In This Issue
Cowells saved from becoming a housing estate
“Business as usual” at up-for-sale Wyevale Garden Centres, admits CEO
May is a record for garden centre sales volumes... but only just
Business as usual at fire-ravaged Strikes within weeks
Total plant sales for May up by 21%
GIMA Golf & Activity Day a resounding success
John Athwal celebrates in true Premier style
Highfield Garden World welcomes third generation
Marathon walk to raise cash for Macmillan Cancer Support
Morrisons store reveals plans for garden centre
April was a rollercoaster month for garden centre sales
Plans to double size of Otter garden centre
Kent & Stowe launch 'Dig for Victory' gift range with Imperial War Museum
Bransford Webbs gears up for HTA National Plant Show
Extensive trialling leads Syngenta Flowers to resilient Imara impatiens walleriana
EU's PEST committee must separate fact from fiction
Help pondkeepers prepare for Summer with Tetra
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Pet firm fined £30,000 for supplying ‘fire-risk’ cushions to garden centre
Garden products up by 6% but 25% below record high
No making up of lost ground for Veg-2-Gro sales
Record May for Growing Media volumes
31 Novelties for the Novelty showcase at Garden Trials and Trade
Johnsons extends range to follow growing organic trend
Worfield Plants introduce new sales executive ahead of HTA show
Plantarium 2018: the ideal place to present your company
Wyevale Nurseries staff celebrate promotions
David Domoney shares ‘Grow Your Own’ knowledge with Mr Fothergill’s sales force
The best of last week's
Record-breaking month for up-for-sale Wyevale
Garden centre business back to normality...almost!
Gardman lands on National TV for the first time
LOFAssured initiative gains strength
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Abundance of inspiration from HTA Catering Conference
Squire’s serves up a delicious Wimbledon Cream Tea
Tong's Catering Supervisor recognised as a Rising Star
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Tong's Catering Supervisor recognised as a Rising Star

 

A Castleford catering supervisor has been awarded a place on a new training programme aimed at coaching and developing garden centre catering staff.

Following the success of the Garden Centre Association's (GCA) Rising Stars initiative, a new programme aimed at garden centre catering staff was launched at its conference in January and catering staff from all over the UK were invited to apply.


Susie Jarrett from Tong Garden Centre was awarded one of the ten coveted places on the programme that comprises four masterclasses designed to help staff to improve their knowledge and experience, as well as giving them exposure and insight in the wider market place.

Having completed the first masterclass at Barton Grange Garden Centre in Preston in April, where the group undertook a café survey and discussed financial control, presentation/merchandising and price comparison, Susie and the group were tasked with a business specific project that they will present to their peers at the second masterclass at Planters Garden Centre in Tamworth on 20th June.

Susie, who is responsible for rotas and promotions at Tong Garden Centre's busy 400 seater restaurant said: "I love creating promotions for themed menus like Pie Week, Wimbledon and ideas for seasonal and limited edition products, so my project is how to market our Tong -baked scone of the month, freshly made every day in our in store bakery.

Susie's line manager, Catharine Westmoreland, is very proud of her team member: "Susie is a valued member of our team and her commitment and passion are unquestionable.

"She has put in so much work out of hours to make the most of this amazing opportunity and I really hope that she gets the success that she deserves."

The third masterclass will be held in central London. This will be a tour of Central London cafés, restaurants and coffee shops to inspire the candidates, and stretch their boundaries.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: "Between masterclasses, the Rising Stars will complete exercises on what they have learnt within their own garden centres and assess the performance of their centre's catering unit, try out new ideas and evaluate the results. Examples include benchmarking against local competition and researching good and bad examples of food presentation.

"For the fourth masterclass, the top five candidates will have a fantastic opportunity to spend some time in Creed's development kitchen with ex-England rugby captain, 2011 Celebrity MasterChef winner Phil Vickery MBE.

"Phil will also help coach and prepare the top five to present at our conference in January 2019. Conference delegates will then choose an overall winner, who will be crowned the ‘GCA Catering Rising Star 2018'."

Sponsored by Creed Foodservice and facilitated by Chris Brown from Turpin Smale Catering Consultants, the programme has been developed to highlight and develop the talented individuals in garden centre restaurants and cafés and to recognise the important role that catering plays in the industry.

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