFA News. What a roller coaster 14 months it has been, however with the vaccination roll out progressing nicely there is now light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. Hopefully we will all be able to meet up again soon, in the mean time take a look at what’s happening on the LOFA front.
Fire pits UK
Gina
THE GREAT GARDEN WEEKENDER 2021 Gardening etc is a new website for anyone looking to create the perfect outdoor living experience. Packed with 1,000s of design ideas and guides to make the garden a brilliant outdoor living area, it also offers expert advice on how to make time spent outdoors the best it can be. It reaches passionate and engaged audiences, giving advice on all aspects of gardening from the serious horticultural enthusiast to the first-time amateur gardener. They have practical guides on everything from how to build a brilliant decking area to how to achieve an outdoor pool experience on a budget, plus must-read advice on how to transfer the style principles used in your home to your garden. For anyone looking for inspiring ideas, their easy-to-follow guides help create first planting schemes, design the perfect patio or successfully grow your own fruit and veg. Following their lead we put together three articles that looked at outdoor living and creating great spaces. https://www.gardeningetc.com/design/outdoor-sofa-ideas https://www.gardeningetc.com/advice/tips-for-choosing-outdoor-furniture https://www.gardeningetc.com/features/the-best-way-to-update-your-outdoor-space-for-garden-get-togethers
All our content was promoted on Livingetc, Real Homes, Ideal Home and Homes and Gardens social channels it was a true celebration of gardening and of course LOFA.
Getting Social There will also be a Solus Email going out around the last bank holiday weekend in May to everyone on the Living etc and Homes and Garden Databases, see a solus example below, promoting LOFA and its members which will send everyone to the product showcase page on the website so make sure your LOFA page is up to date and looking lovely !
https://www.facebook.com/lofaleisure/
https://twitter.com/LOFAleisure
Leisure-and-Outdoor-Furniture-Association
https://www.instagram.com/lofaleisure/
2020 to 2030 will be the most important 10 years for us and our planet. What we do in this time will determine the course of humanity. If every person, association, organisation and government take decisive action now, we can contribute to a flourishing society, a healthy environment and a prosperous economy. Sustainability is no longer a “nice to have”, it’s a business imperative and a critical global issue. Your employees and customers want to see you taking action and be engaged in the process. Addressing social and environmental concerns means realising many business benefits like better brand positioning, attracting great talent, cost savings, customer loyalty and gaining a competitive advantage. We need to future-proof our businesses by making a positive impact in the world while increasing profits. LOFA have teamed up with Planet Mark a company that care about the planet and want to help businesses action and power change. Their certification recognises continuous improvement, encourages action and helps build an empowered community of like-minded individuals to make a whole world of difference. We know that some of you have already started down this road, and are already making changes to the way you work. This initiative will help you focus and assist you
in measuring and reducing your carbon footprint so that you can contribute to up to 7sustainable development goals and address 25 SDG targets. However, it’s not compulsory, you don’t have to get involved if you don’t want to, but we think you will agree that we all have to start somewhere and Planet Mark it a great way of helping and guiding you on that journey. We ran a Training Workshop for members in March, as you can see from the picture it was a happy event with lots of smiling faces at the end of the session. I think it gave everyone an insight into what to expect and we will be running another one later in the year, if you would like more information please contact me and I will send you details. At the end of the training workshop, you will understand how to choose your organisation’s focus areas for carbon reduction and social value creation and the steps to take to come up with plans to reduce carbon emissions and then action them. You will generate ideas for carbon reduction and increasing social value in highly interactive breakout groups. Each person who attends will receive a certificate recognising their Continuing Professional Development that can be added to their CV’s, and each organisation will receive assets that can be shared on social media to promote their involvement in undertaking sustainability training.
SMILEY HAPPY FACES OF THE COMPANIES THAT TOOK PART IN THE FIRST PLANET MARK SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP BRAMBLECREST ZEST 4 LEISURE GINIQUE LOFA ALEXANDER ROSE HARTMAN QUE FRESCO OUTBACK BBQS EXTREME LOUNGING SUPREMO
The Planet Mark is a sustainability certification which recognises continuous improvements, encourages action, and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals. Their goal is to help every organisation in the UK to measure and reduce their carbon footprint increase their social value and realise the associated business benefits. They work with many association bodies to build sustainability knowledge with their members. By applying the best of people, technology and nature, they can help businesses to be a force for good in the world. Planet Marks 3 Step process to sustainability certification 1. MEASURE They measure your data with rigour so you can report your progress with confidence & authenticity. 2. ENGAGE They help you engage your staff to unlock their knowledge and drive passion for change. 3. COMMUNICATE They give you tools to communicate your progress which builds a trusted and positive brand.
We are Planet Mark Certified Year 1.
Measure 5.1 tCO2e
Total carbon footprint.
3.1 tCO2e
Total carbon footprint per employee.
We are committed to reducing our carbon emissions yearly so that together, we can all halt climate change.
Reporting Boundary: Suite 7 Pemberton House, Stafford Park 1, Telford TF3 3BD
This is to certify that the Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association has achieved the Planet Mark by reporting its carbon footprint and engaging its stakeholders.
Emission sources: Electricity, T&D losses, homeworking energy (not included in total footprint), water, waste, fleet, business travel, paper Reporting Period: 01 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
Engage
Valid to: 31 March 2022 2
FTE employees. We engage our employees and wider stakeholders to unlock their talent and knowledge to drive year on year progress in sustainability.
Communicate Empowering change for a brighter future. The Planet Mark is a sustainability certification for every type of organisation, for products and for real estate. Our certification recognises continuous improvement, encourages action and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals who make a world of difference.
planetmark.com/member/lofa
The Planet Mark
theplanetmark
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Sustainable Development Goals. We recognise that transparent communication is essential for transformational change and we quantifiably contribute to X SDG’s.
Business Certification Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association Certification Report
1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020
Measure
Engage
Communicate
©2021 PlanetMark
I completed the online audit with Planet Mark for the LOFA office and I am pleased to announce that we are now Planet Mark Certified. We have also protected an acre of rainforest which is awesome. If you want to take the first steps to helping the planet then email me and I will put you in touch with the lovely people at Planet Mark who will help you and your company start your sustainable journey.
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THANK YOU Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association For taking action with Cool Earth to help the Asháninka people protect an acre of rainforest. Protecting rainforest is the most important action we can take to support communities, prevent carbon emissions, preserve wildlife and keep Earth’s climate in balance. Through the partnership, Planet Mark members are supporting local people who: • Protect 151,149 acres of rainforest • Keep 22,337,002 trees standing • Store 9,192,043 tonnes of carbon
gina@lofa.com info@planetmark.com
planetmark.com
@theplanetmark
After much discussion with LOFA Members, SOLEX exhibitors and visitors we made the decision to cancel the SOLEX Exhibition this year and re-schedule for July 2022. Every year we look forward to connecting with exhibitors, buyers and industry professionals and although there are positive signs that events may be able to restart sometime this year, thanks to the Government’s “way forward” plan, the current restrictions will compound the challenges faced in organising this event and unlike other exhibitions we are unable to move the SOLEX Show to a later date in the year because of the long lead times required for orders We wanted to make the right decision for everyone involved and we did not want to continue with a show that would not be up to our customary high standards and so, decided not to run SOLEX in 2021 but move the exhibition to July 2022 when we can come back bigger, better and hopefully Covid free! We know that this will come as an enormous disappointment to many so in place of the inperson SOLEX exhibition we are planning to host an online version of SOLEX this year during the three days that we had allocated for the actual exhibition. 6-8 July 2020. It will be hosted via our website and in conjunction with Garden Trade News.
Our aim is to encourage visitors to drop in on SOLEX 2021 and get social via Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram. https://www.facebook.com/solexexhibitionNEC/ https://www.twitter.com/SolexExhibition https://www.linkedin.com/company/solex-exhibition/ https://www.instagram.com/solexexhibition/
We are putting together an online catalogue for ALL LOFA MEMBERS who want to get involved (example page below). This page allows you to upload videos, pod casts and live links to email addresses as well as images and content. So look out for an email from Colin Beacher at Image Matters who will be collating the catalogue this year. Plus we will also be linking up with Garden Trade News who did a great job last year by sending out loads of great content to the industry. We had over 20,000 people opening the SOLEX SUN, 30,000 pages viewed and 4004 unique readers and we want to encourage even more this year. We hope that next year everything will be back to some semblance of normality and we will see you all safe and well in July 2022. NEW FOR 2021/22 at 4 SEASONS OUTDOOR
START LIVING OUTDOORS IN THE MOST STYLISH WAY
Raphael Lounge set Louvre Tuintafel
Start living outdoors in the most stylish way you could ever imagine with the Accor lounge garden furniture. Check out the short video at youtu.be/-5JMHh3YD6c
Based on our unrivalled quality we have been expanding across the UK and Europe for many years. We look forward to showing you our exciting new ranges and competitive pricing structure, which offers, Luxury at affordable prices.
Wing Tuinset
THE WORLD’S FINEST GARDEN FURNITURE
4SO: 4 SEASONS OUTDOOR 4 Seasons Outdoor is a manufacturer of Garden Furniture and a supplier to the Trade ONLY. Working with quality business’s all across the UK and Europe. Using our own in house design team, for many years we have been developing aspirational and inspirational products, bringing quality and value to the market place.
Makers of garden furniture that stand out for their extraordinary design, high quality and great seating comfort.
Meet the Team
Jop van de Crommenacker UK Managing Director tel: 01628 820 390 email: jop@4so.co.uk Jeroen Denecke Sales Manager / Developer email: jeroen@4so.co.uk
Extend your outdoor lifestyle with our new Accor lounge set. Check out the short video at youtu.be/IFG7vJxI5zA
QR CODES & AUGMENTED REALITY
Frits Wolf Founder & Director email: frits@4so.co.uk Chris Newman Sales Manager email: chris@4so.co.uk Jeremy Kidd Marketing Executive email: jeremy@4so.co.uk Lisa Willis Area Sales Manager email: lisa@4so.co.uk
Wing Lounge set
Valentine Sunbed
Meteoro Lounge set
4 Seasons Outdoor UK Ltd. The Carriage Barn, Bartletts Court, Littlewick Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 3RX tel: 01628 820 390 fax: 01628 820 390
Go to our website for more information: www.4seasonsoutdoor.co.uk
See how our QR codes and the Augmented Reality function works. Check out the short video at youtu.be/zyRX0ViZJ0k
Harry Vredendaal Sales Agent email: harry@4so.co.uk
Primary product range: • Wood Furniture • Metal Furniture • Woven / Rattan / Resin Furniture
• Parasols / Gazebos • Lighting
email: sales@4so.co.uk
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2021
www.solexexibition.com
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WELCOME TO LOFA! New Members Update
Pit Boss® and Louisiana Grills® by Dansons. Founded in 1999 by Dan Thiessen and his two sons, Jeff and Jordan their products are well known for their durability and craftsmanship. They pride themselves on their family style approach to business. Dansons takes pride in delivering quality and authenticity from their family to yours. With their unique Direct Flame Searing Technology and their industry leading 5-year warranty. No other Pellet Grill or Smoker can provide as much value as a Louisiana Grills® or Pit Boss® Pellet Grill can! At Dansons, Bigger. Hotter. Heavier. is not just a marketing phrase. It’s a construction standard they use to ensure that all their Pit Boss® and Louisiana Grills® Wood Fired Pellet Grills and Smokers are made with the right materials for the best 8 in 1 grilling experience available on the market today. Alongside their fantastic range of Wood Fired Pellet Grills, Pit Boss® and Louisiana Grills complement their ranges with their unique Bigger. Hotter. Heavier. Gas and Pellet ComboGrills, Sportsman Gas Grills and a full matching Grill Cover and Accessory range. Pit Boss® and Louisiana Grills also supply the best 100% all-natural Hardwood Pellets on the market providing that rich wood flavour without the addition of artificial sprays or oils. Their extensive all-natural Hardwood Pellets range only ever get their flavour and aroma from 100% wood fibre, for that authentic wood fire experience.
Woodlodge is the UK’s leading supplier of garden pots, with a reputation for excellence and expertise in the design and distribution of gardenware. The second-generation family business, under Geoff and Michael Wooldridge, has been trading since 1987, prioritising quality and innovative garden products, along with superior end-to-end customer service. Woodlodge distributes products to over 2,000 garden centres and retail outlets nationwide. Based in the heart of the Cotswolds, its Tetbury headquarters, currently covers over 100,000 square feet in the Gloucestershire countryside. A high level of service is something that underpins everything the company does. Team Woodlodge is made up of over 130 knowledgeable staff committed to delivering assistance that is personable, reliable, with products available and delivered on time.
We have obtained a huge amount of press and publicity over the garden furntiure shortages. All the below links carried the story Birmingham Post
aftermath of the Suez Canal incident. One of our members has not been able to get a container into Southampton since October last year, every vessel is running late and has been for months.
Brexit has also had a major effect on Ideal Home deliveries. Increased customs procedures are not helping especially with goods going BBC Online to and from Europe, shipments to Northern Ireland remain costly and time-consuming. WHICH? It seems that UK ports are more expensive and more congested than EU Ports and This year has been a struggle for the outdoor many ships are being re–routed to European leisure industry. LOFA has been reporting ports to circumnavigate this problem. since January on the issues faced by its members, and although we were hoping for Post-Brexit administration has increased some respite it seems that these problems UK / EU shipping times at least three-fold. are not disappearing. What used to take a week is now taking a minimum of three. This is affecting the The lack of space on container ships is supply of products from the European still causing concern, and some members mainland and deliveries to both Northern are yet to receive stock this year. On and the Republic of Ireland. average, deliveries are 2 months behind schedule which wasn’t helped by the Ever Keeping up with the increased demand Given blockage adding an extra 5-10 days means that delays are inevitable, our on already extended journeys. Once the members are ordering products that will be products arrive there is also a delay at ports leaving as late as April, May, and June and whilst ships are waiting to be docked and this will certainly extend the season. then unloaded. Demand is outstripping capacity and as a Costs of shipping from China are still 7-8 result of warehousing limitations, there are times higher than they would normally be, widespread reports of production being some members have recently been quoted behind schedule. This shortage is global, up to $13,000 USD for one 40’ container. factory orders from all over the world are Considering many have to bring in 30 plus up on garden furniture and there is now a containers in a season this is a lot of extra shortage of skilled workers, raw material, funding they are having to find this year. and production space. There is a rise in wage and manufacturing costs, as well as Numerous members have absorbed a lot an FE price rise of 10-20% due to exchange of the costs to assist their customers where rates, all this plus Covid restrictions are possible, but this will not be sustainable if affecting production and dispatch times. this uncertainty remains in the market. It seems the prices were starting to level out If everyone is staying at home rather than but have now risen again because of limited risking holidays abroad this year and the spaces on ships, missed sailings, and the sun starts to shine we are in for an even
Retailers are being very understanding and accommodating and are willing to wait until specific brands arrive which is a great relief, the demand for products is massive and the sales out from centres are good, some customers have sold out their full stocks in weeks which in a “normal” year would have lasted them all season. It will be hard to determine how we move forward into the future. Will there be an industry shift to earlier ordering times? Should we increase stock holding through the Winter months? Should we think about manufacturing in the UK or the EU? The fragility of the Asian supply chain has clearly been exposed. Although Covid induced, maybe our industry needs to start thinking ahead to determine how we might best position ourselves if we are to avoid the adverse impact of a future global freight crisis. Contributions from LOFA Members: Bramblecrest, Hampson Agencies, Ascalon, 4 Seasons Outdoor, Munro Importers, Cadac, Gardeco, Charbroil, Que Fresco, Daro, Supremo, Primo Grill and Extreme Lounging.
Article Written and used in GTN, Garden Forum, Linkedin & Horticulture News.
are we over the worst ?
busier season than last year. Stock levels are already low and product is already sold before it arrives. Repeat orders are coming in thick and fast and some customers are accepting goods that will be arriving in the UK as late as September.
2021 LOFA CHARITIES Each year LOFA choose their chosen charities to support. This year we chose Mind in Harrow, Greenfingers and Macmillan Cancer Support.
GREENFINGERS SAY THANK YOU TO LOFA! TRADE ASSOCIATION DONATES £10,000 TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF GREENFINGERS CHARITY THE GREENFINGERS CHARITY IS TODAY OFFERING ITS THANKS TO THE LEISURE AND OUTDOOR FURNITURE ASSOCIATION (LOFA) FOLLOWING THE TRADE ASSOCIATION’S KIND DONATION OF £10,000. THIS GENEROUS DONATION WILL HELP TO KICKSTART WORK AT GREENFINGERS’ LATEST PROJECT AT THE NOOK - A CHILDREN’S HOSPICE IN NORFOLK WHICH FALLS UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF EAST ANGLIA CHILDREN’S HOSPICES. SPEAKING ABOUT THE DONATION, PRAVIN PATEL, CHAIRMAN OF LOFA SAID: “WE AT LOFA ARE REALLY SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR ON-GOING SUPPORT FOR GREENFINGERS – PARTICULARLY AT A TIME WHEN EVEN MORE PEOPLE NEED SAFE GREEN PLACES. IT WILL BE GREAT TO SEE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW PROJECT AT THE NOOK TO THE FANTASTIC STANDARDS OF THE GREENFINGERS TEAM”. LINDA PETRONS, GREENFINGERS’ DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING AND COMMUNICATIONS SAID: “WE CANNOT THANK OUR FRIENDS AT LOFA ENOUGH FOR THEIR SUPPORT ONCE AGAIN. THIS GENEROUS DONATION WILL BE PUT TO VERY GOOD USE HELPING TO TRANSFORM THE GARDEN AT THE HOSPICE. ON BEHALF OF US ALL AT GREENFINGERS – THANK YOU!”
Because cancer can affect life in so many ways, they do whatever it takes to give people the support they need. LOFA donated £5000.
Mind in Harrow Gina Hinde Marketing Manager The Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association Suite 7, Pemberton House, Stafford Park 1, Telford, TF3 3BD By email
132-134 College Road Harrow Middlesex HA1 1BQ T: 020 8426 0929 F: 020 8861 3389 w: www.mindinharrow.org.uk e: info@mindinharrow.org.uk
March 2021
gina@lofa.com
Dear Gina Following my conversation with your Chairman, Pravin Patel I would like to thank you for LOFA’s most generous BACS donation of £5000 to support the work of Mind in Harrow which I can confirm we have received. We are truly grateful for your generous gift. As you may know, mental health problems affect one in four of us at some time in our life. And right now, 60% of adults and 68% of young people say their mental health has worsened because of coronavirus. Consequently more people than ever are contacting us for information and support, be it anxiety, depression, and isolation or facing new coronavirus pressures including finances, food deliveries, threat of homelessness, loss and bereavement. In response to this unprecedented demand, we have moved all of our services online - and are now supporting people digitally and by phone. We have doubled the number of volunteers on our Mental Health Helpline, increased our Befriending Service and are operating our Talking Therapies by phone; and critically - are reaching out across Harrow through increased social media presence and a new website. And our incredible HeadsUp young people’s project is going from strength to strength as you will no doubt see from the Comic Relief coverage this Friday. We rely on the support of our community to help us raise much needed funds to continue our work. Your thoughtful support really is appreciated at this unprecedented time – enabling us to adapt and continue our essential work with young people and adults alike. Should you like to know more about our work please do visit our website on www.mindinharrow.org.uk And for our workplace mental health awareness training https://www.mindinharrow.org.uk/training/ Thank you again for your incredible support. With all good wishes Marilyn Norman Community Fundraising Manager Mind in Harrow DD: 020 8515 7860 M: 07849 085568 E: m.norman@mindinharrow.org.uk
Mind Quality
Be SAFE BE SURE BE LOFA ASSURED LOFA Assured is an initiative to ensure all cushions sold by LOFA members comply with current Government Fire Safety Regulations In partnership with Hertfordshire Trading Standards
www.lofa.co.uk