Finalists in Irish Rising Stars programme also revealed
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The finalists of the Westland Rising Stars in Ireland, a programme run in association and supported by Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) and Bord Bia have been announced. They are Emma Cooke (Springmount), Eoin Long (Arboretum) and Natalia Cvetic (Newlands).
This is the first year the initiative has been run in Ireland, which seeks out and celebrates exceptional talent in the garden centre industry. The initiative was inspired by the GroMór campaign, a nationwide campaign to get Ireland growing. It is coordinated by Westland Horticulture, a key sponsor of GroMór and driving force behind the Rising Stars Programme.
A total of 16 hopefuls began the journey back in April, where they were given merchandising training and equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to make a real impact on sales.
They then put their new found skills to good use during the year to promote GroMór. The campaign made gardening accessible to all and was implemented in association with Bord Bia and Retail Excellence Ireland (REI). The campaign, running in 65 REI Garden Centres with support from 17 Nursery Growers, offered practical advice on growing, highlighting the many benefits of gardening as a pastime and encouraging novices to dig out their wellies and discover their green fingers.
Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director for Westland, said: ‘Encouraging new and emerging talent is essential for the future of our industry, it brings fresh ideas and inspiration, essential for driving participation in the garden sector.
“This is the first time we’ve run this initiative in Ireland and already the standard has been very high. I wish all the finalists the very best of luck.”
Keelan Bourke, Member Relationship Manager at Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) Garden Group said: “The Rising Stars training programme helped the GroMór campaign get off on a great start. It gave garden centre staff the skills they needed to further promote the benefits of gardening to a new generation.”
Carol Marks, Development and marketing Specialist for Bord Bia, said: "We were delighted to be supporting this event., it was a fantastic support to GroMor, to the careers of the Rising Stars themselves and to the sales in their garden centres."
The winner will be announced REI Awards at Radisson Blu Galway on November 5.
Pictured: the final Rising Stars masterclass at Orchard Garden Centre in Cellbridge.
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