Sheila Hill, the new General Manager of Scotts Company (UK) Ltd, has revealed that she aims to visit a total of 50 garden centres in the next four months as she shares her vision for the future of the company.

Sheila, who took over as boss of the restructured UK operation of the Scotts business just over two weeks ago, says she will also be asking for feedback from customers.

"It's a bit of a one-woman-band roadshow," she told GTN Xtra in her first media interview since her appointment.

"It's me Sheila Hill, the UK General Manager of Scotts, spending my time and going out to see our customers, listening to them and getting their feedback, and telling them what Scotts could do to drive their business.

"It's about me getting to know our customers and being the face of Scotts UK, and our way of showing our commitment to the retailer.

"My message is that Scotts will continue to be an important partner in their business. We are the brand leader in all the categories - weed-killing, plant food, compost, lawn care etc - and we want our customers to have the confidence that the changes that have happened will be beneficial to them in the long term.

"We are going to be a faster, more nimble business. We are going to make decisions quickly, which will help them to drive their business and that we're here to help them in terms of what they need – we want to be the one-stop shop for all gardening core categories."

Sheila will also explain to retailers how the company is integrating the Scotts Solus Brands into the business.

"It's a really exciting position for Scotts to be in. We're offering up a whole new scope of what Scotts Miracle-Gro can offer. And if we're brand leader in our core categories, imagine what we can do in all the other adjacent ones we've now acquired through Scotts Solus Brands.

"It's exciting times ahead and we look forward growing with them."

Sheila took over as UK General Manager in a Scotts restructure, which saw former boss Martin Breddy leave the company.

The Scotts Company (UK) Ltd now reports directly to the company’s USA headquarters, rather than the previous system – via the International Head Office in Lyon, France. In practice, this means that the UK division will now be able to independently make its own trading decisions.

The full interview with Sheila Hill will be published in the March issue of Garden Trade News.