In This Issue
Bents, Fron Goch and Poppies Oban strike gold in GTN's Greatest Team of the Year Awards
Smart and Westland are voted Greatest Award winners
Christmas gets October trade off to a flying start
Premier announces sad loss of Halloween General Manager, Sean Looney
Apta plans to invest £3.5m to grow its business in Ashford
HTA Garden Futures challenges the industry to capitalise on opportunity by embracing change
Clematis champion Raymond Evison awarded Pearson Medal
SBM Life Science recruiting new talent
The future for garden machinery is cordless…
Santa's spectacular arrival at Squire's Garden Centres
In with the new for Grange Fencing
Plant nursery helps local charity after break in
Ben's Guinness Record bean is longest amid sabotage claim at Mr Fothergill's
Spook-tacular Halloween events at Wyevale Garden Centres
Area Sales Managers
Brand Manager
Sales representative, South East
Nursery Grower Technical Manager
Garden Centre General Manager
Garden Sundries Retail Manager (Northamptonshire)
Horticultural Quality Controller
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Garden Products down year on year despite high plant sales
Christmas product sales off to a flier
Bark and top soil sell in big numbers
Autumn colour drives plant sales up
Impressive roll-call of speakers lined up for GrowQuip
Thompson & Morgan appoints new National Sales Manager
Perennial CEO Richard Capewell to retire in Spring 2017
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
GTN's Greatest Awards 2016
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
HTA study tour to Matthew Algie Roastery & Showroom
Cotswold Fayre expands its Chilled Operation
Situations Vacant
Area Sales Managers
Salary: Very attractive salary, bonus, company car and benefits
 
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Brand Manager
 
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Sales representative, South East
 
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Nursery Grower Technical Manager
Salary: Excellent
 
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Garden Centre General Manager
Salary: Excellent
 
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Garden Sundries Retail Manager (Northamptonshire)
Salary: £18,000 - £19,000
 
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Horticultural Quality Controller
Salary: £20,000 - £22,000
 
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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
HTA Garden Futures challenges the industry to capitalise on opportunity by embracing change


With a focus on business agility in a disruptive world, HTA Garden Futures Conference and Dinner, sponsored by Hozelock and Scotts Miracle-Gro took place at Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire on Wednesday. Brexit, the 2017 shopper, tomorrow’s garden centre, adapting to climate change, eLearning and the Energy Garden project were high on the agenda.

The UK gardening sector faces challenges, but also opportunities according to Joshua McBain, Head of Innovation at Future Foundation. 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. There is one solid benefit to be had, the falling UK pound has delivered a boost for UK tourism.

What’s trending in 2017 and the new consumer was outlined by Dominic Harrison, Content Director at Future Foundation. A new retail term is immerging called ‘Hygge retail,’ considered to be 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?

An inspiring talk by Leonard Diepenbrock, Managing Director, of TOX-Dübel-Technik GmbH, encouraged delegates to start something new and digital tomorrow. Leonard turned his family business around by designing new, problem solving products. What's on your customers' minds? Think about their pains, how can you help? Could you create a NEW problem solving product?

The trends and opportunities that could shape tomorrow’s garden centre were explored by Paul Pleydell, Director of Pleydell Smithyman. Garden centres need to change. A good business is like a table; you need several strong legs. Add some legs to your business to give people new reasons to visit your business.

Climate predictions for the UK and how this will affect gardening and garden retail was examined by Dr Ross Cameron, Senior Lecturer in Landscape Management, Ecology and Design from the University of Sheffield. Overall the change in climate trends will give a longer growing season for gardeners. It is hoped that the beneficial side of landscape plants will be more widely recognised as they start to be increasingly used to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

The Energy Garden, a city-wide community gardening and energy project, is set to transform 50 train stations across London by 2017; the stations are to become destinations for gardening and renewable energy systems.  Agamemnon Otero MBE the Founder of Energy Garden and CEO of Repowering explained how the project can help to engage new customers while also creating social, financial and environmental benefits.  Anyone in the industry can get involved through the provision of products or as a sponsor.

Organisations can combine mobile learning with technology to enhance education and business performance, demonstrated David Barker from The Learning Eye. The benefits of mobile learning include: creating a good first impression particularly in terms of providing advance training and positive staff engagement such as talking in ‘youthful’ employees’ own language.

Keynote speaker, PY Gerbeau (pictured above) delivered a ‘recipe’ for succeeding and the four things you need in order to survive: flexibility, adaptability, agility, and common sense. Leaders must remember that their best asset is not their product or their business strategy, but their human capital. Your employees are your best asset; they are the people who deliver the experience.

Closing on a positive note a panel session, chaired by George Bullivant the Director of Gardenforum, reminded delegates not to under value our product. We have the best product and opportunity to offer a space for growing as well as experience and entertainment. Our reach is extending, and we must get ready to meet peoples' needs.

Read more about HTA Garden Futures at www.hta.org.uk/gardenfutures and see a full report in the November issue of Garden Trade News
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Paul Pleydell, Director of Pleydell Smithyman_HTA_Garden Futures-390.jpg
Paul Pleydell, Director of Pleydell Smithyman_HTA_Garden Futures-390.jpg
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