In This Issue
26th June is Deadline for initial Wyevale Garden Centre offers
Homebase sold for £1.00 - "...one of the great all time disasters"
Westland and Crest are touring!
Get the right compost for your hanging baskets & patio planters
Bord na Móna Growise Sponsors Myeloma UK Garden at Chelsea Flower Show
Bulldog supports RHS Campaign for School Gardening
Garden Centres in a much better place than DIY
Plants now ahead of last year with the Chelsea boost still to come
New owners for Stansted Park Garden Centre
SBM Life Sciences account manager and family raise hundreds for Greenfingers Charity
Celebrating 10 Years of Vitavia
Fryer’s Roses and Helen’s Trust work blooming well together!
Raoul Curtis-Machin leaves HTA
Success for Woodlodge at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
GTN Xtra and GDPR
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Union Jack Windmill sales soar in celebration weekend
Honorary Greats Award for John Athwal
Courgette tops Runner Bean as Veg 2 Gro Bestseller
Johnsons Lawn Seed’s World Cup tip for retailers
Springwatch boost for Wild Bird Care
Growing Media sales set another May record
The best of last week's
Guy Hands puts the "For Sale" notice up at Wyevale Garden Centres
Blue Diamond profits increase to £9.2m
Profits up by 24% at Westland Horticulture
Plant sales soar...'just like an old-fashioned bank holiday'
Golds for Hillers, Cooks, Taylors Bulbs and Dibleys at Chelsea 2018
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
lunch! 2018: Visitor registration opens & first speakers announced
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Email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk, or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700



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Blue Diamond profits increase to £9.2m

"In 2017 we achieved an 8% increase in profit before tax and maintained a strong debt position in the year, which is a creditable result considering the wider environment." That is the opening statement from Blue Diamond Chairman  Simon Burke in the groups Year End Accounts for 2017.

 

Managing Director Alan Roper adds "in a challenging year profit before tax increased from £8.4m to £9.2m. This profit increase was predominantly delivered through customer average spend, and gross margin growth."

 

"In 2017 average spend grew by 5.6% against a Garden Centre Association (GCA) average growth of 1.4%."

 

The report details the average GCA spend for 2017 at £20.75 while the average Blue Diamond spend was £23.19.

 

The full Blue Diamond Report and Accounts can be seen at: https://www.bluediamond.gg/financial-reports

 

Speaking to GTN Xtra this weekend, Alan Roper said that after the Bank Holiday week; "there is now a distinct possibility that we will be up on 2017 year to date by end of May."

 

Asked about his vision for the size of the Blue Diamond Group in the future, Alan added: "The operational structure which I implemented a few years ago is scalable and is designed to ensure retail standards are maintained. The recent adjustments to allow managers to focus on customer service alongside more resources being applied should also ensure high standards are maintained. Continuing to develop the teams and appoint people who share the values of standards and service is paramount.

 

"Existing staff in new acquisitions have been successfully retained and trained where necessary to embrace the culture of our business whose values are high retail standards, high service levels delivered with a point of difference.

 

"The Group is on course to surpass the budgeted £110m and I can see us being able to double the turnover and still retain those values."

 

 

 

 

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