In This Issue
That was the year that was... 2021
Large Fire at Longacres Shepperton - UPDATED
Tributes for Eddie Topping MBE, Founder, Pioneer, Dad
An Open Letter on the use of peat
We're Here For You
Blue Diamond to open the largest Home and Garden Centre in the UK
Altons BBQ World, Aylett Nurseries, Barton Grange, Baytree, Busy Bee, Groves, Pengelly, Pughs, The Old Railway Line and Squires Badshot Lea are the winners of GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards for 2020
Barton Grange Christmas 2020 - Exclusive GTN Xtra Photo Tour
£31m loss reported by Dobbies Garden Centre Group
Garden centre owners share their thoughts on being open during Lockdown 3
British Garden Centres announce 58th centre, in Harrogate, will open in April
Antony Harker to launch Altico at Glee - Read GTN's August issue on-line now
Nicholas Marshall returns... again
Four Oaks trade show director Pat Coutts sadly dies
Garden centres report busiest ever day as gardens are the focus for family re-unions this week - More comments added
Nicholas Marshalls Country House Group pulls out of Windlesham
Suez Canal blockage causes further delays for garden furniture
Joules acquires digitally led retailer Garden Trading
Easter thank you to growers, manufacturers & distributors from British Garden Centres
Elho takes top prize as GIMA Award winners announced
Sustainable decking brand invests in technology to aid its stockist partners
Bill Bickerdike, one of "the gang", has died
Westland call for reality to be brought to the peat debate
Picture Special of the glitzy GIMA Awards evening
Dobbies buy Johnsons of Boston
Government publishes plan to ban peat sales by 2024
Signs of growth for after lockdown
Has the sales volume bubble burst?
Dobbies No 71 opens in Boston, Lincolnshire
Nicholas Marshall interview and Solex On-Line Preview in GTN July 2021 Issue, live on-line now
£1.8m reward for Choice Marketing members
Smart, Kaemingk and Allensmore are Choice Marketing Suppliers of the Year
Alton's praised for tough stance on facemasks
Former LOFA secretary Phil Gibbs receives prison sentence for fraud
Blue Diamond acquires Mere Park Garden Centre
UK’s largest garden centre should get green light, say planning officers
GIMA Golf Day Photo Exclusive
Cherry Lane acquires Langford Garden Centre
Who have been the best buyers of the past eighteen months?
Industry prepares for a peat-less future
Derek Bunker adds his thanks to suppliers for "their efforts throughout this amazing period in garden centre history"
Shed prices set to soar
David Isaac says farewell to Johnsons of Boston
Europlants founder Renato Canale dies, aged 78
East Yorkshire garden centre sells for £1.5m
Petition to get Garden Centres in Scotland and Wales open again as soon as possible gains momentum, but they still need our help
BGC's Harrogate centre opens - Exclusive photo tour
Tong gets go-ahead to build £14m garden centre
57 garden centres vie for Christmas Greatness in GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards
Garden Re-Leaf Day 2021 FUNdraising goes past £35k and is still growing...
With eight weeks to go until Glee 2021, show organisers unveil a new date for next year’s event
Get your copy of GTN Xtra
Online petition launched to get Welsh garden centres re-opened – sign it NOW!
Farewell to the Eddie Topping, the Preston pioneer - UPDATED
GCA Christmas competition winners announced
Martin Stewart leads industry tributes at Memorial Service for Eddie Topping
Joe Swift opens The Plant Room by Camden Garden Centre in Richmond
GIMA Charity Golf Day welcomes the industry back with a day of sunshine and friendly competition
Christmas Future Trends and GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards Winners to be announced during Glee's on-line Festive Focus Day
Alan Roper wins Director of the Year Award
After a fantastic three days at the NEC, the return to Glee "has been really special"
Boyd's 100km in a day and AMES Amble add to the Garden Re-Leaf Day FUNdraising for Greenfingers
Online garden products retailer sold to private equity firm
little dobbies opens its doors in Bristol
AMES UK invest more than £1m in infrastructure and people in response to increasing market demand
Garden Centres re-open in Scotland... and it snows!
Sue Allen and Tammy Woodhouse to Brave the Shave on Garden Re-Leaf Day
Little Dobbies brings Garden Centre Christmas and houseplants to Richmond High Street
Eddie Topping retires
LOFA reports increased freight rates and container crisis
Excited to be back at Glee - GTN September, Glee Preview Issue, on-line here
Private equity group acquires leading garden product firm
Pearson Memorial medal awarded to Adam Wigglesworth of Aylett Nurseries
Turbo charged gardening as February breaks all records
Record end to a record year, up 28% on 2020, up 17% on 2019
Industry taskforce to produce roadmap for a peat-free future
AMES UK reports record revenues in 2020
Wildlife Trusts call for immediate end to peat sales
Hillmount boss warns of disarray for gardeners in Northern Ireland as spring approaches
Christmas Future Trends at Glee's Festive Focus Day
Future proofing your garden centre for maximum flexibility and profitability
No bubble burst yet for garden centre sales volumes
Garden Kitchen by Pugh's is a unique concept
Dobbies strengthens leadership team
Hetland Garden Centre sold to Caulders
Immediate ban on peat use unrealistic, says HTA
The COVID year in numbers
Fordingbridge undertakes major work at Norfolk centre
Lull in sales before mid-Summer
New brands confirmed for Glee 2021
The new revolutionary smokeless fire pit
Pershore School Horticultural Unit, Pershore High School, Worcestershire has unwanted visitors.
Choice Marketing readies ‘Meet the Furniture Buyer’ event
The BBQ game changer!
Sales up by 49% compared to previous nine years, despite being closed for Easter Sunday
Monkton Elm and Old Railway Line scoop top Wales & West honours in GCA Awards
Expansion for family-owned garden lifestyle business
Moving on up… slowly
One good week and gardening sales get going
Glee to return in September 2021
Ho, Ho, Ho! GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards are back…for real!
Dobbies reports 51% increase in sales
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
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12 page GIMA Awards Special in GTN November/December 2021 Issue available on-line
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Wildlife Trusts call for immediate end to peat sales
No 76 Most read story in 2021 - From GTN Xtra Issue 14 2021

 

A new survey shows that only one of 20 leading garden retailers contacted by The Wildlife Trusts reported that it would eliminate peat from its shelves this year – and the survey reveals an overall lack of ambition by retailers to set targets to end peat sales. Last year, the voluntary target set by the Government to end sales of peat composts to amateur gardeners was missed.

 

This year the Government will decide if new legislation is needed to end peat use in the horticultural sector – but there is still no sign of their long-awaited peat strategy. The Wildlife Trusts are now calling for an immediate end to sales of peat compost – further delay will cause continued destruction of peatlands worldwide.

 

Calls to end peat use began over 30 years ago when people began to realise that peatlands are priceless – recognising them as precious places for wildlife, and more recently as habitats which capture and store carbon if managed well.

 

Some retailers are doing notably better in moving away from peat than others: of the 11 out of 20 retailers that responded to the survey, all now offer peat-free composts as part of their range, and none sell soil improvers or mulch containing peat. Travis Perkins and Wickes were the only two retailers to declare an end-date for peat sales – Travis Perkins by this year, and Wickes by 2025. But while a further few plan to end peat sales in the future, no dates have been specified and others have no clear commitments at all. Just four reported stocking ranges of peat-free plants.

 

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts says: “Our survey shows that most retailers’ approach to the voluntary ban on peat sales has been woeful – even though the industry has been aware of the problem for decades. The time for voluntary agreements is over – the sale of peat must end now. Countless promises have been broken, and targets missed with the result that precious peatland habitats are still being unnecessarily destroyed in the name of gardening.

 

“Peatlands are vital wildlife habitats and it’s absolutely crucial that they remain intact to help us tackle climate change. The Government can ensure that these important carbon stores function as nature intended by banning peat sales now.

 

“Only one leading retailer – Travis Perkins – is planning to eliminate peat from its shelves by 2021, whilst growers like Hillier demonstrate that you can produce compost and grow high-quality plants without peat. These retailers are to be congratulated, but we now need Government to make the rest follow their lead. The time for delay and excuses is over.”

 

The Wildlife Trusts’ survey found:

  • Around 90% of Travis Perkins’ compost sales were peat-free in 2020 and the retailer is planning to go 100% peat-free during 2021. Wickes plan to phase out peat by 2025. These were the only two in the survey who set a date for ending peat sales.
  • B&Q, Hillier, and the Blue Diamond group of Garden Centres said they were committed to phasing out peat completely but gave no date.
  • Asda, Lidl and others have set themselves targets to reduce peat sales, but not yet to end them. Asda will remove peat from their own-brand products by 2030.
  • Four retailers stock peat-free plants: B&Q, Blue Diamond group, Hillier and Asda.
  • Hillier’s tree production is already peat-free, and the company are aiming for production of all other plants across their nurseries to be peat-free for 2022.
  • Of those who gave details of their peat-free items, all are offering at least one peat-free compost, and as products containing peat are usually cheaper to buy, several are price-matching these so that eco-conscious customers are not disadvantaged.
  • Last year B&Q launched their new peat-free compost made with coir and other ingredients. Hillier garden centres also introduced their own peat-free compost, and will be selling ‘Bloomin’ Amazing’, the by-product from an anaerobic digestion plant that provides eco-friendly heat, gas and electricity to 56,000 homes in Dorset. Wickes are launching a new peat-free product this year.
  • Blue Diamond stores stock 22 different peat-free growing media products, some of which are trials of new items at selected stores.
  • Half of the retailers contacted did not reply, and some that did respond were unable to answer all our questions.

 

Ten years ago, the Government set a voluntary target for the horticulture sector to end sales to gardeners by 2020 and to end professional use of peat, for example, in plant growing, by 2030. As this approach has failed, The Wildlife Trusts now believe that retailers should end consumer peat compost sales immediately and the target for professional growers should be brought forward to 2025. Monitoring showed that in 2019, peat still made up over 40% by volume of the growing media sold in the retail sector despite the 2020 target, whilst total peat use in horticulture (retail, professional and export) stood at over 2 million cubic metres.

 

Investment in alternatives is required to help retailers move away from peat, and a ‘Responsible Sourcing Scheme’ has been established to ensure that alternatives don’t come with their own eco-problems. Peat-free composts are now more widely available than ever and many give excellent results, with good advice also available on making your own compost at home. This means that although peat extraction is by no means the only cause of damage to our peatlands, it is one of the easiest to prevent.  

 

The Wildlife Trusts ask people to show the Government that they care by taking a ‘peat free pledge’ at wildlifetrusts.org/ban-sale-peat and also to support an immediate ban on peat-based products. Everyone is urged to check information on packaging to ensure that garden purchases are free of peat.

 

Pictured: Peat Bog, courtesy Mark Hamblin 2020 Vision

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