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INSIDE T H I S I SS U E
Landscaping trends Feature highlighting some of the top products in this growing sector p9-15
Great start at UK’s latest garden centre TV celebrity gardener David Domoney cut the ribbon to officially open Rosebourne, the only new purpose-buil garden centre to be launched in the UK this year. And early indications reveal that this garden and leisure destination in Weybridge, near Andover on the Hampshire and Wiltshire border, is going to be a huge success. Directors Salim Sajid and Jon Kitchen (pictured right) told GTN that the opening of Rosebourne had results in a tremendous response from customers with “double the budget” takings in many departments including the restaurant. Rosebourne will be a champion of locally sourced fresh produce within its Food Hall and tableeditorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
HTA Garden Futures
Special report and main findings from the leading conference p16-17
Catering case book Transforming a food and drink offering p18-21 service restaurant where customers can enjoy a sumptuous breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea throughout the week. One of the key suppliers to both the food hall and restaurant will be Owton’s Butchers, premier UK wholesale butchers and farm shops, and now Rosebourne’s in-house butchery. Managing Director Neville Prest said: “We would like to
thank all the teams of people who have helped to realise our vision for Rosebourne, and the suppliers and staff members who will make Rosebourne a fantastic destination for locals and visitors to the area for many years to come.” 4GTN visited Rosebourne on opening weekend to see what the centre had to offer. Turn to page 2 for our special report. garden trade news
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The Learning Zone
New series on people making a difference in garden centres p22
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Garden industry news, views and people
This artist’s impression has been turned into a reality at Rosebourne.
Rosebourne comes alive The long awaited launch of Rosebourne, near Andover in Hampshire, took place last month, and business was brisk from the moment the doors were opened on this stunning new garden centre complex. Directors Jon Kitchen and Salim Sajid told GTN: “We’ve had a tremendous response from customers. That means the staff have had to work tremedously hard, not just in new surroundings but with much greather than expected numbers of visitors. We will be adding to the size of the team as soon as we can.” With the people behind the project coming from Beckworth Emporium in Northamptonshire plus a number of executives from the senior team at the old Garden & Leisure, it was no surprise to see the best of these business coming to the fore. Excellent food retailing, a superb gifts department, and a waitress-served restaurant were all the hallmarks of Beckworth. Fantastic garden centre merchandising and a story book Christmas theme had a touch of Garden & Leisure about them. General Manager Val Kempster said: “It is great to be open and really busy. The staff have been fantastic and it is wonderful to see so many smiling faces.” Managing Director Neville Priest added: “Our social media 2
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Outstanding food retailing
and local radio advertising worked well in getting high numbers of customers to drive here for the first few days.
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We’ve even had people travelling on their way to the West Country stop off and come in for a coffee and buy from the centre. In the
coming weeks we will add a range of take away sandwiches, cakes and drinks to cater for passing travellers.” editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
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Storybook Christmas displays
Waitress-served restaurant
Extensive gift department editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
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Garden industry news, views and people
Bents, Fron Goch & Poppies Oban strike gold The presentation of GTN’s Greatest Garden Centre Team Awards took place at the HTA Garden Futures dinner on Wednesday evening and Garden Centre Team of the Year golds went to Bents (large centres), Fron Goch (mid-sized) and Poppies of Oban (small). The Greatest Garden Centre Customer Service Team of the Year, sponsored by Elho Gold: Barton Grange Silver: Aylett Nurseries Bronze: Fron Goch Finalists: Aylett Nurseries, Barton Grange, Bents, Burston, Coolings, Fron Goch, Mains of Drum, Perrywood, Scotsdales Cambridge, Squires Badshot Lea. The Greatest Garden Care Retail Team of the Year, sponsored by Briers Gold: Haskins Ferndown Silver: Barton Grange Bronze: Coolings Finalists: Aylett Nurseries, Barton Grange, Baytree, Burston, Coolings, Cowells, Fron Goch, Haskins Ferndown, Scotsdales Cambridge, Squires Badshot Lea
The Greatest Garden Care Retail Team of the Year was won by Haskins Ferndown. The Greatest Garden Centre Team of the Year, sponsored by the HTA Small centre Gold: Poppies, Oban Silver: Green Pastures, Norwich Bronze: Fresh@Burcot
Silver for Aylett Nurseries for great customer service.
Mid-size centre Gold: Fron Goch Silver: Mains of Drum Bronze: Timmermans Large centre Gold: Bents Silver: Coolings Bronze: Squires Badshot Lea
Finalists: Altons, Aylett Nurseries, Barton Grange, Bents, Burston, Castle Gardens, Chessington, Coolings, Cowells, Fresh@Burcot, Fron Goch, Green Pastures, Haskins Ferndown, Mains of Drum, Notcutts Woodford Park, Perrywood, Poppies Oban, Scotsdales Cambridge, Squires Badshot Lea, Timmermans, Trentham Blue Diamond, Woodside Plant Centre
Smart and Westland are voted Greatest Award winners the popularity polls as The Greatest Garden Centre Training Initiative of the year. Whilst most centres commented that the majority of their garden products suppliers had done a good job this year, when asked
Smart Garden Products were voted The Greatest Garden Products Supplier of the Year by garden centres during our visits this summer and the GCA Westland Rising Stars training scheme once again topped
“but who has been The Greatest?”, Smart Garden Products came out on top. The Supplier of the Year was sponsored by Hornby Whitefoot PR and the Training Initiative award by MorePeople.
HTA Garden Futures Conference Report - p16-17 GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards - p26-27 4
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gtn promotion
Handy Distribution
Handy: one-stop shop at the cutting edge Wholesaler Handy Distribution offers a winning solution for independents who are looking to compete in a tough market sector.
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andy Distribution, the UK’s largest garden machinery wholesale distributor, opened the doors of its Swindon headquarters last month to update garden centre and independent customers on the latest products and technologies from its brand suppliers. The day proved an eye-opener for dozens of stockists from across the country, many of whom were unaware of the scale and scope of the operation and Handy’s emphasis on market-leading customer service as they toured the company’s warehouse, showroom and specially staged supplier stands. The business started life as an ironmongery and garden machinery dealer back in 1938. Today, still a family-owned business and employing more than 70 people, it represents a prestigious collection of A-list garden machinery brands as well as marketing its own Handy-branded ranges and premium Webb mowers. Its main focus is on providing retailers with a full garden machinery and equipment solution comprising more than 1500 machines and 60,000 spare parts, supplied
from 100,000 sq.ft of warehousing. “We’re a one-stop shop for all garden machinery, equipment and watering needs,” says Mark Moseley, Handy’s sales director. “Our relationship with our brand partners means we stay ahead of consumer trends and deliver innovation first whilst the Handy and Webb brands provide an affordable garden machinery option and a strong branded petrol and electric machinery range with full customer service and spares backup.” This approach has enabled independents and garden centre customers who were struggling to compete in a market increasingly dominated by cheaper imports to re-level the playing field. The development of the Q Garden, Handy and Handy Pro machinery ranges meant that, for the first time, retailers who could not commit to large quantities of stock or offer an affordable alternative option had a solution that enabled them to meet customers’ demands. Handy’s brand partners now include Flymo, McCulloch, Bosch, Ryobi, Greenworks, Westwood, Mighty Mac, Solo, Eliet, Echo, Agri Fab, Kärcher and Gardena, while its own Webb lawnmower and petrol handheld product range has been a huge hit with retailers looking to offer a more premium range for discerning gardeners.
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Using its deep experience of the garden machinery industry, Handy’s development team works closely with the brand partners to make sure the right stock is available when customers need it, with the complete category solution under one roof at competitive prices. “For many of our customers we act like an extension of their warehouse, drawing stock from our £6.5m stock holding when they need it,” says Mark. “With a very low order commitment of only £150 for free next day delivery it couldn’t be any easier, and it significantly helps with our
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Handy Distribution
gtn promotion at your service... Point of sale Customer service doesn’t stop at ‘goods in’. Handy works with its brand partners to produce strong POS and merchandisers, including bespoke fixtures where required to help products such as the new Greenworks cordless range to stand out. “If a retailer is prepared to give us space in their store, then the least we can do is ensure the products are presented in the best way possible,” Mark Moseley says.
Promotion When brands have invested in TV or print media campaigns, Handy aims to help retailers convert the resulting consumer interest into sales through special promotions supported with FSDU or dump stack POS material. Recent campaigns supported with a dedicated promotion and point of sale include those by Kärcher, Ryobi and Bosch.
New products As Open Day visitors to Swindon discovered, Handy operates a programme of continuous improvement and redesign. For example, the Handy garden trolley range has had a facelift and is the first to include puncture-proof tyres. The current growth in the cordless market (with manufacturers predicting that battery power will take an 80% market share within 10 years) has seen the introduction of 75 new cordless products from Handy’s exclusive partnership with the Greenworks brand, including 24v, 40v or 60v variants from hedge trimmers, to pole pruners, trimmers and blower/vacuums. Among the 70 other new products introduced this year was Kärcher’s well-publicised ‘Full Control’ range of state-of-the-art pressure washers.
Pictures from Handy’s trade Open Day at its Murdock Road premises in Swindon, where visitors toured the warehouse, showroom and a number of brand partner displays and demonstrations. retail partners’ cash flow as they do not need to commit to or carry excessive amounts of stock. We also have a dedicated customer service and spare parts team so retailers don’t have any hassle on the shop floor.” The team stays alert to the need for seasonal stock adjustments, with lawnmowers kicking off the season in Spring, where there is typically a huge
demand for electric rotary mowers. Mark says the petrol mower market is currently seeing some great growth, with the Webb brand selling through well. Midsummer demand generally shifts to hedgecutters and trimmers, followed by Handy garden blow vacs and logs splitters as the autumn leaves begin to fall. For many retailers, the last quarter of the year is a sales opportunity for tillers
What’s next? Handy aims to continue to develop and drive the Handy affordable garden machinery range and the Webb brand further, whilst working hand-in- hand with its brand partners. “We are working harder to support our stocking partners to ensure they remain competitive, have the right range architecture and depth and most importantly stock available when its needed,” says managing director Simon Belcher. “We see Handy continuing to be a very strong partner who really understands their customers’ needs. Why go anywhere else when we can provide our customers with a competitively priced range of garden machinery, after sales service and spare parts backup, friendly and honest advice, next day?”
More information: 01793 333220 or e-mail: sales@handydistribution.co.uk
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Rising Stars finalists The names of the five finalists of the Westland Rising Stars and Garden Centre Association programme have been announced. They delivered presentations on the topic “how to boost autumn sales.” These covered growing media, autumn lawn care and bird care. Increases in sales of 40% to 70% were reported, with more than double digit growth in one case. Before and after images were included, which really brought to life what was achieved. Daniel Holden (Barton Grange), Rupert Sleight (Squires Cobham), Kathryn Crouch (Haskins West End), Hana Parker (Monkton Elm) and John Bradley (Stewarts) have all made it through to the GCA Conference at Fairmount, St Andrews in Scotland in January 2017. There they will deliver their presentations on stage, in front of colleagues and peers. The overall winner – the 2016 Rising Star of the Year - will then be chosen by conference delegates. The finalists are the last ones standing after an eight month programme in which candidates attended three Masterclasses run by IBBIS Director and training facilitator Ian Boardman. Skills taught included the importance of keeping hotspots fresh, creating clear signage, organising themed displays and the benefits of teamwork. Ian said: “Over the past eight months, I’ve had the pleasure to see a group of people who have grown in confidence and self-belief, delivering some tangible and impressive sales results for their garden centres. They are all stars in their own right, but only one will go on to become the Rising Star of the Year!” Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director for
The Rising Stars attending the final masterclass before the finalists were announced. Westland said: “On behalf of Westland I’d like to congratulate the five finalists. Each year the Rising Stars programme goes from strength to strength. The programme is designed to guide our managers of tomorrow and give them a platform to develop their careers within garden retail. It is this kind of investment that ensures the long term growth of our industry.” Meanwhile, 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
also 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.
HTA relocates to Oxfordshire The HTA moved into its new officeslast month. The new address is Horticulture House, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RN. The main contact number for member enquiries and orders is 0333 003 3550 (8.30-5.30 Mon-Thurs and 8.30-5 Fri). Alongside the light and airy office space for staff and partner organisations on the first floor Horticulture House provides a great facility which is available for the industry to use (at preferential rates for HTA members). In addition to a members’ lounge (available for use free of charge) there are six meeting rooms, showroom space and a conference room (seats 100) available. Newly refurbished and with a modern décor these will be ideal for client meetings, training workshops, product launches and regional roadshows. HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris comments: “We are up and running in our new premises which provide a great facility for the organization and the industry. We are delighted that the AIPH (International Association of Horticultural Producers) and CIH (Chartered Institute of Horticulture) have moved with us and GCA will have a meeting room at Horticulture House – making it a real horticultural hub and vibrant space for the industry.” She adds: “In our first week alone we have hosted the Garden Industry Marketing Board, APL Awards judging, Amenity Suppliers and BOPP Committee meetings to name but a few! We also hosted the planting of a Bramley apple tree (and accompanying crab apple) to mark the 25th anniversary of the European Nurserystock Association (ENA) – not bad going for week one!” 8
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A tree planting ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the European Nursery Stock Association was the first event to take place at the new HTA offices. The Bramley apple tree planting was carried out by Tim Edwards of Boningale Nurseries, who is the ENA President. ENA simultaneously planted 25 trees across Europe on the same day to symbolise the billions of plants produced by European nurseries in the last 25 years and to pay tribute to nurserymen who have cultivated plants. editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
market update GARDEN LANDSCAPING
A seven-page look at some of the best new products and developments for garden landscaping departments in 2017
Bon giorno Milano! The new Milano range from paving specialist Deco-Pak offers a unique combination of the attractive look and feel of newly-sawn timber flooring, without the maintenance, rotting or danger of slipping. The product was voted overall best landscaping product at this year’s Glee. This brand new Mediterranean-influenced range includes three different styles of wood effect finish, and comes in two different sizes to facilitate the easiest possible staggering of slabs. Laying the paving as normal, using patio and slab mix, the finished effect is one that effortlessly passes for timber, thanks to its timber look non-slip surface. Jobs such as washing the decking become redundant: the porcelain’s surface is resistant to mould, moss, algae or any type of non-vascular plants or fungi. The slabs are frost resistant and designed to survive harsh winter or summer weather, having been engineered to keep their original colour long after other surfaces deteriorate. Don’t be fooled by the porcelain: each slab can withstand up to 1,000kg. This material is most likely to appeal to those who enjoy cooking and dining outside, and it would suit merchandising as a bridge between barbecues, furniture and other outdoor living products. The extension of the kitchen on to the adjacent patio is a more recent trend that has consumers buzzing about their outdoor spaces again, and Deco-Pak believes the time is right to introduce this range to retail as part of a complete outdoor offering. Accepting the Glee New Product Award at the show with the rest of the team, DecoPak’s general manager, Rod Slater, said: “We’re absolutely chuffed with the Glee award; it means a great deal to have won in
the face of fierce, worthy competition from our industry counterparts. We put a great deal of effort into our new product development, and we firmly believe in the quality and attractiveness of our products, so it’s always reassuring when others – especially industry experts – agree. But the best award for any new product, in my mind, is seeing those first repeat orders come through after achieving successful sell through on the shop floor.” The POS will use a compact 1.5m x 1.2m area to demonstrate the product in situ so customers can touch, test and get a realistic feel for how the product would look in their own gardens. The header board features an attention-grabbing lifestyle image easily seen from a distance.
Deco-Pak’s Milano porcelain paving, finished to look like freshly-sawn timber, was voted best landscaping product in Glee 2016’s New Product Awards.
The Deco-Pak team receive their Glee award. Also new from Deco-Pak is a range of cobbles and pebbles designed to offer further sophisticated aggregate lines, including Black or White Cobbles, Black or White Pebbles, or warm-looking sandstone Rainbow Pebbles.
Grange Ultimate range gets new sizes and a gate Following the unveiling of its smooth-cut Ultimate panel earlier this year, Grange fencing has expanded the range to include two new sizes and a matching Ultimate gate. A subsidiary of Polish-based Stelmet SA, Grange is known for innovation and quality in timber garden products and the Ultimate range more than lives up to expectations. Setting the standard for traditional panel designs, the Ultimate panel features a number of technical advancements not seen before in the lap panel market, including fine-sawn, straight cut slats for a premium finish. Since launching earlier this year, the panel has exceeded sales expectations and secured more than 800 stockists among builders merchants and garden retailers, including household names like Jewson’s and AVS. The Ultimate range is supported at point of sale by a product brochure and mini countertop display panel showcasing the flush mortice and tenon joint and neat rebated frame.
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market update
garden landscaping
briefly... Plants go up in the world... Recognising that not all gardens have the space to grow at ground level, Brundle Gardener has designed GreenWall, its innovative modular vertical planting system. The system offers an ideal vertical solution for growing a wide variety of flowers, fruits and herbs against walls, sheds and fences, and features an effortless watering system that can be automated if required.
Meadow View Stone POS gives customers hot ideas Meadow View Stone offers a comprehensive collection of decorative aggregates, garden paving, horticultural and stoneware products exclusively to garden centres. The company says its guiding principal is the supply of high quality products in superior packaging, supported by market leading POS. Its innovative ‘Growth through ideas and inspiration’ is a new concept that enables stockists to increase sales and consumer spend via cutting-edge POS merchandising designed to inspire and educate consumers. Complementary products and plants are displayed to give the consumer a greater feel for how the products will look in-situ in their gardens whilst encouraging them to purchase not only gravel but, pebbles, cobbles, rockery stone and even the plants themselves. Visitors to Glee will have seen a selection of the new POS on the company’s stand along with a collection of new paving, decorative aggregates and stoneware.
Panacea has the edge... Panacea Products has combine the elegance of professional grade galvanized metal edging with functionality and decorative styling to create attractive new landscape edging. It was shortlisted in the Glee 2016 landscape category New Product Awards.
Comprehensive range of tools STANLEY® is the world’s most recognised hand tool manufacturer and launching in 2017 are a comprehensive range of hand and petrol landscaping tools under the STANLEY® brand. Designed to perform and aimed squarely at the discerning pro user the petrol garden range will deliver revolutionary advances in starting technology and economy. Innovation runs throughout the offer which is available exclusively from NAP Brands in the UK. On centre stage will be the revolutionary ‘virtually un-kinkable’ hose and stunning
long handle loppers. The professional grade hose features PolyFusion™ Technology making it extremely light while the loppers feature ergonomic design, 3x cutting fource gear system and titanium coatings for up to 40% less friction. Find NAP Brands on stand 90 at the upcoming FutureScape exhibition or contact them directly on sales@napbrands.co.uk, 01926 482800. About NAP Brands: www.napbrands.co.uk https://twitter.com/napbrands https://www.linkedin.com/company/nap-brands
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Kelkay
gtn promotion
Driving growth in garden landscaping Kelkay have built a business strategy that will continue to drive category growth and respond to increasing consumer demand for easy landscaping solutions.
Antony Harker and the team at Kelkay ‘wowed’ visitors to Glee in September with a raft of new products and brand developments across the range of aggregates, paving and water features. But the exciting changes on show did not just happen by accident. Kelkay have taken a forensic approach to building their business plans, using market research and their own customer insight programme to guide them. Antony says: “We’ve kept a close eye on the trends that drive the garden centres as well as keeping in touch with the latest consumer data. In addition, we hosted our own customer insight research early this year to understand, in detail, the needs and aspirations of our customers.”
Kelkay identified some key trends* that were influential in their development plans: 4Falling home ownership in the younger demographic groups and more ‘renters’ who tend to invest more modestly in the garden. 4Smaller garden sizes in modern homes 4Landlords seeking low maintenance solutions for the garden. 4Consumers seeking quality and value solutions, rather than just low prices. 4Aspirational consumers who seek ‘authenticity’ and design inspiration. 4Low engagement in the actual process of gardening with corresponding need for quick and easy-to-execute solutions. Kelkay also learned from their own customer research how the landscaping category has sometimes been a poor relation to other horticultural goods in garden centre merchandising, frequently being located in a distant outdoor corner. They believe that there is a real opportunity to engage more consumers in how easy and effective landscaping products can be, by
bringing the category merchandising into the heart of the garden centre. “I want to see landscaping products at the core of the gardening offer where I’m sure we can drive significant category growth for garden centres. The work we’ve done this year is designed to really differentiate Kelkay and make sure we have the best quality and broadest range with the brand and marketing to support our goals. We are really going to change the landscape in 2017!” Research has also highlighted specific opportunities for low maintenance and easy to install features, especially in smaller gardens, which is driving products like artificial grass. The need for permeable hard surfaces for areas like pathways and drives is also being driven by increasing risk of flooding. *AMA Domestic Garden Landscape Materials 2015 & HTA Garden Market Analysis 2016
To find out more about Kelkay’s range of decorative aggregates and their other successful garden landscaping brands, go to www.kelkay.com or e-mail the general enquiries office on salesenquiries@kelkay.co.uk or call 01405 869333 editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
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Christmas gifts or Spring launch...now is the time
Block Blitz brings paving back to life Following a successful Glee with their product winning two Awards – (Best of British and Best Garden Care), Block Blitz have enjoyed welcoming new UK stockists on board and are hoping more centres will make contact to discuss opportunities. The Block Blitz solution is made from a dynamic mineral and plant based Barrier Deterrent. Unlike traditional methods of cleaning, Block Blitz uses Soft Wash Technology to lift grime and deter unwanted organic growth. Just apply the product and walk away. It’s that simple. Block Blitz continues slowly cleaning and protecting paving for up to six months. The company is actively looking to develop relationships with retailers and online stores. For more information visit www.blockblitz.co.uk or email enquiries@blockblitz.co.uk
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There is no better time to plan your orders, whether it’s offering remarkable Christmas gifts or preparing for an exciting launch for Spring. Think Outside has some fantastic packages, offering great savings for purchases pre-Christmas. Just have a look at the new Gnome collection – it has been a huge hit internationally. Then there’s Think Outside’s biggest collection of New Release items ever launched. For more information contact Graham Miles at Think Outside on 07747 801397 or go to the website www.thinkoutside.biz
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The Pot Company
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Pots of gold
It has been a golden year for The Pot Company, whose wide range of quality products has made its mark in a big way. Here we delve into the secrets this Kent-based business. Over the last 30 years The Pot Company has established itself as one of the UK’s leading distributors of garden planters and features. This has been achieved by using years of experience to develop a proven and varied core range, whilst ensuring the buying process is as simple as possible for garden industry professionals. Whether you require one pot for a landscape project or several lorry loads for your retail business, The Pot Company offer a first class service. Ranges include contemporary, rustic and traditional styles and they now stock over 150,000 pots at their warehouse in the Kent countryside. This year products from The Pot Company were in Gold winning show gardens at RHS Chelsea, Hampton Court, Tatton Park and Malvern and products were featured in ITV’s Love Your Garden, Channel 4’s Inside Out Homes and BBC’s DIY SOS. Although they regularly attend trade shows this year was their debut appearance at Glee Birmingham with a 130 square metre stand showing something from all of the 30+ material ranges. As the UK agent for the Adezz range, they are also able to boast a wide range of planters, burners, landscape and water editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
features available in materials such as corten steel, aluminium, hardwood and fibreglass. Marketing Manager Katie Weller said: “This has been a fantastic year for The Pot Company, we’re extremely proud of the variety and quality available throughout our ranges and we’re pleased to have built relationships with many customers this year who have been searching for exactly what we’re able to offer.” MORE INFORMATION To find out more about The Pot Company’s range of products, go to www.thepotco.com, email sales@thepotco.com or call 01892 890353.
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Bowland Stone
Inspiring you every step of the way Bowland Stone have some exciting plans and products for 2017, and already customers are getting excited about what’s in store. Here we take a look at what the company have to offer. Over 50 existing and potential new customers attended Bowland Stone’s four successful open days during October at their new premises in Bristol, where the company gave a sneak preview of what they have in store for 2017. The purpose of the open days was to showcase the fresh, new point of sale across all of the Bowland Stone ranges to be rolled out in early 2017. On show was everything new…from striking, informative point of sales boards, newly designed aggregate bags, new patio pack displays plus new display garden merchandising which allows customers to touch and visualise Bowland Stone products in their garden and allows for cross selling other items within the garden centres such as potted plants and ornaments. Bowland Stone have the best offering of patio packs, stepping stones and path edgings, and coupled with their unique paving display stands and modular wooden display frames it maintains their position as market leaders in this category. The new additions, to their already wide range of aggregates, including Alpine Gravel, Raspberry Ripple and white Chippings and Pebbles further cements their position at the top. Another impressive introduction is the new Horticultural range, which includes authentic horticultural grit along with a comprehensive range of multipurpose compost, soil conditioners, barkchip and woodchip mulch and lawn conditioner. Bowland Stone have also expanded and improved the essentials range of sands, ballasts and cementitious products, which
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gtn promotion
will be a great add-on to garden centre sales. All bags and POS show important information and top tips on how to use the products. By having the company’s Store2Door home delivery option on the new point of sale boards it gives garden centres another avenue to sell aggregates in a larger quantity than they would normally handle (without even touching the product). The Store2Door service on decorative aggregates and patio packs has been a phenomenal success over the past two seasons and this will further help drive sales in garden centres. “I am very happy to be launching our new patio packs, aggregates and rebranded point of sale for the coming season and also now in our final phase of redesigning our new landscaping brochure, this makes for an exciting 2017,” says Ian Elston, Bowland Stones’s Managing Director. “We have listened to what our customers want for their businesses and spoken to many ‘end users’ to make sure we have developed a fresh new approach to our point of sale, allowing customers to make informed decisions on the best products for their gardens.” “It was fantastic to see so many customers at our open days and that all of our new products and point of sale were well received.” editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
To find out more about Bowland Stones exciting new landscape offering for 2017, contact Nick James, Business Development Manager on 0117 9926334 or Drummond Bowen, Regional Sales Manager on 07785 617195 or email sales@bowlandstone.com garden trade news
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in touch
HTA Garden Futures conference report from Heythrop Park
Live your brand, urges man who saved the Dome The irrepressible PY Gerbeau – the Frenchman parachuted in to run the Millenium Dome after its disastrous opening – urged garden industry leaders to “live the brand” and “lead by example” in his keynote speech at last month’s HTA Garden Futures annual conference. The dictatorial Alan Sugarstyle of leadership as typified in The Apprentice was passé: “The true leaders of today are conductors,” he said. The key now was “leadership by influence” to make sure that that all customer-facing staff know how to keep customers happy. Drawing on his experience in field of business transformation, Professor Gerbeau said the secret was not only making sure the brand product and proposition were understood by everybody, but ensuring they were “virally spread”. “Are we good enough as leaders to realise that your business’s greatest asset is not your product, your corporate strategy, your growth strategy, not your shareholders, it’s the
you needed to satisfy the customer. So at one point, we had €300k out there. How many times a year did we replenish those boxes? Twice, maximum. Staff knew they were trusted with the company’s cash but they were doing their best to find another way to keep the customer happy without needing to use the box.” Job satisfaction was never just about the remunderation package. “It’s what makes people tick [that matters], how they engage with you as a person and with the business.” PY Gerbeau, a French businessman living in the UK. people who leave your garden centre at 6pm every day. Human capital – that’s what we rely on,” he continued. The only way to achieve it was leadership by example. “These people want to work for businesses and people who inspire them, who are passionate about their brand. If you don’t live the brand, they won’t follow you. If you don’t make them proud to work for you, they will go and work
Looks like rain, forecasts expert (but half the country will need summer irrigation) Nice weather we’re having? Well ,if you regard higher winter and summer temperatures, more rain and less snow and frost as ‘nice’...enjoy! But beware of the greater likelihood of severe weather events like heatwave,
drought and flooding. This picture of our future weather was painted by eco-landscape expert Dr Ross Cameron of the University of Sheffield, who predicted a longer growing season because of fewer frosty days – but by 2050 around half the country would be relying on irrigation in the summer to keep plants ticking over. Plant breeders would have to focus on making new plants more resilient so they could cope with the extremes - but plants would also become more popular because of the role they play in mitigating the effects of climate change.
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somewhere else. How many of us on a daily or weekly basis actually pass on the vision?” He related a technique used across his European businesses. A red box containing €1,000 in cash was sited at every customer-facing point. Staff were authorised to offer instant refunds in the event of customer complaints.”You didnt have to call a manager, you just opened the box – there was no key and take out however much
PY’s recipe in a nutshell... 1. As leaders, re-invent yourselves and translate the vision into reality. 2. Capitalise on leadership by example. Think ‘people, people, people’. 3. Adopt a ‘permanent revolution’ concept. Make people comfortable with change. 4.Live the brand. Your people will be happy to wear the badge and will be inspired by your leadership.
THE PANEL...
The debate panel (left to right): Neil Grant of Ferndale Garden Centre, Sheila Hill o (chairman), Carol Paris (CE of the HTA) and Alex Newey of supplier Newey Thinkin
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in touch futuresinbrief
Clematis champion Ray Evison awarded HTA’s Pearson Memorial Medal Nurseryman, lecturer, author and photographer Raymond J Evison OBE VMH, was presented with the HTA Pearson Memorial Medal at the conference dinner. Raymond, who has worked in horticulture since the age of 15, set up the Guernsey Clematis Nursery in 1984 and has since introduced more than 100 clematis cultivars. The nursery remains one of the largest specialist producers of young clematis plants. As an author, his publications include he ‘Making the Most of Clematis’, ‘The Gardeners Guide to Growing Clematis’, ‘Clematis for Everyone’ and ‘Clematis for Small
Spaces’. Bodies on which he has served include the International Plant Propagators’ Society, the National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens and the International Clematis Society, of which he is a founder member. In 1995 he was awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour and in 2000 an OBE. Presenting the award, which is given for outstanding contributions and services to horticulture, HTA chief executive Carol Paris said: “His horticultural
Mobile learning
David Barker of training agency tle miad, said ‘mobile learning’ gave businesses of any size a flexible tool with which to train staff, enhance and simplify the induction process, promote career opportunities in schools and improve staff knowledge retention. “And you can move people round more easily by training them this way,” he added.
Solar communities expertise and business eye has led to the development of a one of the strongest plant brands in our industry and it is great that Raymond continues to share his wealth of knowledge with audiences in the UK and worldwide.”
One thing’s for certain...the times they are a changin... Bob Dylan (the latest, but reluctant, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature) was right...the times they are indeed a changing, as they have been ever since he wrote in 1964: If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone
This was pretty much the gist of the conference’s panel debate
of Scotts Miracle-Gro, Georege Bullivant ing.
chaired by George Bullivant, as four industry experts expounded their own theories on what growers and retailers will need to do to survive the current economic and political turbulence and thrive in whatever the future holds. First off, the panellists were invited to predict how the postBrexit world will affect the garden industry. Sheila Hill, general manager of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s UK and Ireland operation, thought her biggest challenge might be how increased supply chain costs (like raw materials, packaging and freight) could be asorbed so that retail prices could remain competitive. Improved efficiencies by manfacturers and retailers would help initially but if costs continued to rise, “we would belooking at price increases”. Would retailers accept them? Neil Grant , MD of Ferndale Garden Centre, believed they would, and so would customers, especially on plants. “We have always accepted it in the past. We are adaptable people....and we have a brilliant opportunity to tell people what a great product we have. I am no more worried than I have ever been.” Horticultural entrepreneur
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Alex Newey of Newey Thinking said his margins were so small that in the event of continuing increased costs he would be having “a discussion with retailers”. Sheila Hill said the industry needed to get better at selling a lifestyle to consumers beyond its core market. “If all we are doing is appealing to our core, the market will decrease.” Smaller pack sizes, single-dose teatments, vertical gardening and more ‘naturals’ were all likely to figure as Scotts focused on ‘The Urban Gardener’. Neil Grant believed plants remained the key to success but felt retailers – and growers – needed to learn more about end users. “I think we need to move quickly from selling ‘items’ to selling ‘collections’” he said, rather like selling a tie with every shirt sale. “We do not do this very often and we have not trained our people to do it. Independents had “missed amazing opportunities” in not shouting about what value they offered. Finally, Grant said, operators have to make the business fun for themselves as well as customers. “If we are not enjoying it, there’s not much point in doing it!”
Agamemnon Otero described how the Energy Gardens concept being developed across London is creating spaces where local communities can install their own solar panels, grow food, improve the environment and build community activities. There are plans to make them at 50 rail stations across the capital
Spending lull
Joshua McBain, head of Innovation at Future Foundation said. consumer spending is expected to drop considerably in 2017 and only start recovering in 2020. Growers and garden centres will see a shift in seasonal employment and labour from the EU. Moving goods across borders will see a double whammy hit with both high import and tariff costs. But the falling £ is a boost for UK tourism.
Simple pleasures...
Dominic Harrison, content director at Future Foundation, said ‘hygge retail,’ was new jargon (derived from a Danish term) related to a celebration of simple pleasures, providing an opportunity to create stress-free leisure. Could this be the antidote to pressured lives and a trend that garden retail can capitalise on?
Ease the pain...
Leonard Diepenbrock, MD of TOXDübel-Technik GmbH, encouraged delegates to start something new and digital tomorrow. He turned his family business around by designing new problem-solving products. Think about how you can help to ease your customers’pains, he suggested.
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catering
Insight from Poplars
Poplars restaurant is popular...again! “Poplars, what have you done? You’ve destroyed my restaurant.” That was the response from one customer when Poplars opened their new Restaurant just before Easter this year. Six months on, GTN met General Manager Alastair Jackson and Catering Services Manager Paul Ward. Poplars Restaurant now has 306 seats and a team of 40 staff. There is a coffee lounge, front of house pizza oven, salad bar, sandwich servery and counter serving hot food including a roast every day. The project, including a completely new kitchen, cost £700k, with additional costs for re-roofing the old part of the centre and new car parking taking the total investment to £1.5m. “We got to a point where we were at capacity,” said Alistair Jackson. “We were stressing our staff out, we were stressing ourselves out and we felt we were also disappointing a majority of our customers in terms of waiting times and quality, which suffered because things were being rushed. “Catering is also a major growth area in our industry so we wanted to take advantage of it. We were going to embark on the project about three years ago but we made a mistake of employing a person to drive that and we lost half of our catering team so that wasn’t the right time to go ahead. We decided to stabilise the team first. “The most important thing was to cut down the queues and waiting times – we were tying up car parking spaces for far too long. Anybody with limited car parking spaces needs to improve how quickly they can turn their tables over. We had increased parking but it was still important customers were not kept waiting too long for their food. The Poplars Pantry, as it was previously
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known, had only 160 seats, was counter order, table service and cook to order. “It was very outdated,” said Alastair. “It had a very leaky roof, but for some reason our customers loved it. The kitchen couldn’t keep up with the trade it was doing. We had already added 50 seats without increasing the size of the kitchen. We were aiming to hold onto our existing customers, but also to look at other markets – families and coffee
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customers, for example.” Paul, who joined Poplars just before the opening of the new Restaurant, said: “I’d never been here before but everyone talked about Poplars Pantry as though it was a magical place.” After closing the Pantry for the refurbishment and setting up a pop-up café in the Poplars Learning Zone alongside Christmas in 2015, the new restaurant project, successfully managed by Pippa McKean, was finally ready for hand over. “We were so excited because we’d been through so much upheaval in the business – the extension to the car park, the roofing project, we had moved every bit of stock 15 or more times over months. We got to the stage where we were opening this wonderful restaurant, and so excited because every customer was going to come in a tap us on the back. “We did get a few taps on the back but we got a few slaps around the faces as well. Don’t be fooled that for all the hard work and stress you are going to get all the praise because it doesn’t happen. You will disappoint a lot of your loyal customers. “That’s when you need a thick skin,” said Paul. “We had people shouting at us face to face: “What have you done? You’ve destroyed my restaurant. editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
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Perfect Coffee has never been easier Coffee has been a big success in the new Poplars restaurant. The coffee shop is now the highest taking section of the restaurant at 36% of turnover. “Getting the coffee right is important but it’s getting the supplier right that’s more important, said Alastair Jackson. “We chose Matthew Algie. Their training sessions at the academy are amazing and support tremendous. “We’ve already upgraded to bigger machines and more push button machines to cope with demand.” Paul Ward added: “We have two types of coffee operation. There’s the high speed push button, very quick, and very consistent offering. Then for real coffee lovers they can go for the human Barista who can make it exactly how they like it on our triple head machine with a better grade of coffee. “We do 11 types of coffee in three different sizes and we’re just about to add a Babychino because we keep being asked for it.”
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catering
Insight from Poplars
“There were three main problems we had at the beginning. First, they just did not like it – it was too open and bright, too echoey, too big, too confusing, it wasn’t cosy. Secondly we had been buying in scones previously but now we had the bakery space to make our own but in the beginning we could not get it right. And people know scones better than we will ever know scones and we upset people as a result. Thirdly, eggs. In the morning we do a hot breakfast holding fried eggs on a hot counter. Before they were cooked to order). ‘M&S can do it,’ we were told, before we created a wet holding counter within our dry hot counter.” “We were being slated because people didn’t like change and we got some things wrong too,” admitted Alastair. “We had 11 existing staff, everyone else was new, including all of the kitchen staff. We didn’t get the menu right, we were having problems holding food because we weren’t used to doing that. I didn’t understand it, most of Paul’s experience had been from cooked to order kitchens so the idea of holding it and learning about how to hold things properly and what will hold well and what won’t took a while to get used to.” After all thet grief and many menu changes, the restaurant at Poplars is now full of happy smiling customers. Paul told us: “Most old customers are now coming back. We’ve lost about a quarter, half have remained loyal and a quarter have 20
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given us another try and now comment on how they like it as we have changed and evolved. “We take the time to talk with customers. We can cater for customers who want to have a quick drink or a quick bite to eat and get back on with their journey – (Poplars is less than five minutes from the M1 at Toddington) – but are also geared up for people who want to sit here for a few hours and for business people to use the USB charging points and wi-fi. “Dwelling times have reduced as there is less waiting, so it rarely looks full although we are doing record numbers, without stress and without complaint.” “It’s now much easier from a management point of view,” said Alistair. “Be prepared for three months of hell – then with the right people in place it gets easier. “For people who read this article, our doors are open. If you want some advice come and have a coffee and a bite to eat, we’d love to help you. “Having a project manager, Pippa McKean, was a massive help to us. She had been on the other side of managing sites and been through developments and through all the stress and her involvement was a bonus to us. If we’d bought someone on board who didn’t understand the industry it could have been very different.” Contacts: alastair@poplars.co.uk pippa.mckean@btinternet.com
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InStore at Compass Group
gtn promotion
Exciting new catering service
...from an experienced provider in the retail marketplace
Catering outsourcers InStore, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, celebrated at Glee after winning the show’s New Product Award’s Retail Experiences and Services category. Here’s how this innovative and forward-thinking company can boost a garden centre’s consumer proposition through a leading foodservice offer. InStore provides restaurant and café food services to many of the UK’s most respected retail brands and a growing number of garden centres. The business won Glee’s New Product Award’s Retail Experiences and Services category and was recognised for offering an exceptional service and an attractive proposition to garden retailers looking for a leading foodservice offer. Andy Rees, Managing Director at InStore, said: “We are extremely proud to have won such a great award and to have been recognised for the dedication and work we put into our garden retail offer. “Our main priority is to provide innovative and successful foodservice solutions whilst allowing our clients to focus on their core business - they can then grow their business while we grow their foodservice sales. “We have found that by providing a great experience in these cafés and restaurants, it enhances the customer’s visit to the garden centre, making it more likely they will return. We look forward to expanding the business within the garden retail market.” Glee’s New Product Awards were organized by GTN, whose Managing Director Trevor Pfeiffer said: “The judges selected Instore for this award for the unique and innovative foodservice solution they can offer garden centres. They felt that InStore’s offering is really relevant in today’s garden retail marketplace where garden retailers struggle to focus on all the increasingly diverse parts of their business.“ InStore takes full responsibility for all
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aspects of the client’s catering, including menu planning and development, employing staff, choosing suppliers and health and safety. “Using consumer feedback and a tight control on the numbers, we refine and shape our offer to keep our clients’ businesses at the front of the pack,” said Ed Fletcher, Business Development Manager for Garden Retail at InStore. “We also keep our clients
at the cutting edge of culinary trends and developments. “Another important factor is how we brand the outlet as part of their business so it’s a seamless consumer experience and is supportive of their business objectives.” For more information contact Ed Fletcher on 07775 950339 or email ed.fletcher@compass-group.co.uk
Proof is in the pudding Before the arrival of InStore, Garsons Esher already had a café. But, after years of growth at the garden centre, the foodservice facilities were lagging behind, unable to meet surging demand. As it stood, the café could only cope with 130 covers a day. Working together at every stage of the development process, Instore and Garsons created a 300-seat restaurant that would capitalise on Instore’s expertise, meet the huge levels of customer demand and provide Garsons with the return on investment they required. With the new restaurant in place, catering sales are regularly running 120-130 per cent above previous levels. Less than a year in, the restaurant is already on track to bring in the £1.5 million that Garsons staked its investment on — an achievement that the garden centre thought would take at least two years to complete. garden trade news
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back office
Business matters
The Learning Zone
Andy’s Career Highlights 1983–2001 Development of gardening offer with Sainsbury’s Homebase 1995–1996 Acquisition team and gardening manager for Texas Homecare
In the second edition of GTN’s The Learning Zone, Andy Campbell reveals how he uses 18+ years of experience at Homebase, which only had five stores when he joined them, to help independent garden centres develop a commercial plan for growth. Andy Campbell is a well-known face in garden centres throughout the UK following his 12 years as a GCA inspector. Many centres have followed up on his comments on improving business, and now a growing number are utilising his skills as a knowledgeable consultant. “The main area I specialise in is strategic business development consultancy and the other aspect is buying and selling trading expertise, so putting the offer together and making it profitable. For most of my time at Homebase I was head of horticultural and garden centre trading. “I am a commercial buyer-seller-trader at heart but I do quite a lot of business strategic development. I will analyse the initial KPIs of the business, look at the competition, the aspirations of the owners and then help them develop their strategic plan which revolves around developing the four Ps – The Place, the Product Offer, the Process and the People. “With one client over a period of about 8-10 years we formulated a plan that they implemented using the ‘four Ps’ model, and the business grew in turnover terms from £8m to 14m. The plan was reviewed every year – whatever was complete was knocked off and new things added on to strengthen the brand. They used me to help remind them what they had actually achieved each year and communicate that to the team.” Andy feels that space in garden centres is their second most valuable resource after their people. “It’s a finite amount, particularly at peak season, so you’re only going to maximise your profitability if you make optimum use of the space – not too much, not too little not too early, not too late. “I would advise garden centre owners to put in a range review process so that every part of the business would be analysed 22 NOVEMBER 2016
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in a good deal of detail to identify the opportunities to improve performance. A range review timetable means that everyone in the business can see what is being reviewed, what’s being ranged, what’s being put on Epos, what goods are coming in and going out on the shop floor. Once you’ve got a timetable, that should be underpinned by a space plan. That process creates a planning sandwich – in the middle is the range review timetable, underpinned by the space plan showing what goes where, and overlaid by a marketing plan so you know what’s coming in when and when you want to start communicating that to your consumers.” Andy draws a lot on his time at Homebase where he had some great training and learning experieces himself. “Sainsburys was a great parent company for Homebase and they did invest in their people. One of my most memorable trainings was centred around managing change - it was a week-long course that was very
1996–1999 Head of Horticulture and Garden Centre Trading at Homebase 1999–2001 Change manager on business re-engineering programme 2001–present Established own business development consultancy practice 2004–present Chairman of business development groups on behalf of HTA 2004–2016 Retail standards and customer service inspector for GCA 2005–2014 National quality award assessor for Bord Bia in Ireland
inspirational. “In the last 18 months at Homebase I was involved in a major business re-engineering project and then worked with Boston Consulting Group and Price Waterhouse Cooper on strategic planning and change management. I learned a lot on the job from that project.” As Andy hangs up his GCA Inspector role to concentrate on helping more individual garden centre businesses he has a final comment about bestsellers. “In all of my buying and training the most important thing you need to know is which are your bestsellers. When I work with garden centres if there is something on the GTN Bestsellers list and they’re not stocking it they’ve got to have a very good alternative or a good reason not to, because 80% of sales will come from 20% of the lines. You must know what they are.” 4 To contact Andy Campbell email andy@andycampbellconsulting.co.uk
Andy’s Top 5 Tips for boosting business
1 2 3 4 5
Build a strategic plan for the business, identifying actions that focus on developing the place, product, processes and people. Benchmark your business performance against others. This will help to identify existing strengths and improvement opportunities.
The buying decisions made directly determine the profitability of the business – ensure they are carefully and commercially thought through. Know your bestsellers – ensure they are purchased cost effectively, priced competitively, displayed prominently and never out of stock. The most profitable garden centre businesses all have high stock-turn – there is a lot you can do to proactively manage stock.
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theme of the month
wild bird care
Soaring up, up and away? Wild bird care has been one of the undoubted success stories for garden centres over the past 10 years and, although strongly influenced by weather patterns, sales show no signs of abating. The overall market across all channels is believed to be worth £250 to £300 million and, according to analysts GfK, showed impressive growth of 10% in 2015. Category market leaders Gardman believe that, if the UK’s spend per household on wild bird care products matched that of the US, the sector could deliver an amazing £700m of turnover. All the key players supplying garden centres – Gardman, Peckish (from Westland) and Tom Chambers – are currently reporting strong growth. There has been a question mark over the ChapelWood brand, acquired two years ago from former distributors Solus by Scotts Miracle-Gro, who have now sold it to Smart Garden Products after abandoning plans for
The wild bird care market in garden centres continues to soar - and suppliers believe there is still plenty of growth to come
a re-launch. At its peak under Solus management, the brand was understood to be turning over £10.8m million but had dwindled to around £3m when Scotts handed it over.
Smart Garden have been keen not to make extravagant claims about ChapelWood’s potential, but their undisguised delight on getting their hands on a category they had been eyeing up for some time suggests that they will have plans for it once the dust has settled. After all, it was Smart’s Paris Natar who kickstarted the entire category into life when he owned Gardman. In its hey-day, ChapelWood had many garden centre admirers who judged it to be an attractive competitively-priced brand backed up by excellent customer service. As a result, it quickly established a significant market share.
Gardman’s ‘4 Big Ideas’ reach out to consumers who don’t feed birds Gardman’s wild bird care campaign for the new season is based around ‘4 Big Ideas’ that the company believes will change the market. Gardman says the recent market growth can be largely attributed to its core target group, the over 45s – the fastest growing demographic in both absolute terms and spending power – which is estimated to account for
£320bn of annual household spending and hold more than three quarters of the nation’s wealth. While this prime audience remains one of the company’s key strategic focuses for the forthcoming year, independent research into the category identified four opportunities for growth: 4Iron out seasonal sales dips Market and Met Office data has proved that the decision to feed garden birds can be linked with the temperature and seasons, so Gardman has announced initiatives designed to encourage consumers to follow British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) advice that birds should be fed all year round. This autumn, Gardman launched two distinctive strategies to begin to remove the correlation in consumer’s minds between feeding and temperature. In October, a charity-focused PR campaign to support the Royal British Legion got under way. Next year, another charity-focused campaign to support Marie Curie will extend the season through the summer. Both initiatives are designed to motivate current non-feeders. 4Tap into the enthusiasm of children One in three UK households has dependent children but there are no products that currently target this audience. Gardman sees this as a huge opportunity to develop products that appeal to a younger demographic that doesn’t currently feed the birds. 4Make feeding birds easier The preconception that feeding the birds is too difficult and time consuming is a significant barrier to entry for many, so Gardman now offers a specific range of products that are easy to assemble, to use and to clean.
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4Introduce decorative style Consumers are deterred from feeding the birds as they find feeders unsightly. Gardman’s solution is to develop a range of features that echo decorative on-trend styles of home and garden living. info@gardentradenews.uk.com
wild bird care
theme of the month
Underneath the archway, ground feeding birds can have a field day... Wildlife World’s growing range of products for garden birds includes introduced a brand new distinctive design. The team at Wildlife World apply a wealth of knowledge on bird species and their preferred nesting and feeding habits to the design and creation of all of its products. The Archway Ground Feeder is an example: it is especially designed for small bird species such as dunnocks, robins and blackbirds, which prefer to feed from ground. MD Norman Sellers says the company aims to offer products that are suitable and beneficial to all garden
species . “We particularly like how versatile the product is. If customers find that they do not receive very many birds using the tray from the ground, they can simply suspend it using the hole in the Perspex cover to offer a higher feeding platform.” The Archway Ground Feeder is suitable for rural and urban gardens and is subtle in colour and appearance, so can easily blend in away from cats, dogs and other predators. The clear panel used to form the attractive archway feature offers gardeners an unobstructed view
Westland to launch Bird Academy masterclasses for retailers and more ad support for Peckish Westland claims its Peckish and Nature’s Feast brands are driving growth in the bird care category, outperforming the market and growing in both volume and value share. Peckish in particular has had a strong year, bringing new consumers into the bird care market with easy-to-use products like the Peckish Winter Warmer Easy Feeder and the Peckish Complete Easy Feeder, now the UK’s top-selling ready-to-use feeders*. Westland put this down to a successful NPD strategy, coupled with advertising and event support. Peckish is the only consistently advertised bird care brand, with more than £3.5m spent on advertising since its launch. The brand also benefis from an annual consumer event, Go Wild with Peckish, designed to drive footfall to more than 70 garden centres during the October half term. It aims to introduce feeding the birds to children. Westland is to launch a series of free Bird Academy masterclasses in the New Year, as part of the ongoing investment in its retail partnerships. Designed to increase
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Above: Peckish Small Bird Feeder. Left: Peckish Natural Balance Seed Mix knowledge of the bird care category, Westland will provide garden centre staff with an introduction to bird care, advice on product selection and how to answer frequently asked questions posed by shoppers. You casn sign up at: http://trade.gardenhealth.com/bird-academy. New products for 2016/17 include Peckish Natural Balance, a 100% natural seed blend, enriched with sunflower seeds. The Peckish Small Bird Feeder is unique and stylish and only allows access to smaller, colourful birds. The decorative Peckish Squirrel Proof Lattice Feeder is designed to deter the most determined of squirrels. * GfK Feeder with Food Hitlist, February 2016
of feeding birds. The mesh tray can be removed for easy cleaning, while the Perspex archway helps to keep the food drier for longer. The feeder, which is supplied flat-packed, is easily constructed in seconds without tools.
Smart Garden re-build ChapelWood base pending relaunch After buying ChapelWood from Scotts, Smart Garden Products was making no wild claims about what it hoped to achieve. It simply said it was prioritising keeping the channel open and recapturing the brand’s sales and market position. Smart Garden MD Jonathan Stobart said many customers he had spoken to were pleased Smart had picked up the business. “We hope to retain the existing customer base initially and then relaunch next summer,” he added. “Our entrepreneurial team at Smart know it will be a big task, but we are blessed with a lot of experienced people. As customers will know, we are a commercially very strong on new product development and we feel there is opportunity for us to innovate in this area.” Stobart revealed that the purchase of ChapelWood was an opportunistic move when Scotts decided to sell. “We initially talked to them over a year ago but it wasn’t for sale then. ChapelWood has a solid footprint to build on and there is still a lot of affection according to the feedback we have received. “Our Smart Garden bestselling decorative bird baths now have a whole range of feed and feeders to go along with them in garden centres.”
garden trade news • CATERING & WILD BIRD CARE • NOVEMBER 2016 25
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Greatest Christmas Awards
Celebrating The Greatest Christmas is upon us once again, and the signs are it’s going to be a great one for garden centres. So now is the time for you to nominate your teams to be a part of GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards. All you have to do is nominate your team using the form opposite (or send an email to thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk) to arrive no later than Monday 14th November and we will then organise for one of GTN’s The Greatest Awards team of experts to come and visit you to find out just what makes your teams so great at Christmas. After all the judges visits, our GTN experts meet to decide on the winners and the results will be announced at The Greatest Awards Christmas Party on January 8th 2017 in the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, during the evening after the first day of the Harrogate Christmas & Gift Show. The award for The Greatest Garden Centre Team at Christmas is a category decided purely by customer voting. Using the voting postcard pdfs we supply you can invite your customers to vote for you as The Greatest Garden Centre Team at Christmas. You can also invite them to vote online using a special Greatest Awards voting link. Voting will run from November 23rd through to Christmas Eve. When all the votes are counted, the size of each garden centre team is then taken into account so that small centre teams have as much chance of winning this accolade as large centres. To register your team for customer voting in GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards please send an email to thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk
As part of The Greatest Christmas Awards, garden centres get the chance to vote for the supplier they feel has been their Greatest Christmas Supplier of the Year. To make you nomination and vote, please send an e-mail today to: thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk with your name, garden centre name and your job title, telling us who is your Greatest Christmas Supplier of the year, what they do that makes them great and what is the thing they do best.
GTN’s The Greatest Christmas Awards Categories for 2016 The Greatest Christmas Display Team - awards for individual centres and centres that are part of groups, plus special awards for display teams that are being really innovative. The Greatest Grotto Team regional and national award for teams delivering The Greatest Santa experience for their customers young and old.
The Greatest Christmas Sizzle Team - for exceptional BBQ sales as gifts and for cooking the turkey in the run up to Christmas. The Greatest Festive Plant Sales Team - for planteria teams that really enter into the festive spirit to maximise the sales of plants and trees while centre footfall is at it’s highest.
Here’s your chance to win 2 tickets to The Greatest Awards Dinner and accommodation plus access to the Harrogate Christmas & Gift Show. All you have to do is answer: the following are lyrics from which Christmas songs ? A – She didn’t see me creep down the stairs to have a peep... B – Once bitten and twice shy I keep my distance... C – In the lane the snow is glistenin... D - The choir of children sing their song they practiced all year long...
GTN’s The Greatest Christmas Awards are sponsored by... 26 NOVEMBER 2016
Vote for your Greatest Christmas Supplier
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The Greatest Festive Catering Team - which catering team is The Greatest at converting footfall into dining and drinking. The Greatest Garden Centre Team at Christmas (customer voting) - decided purely by customer voting. If you have a loyal and satisfied customer base let them make you The Greatest, they will love taking part.
Win two tickets to the Greatest Christmas Party Just send your answers on a postcard to Greatest Christmas Awards Competition, Garden Trade News, The Old School, 4 Crowland Road, Eye, Peterborough, PE6 7TN. Or e-mail your entry to: mandy.davies@tgcmc.co.uk The closing day for entry is November 30th. editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
in touch
at Christmas Book your tickets for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Party Tickets are now on sale for GTN’s The Greatest Christmas Awards Party. Come and join us for the party of the year in Harrogate on Sunday 8th January 2017. A three course meal with reception drinks and wine is followed by the awards presentations and dancing to a live band. Early Bird ticket prices have been held at last year’s levels: £80 plus VAT per person with discounts for bookings of 3 or more tickets. It’s the ideal opportunity to combine a buying trip to the Harrogate Christmas & Gift show with a great night out in the company of industry friends and Greatest Award winners.
GTN’s The Greatest Christmas Awards Garden Centre Team Nomination Form We think we are among The Greatest when it comes to Christmas so we’d like to be nominated in the following categories (tick boxes) ❏ The Greatest Christmas Display Team ❏ The Greatest Grotto Team ❏ The Greatest Christmas Sizzle Team ❏ The Greatest Festive Plant Sales Team ❏ The Greatest Festive Catering Team We would also like to invite our customers to vote for us as The Greatest Garden Centre Team at Christmas. ❏ The Greatest Garden Centre Team at Christmas (customer voting) – please send us the pdf voting forms and the on-line voting links. Garden centre..............................................................................Contact name................................................................................. E-mail.............................................................................................Phone No......................................................................................... Send this form to arrive no later than Monday 14th November to The Greatest Christmas Awards, Garden Trade News, The Old School, 4 Crowland Road, Eye, Peterborough, PE6 7TN. Or e-mail thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk
GTN’s The Greatest Christmas Awards Christmas Supplier of the Year Voting I vote for................................................................................................................................................................................................... as The Greatest Christmas Supplier for the 2016 season because .................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... and the thing they do best is.............................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Name............................................................................................................................................ Company..................................................................................................................................... Job Title...................................................................................................................................... E-mail........................................................................................................................................... Phone No..................................................................................................................................... Please return this voting form to: The Greatest Christmas Awards, Garden Trade News, The Old School, 4 Crowland Road, Eye, Peterborough, PE6 7TN. Or e-mail your vote to: thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk The closing date for Christmas Supplier of the Year votes is mid-day Saturday 24th December 2016. editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
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retail insight
Top tips from John Stanley
Russian Roulette Following a business trip to Russia, retail guru John Stanley reveals some of the things he discovered about the country’s garden centres. The largest garden centre in Europe, possibly the world. Garden centres open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These were key surprises for me looking at the industry around Moscow. I had been invited to Russia to present a key note address and workshop to the floriculture and horticulture industry on my views on garden retailing over the next five years and how Russian garden centres can maximise their opportunities from the coming changes. This was my first visit to this region and I had no idea what to expect. There is no garden centre association in Russia and therefore it was difficult to carry out research prior to my visit. My observations are based on the garden centres around Moscow, which I am told number around 300. This includes the largest garden centre in Europe – Imperial Gardens – well designed European style retail centres, as well as many small family owned businesses that often consist of a shed and a few plants. The first observation I had was based on the demographics of the market. The impression around Moscow is that the market is basically two groups. The ultra rich who have large mansions around the edge of the city and employ landscapers and gardeners and the second segment is apartment dwellers. There seems to be an almost non-existent or at best, very small, middle class. These segments clearly define the retail marketing opportunities. The spring season starts on the 8th March, Ladies Day, when men are encouraged to buy flowers and plants for the ladies in their lives. In general, 65% of sales are seasonal and 20% of sales are sold to the super rich. One surprise was the amount of retailers that told me that Russians are still keen gardeners. February is a busy month as
gardeners start propagating plants ready for spring. Whilst at the same time the Christmas season is still not a big season for many garden centres as consumers do not think of a garden centre when buying Christmas decorations. Selling to the Super Rich If you have a large market of multi millionaires, your marketing strategies change and this is obvious around Moscow. 4The Orangery, part of the Crocus Group, has the largest selection of indoor plants in one location I have seen anywhere. It is open 24 hours a day, even days a week. When I asked why they were open at 2.00am and how can they justify it, I was told that after midnight they break even, but that is when the super rich go shopping with their landscapers so that they have privacy and are not worried about being recognised.
4Imperial Gardens has the largest selection of plants I have ever seen in a retail location. The majority were large landscape specimens and many were burlapped. It was difficult to understand this retail model until I was taken to look at a few customers’ gardens. The customer base is based on housing estates around the centre. These are gated estates containing mansions where gardeners and landscapers are employed. The price of the plant is the least consideration for their customers. Another surprise was while many displays showed some flair and ideas for consumers, customer service is an art that has not developed in Moscow. This is not a criticism of the garden retailers, the same situation occurs in the main retail hub in the city. Consumers are not approached by sales people who seem to focus on tidying stock rather than making a sale. When it comes to product mix, floristry is still very popular in Russia and the floral trade is still healthy. Garden retailers in general focus on woody plants, as a result the colour patio market is under developed. Seasonal sales of plants could be one area the industry could focus on to grow sales. Plant quality in the stores visited were of a high quality, whilst signage to grow sales was underdeveloped. I have been invited back to present more workshops in other regions of Russia and look forward to working with an industry that is progressing rapidly and has huge opportunities. John Stanley can be contacted at john@johnstanley.com.au
28 NOVEMBER 2016
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editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
insight LEGAL AdvicE By LIdIA POCzOk OF LONdON-BAsed FIrm BrIsTOWs
your guide to employment contracts What is the right employment contract for my garden centre – and do I need more than one? Whilst it may be tempting to have a ‘one size fits all’ employment contract, most garden centres engage a mix of staff who all have different roles, requirements and value to the business. Consequently, staff may require different contracts because their pay and benefits are calculated differently (for example, hourly rather than annual pay), working hours are different (set hours, shift work or ‘zero hour contracts’) and entitlements to holiday and benefits differ (management staff tend to be rewarded with better benefits). Further there are different categories of staff: Workers provide their services for payment, but may be casual or contractors. They may leave without giving or receiving advance notice and not be offered further work. Workers are entitled to the minimum or national living wage and to paid holiday, but they are not protected from unfair dismissal and do not have redundancy rights. Employees acquire full employment protection rights and rights to redundancy payments after two years. In return for providing loyalty, obedience and regular service, they receive at least statutory minimum notice before they can be dismissed and should only be dismissed for a fair reason. Directors may also be employees. As they will have a say in how the business is run and be subject to confidential information about the business, their actions during and after employment should be restricted to protect the on-going business and the employer may need more time to find a replacement if they leave. Both employers and staff should understand the basics of the agreement: the expectations required during the relationship, when it goes wrong or illness strikes and sometimes what is expected after employment ends; before they commit. No-one wants to receive a 30-page document dealing with every conceivable issue, but a written contract of employment should be put in place within two months of an employee starting work and should contain certain prescribed information, including dealing with pay, notice, hours of work and holiday entitlements. There is no legal requirement to provide this to workers, but it is best practice to provide a written contract for the same reasons. Given the breadth of roles within a garden centre, typically there should be: 4A contract for senior employees/directors which may contain restrictions during employment and after on the employee’s ability to compete and for extended notice to allow time to find a replacement; 4A contract for permanent full-time or part-time employees. (Part-time employees should receive pro-rated terms which overall are no less favourable.) This will contain details of notice periods and references to applicable (but hopefully non contractual) policies, such as health and safety and disciplinary and grievances. These policies/procedures should be easily accessible from the staff handbook or intranet. 4A contract for casual or temporary employees dealing with hours, pay, paid holiday and also referring to applicable procedures concerning behaviour and conduct. Once templates are drawn up, review them every few years because law and best practice changes – getting it wrong can cost more in the long run! Lidia Poczok is a lawyer at London-based firm Bristows. She advises on the employment law aspects of cross-border acquisitions and disposals and outsourcings, both from a supplier and customer perspective. She also regularly advises employers of all sizes on general HR and employment related matters. Lidia’s practice encompasses all areas of employment related work, including litigation and drafting new contracts, policies and handbooks.
editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk
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look ahead
Harrogate Christmas & Gift Preview, Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 January 2017
Growth spurt – so event expands into new halls The organisers of January’s Harrogate Christmas & Gift – a long-standing favourite with garden centre buyers – have had to take two extra halls to accommodate an influx of new exhibitors. The original hall allocation of A,B,C,D,H and M at the Harrogate International Centre sold out so the show will now expand into the Kings Suite and hall Q. Visitor footfall has seen significant year-on-year growth since 2010. Whilst catering very much for the festive market, the list of exhibitors is wide and diverse, covering everything from indoor and outdoor furniture and décor to garden ware and gifts for all occasions. Show organiser Simon Anslow says the event has always been the number one UK show for Christmas buyers and attracts visitors from a number of retail sectors, including department stores, independent retailers, visitor attractions and even historical shops such as cathedrals and stately homes. “However, with a large number of garden centre buyers attending – and as garden centres are now very much a
The show is popular with buyers in festive categories but serves a diverse cross-section of the gift market. family destination – exhibitors are seeing growing demand for all sorts of products from toys and books, ornaments and gifts to even food and drink ranges,” he explains. New exhibitors for 2017 include Boland (hats, wigs, party decorations and accessories), Joe Davies (hardware and fancy
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goods distributor), Libra (interior design accessories, home and giftware, lighting, furniture and wall décor), Culinary Concepts (furniture, gifts and everything for a perfectly dressed dinner table), Crystal World (manufacturers and importers of glass, crystal and giftware), Herman De Greef
(garden products) and NKUKU (homeware and gifts). With space now available in the King’s Suite and Hall Q, the show can now accommodate more new exhibitors. Full information is available on the website, or contact Simon Anslow (01902 882280) or email him: simon@harrogatefair.com
editorial@gardentradenews.co.uk