Can we harness the power of garden centre and garden supplier social media to get the Greenfingers Charity Garden voted as The Peoples Choice for RHS Chelsea 2019?

Having volunteered on the garden yesterday and spoken to hundreds of visitors, without exception their response to the garden was astounding. They all thought the mix of greens, creams, whites and pale yellows were very appealing and loved the air of tranquility created.  When you add into that talking to them about the fundraising and garden building that the charity does the feedback is so warm and amazing.  All of the people I spoke to yesterday said they would vote for the garden so we are well on the way. We just need your vote too, please.

The garden is the most beautiful, most accessible, most useful garden at Chelsea 2019 and therefore deserves the vote of everyone who has supported Greenfingers over the years and everyone who believe's that more beautiful and useful gardens should be built at Children's hospices across the UK.

The garden was made possible by an anonymous donor who wanted the profile of the charity to be raised, that means we've been able to get all of the fantastic coverage this week without having to spend any of the money raised for creating gardens.  Winning the BBC/ RHS People's Choice Award would be the icing on the cake!

Please vote yourself by using this link:  https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/Peoples-Choice

Voting closes at 9:30pm this evening, Thursday 23rd May 2019.  The result will be announced on Friday 24 May at 8pm during the Chelsea coverage on BBC One.

If you are able to, please could you include this in your social media too.  Thank you.

We'll publish more news from Chelsea in GTN Xtra this weekend, see you then.

The Greenfingers Charity garden, which has been awarded a Silver-Gilt Medal, was a magnet for celebrities yesterday, all wanting to learn more about the work of our industry charity building wonderful gardens in Children's Hospices across the UK.

See our photo gallery below and watch out for more Chelsea news in future issues of GTN Xtra and GTN's June issue.

Follow this link for the full RHS Chelsea 2019 Awards winners list.

Blue Diamond Ltd have reported a pre tax profit of £10.8m for the year ended December 31st 2018 a 18% increase on 2017.

Chairman, Simon Burke, says in his report: "By any standards, 2018 was a dramatic year for Blue Diamond. Our biggest garden centre opening ever, the acquisition of nine centres from Wyevale, a share issue, a sale-andleaseback of Brambridge, and extraordinary swings in the weather all played their part.

"I am very pleased to report that we have navigated them all with success. Our headline profit before tax grew by 18% on total sales up 32%, and despite the very substantial acquisition during the year, our debt is well within acceptable parameters."

Managing DIrector, Alan Roper, pays tribute to the Blue Diamond Team for acheving the results: "2018 was a year the Group seized a rare opportunity for significant growth when we purchased nine Wyevale garden centres with an annual turnover of nearly £37m.

"The purchase completed in mid-August and the significant task began to assimilate the businesses into the Group. My operations team have been exemplary in rising to and delivering on this challenge. In fact, one would go as far as to say that despite the onerous nature of the task in hand it was met with huge enthusiasm and a modicum of excitement. This enthusiasm was matched by the existing employees and customers of the stores upon hearing Blue Diamond would be acquiring them.

"The team and culture within this Company is by any measurement exceptional. I am enormously proud of them and their achievements. They have a great affinity in the way they work together, and their loyalty to the Company and each other is second to none.

"Looking forward we have three new-build centres in the pipeline with hopefully a fourth to be agreed soon, and a number of our centres are earmarked for expansion when we have completed the current investment programme on the recent acquisitions. This new business coupled with the growth from the recent acquisitions should see the Group turnover approach £200m within the next five years."

Read the full Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements using this link.

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of Blue Diamond Endsleigh from the first week of May 2019.

SOLEX – the Summer Outdoor Leisure Exhibition – which will be opening its doors to the most influential buyers from within the garden industry on 9 July 2019, has launched its very own website to help visitors to register and attend the event.

This new website has an interactive exhibition map that allows you to see who will be exhibiting and if you want to know more about the exhibitors you are only one click away from their websites.  There is also the chance to win a lovely weekend away in the beautiful county of Hampshire.

www.solexexhibition.com

The site will also give information on how to get there, facilities, hotel links and general build up to the event. 

This new portal will also be linked to its own Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin accounts where you can interact and keep up to date with all the news views and current product information. 

www.facebook.com/solexexhibitionnec             www.twitter.com/solexexhibition

The Solex show will be packed full of the freshest designs from 60 LOFA members, with the full A-Z and everything in between that the outdoor and leisure industry has to offer.

The SOLEX exhibition is all under one roof, and in one hall, so you won’t have to walk for miles and miles to find the most inspirational and innovative products for the 2020 season. Infact it is a great place to do business, this relaxed and friendly exhibition is where you can establish new relationships and develop existing ones. So, whether you are a garden centre, a retail outlet, department store or multiple retailer, SOLEX has everything you could possibly want or need. 

There is also a contemporary new SOLEX lounge,  a great place to relax, chill out and unwind, serving refreshments to all visitors throughout the three show days, it’s a place to take the weight off your feet and re-charge your batteries, literally, as there will be charging points for all devices!  There will also be secluded areas for those all-important business meetings or to check your Twitter feed!

SOLEX is the retailers' essential garden event of the year.

Place – Hall 5 | Venue - NEC | Dates - 9-11 July 2019

Nobody expected us to get the same record peaks as last year during the second week of May, and hopefully nobody set their budgets at that level, because the great British weather and those persistent North Easterly winds put paid to any thought of a super busy Bank Holiday week. 

Fortunately, we are still in the positive year to date, up 7% on last year and just above 2017 levels too.

With planterias well stocked and looking great, all we need is for the wind to change and, whisper it, perhaps we may see record sales levels for the Bank Holiday at the end of the month.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 18)
Garden Products – down 31%
Growing Media – down 19%
Wild Bird Care – up 31%
Veg-2-Gro – up 55%
All Plants index – down 33%
All Items index – down 25%

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

As part of its ongoing commitment to its stockist customers, Wrexham-based Treadstone Products has put together a comprehensive range of merchandiser options to support all of the products in its three main product ranges, which include The Good Life selection of gardening essentials, the newly launched range of ClipGlove gardening gloves and Peter Rabbit themed gardening products for children.

Eye-catching and innovative merchandising solutions include for the Peter Rabbit range a four-sided freestanding bespoke merchandiser featuring hooks, complemented by interactive POS in the form of children’s games. A compact display unit is also offered.

To encourage sales of its ClipGlove range Treadstone has put together a high impact and space-efficient main range stand, capable of holding a comprehensive selection of gloves, each in two sizes. Panels on the stand feature informative graphics to help consumers select the correct glove as well as a clever size guide for both men and women.

A specially designed hook system prevents the gloves falling from the spinner even when fully loaded. The unit holds 240 pairs of gloves 48 packs of clips in less than 0.4m² of floor space. In addition retailers have the option of ‘The Right Glove’, a collection of seasonal gloves for volume sales opportunities, either displayed on retailers’ own merchandising units or by making the most of Treadstone’s bespoke feature display unit, which is provided with a combination of 144 assorted pairs.

Supporting its range of ‘The Good Life’ garden accessories, meshes, netting, landscaping, plant support and other garden essentials Treadstone has a great mix of merchandising support. Options include modular stands offering optimum stock loading and product variety, gravity-fed versions and others facilitating a mix and match product approach, plus displays for off-the-roll products.

Dean Winters, Treadstone's Head of Brands says: "With the aim of giving our existing and potential new stockists the back-up they need, our range of merchandising and POS material helps to facilitate sales. We’re aware of how important this part of our offering is and we are constantly looking for new ways to introduce new, innovative and clever merchandising solutions.”

Retailers interested in working with Treadstone Products can contact the company on 01978 664 667 or email sales@treadstoneproducts.com or for more information, visit www.treadstoneproducts.com

The tenth HTA National Plant Show, sponsored by Hortipak, takes place at Stoneleigh Park on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 June. Visitors are encouraged to register now at www.nationalplantshow.co.uk to ensure that they are able to enter the show swiftly and maximise the opportunity of everything on offer.

This year’s show which sees over 200 exhibitors across the two adjoining halls provides an unrivalled opportunity to view the very best plants from UK nurseries, along with everything the trade needs to sell plants under one roof.  With a wealth of innovation and expertise visitors can now meet the full spectrum of suppliers including, plants, polytunnel and glasshouse supply, substrates and growing media through to display benching, machinery, labelling and product information and much more.

We are delighted to welcome a number of first-time exhibitors to the show this year. They include: Aeroplas UK Ltd, Allports Group, City Irrigation and Antelo, Crystaline, Desch Plantpak Ltd, Dummen Orange, Formbar Limited, Glenside Nurseries, Hertford Shelving Ltd, HSM UK Ltd, HTA Utilities, Image Retail Solutions, Intelligent Horticultural Solutions, Lubera Edibles, Lucksbridge Marketing Ltd, My Power Solar Professionals, OMEX, Philip Harkness Roses Ltd,  QCR Recycling Equipment, Sustane.

An exhibitor list can be found at https://www.nationalplantshow.co.uk/exhibitors/exhibitor-listing-2019.

A favourite with visitors and exhibitors alike the New Plant Awards will once again take pride of place in the centre of Hall 2. Annually attracting over 100 entries this is the place to see what is new and available to the market in the following season. Judges this year include Sabatino Urzo from the RHS, Ken Cox from Glendoick Garden Centre, Tamsin Westhorpe co-chair of the Garden Media Guild, Melanie Livingston plant buyer from Fron Goch Garden Centre, Jonathan Savage from Scotsdales Garden Centre with HTA’s Director of Operations Martin Simmons overseeing.

Previous winners of the New Plant Awards over the last 10 years will be on display in the show entrance, along with commentary on how they have done in the market place. Other features are the show include:

Hall 2

Show sponsor Hortipak invites visitors to join them on the Hortipak Hub and find out how they are Connecting People with Plants helping both growers and retailers to increase return business. You will find innovative ways to package and promote plants as well as having the opportunity to discuss your individual branding, marketing and product requirements directly with the designers and sales team.

The seminar theatre, sponsored by Sinclair Horticulture, will host a number of sessions throughout the show. These include:

• New Plant Awards – the judges highlight the winning plants, why they won and how they can help your plant area offering
• HTA Horticulture Manager, Alistair Yeomans provides an update on the latest plant health issues and developments and implications for the horticultural industry
• HTA Policy Executive Sally Cullimore provides an update on the work going on to develop recyclable non-carbon black pigment free plant pots
• An update on the Phyto-threats project from Forest Research
• Presentations from My Power, QCR and HTA Utilities on making your business more sustainable.

HTA Village – an opportunity to find out about the latest initiatives from the HTA including Plant Healthy and the Nursery Working Group and work going on to introduce a recyclable carbon black pigment free alternative to the black plastic pot.

Hall 1
The innovation area will encompass the Best Concept for retail award entries as well as the Product Showcase area and really highlight the huge variety of suppliers that show at the event and what they can offer your business.

Dura-ID Hub - a new mini demonstration area where our suppliers supported by our area partner Dura-ID will have the opportunity to showcase new and innovative offerings. The Tool Box Talks will feature sessions from Dura-ID, Melcourt Industries and ICL.

Associate Partner ICL will be highlighting its new one-stop shop for Black Vine Weevil control and showcasing Seeka – its range of beneficial nematodes. Andrew Wilson and Martin Donnelly, managers from ICL’s technical team, will be explaining the new 52 week programmed IPM approach to Vine Weevil control in a Tool Box Talk session.

Recognising that it is the 10^th year of the show three industry representatives who have been involved since the outset provide comment.

Caroline Owen, Managing Director of Scotsdales Garden Centre, who was chair of the HTA Retail Management Committee in 2009 when the show was first developed comments, “It is great to see that the HTA National Plant Show continues to deliver exactly what it set out to do from the outset. The show provides garden retailers with a unique opportunity to view such a great variety of stock from UK nurseries and it really is the place to view new plants coming into the market place. We always come away with new ideas and thoughts about how to present our plant offer.”

Geoff Caesar, Chair of the HTA Ornamentals Committee adds, “The strength of the show really lies in the shared desire from UK growers and garden retailers for such an event. It is as an important milestone now as it was in 2009 and provides a real focal point at the right time of the year for the industry.”

James Buffoni, Managing Director of headline partner Hortipak, comments, “Ten years ago the Hortipak team decided to invest in the embryonic HTA National Plant Show and it has been the headline sponsor ever since. It’s a significant investment for a family business to make but it has been good for us. As a family business that manufactures in the UK, it’s a really good way for us to give back to the industry and to help to promote the industry as a whole. We felt if we could help to create a new platform for growers to showcase and do more business then that would bring us benefits as well."

James adds, “We have seen a lot of change over the last ten years, in the industry and beyond. What we have seen consistently over the last ten years is the continual improvement of the production and presentation of plants for the National Plant Show. As a Company which is primarily tasked with marketing plants, being a central part of that has been exciting and inspiring for us all. More change is to come, so the next decade will surely be an exciting one too.”

Many thanks to show sponsors:-

• Headline Partner – Hortipak
• Associate partner – ICL, Media Partner – Garden Forum, New Plant Awards – RHS, Visitor Vote – Floramedia, Hub Sponsor - DURA-ID, Benching partners – Timber
• Displays, Digital partner – Garden Connect, Delegate Bag partner – Container Centralen
• Event Partners – HTA Insurance Services, Joy of Plants and Glee

Register now at www.nationalplantshow.co.uk to ensure a quick and easy entry to the show.

For further details about exhibiting at this year’s show please visit www.nationalplantshow.co.uk or email events@hta.org.uk

As Chelsea Flower Show gears up for its most popular edition yet, garden centres across the nation are bracing for a surge in sales as Brits recreate their own show gardens at home. The world- renowned event has reported unprecedented ticket sales due to the ‘Kate Middleton effect’, with gardening enthusiasts eagerly awaiting their first viewing of this year’s prestigious designs.

Ahead of the big reveal, Wyevale Garden Centres has identified the plant champions of Chelsea for 2019: the affordable, accessible and easy-to-grow ‘Chelsea favourites’ that gardeners can readily introduce to their outdoor space this summer. These are the plants predicted to infiltrate social media feeds and news threads over the coming weeks, feeding into the biggest gardening trends for 2019.

Julian Palphramand, Plant Buyer at Wyevale Garden Centres, says:“Chelsea Flower Show has long been a highlight on the calendar for the gardening community, but its influence now extends to millions via social media, where we know over a fifth of Brits get their gardening inspiration. Last year we witnessed a huge demand from customers wanting to ‘get the Chelsea look’ and have curated a section in centres that brings together show-stoppers suited to all garden styles and sizes.”

With a central message to ‘reconnect with nature’, themes at Chelsea this year include sustainability, climate change, pests and diseases, as well as wellbeing and the mental and physical benefits of gardening. Colours that evoke a sense of calm and happiness, such as greens, whites and yellows, will be prevalent; while the resurgence of traditional plants, which Wyevale Garden Centres defined as a key trend in gardening for 2019, will also reign strong.

Palphramand added: “Beloved classics will continue to make their way into the limelight. We expect to see increased sales of foxgloves, geraniums, delphiniums and irises, which will feature in abundance at Chelsea, as well as paperplants, ferns, hydrangeas and New Zealand flax. With the removal of oak, olive and almond trees from this year’s show, acers and birches are expected to move into the forefront.”

Wyevale Garden Centres’ top five ‘Chelsea Favourites’ to introduce to your garden:

1. Agapanthus

Joe Perkins, creator of The Facebook Garden, has hinted that this will be a prominent plant in his design. With beautiful flower heads held above lush, strap-like green foliage, the agapanthus will no doubt take social media by storm this summer. This plant is a sun worshipper that grows best in well-drained soil (it will suffer if sitting in moisture) and can reach a height and spread of 45cm x 45cm after a couple of years.

2. Alstroemeria (Peruvianlily)

This continues to be a popular choice year after year. Its decorative and exotic flowers are available in a wide range of colours and bloom from May until the first frosts, guaranteeing long-lasting enjoyment and value for money. Hardy and easy to grow, this plant thrives best in sun or part shade. To keep yours at its best, plant in rich fertile soil (neutral to slightly acidic) and feed with a high potash feed each week during the growing season.

3. Ficinia ‘ice crystal’

Texture is a key focus at Chelsea this year, with many gardens featuring natural, woodland shrubs and plants with interesting foliage. Ticking all the boxes, this clump-forming evergreen perennial has attractive variegated foliage tipped with white edging, and is perfectly suited to both patio pots and mixed borders. Keep it well watered and ensure it is in a sheltered spot for the colder months.

4. Salvia ‘love and wishes’

With French lavender and rosemary banned from Chelsea this year, this plant is predicted to gain ground. First launched at the event in 2015, this fragrant sage has since appeared in several gardens across the show. The colourful and robust perennial features flower spikes in red and purple held above small aromatic foliage. It grows best in full sun and is fairly drought resistant, making it a great addition for pots and containers during the summer months.

5. David Austin Roses

English roses are always a firm favourite for gardeners, and with two new David Austin Roses being unveiled at Chelsea this year, their popularity is expected to boom. Renowned for their fragrance and beauty, the wide selection of David Austin roses includes hybrid tea roses, climbing roses and patio roses, with trending colours at Chelsea predicted to be pastel apricots and yellows, and deeper shades of pink.

Over 400 different plant varieties will feature in the ‘Chelsea favourites’ section at Wyevale Garden Centres, capturing the inspiration and essence of Chelsea ready for gardeners to recreate at home.

www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk

The Garden Centre Association has announced that the location of its 2020 annual conference is to be Bristol. The annual event will be held at the Mercure Bristol, Grand Hotel from January 26 until 29.

Mike Burks (pictured right), who is the GCA Chairman Elect for 2020/21 and is helping organise the conference alongside the organisation’s Chief Executive Iain Wylie, said: “We chose Bristol for a number of reasons. We have varied the location of the conference in recent years to be in the different regions we cover, from Scotland in 2017, Stratford in 2018, Luton in 2019 and now the Westcountry for 2020.

“Bristol is a vibrant city with good communication links and the city centre venue contrasts nicely with Luton Hoo last year.”

The Mercure Bristol, Grand Hotel is a newly renovated Grade II listed building from 1856 and is home to the largest ballroom in the city centre.

The hotel was inspired by UpFest, the largest urban street art and graffiti festival in Europe, with local artists influencing the décor. The hotel now features more than 500 pieces of commissioned street art.

Online booking for the conference will open in September, 2019.

Mike added: “Society is facing many challenges including climate change, sustainability, community, health and wellbeing and all of these have direct links to the garden centre industry, so we’re hoping to be looking at some of these issues at the conference in 2020.

“We will be announcing more details shortly, but for now, be sure to keep the dates free in your diary.

“Briefly, the schedule for the conference will be as follows:

• Sunday – Greenfingers Challenge Cup
• Monday – inspection and competition round ups plus keynote speakers – based around operational issues. A themed evening dinner, networking event for garden centres and associate members.
• Tuesday – a day of strategy with keynote speakers on subjects such as the economy, challenges facing business and direction of future market trends with an emphasis on maintaining and enhancing profitability. In the afternoon there will be the supplier exhibition. In the evening we will host our Annual Gala Dinner and awards presentation.”

The GCA represents nearly 200 garden centres nationwide. Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

For further information, please call 01244 952170. Alternatively, please visit www.gca.org.uk, log on to www.facebook.com/pages/GardenCentreAssociation or follow the organisation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GC_Association.  

A special ribbon cutting event has been held at Notcutts Booker Garden Centre, near Marlow, to celebrate the opening of the newly refurbished garden centre and restaurant.

Caroline Notcutt, Vice-Chairman, and Andrew Notcutt, Non-Executive Director, Great-Grandchildren of Notcutts’ founder Roger Crompton Notcutt, officially opened the garden centre with Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe; Cllr Chris Funnell, Mayor of Marlow; and members of the Notcutt family, local businesses, customers and the Notcutts team.

The refurbished garden centre now offers customers a bright and modern space to shop and feel inspired, with an improved layout and upgraded flooring and lighting throughout. The outdoor plant area has been expanded to offer more variety of plants and garden supplies, and the car park has been extended and re-designed to improve accessibility and parking for customers.

The popular restaurant at Notcutts Booker has also undergone a complete transformation, providing customers with a comfortable and spacious dining area for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea.

The special event also marked the unveiling of a new display garden, designed to inspire local gardeners with creative ideas and plant combinations for their own outdoor spaces. The Notcutts Garden was designed and built by Notcutts’ Head of Visual Merchandising, Marco de Jongh; Plant Buyer, Stuart Andrews; and Garden Project Manager, Luke Rawson. The garden showcases Notcutts’ history of horticultural passion and expertise, and is themed on tranquillity with a large water fountain, structural pergola and over 300 plant varieties in calming pastel and white shades.

Stuart Blight, General Manager at Notcutts Booker said: “Thank you to the Notcutt family, Steve Baker MP, Marlow Mayor Cllr Chris Funnell, and all guests who joined us for our grand opening event. We are delighted with our new-look garden centre and restaurant, and our wonderful new display garden, which we hope will inspire our customers as well as providing an enjoyable place to shop, dine and relax.”

The Notcutts Garden is free to visit all year round at Notcutts on Clay Lane, Booker. Many of Notcutts’ 18 garden centres nationwide have a special display garden, with different themes and designs.

For more information about Notcutts Booker Garden Centre, call 01494 532532 or visit www.notcutts.co.uk

The entire world of the garden: International trade visitors from all over the world can look forward to this and much more at spoga+gafa in Cologne from 1 to 3 September 2019. Around 2,100 exhibitors from 60 countries will present everything the green industry currently has to offer on 230,000 m² of exhibition space.

As of May, almost 98 percent of the planned exhibition space is already booked. As the largest garden fair in the world, spoga+gafa excels through its level of internationality (expected share of foreign exhibitors: 85 percent), a unique offer of exhibits and its enormous range of themes. spoga+gafa not only offers innovations, inspiration and impulses in the scope of the breadth and depth of its offer, but also as a result of numerous theme islands and special zones that are constantly further developed. This year the trade fair's focus lies on the theme City Gardening.

"Hardly anything is presently moving the industry as intensively as gardening in the urban environment," stated Catja Caspary, Vice President Koelnmesse GmbH. "spoga+gafa reflects this trend in its entire diversity and thus creates a great deal of added value for the international exhibitors and trade visitors." The emphasis is being placed on City Gardening at spoga+gafa 2019. On a theme-focused area in Hall 6, called the Power Place City Gardening, international exhibitors will present their trend products from the sections irrigation, plant growing and multifunctional furniture. Lectures on diverse stages as well as in the Garden Café or on the Theme Stage in Hall 6, special means of communication for guiding the visitors to exhibitors with City Gardening products or balconies on which products that can be implemented in cities are highlighted, convey the trend theme in its entirety all around the trade fair.

City Gardening at the POS – the POS Green Solution Islands
The trends of the green industry presented in an inspiring way on a small surface - for the third time already the POS Green Solution Islands demonstrate exactly how this can be done and also address the number one trend theme: City Gardening has been awarded its own POS Green Solution Island. With concrete examples of implementation for large surfaces and the specialised trade to increase the demand and turnover, they offer real added value in the end consumer communication. Alongside City Gardening as the core theme, the titles of this year's POS Green Solution Islands are 'Wellness in Nature', 'Kids Garden', 'Flower Power' and 'Living with Plants - My Tiny Coffee Shop'.

The Power of Plant Brands
"Transform plants into heroes, reduce exchangeability, create own brands, achieve sustainable market success", these are some of the goals that the initiatives of the growers and manufacturers of plants and flowers pursue, in order to strengthen their products on an increasingly competitive market by means of an own brand and special competences. Through their new strength, plants are to become interesting beyond their own segment for cooperations with other established brands and themes. For the first time spoga+gafa is dedicating an own theme section to the Power of Plant Brands. In this way, the most important players will be brought together at the trade fair in one location in the scope of a focused lecture programmes as well as an exclusive networking event. At the premiere, top players like Added Value, Support, Beekenkamp, Heidezüchtung Kramer, Riplant/Cultivaris, Selecta One and Zu Jeddeloh are exhibiting on the special area.

Depth of themes: Outdoor Kitchen World, Smart Gardening and Batteries
The successfully implemented theme islands of last year's spoga+gafa are being repeated in 2019 with an increased excitement factor: In Hall 6 the theme islands IVG Power Place Akku and Power Place Smart Gardening are being staged once again. Here, innovative technologies and smart solutions for outdoor lighting, lawn care and irrigation will be exhibited. Furthermore, after a successful premiere last year, exhibitors from the sections soils, turf, fertilisers, substrates, plants and plant protection will be presented on Passage 4/5 under the umbrella IVG Power Places Green.

Thanks to even more exhibitors, the Outdoor Kitchen World in Hall 8 will offer an even greater variety of products - from purist, clear and modern furniture, to accessories and appliances from a wide range of suppliers of outdoor kitchens from all over the world, through to exclusive manufacturing companies and industry global players. A first-class partner has additionally been won over: BEEF!, the food and lifestyle magazine for men. In the BEEF! Arena lectures and interviews as well as show cooking at the highest BBQ level will take place daily.

More trends than ever
After last year's successful implementation of the "Outdoor Furniture Trend Show", the internationally used platform for the presentation of the latest garden furniture trends, is being enhanced in 2019 by the theme decoration. The curated trend show will present furniture and decoration garden trends that are derived from the mega trends that are moving society worldwide.  The special event entitled "Icons of Outdoor Furniture" flanks the trend show. Here the bestselling and most stylish garden furniture of the current and also former exhibitors of spoga+gafa will be presented.

Hall plan 2019: Guide for the whole garden world
In Halls 1 to 10 the international trade visitors will find the four segments garden living, garden unique, garden creation & care as well as garden bbq. Further presentation areas are located on the Central and North Boulevard, the entire Piazza and in the outdoor areas between Halls 6, 7 and 8.

Traditionally, the garden living section is the largest segment, which is accommodated in Halls 1 to 4, 5.2, 9 and 10.1. The segment comprises of garden furniture, garden equipment, decoration, camping and leisure as well as sports and games amongst other things and presents products that transform the garden, balcony or terrace into green living spaces. The visitors can find exclusive presentations of high-quality outdoor furniture in the segment garden unique in Hall 10.2. In the garden creation & care segment on Passage 4/5 and in Hall 6, the trade fair offers an extensive range of machines, tools & accessories, garden equipment and garden sheds, water and lighting technology as well as soils. Through the integration of the Landgard Plant Ordering Days in Hall 5.1, the world's leading trade fair of the garden industry will really flourish again and will become an attractive hot spot for the plant business once more. The garden bbq segment in Halls 7 and 8 will put in a superlative performance again as the largest bbq trade fair in the world. Numerous new products will be presented from starter to luxury models, cooking shows, live presentations, bbq accessories as well as sauces and spices.

Koelnmesse – Global Competence in Furniture, Interiors and Design: Koelnmesse is the world’s top trade fair organiser for the areas of furnishing, living and lifestyle. At the trade fair hub of Cologne, the leading international fair imm cologne as well as the trade fair formats of LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa, interzum and Kind + Jugend rank among the internationally renowned and established industry meeting places. These fairs comprehensively represent the upholstered and case furniture segment, the kitchen industry, the office furniture sector and outdoor living as well as the innovations of the furniture supply industry. Over the last few years, Koelnmesse has specifically added international fairs in the most important fast-expanding markets to its portfolio. These include idd Shanghai,  interzum guangzhou in Guangzhou and Pueri Expo in Sao Paulo. With ambista, the online portal for the interiors business, Koelnmesse offers direct access to products, contacts, expertise and events relevant to the industry all year round.

Further information is available at: www.global-competence.net/interiors/
Further information about ambista: www.ambista.com/

Wyevale Garden Centres today announces two transactions for a total of three garden centres to Blackbrook Garden Centres and Capital Gardens Limited.

Hastings and Lower Dicker (pictured above) will be sold to Blackbrook Garden Centres and is expected to complete by end of May to early June. Sherfield-on-Loddon centre will be sold to Capital Gardens Limited and is expected to complete by mid-June. All three centres will continue to be run as garden centres.

Anthony Jones, Chief Operating Officer of WGC said: "We are pleased to announce the sale of a further three centres to garden centre operators. Our colleagues have played a key role in the success of their centres and I'd like to thank them for their amazing work and wish them well for the future under new ownership."

Mark Winchester, CEO at Blackbrooks Garden Centre said: "Blackbrooks is an independent garden centre with a strong family ethos. Established in 1982 as a small landscaping centre, it has now grown to a destination garden centre, employing over 70 members of staff. We very much look forward to welcoming all staff from Lower Dicker Garden Centre and Hastings Garden Centre to the Blackbrooks family and continuing to grow by working together."

Colin Campbell-Preston, Managing Director of Capital Gardens commented: "We are incredibly excited to have acquired Sherfield-on-Loddon Centre as part of our growing portfolio of garden centres across London and the south-east. We are looking forward to implementing our unique business blueprint based on a strong plant offering and putting our signature Capital Garden stamp onto the centre to establish it as a leading garden centre in the local area. We want to keep Sherfield-on-Loddon at the heart of the community and look forward to what the future has to hold!"

Christie & Co, the specialist business property advisor managing the sale process on behalf of WGC, have run a two-phase process that has achieved considerable interest from a wide variety of buyers. The opportunity to run one, a small group or a portfolio of garden centres has ignited interest within the sector and beyond and there are still opportunities to acquire strongly located and well performing centres.

Haskins Garden Centres is supporting National Children’s Gardening Week (May 25-June 2) to encourage children to get outside and enjoy gardening.

Haskins launched its new Facebook page, ‘Garden Gang,’ earlier this year, designed to increase children’s interest in and enjoyment of gardening. The Facebook page provides parents and children with regular updates, free activities, fun and educational worksheets and gardening games.

Presented by the Horticultural Trade Association, National Children’s Gardening Week is a nationally recognised awareness week, in celebration of the fun that gardens hold for kids. Haskins shares these values and is supporting young gardeners with suggested activities to connect with nature.

Haskins’ suggested activities for National Children’s Gardening Week, include:

• Building a bug hotel – re-use outdoor waste to make a five star hotel for garden wildlife
• Growing a bean stalk – put a bean in a jar with some kitchen roll, add water and watch it start to grow into a magic beanstalk
• Creating a mini pond – use a container in a quiet part of the garden to help increase biodiversity
• Going on a flower hunt – download the free activity sheet and see how many varieties can be found

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins, commented: “Our Garden Gang concept was designed to keep your outdoor busy bees entertained. We’re proud to offer a variety of puzzles and games in the Garden Gang section of our child-friendly website.

“Regular updates are now also posted on our new Garden Gang Facebook page, along with worksheets and helpful video content. We want to encourage kids to get outside, enjoy nature and have fun! National Children’s Gardening Week gives us the perfect opportunity to shout about what a great family activity gardening is.”

New analysis by the UK Trade Policy Observatory is warning that what should have been the technical formality of transferring EU powers into national law when the UK leaves the European Union, could instead open the gates for the widespread use of outlawed carcinogenic pesticides that have been shown to alter human reproductive, neurological, and immune systems.

The analysis, carried out by researchers at the University of Sussex and a Masters student at the Centre for Alternative Technology alongside Pesticide Action Network, has uncovered a significant weakening of enforcement arrangements covering the approval of pesticides as part of legislative changes carried out under the EU Withdrawal Act.

They include the removal of a blanket ban on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), potentially allowing for their use on UK land despite considerable evidence the chemicals, which effect how the body responds to sex hormones such as oestrogen, raise the risk of some cancers, birth defects, and other developmental disorders.

Dr Emily Lydgate, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Law at the University of Sussex and Fellow of the UK Trade Policy Observatory, said: “While the stated aims of the EU Withdrawal Act was to bring existing EU pesticide regulations into UK law without major changes to policy, our analysis reveals that there are significant departures from EU pesticides legislation. The new legislation consolidates powers to UK ministers to amend, revoke and make pesticide legislation, and weakens both enforcement arrangements and the requirement to obtain scientific advice.”

The researchers warn that the EU system of significant checks and balances is being cast aside for a new regulatory process which places too much power into the hands of UK ministers and away from independent scientific advisors.

EU requirements place independent scientific advice as integral to the approval process. The academics warn that the commitment to scientific evidence will be “significantly watered down” in the future with UK ministers only required to consider scientific evidence at their discretion.

Chloe Anthony, a LLM student at the University of Sussex, said: “EU regulations on pesticides start from the overarching objectives and principles to protect human and animal health, and the environment. The legislation also puts the onus on industry to demonstrate, with a high level of certainty, pesticides don’t have a harmful effect on humans, animals or the environment before they are placed on the market. These key guiding principles and objectives are not carried forward into the UK legislation, and it is unclear what the framework for future UK decision making will be.”

EDCs are permitted for use in Canada and the US and both North American governments view the EU ban as an undue trade barrier. The analysis observes this barrier has now effectively been lifted in advance of UK-US and UK-Canada future trade negotiations.

The analysis also warns that the changes give ministers powers to open the door to more deregulation in the future.

Ffion Thomas, a Masters student from the Centre for Alternative Technology, said: "These changes to pesticide regulation in the UK can hardly be characterised as ‘technical’; they will weaken the rigour of the process by which pesticides are approved and monitored in the UK. UK Statutory Instruments introduce the ability for ministers to produce guidance documents which provide an easy path to future reform. In a best-case scenario this could lead to future strengthening of pesticide regulation but in a worse-case scenario, concentrate authority to UK ministers for future weakening of pesticide legislation."

A team of cyclists from Tong Garden Centre completed the challenging Tour de Yorkshire sportive recently and raised £4,259 for its charity of the year, Bradford Stories.

The team of nine, including directors, staff, suppliers and friends, rode 80km on some of the the same roads as the fourth and final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire pro race.

The ride included 1,228m of ascent, but riders were rewarded with stunning views along the route. Tong Garden Centre Managing Director, Mark Farnsworth said: "Bradford Stories is a fantastic initiative from the National Literacy Trust and Bradford Council to improve literacy levels in the city by promoting reading, writing, speaking and listening.

"As a business, Tong would like to raise £10,000 for them this year. I was joined on the ride by my fellow directors Charlie and David and we set ourselves a challenging fundraising target of £4,000, so we're naturally delighted to have exceeded it.

"There's still time to donate though, so if you'd like to support us, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tong-garden-centre."

Imran Hafeez, Manager of the National Literacy Trust Hub in Bradford, said: "Congratulations to Mark and the team for this fantastic achievement. Not only did you all finish in one piece, and with times just over the four hour mark, but you have raised a magnificent amount for the National Literacy Trust.

"Our mission is to ensure that disadvantaged children have the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills needed for education and to lead a successful life, and we can only achieve this with your help."

The team at Tong aims to raise the £10,000 through a series of fund-raising events and collection boxes at the tills.

The Bradford Stories campaign focuses on sharing stories across the city, engaging dads in their child's learning and the benefits of bilingualism.  

The Greenfingers Charity Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show is in the final stage of completion, ready for the RHS judges and the worlds media on Monday and then for the thousands of visitors from Tuesday onwards.

With millions watching on TV, the garden along with the rest of the floral extravaganza is sure to generate a burst of extra gardening interest across the country, especially if the weather stays good through the week.

The Greenfingers Garden, which is built on three levels, is an oasis of gardening calm and pleasure that is fully accessible to children in wheelchairs as well as their carers and family members.  It is also a great example of what can be achieved in a small urban style space.  For all garden centres that have a customer base of new "urban" gardens mainly comprising balconies and patios, this garden at Chelsea should provide plenty of inspiration to help with displays and retail opportunities.

The main aim of the garden, which has been funded by a private donation, is to raise the profile of our industry charity, and make it easier for us all to raise more funds so the growing list of children's hospice gardens that are still urgently needed can be built and enjoyed for many years to come.

The team, led by designer Kate Gould, and all Greenfingers Charity supporters across the industry, now await the results of the RHS judging which will be announced on Tuesday morning, but most importantly they are looking forward to the result of the BBC/RHS Peoples Choice Award.  You can help Greenfingers win that award by encouraging your customers to vote for the Greenfingers Garden when the poll opens - we will update this story with the judging link when it goes live.

If you are coming to Chelsea, the GTN team will be there on Monday for Press Day, on Tuesday afternoon and then again on Wednesday when we will be volunteering on the Greenfingers Garden.  See you there!

See our GTN Xtra gallery of photos from build-up yesterday and some from earlier in the 16 day construction period taken by Greenfingers Trustee Boyd Douglas-Davies.

There were plenty of busy, but happy, members of the UK garden retailing industry at RHS Chelsea Flower Show yesterday as build-up for the flower show neared completion.  Cooks Garden Centre (above) were putting the finishing touches to their Hydrangea exhibit in the Great Pavillion.  The Hillier team were making sure all their plants were labelled correctly (thanks for the cup of tea) and the Wonderwall team were completing the displays on the Dobbies Garden Centres stand on Eastern Avenue.

See our sneak preview of RHS Chelsea from yesterdays build up activity below...

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Watering provided a boost to garden product sales during an overall disappointing week for the GTN Garden Products Top 50 chart. 

As many expected, volumes were down by 31% on what was the peak week last year, but they were also down on last week when many were hoping for an increase.

Highlights were:

• Crest Garden’s Flopro Classic Hose Reel, 20 metres, was the highest new entry of the week, in at No 32.
• Gardman’s 10 litre Watering Can re-entered at No 22.
• SBM’s Phostrogen Soluble Plant Food, 80 Watering Can Size, jumped 11 places to be the second most popular garden product of the week.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

The high levels of Veg-2-Gro plant sales continues to drive sales of growing media as we move through May and keep them above year-to-date levels for 2017 as well as 2018. 

Sales last week were up week on week to the same level as the first Easter week this year but were almost 20% down on last year, but that was when growing media sales peaked in 2018.

Highlights were:

• Westland Multi Purpose Compost with John Innes, 60 litres, re-entred the Top 50 at No 22.
• Evergreen Garden Care Levington Multipurpose + John Innes, 56 litres, continues at No 1.
• Westland Jack’s Magic All Purpose Compost, 40 litres, climbs 11 places after a 50% sales increase.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Veg-2-Gro Top 50 lines have now been up on last year's levels for 14 consecutive weeks. 

As a result, Veg 2 Gro is up by over 50% year to date on 2018 and 11% up on 2017.  We are headed for the best year ever for growing veg at home if sales continue at this rate.

Highlights were:

• Quantil Tomato Pear Drop 8.5cm saw the biggest sales increase in the GTN Chart to re-enter at No 27.
• Quantil Tomato Gardeners Delight 8cm goes back to No 1.
• Farplants Mint was the highest placed herb plant, up nine places to No 26.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Plant sales held up vs 2017 levels for the week of Bank Holiday Monday 2019, even though they were 33% down on that mad planteria Bank Holiday week of last year. 

Hopefully we will still have another peak to come later in the month and we reach the end of May up year to date on both 2018 and 2017.

Highlights of the week were:

• Pelargoniums, that includes Zonal Geraniums, increased sales at the Top of the Chart by 13%.
• Mint plants were the highest GTN chart climbers, up 14 places to No 36.
• The increasingly popular Bellis was the highest re-entry at No 38.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Wild Bird Care sales volumes almost got back up to 2017 volumes last week with Top 50 sales volumes increasing for the third consecutive week.

Highlights were:

• Panacea’s Essential Bird Feeding Station was the only new entry of the week, in at No 49.
• Gardman’s Large Black Steel Seed Feeder was the highest chart climber, up 34 places to No 16.
• Tom Chambers Suet Treats Triple Pack came back into the Top 50 at No 24.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

The second edition of Garden Trials and Trade will take place on 11, 12 and 13 June 2019. During the event, the 33 participants will exhibit the latest breeds in the area of woody plants and perennials. New this year is that 21 participants will present themselves in a digital trade fair magazine.

This gives the companies the opportunity to draw attention to their participation in a new way. This trade fair edition has been made possible in collaboration with Hortipoint Mediaproducties.

The organisation is very happy with the digital trade fair magazine. "A magazine like this is of great value to the trade fair. Besides general information, participants can present themselves professionally on their personal page, which is unique because each participant can also use the personal page to promote their participation. This provides participants with an additional tool to draw the attention of their customers to the trade fair", says trade fair manager Jos van Lint.

Digital trade fair magazine

The trade fair magazine is available in both Dutch and English. 21 companies give a glimpse of what they will be presenting at Garden Trials and Trade. The magazine also contains general information about the trade fair, the novelty showcase and a map and list of participants has been included.

More information

The website www.gardentrials.com is regularly updated with information. Garden Trials and Trade will be held on 11, 12 and 13 June 2019 in the Plantarium building, Italiëlaan 4, 2391 PT Hazerswoude-Dorp. Opening times: every day from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm.

Entry is free for trade visitors with a promotional ticket and/or through digital pre-registration via www.gardentrials.com/aanmelden-bezoek.

Hillier Garden Centres has announced the new Horticultural Buyer that will be joining the team in July 2019.

After two years in Hillier Wholesale in the role of Senior Sales Manager, Adam Dorber makes the move to Hillier Garden Centres and will be taking on responsibility for the purchasing of horticultural products for the group.

Adam brings with him a lifelong interest in horticulture and a passion for plants with a wealth of garden centre buying, management and sales experience. He has worked in the horticulture industry for over 20 years for some of the UK’s largest independent and Garden Centre Groups including Rosebourne, Burford, and Garden & Leisure Group, before joining Hillier Wholesale in 2017 and managing multiple accounts across the UK.

“I’m very much looking forward to starting this new role with Hillier where a commitment to innovation in garden retail, customer service and the quality of the plants is at the very heart of the business. My experience to date has given me a great understanding of the products and the quality consumers are looking for. I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the Hillier buying team and have an impact on this.” Adam commented.

Chris Francis, director of retail and wholesale for Hillier says: “These are exciting times for Hillier Garden Centres as we continue to grow our business. Horticulture product is vitally important to Hillier, so we are delighted to welcome Adam to the buying team, his expertise and knowledge in both wholesale and retail will help us to continue to build on our successes and offer the best in horticultural products to our customers.”

Wyevale Garden Centres today announced the sale of Worthing Ferring to Cobbins Nursery Ltd, who will continue to run the site as a garden centre.

George Lisher, CEO at Cobbins Nursery, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to expand our business through the acquisition of the neighbouring Worthing Ferring Wyevale Garden Centre. Cobbins Nursery is a fourth generation family run business specialising in the production of houseplants and pot bedding and we look forward to both businesses working together."

As the business has reduced in size over the course of the sales process, WGC also confirms today that it will cease delivering products through its Central Distribution Centre in Milton Keynes in the autumn, and will move to a predominantly direct to centre delivery model, for its remaining centres.

Anthony Jones, Chief Operating Officer at Wyevale Garden Centres said: "We are pleased to have agreed the sale of Worthing Ferring and wish our great colleagues all the best under new ownership. I'd also like to thank XPO and their colleagues at the Milton Keynes Central Distribution Centre for their high quality third party logistics service over the last 3 years as we now transition to a predominantly direct delivery model."

Popular TV gardener Katie Rushworth returns to Tong Garden Centre later this month to open her new look garden and outdoor living space.

The ITV Love Your Garden co-presenter will officially open the show garden that has been brought to life by Katie and Tong's team of gardening experts at 11am on Saturday, 18^th May.

Almost double the size of the original Katie Rushworth show garden that was opened in 2017, the tropical themed garden features planted areas, a dining area, an outside kitchen and a place to relax.  It has been designed to give new ideas for planting hot colours and lush foliage in creative combinations as well as inspiring ways to style an outdoor space.

Katie's delighted with the look and feel of the new garden: "I think we should decorate our gardens in exactly the same way we dress our homes, making them a wonderful, personal and homely space to enjoy whatever the occasion.

Colour comes from the plants I've chosen to decorate my latest show garden at Tong and, as always, I love to zone spaces so we can really get the most out of our plots! My outdoor dining area is so achievable but it's the kitchen island I really love. Set against a backdrop of herbs and other tasty edibles, this is a fantastic way to cook outdoors!"

Tong's Marketing Manager, Jo Dales is equally delighted: "Katie's garden has been a huge success and source of inspiration over the last two years. Customers often ask our knowledgeable team asked about plants, the design and the seasonality of the garden.

The new garden has been designed to reflect the way we are increasingly using our garden as an outside room and that we can plan this space and decorate and accessorise it just like we do the rooms in our home."

The garden and outdoor living area will be refreshed as the seasons change with touches that Katie knows people can achieve in their own gardens.

Throughout the year, Katie will also be on hand to lend her expertise for a series of videos and will be sharing the secrets of her success in a two hour gardening masterclass and book signing on 5^th September.

The eighth series of Love Your Garden, the programme that transforms the gardens of deserving people throughout the UK, is on air now.

Hayes Garden World is a prestigious garden centre based in the beautiful Lake District town of Ambleside. The company has a gardening heritage stretching back over 200 years, having been run by five generations of the Hayes family.

It opened on its present site in 1921 when it was known as the Lake District Nurseries, developing to become a garden centre during the 1960s. Today’s garden centre, which attracts over a million visitors a year, also has a significant eCommerce presence, selling an extensive range of high-quality garden furniture.

In 2018 the management team at Hayes decided to upgrade their current EPoS and Retail management software. They evaluated several systems before choosing Corby & Fellas’ WinRetail system, which was installed in early 2019.

Since its installation the management team have been delighted with WinRetail’s performance, to the extent that two members of the team have written following testimonials.

The first of which is from Ian Hodgett, who is the Furniture & Barbecues Sales Team Leader:

“Since we installed WinRetail at the end of February 2019 we have been amazed at the difference between our old EPOS system and the new WinRetail system.

When we had our first meeting with the team at Corby & Fellas, at their offices, we discussed our, then current, cloud-based system. We discovered that most of the features that our old system lacked were already there and working in WinRetail. But, WinRetail did not include an order delivery scheduling module, which we needed; however, within a week C&F has produced mocked up version of this for evaluation, which we used to make sure they (C&F) had understood what we were looking for. In April 2019, two months after going live with WinRetail, this new module was released to us, and we have been happily using it since to schedule in all our customer orders for deliveries for both our store and our e-commerce sides of the business.

"As an addition to the WinRetail system being installed just before Easter we took delivery of two Dell tablets and two Wi-Fi Chip & Pin terminals for use by our furniture sales team, which they use to process sales orders when serving customers. Thanks to us having these, our furniture sales team can process customer sales much faster and more professionally than was possible with our old system. The tablets give us the ability to process multiple customers at the same time, something we struggled with in the past.

"To summarise: some may say that going from a cloud-based system back to a store-based system is a step backwards, but from what we have experienced from the WinRetail system so far, we can only say that we have taken a massive step forwards and the WinRetail system will streamline our business and save on costs from the get go.”

The second testimonial is from Lyndan Orvis, who is Hayes’ E-Commerce Manager:

 “I would just like to say that you and your guys are the amongst the very best and most efficient I have ever worked with. Your effort, efficiency and ability to delivery has left me with one hell of a lot of admiration for you and your team. Very rarely have I seen a partner exceed a fairy-tale promise!

"As I said I will document the whole of the system processes and the way we use the various features to help you market the module. Many thanks.”

Corby + Fellas Ltd.
East Coast House, Galahad Road, Beacon Park, Gorleston, NR31 7RU

01493 658800
www.corbyfellas.com

To find pout more about Hayes Garden World visit www.hayesgardenworld.co.uk

Here's a Garden Centre Tour from Boston USA.  Peter Seabrook received these photos from Farid Khalil, plant buyer for the Mahoney chain of garden centres in the Boston area and thought we should share them via a GTN Xtra Photo Tour.  "They show the kind of dahlias they are selling in Boston mid April. When I was in Boston mid March they still had snow on the ground!," Peter said.

Farid reports that they are extremely busy buying and growing many spring products to meet their customers demand.  "The season started so early this year because of the good weather we are having, officially the big selling time would be in the beginning of May but we’ve been busy since the start of April. We are doing wonderful with moving lots of Tropicals still and there’s no slowing with this category."

See Farids photos below and watch out for more GTN Xtra Garden Centre Photo Tours over the coming weeks.

GTN Xtra had the pleasure of visiting Notcutts Norwich last week.

As you'd expect with a Notcutts centre the planteria is particularly strong with great linked sales and plenty of recycled plastic pots in evidence that were selling very well.

We loved the colour themed room sets in garden furniture and the star of the show we thought was the excellent houseplant area.  Norwich is the best performing for houseplant sales in the Notcutts group and we believe it is in the Top 10 of all garden centres in the UK.

Enjoy our photo tour of the centre below.

Alan Roper welcomed staff and suppliers to an evening event on Monday 15th April at Bicester Avenue Garden Centre to celebrate the completion of the refurbishment from a Wyevale Garden Centre that they bought last summer to a Blue Diamond Centre that is ready and raring for Easter 2019.

"Welcome to Bicester. The new Bicester. The best manifestation of Bicester in its history since it was built, I think you'll agree. We've been refurbishing many of the ex-Wyevales:  Cadbury has been going through some refurbishment, Nailsworth, my old centre has been completely finished and Endsleigh in Devon is being done currently.  It's about to start at Weybridge with a new restaurant and at Melbicks. We're working on all the ex Wyevales to get them to a standard."

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the refurbished centre below

What would you expect from a Hillier centre? Authoritative ranges of products and plants, crisp merchandising, and expert staff. That’s exactly the delivery at Botley plus there’s the Rosemary and Thyme restaurant concept that is now being rolled out across the Hiller estate of centres. This classy, counter ordered but table served concept will be a huge benefit when the Wyevale centres just purchased get an upgrade from their current Garden Kitchens.

Out in the Planteria the customer care extends to trees where the team retain the use of their Christmas tree netting equipment to net all trees purchased to help customers get their valuable trees home safely.

In garden care they were selling plenty of grow houses with displays that included the Veg Trug wooden version at £99. At Botley they were still to sell one of the Veg Trug versions when we visited at the start of April - it’s a spot on Hillier customer product but time will tell to see if people want a more expensive wooden framed grow house.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour taken at the start of April 2019

Having completed the purchase of their second garden centre at Hilgay on the A10 near Downham Market the Baytree family team held their Grand Opening Event this weekend.

Baytree MD, Jutta Whitworth Biehler, told GTN Xtra: "I’ve never spent so much time cleaning as we have over the past six weeks. Getting a five star inspection this week was a brilliant result for everyone’s hard efforts."

The garden centre and farm shop has been fully stocked with all the immediately useable retail space spruced up and Baytree merchandised. Sales have been growing every week and early furniture an BBQ’s are above expectations.

The 260 seat Oak framed Barn table service restaurant is a wonderful asset - it’s fully booked every Sunday- that will enable Baytree to pull good footfall and develop increase product and plant sales.

The car park has already been resurfaced and extended, a new Entrance is being constructed off site to add some theatre at the front door. With other buildings that can be used for retail along with a coppice and grass paddock on the 10 acre site Hilgay could quickly become another destination venue for the Baytree team.

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the centre taken on Friday afternoon as the team completed their set up work for the Grand Opening Weekend.

Billed as "Farnhams Favourite Garden Centre", Forest Lodge has loads of competitors around them so it’s no surprise they are giving themselves an edge by stocking wide ranges of products - really deep gardening ranges and plants with the extra dimension of Garden Style plants where large specimens can be bought by gardeners and landscapers alike.

In garden furniture Forest Lodge report good early sales, particularly the small corner weave sets and the metal framed lower couch style furniture from Life “it’s appealing to the younger audience looking for some style on their patio”

The extended Forest Lodge restaurant has a wonderful conservatory feel overlooking the extensive Planteria. With friendly staff and a great menu no wonder this is a favourite destination for many.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour, taken at the start of April 2019.

Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2016 as well as 2017 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Garden Plants Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro chart for this week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £120m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.

Buy your subscription today and start receiving the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.

Squire’s Garden Centres is serving up a mouthwatering Wimbledon Cream Tea.

Enjoy a scone with jam and clotted cream, an Eton Mess (strawberries, meringue and whipped double cream) and a refreshing pot of loose-leaf tea - there are eight delicious teas to choose from! A gluten free option is also available.

You’ll love this Wimbledon Cream Tea and are sure to have a smashing time. So if you can’t make it to Murray Mount then let yourself relax in Squire’s Café Bar, and take advantage of the outdoor seating areas when the sun is shining.

There’s no need to be quiet please, and some of Squire’s garden centres even have children’s play areas.

The Wimbledon Cream Tea is available daily from Monday 1st to Sunday 14th July and costs £7.95 per person. No booking is required.

With catering and food sales continuing to offer major add-on profit opportunities for garden centres, leading garden trade show Glee (10^th – 12^th September, NEC Birmingham), will be offering retailers extensive inspiration at the newly introduced Taste Village.  

This new Taste Village will provide food and catering suppliers - particularly smaller brands, niche suppliers and start-ups - with the opportunity to participate and exhibit as part of a larger group.

Offering exclusive exhibition packages, exhibitors within the Taste Village will be able to enjoy an enhanced shell stand exhibition space, a listing within the Glee website and the show’s dedicated preview and catalogue. The close proximity of the Taste Village to the show’s leading feature, the Retail Lab, will also mean great footfall from a range of buyers and key decision makers from a wide range of independent and multiple garden centres.

The Taste Village has also been designed to complement the wider presence of Food and Catering brands at Glee 2019. Together these brands – including catering services, confectionary, kitchen equipment, kitchenware and café/restaurant design consultancy specialists - will give garden retailers an unrivalled opportunity to gather best practice examples, advice, contacts and products to help them initiate or improve their catering offering.

Find out more

Space within the Taste Village is limited, and available on a first come, first served basis. To find out more about how the Taste Village can help raise the profile of your food and catering business please contact Glee’s James Kenton by emailing james.kenton@gleebirmingham.com or by calling +44 (0)203 545 9796.

To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2019 call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.

From table-top pasta cookers, professional food thermometers, temporary kitchens and portable bars, to the latest in ovens, fryers, grills, glasswashers and grease management solutions – there’s a long list of new kitchen innovations to discover at Commercial Kitchen 2019.

More than 100 companies, including many of the most influential brands within the catering equipment and services industry, are set to showcase their newest offerings at the show, taking place next month on 4-5 June at the NEC Birmingham. 

Bringing together everything needed to design and equip an innovative and efficient commercial kitchen all under one roof, it’s an essential visit for those wanting to get a first look at the latest launches and discover the best kitchen equipment on the market. 

Here’s just a taste of what’s new for 2019:

Medem UK is previewing its SEC-K ventilation interlock system, which offers the capability of 24-hour CO and CO2 monitoring.  On detection of gas, a fan or alarm can be activated to provide additional warning and protection when solid fuel appliances are used.  The system’s fan boost mode allows catering staff to increase the ventilation for a time limited period to vent the atmosphere for comfort (stand K19).

Valentine Equipment is offering visitors a first look at the new Liguria table-top pasta cooker, which will launch later this year.   This compact pasta cooking unit is manufactured to Swiss engineering standards and features rapid heating and easily controlled temperature.  The Liguria suits foodservice operations that like the flexibility of pasta and want to change things around to keep customers interested and satisfied (stand A1).

Lincat is unveiling a new range of convection ovens at the show.  The range of specialist ovens are available in several different specifications to meet the needs of various commercial kitchen set ups, and all use cutting-edge technology to produce fantastic cook results.  The addition of these ovens to the product portfolio enables caterers to purchase their complete kitchen from Lincat, providing a single-point solution (stand H45). 

UNOX UK is introducing the new Deck oven at the show.  The latest addition to its Bakerlux Shop Pro line, which includes 35 oven models aimed at the retail and convenience sector, this traditional stone deck oven completes the range.  It offers the opportunity to build a bespoke column best suited to the style of operation, thereby providing the perfect piece of equipment for those tasks normally associated with a traditional baker’s oven (stand F3). 

Synergy Grill is launching its new Trilogy Grill Range, designed to deliver optimal grilling accuracy and gas controllability.  Using innovative technology to both control gas intake and air-induction, the system’s variable switching allows chefs to vary the power to a low, medium or high temperature.  Combined with patented heat capturing technology, it offers excellent grilling standards in a highly energy efficient, clean way (stand E11).

DC Warewashing & Icemaking Systems is introducing its new Maxima Series warewashing range, incorporating high performance digital undercounter and passthrough machines.  An LCD Interface delivers information seamlessly to the operator and gives access to a range of specialised programmes, manager-only functions and real-time temperature display.  Chemical dosing can be adjusted via the control panel, as well as built-in features such as an energy-saving standby mode and sanitising wash-and-rinse thermo-lock (stand A31).

Shelfspan is launching a new flexible, modular shelving system, which features a longest single shelf span of 2 metres and 440 size variations, ensuring best fit to maximise storage space.  The anodised aluminium frames and polyethylene shelf slats provide superior strength with up to 250kg per shelf and 1000kg per bay UDL.  The slats can easily be removed and are dishwasher safe, meaning high hygienic standards can be adhered to (stand K39).

Hospital Caterers Association is launching its Life Changing Careers campaign at the show, which aims to encourage individuals to pursue a career in hospital catering.  As the voice for healthcare catering, Hospital Caterers Association want to spread the word that a career in hospital catering can be a most rewarding experience, even life changing, offering the chance to play a part in helping others recover or to improve their quality of life (stand A41).

Jongor Hire is showcasing its recently launched Cabin Kitchens.  Offering an effective medium-term solution for those seeking a temporary kitchen, these high-quality rigid containers have an advanced Fire Suppression System, making them ideal for schools, care homes, prisons and hospitals.  Tailored to individual catering requirements, they feature everything you would find in a standard kitchen, but available on a standalone, temporary basis (stand J1).

GreaseShield is demonstrating the latest addition to its award-winning range, the GS2000-SS model.  Designed to be located directly under sink bowls to reduce space requirements in kitchens, it features a pull forward food filter draw that removes the need for additional height requirement under sinks.  Offering ease of use and installation, the model ensures enhanced removal of food waste, fats, oils and grease, reducing drain blockages and cutting costs (stand F19).

Kingspan Water & Energy is discussing its new “world-first” #FogtoFuel initiative to reuse fat, oil and grease waste and turn it into fuel for vehicles.  Also showcasing a suite of innovative grease management solutions and presenting a unique perspective on the workings of grease management technology through an augmented reality app, which enables users to experience a three-dimensional view of the Kingspan SmartServ within a kitchen (stand J29).

Meiko UK is promoting its new M-iClean UM glasswasher, which offers improved indoor air quality and 15% energy savings, thanks to its heat recovery M-iClean AirConcept system, and ends the need for hand polishing of glassware due to its GiO reverse osmosis feature.  Other features include Bluetooth data transfer for maintenance, blue colour coding to identify parts for daily cleaning, plus no more clouds of steam when the door is opened (stand G21).

Roller Grill is introducing its new Premium VC contact grill.  Built around a vitro ceramic infrared heating system to deliver energy efficient cooking, it features glass plates which give direct heat transfer to food, making the cooking process quicker and healthier, while also reducing smoke and smell.  Features include a self-levelling top plate, power on light, 300'C thermostat, front opening drainage drawer, and integral digital timer with three pre-sets (stand A19).

Cibo is showcasing its innovative new fast oven, which can produce a wide range of perfectly cooked food in less than three minutes.  It uses a patent-pending combination of three heat sources – convection, grill and a heated base – to cook, toast and reheat multiple fresh and frozen foods.  Compact and ventless, Cibo provides a full cooking platform, enabling outlets to deliver food of a consistent quality and maximise profit (stand H31).

ETI is demonstrating its new Thermapen Blue Thermometer.  This professional digital thermometer combines the latest Bluetooth wireless technology with the same high accuracy, precision and speed as the previous model, the Thermapen Professional Thermometer.  Simply connect to the host device (iOS or Android), then probe the item to be measured and press the button to securely transmit temperature data via a connection of up to 50 metres (stand D29).

Reco-Air is presenting its recirculating kitchen extract, which requires no duct or route to atmosphere, significantly reducing fire risk and enabling flexibility to locate a commercial kitchen anywhere.  A range of model sizes and configurations are on offer to suit any layout and kitchen size, all of which are DW172 and CE compliant, and UL listed, approving them for high risk cooking in high risk locations such as airports, railway stations and shopping centres (stand G51).

Gamble Foodservice Solutions is promoting its foldaway bar, which offers an innovative design that can be set up in less than a minute and stored away in a 2ft² space.  This collapsible, heavy duty bar has been made for easy mobility, with a durable vinyl-coated aluminium body for protection when transporting, that is also ideal for custom branding.  Other features include an insulated ice bin in two sizes, making it ideal for cocktails and beers alike (stand H41).

Rexmartins is showcasing its innovative new induction-powered fryer.  The fryer features a powerful induction coil which generates heat directly in the tank base.  This, combined with close-tolerance temperature control, saves energy and reduces oil usage.  The absence of submerged elements or heating tubes, found in conventional electric and gas fryers, gives unobstructed access for cleaning (stand C39).

Hupfer is demonstrating its Therma Dry solution for serving piping hot food.  Using the thermal energy of infrared waves, the system ensures food remains at a constant temperature, for perfect presentation, individual temperature control and no overcooking.  With no added water, no preheating and a low wattage, it delivers energy savings of up to 63%.  The unit is ergonomic, safe and easy to clean, with removable access doors, allowing for maximum convenience when loading or removing (stand E3).

Filta is promoting the latest addition to its range of grease recovery solutions, the GreaseMaster.  This new grease management solution offers a unique five stage grease cleaning process making it highly effective.  Available in five different sizes, the GreaseMaster is incredibly versatile and uniquely ambidextrous, meaning its suitable for even the smallest of kitchens (stand E29).

Yellow Shield is presenting its Spill Kill Super Absorbent Powder.  A fast spill response solution that instantly contains and prevents further contamination, it’s 99% antibacterial, food safe, non-combustible and eliminates up to 80% of lingering odours.  Ideal for use in commercial kitchens of all kinds, it absorbs all oils, food and dairy liquids, alcohol, soft drinks, and body and animal waste fluids, and is suitable for use on many surfaces.  It leaves no residue, so surfaces are left clean and dry, reducing the risk of slips and falls (stand K51).

Regale Microwave Ovens is demonstrating its new Microsave CPS3A Cavity liner, specially designed to provide total protection for the new 1800watt output microwave oven by Panasonic.  It’s made using the latest inverter technology, which not only makes the microwave oven 12 kilos lighter than any other high-powered microwave oven, but also gives a far smoother cook pattern with no cold spots and a saving of 6% on energy costs (stand G29).

Free trade registration

Commercial Kitchen – the UK’s leading kitchen equipment, services and design show – will take place next month at the NEC Birmingham on 4-5 June 2019.  Show features include a free two-day seminar programme featuring 60+ speakers, the Innovation Challenge Awards, and ceda Awards Gallery.

For further information and to register for a free trade ticket, please visit www.commercialkitchenshow.co.uk and quote priority code CK12 (https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/CommercialKitchen2019.aspx?TrackingCode=CK12).