After eight months of hard graft, the five finalists in the Garden Centre Association’s Rising Stars programme, sponsored by Westland, made their final presentations to GCA Conference delegates yesterday.

They took to the stage at the GCA’s annual conference in Chester on Monday, facing a discerning audience of garden industry delegates – who have now voted to choose an overall winner who will be announced at the Annual Dinner later this evening.

The five finalists were: Kirsty Clark (Perrywood GC), Lisa Waim (Haskins Snowhill), Matthew Fay (Stewarts Garden-Lands, Christchurch), Hannah Mason (Chessington) and Cerys Williams (Perrywood)

Their presentations at the GCA Conference in Chester on Monday 26 January were the finale of an eight month programme in which 28 young candidates attended three merchandising Masterclasses run by IBBIS director and training facilitator Ian Boardman. Thanks to Ian’s efforts, many of the Rising Stars, even those who did not make the final cut, went on to increase sales in their departments by keeping hotspots fresh, creating clear signage and organising themed displays throughout the year.

Ian Boardman said: “All the Rising Stars who took part in the programme were top notch and I’d like to thank every single one of them for their efforts and praise them for the progress they have made. The results of their achievements in their workplace prove they are all stars in their own right!”

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director for Westland Horticulture said: “On behalf of Westland I’d like to congratulate the Rising Stars finalists for getting this far. We now face a very exciting GCA conference final where delegates will get the chance to vote for the winner – Rising Star of the Year 2014.”

GCA chief executive Iain Wylie said: “The five finalists all made really professional presentations.  Once again Rsing Stars is a highlight of the GCA conference.”

The winner will be announced at the GCA Annual Dinner on Tuesday 27th Janaury.  You'll see the results in a special GTN Xtra LIVE from the Conference on Wednesday morning.

Read the stories of all five finalists by clicking on the ‘associated articles’ links below.



2014 joint winners George Bishop and Will Michieli presenting to last year's conference.

The GCA audits inspection team handed out trophies to top-scoring centres in the 2014 inspections round at yesterday's conference session.

Joint winners of the Environmental and Community Award were Poplars and Simpsons, with Planters at Bretby second and Garden Wise and Thompsons Canterbury joint third.

The Barton Grange Trophy for creativity and innovation went to Planters at Tamworth. Webbs of Wychbold were second and Burston Rose & Garden Centre third.

Sunshine GC won the Customer Service Award, with Scotsdales runners-up and Ayletts in third place.

The garden centre Indoor Lifestyle award went top Fairways of Ashbourne. Harlow Carr were second and Garden Wise third, while the destination award for the category was taken jointly by Burford and Poplars. Perrywood and Raemoir were joint runner-up and Squires Twickenham were third highest scorers.

  

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Product Retailer was won by Cowells in the garden centre category (Garden Wise were runners up and Fairways Ashbourne third); the destination centre winners were Barton Grange, with Burston second and Burford third.

The Dick Allen Trophy for the most improved score went to RHS Hyde Hall (who increased their marks by 13% over the previous year). Podington came second and Brechin Castle third.

  

Weber’s Outdoor Living Award was won by Sunshine (Donagadee  second, Klondyke Beverley and Frosts Brampton third) in the garden centre category. Van Hage Great Amwell were destination centre winners, Hayes Garden World and Whitehall Laock coming joint second and Poplars third.

Finally, the Ifse Award for Catering Excellence was taken by Fron Goch. (runners-up Klondyke Wilmslow, third Klondyke High Legh) while Bents and Frosts Woburn Sand were joint destination centre winners, Barton Grange and Chessington coming joint second and Ruxley Manor third.

David Thomas, known as the Memory Man for his astonishing feats of memory – which include reciting the value of Pi to 22,500 digits – shared with delegates some of the secrets of his success.

“There’s no such thing as a bad memory,” he said. “You all have either a trained memory – or not.”

Training one’s memory is about organizing what you need to remember using imagery and imagination to aid recall, he said.

He urged delegates to aim to be different – “not just a little bit…it’s got to be a lot.”

Brilliant…fantastic…awe-inspiring…these were some of the words of praise showered on garden centres by retail consultant Neville Stein at the GCA Conference in Chester yesterday for their Christmas displays.

“What you are doing is world class,” he told delegates before announcing the winners of this year’s GCA Christmas competition. “We in the UK lead the world in garden retailing, with displays created by very skilful people. Congratulate your staff on doing a really great job.”

Neville judged Castle Gardens at Sherborne as winners in the garden centre category, with Squires Shepperton runners-up and Fron Goch in third place. In the destination centre category, Bents took top honours, with Van Hage at Great Amwell second and Webbs of Wychbold third.

He applauded the effort many centres had put into the plant content of their Christmas displays. “We are garden centres,” he said, “so should we not be be strong on this?”

Cowells Garden Centre extended their impressive run of GCA awards with success in this year’s Ruxley Rose planteria competition, which this year rewarded the best autumn displays.

Judge Roger Crookes said he was pleased to see so many centres “getting stuck in” to the autumn message and suggested that the ‘nature’s time for planting’ message promoted in the past might be due for renewal.

Close behind Cowells – and, according to Crookes, both “hungry for the top spot” – were Newbridge Nurseries, with St Peter’s Garden Centre, Worcester, in third place.

In the destination centre category, Bents were awarded the top prize, followed by Coolings, with Perrywood Garden Centre third.

Roger said the formula for successful autumn plant sales was to do a really great job on display with a focused approach to stok levels to ensure commercial  viability and minimise wastage.

Over £10,000 was raised on the eve of the Garden Centre Association Winter Conference at Carden Park in Cheshire when a team of garden centres (Pansies) took on a side made up of suppliers (Cabbages) in the 5th Annual Greenfingers Challenge Cup.

The event, made up of a series of fun events followed by a race night and auction was the curtain-raiser for the two-day conference, with all the proceeds going the industry's charity, Greenfingers.

And it was the Cabbages team captained by Danny Adamson, which took the honours.

The Greenfingers Challenge Cup took a Roman Games theme, with events including:
Hadrian's Fort Building
Chariot Racing
Caligula's Road Building
Maximus Sling Shot
Titus Tug o War
Hostillian Football

Sponsors for the event were: Cadix, William Sinclair,
Handy Distribution, Deco Pak, Forest Garden, Westland, Brier's, Taylor's Bulbs, Woodlodge Pots, Karcher and La Hacienda.

The final amount raised from the day will be announced at the GCA Annual Dinner on Tuesday night.   Sarah Loveri, of Greenfingers, said: "It has been a fantastic day. The amount of money from this one event is outstanding, simply incredible."

The fundraising event on the eve of the GCA Conference continued in the evening with a race night hosted by Guy "McCririck" Topping, followed by an auction of all the items used in the Roman Games plus many other donations for the Greenfingers cause.

The Ist race, sponsored by Chessington Garden Centres was won by "Bald Chicken" owned by Gilbert Evans.

In the 2nd race sponsored by Stewarts Garden Centres, "Wobbly bits" owned by Sue Allen was the winner by a close head.

The 3rd race sponsored by Poplars Garden Centre was won by "Smug Bug" owned by Julian Winfield.

For the 4th and final race all of the horses were auctioned for ownership with the highest value horse, "Out to pasture", being bought by the Danning Topping Consortium for £300.   The race sponsored by Haskins was won by "Ohh my back" owned by Jolyon Martin.

Charlecote Garden Store, part of Hillview Garden Centres, is looking for a Deputy Manager.

Serving the gardening communities of Stratford Upon Avon / Warwick the store has a great reputation for horticultural excellence.

Plant sales are a major part of the business therefore a Plant Department Manager looking for the next step in their career‎ would be an ideal candidate. 

Hillview Garden Centres has grown rapidly and now operates 9 centres across the Midlands. With further plans to grow through ‎acquisition and store development this is an exciting time to join the company. 

Please send your cv and introductory letter to boyd.ddavies@hillview-group.com

www.gardenstoreonline.co.uk

Assistant Garden Centre Manager - full time, including alternate weekends.

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centres based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire. We are committed growing our business and to promoting the highest standards in horticultural retailing. We want our staff to enjoy working with us in a friendly, energetic customer focused environment.

Washington, West Sussex is situated within the Sussex Downs surrounded by small local villages attracting a wide variety of customers. We have a strong team of staff that all have a level of interest in gardening. This GCA garden centre was refurbished in 2011 and features a large Pets & Aquatics section and a Pottery department.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our dynamic family-owned company, which has seen significant growth in recent years.

We are looking for an experienced Assistant Manager to support and deputise for the Garden Centre Manager at our Washington Garden Centre.

Previous managerial experience of working in a Garden Centre retail environment is essential, along with horticultural experience/knowledge. The ideal candidate will have a passion for retail and thrive in a fast paced environment.

You will have the ability to lead and inspire your team to deliver the best possible shopping experience for your customers. You will have a ‘can do’ attitude and will be able to make things happen.

Free Parking on Site

To apply, please visit our website www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk  

I am currently looking for an experienced garden retail management candidate to join the senior leadership team of a large garden centre. 
  
You will be required to lead a team of section managers ensuring excellent customer service and standards at all times enabling the business to grow and meet objectives.

Garden retail experience is preferred but general retail experience may suffice if at a high level.
  
A working knowledge of health & safety legislation is also required.

To discuss further, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #7012

• Are you a talented, experienced, business-focused account manager?
• Do you have a proven track record in developing long-term, profitable relationships with customers?
• Are you a strong team player - someone who can bring fresh ideas, excellent communication skills and plenty of energy to an already dynamic sales team?
• Are you hungry to take your career to the next level within a fast-growing family-owned business?

STV, the UK's leading supplier of pest control products to garden and hardware stores, is looking to recruit an experienced Key Accounts Manager with an impressive contacts book and extensive knowledge of the UK homes and gardens sector.

This office based role is exciting and varied. You will be expected to:

• manage and develop selected national accounts in line with STV’s overall business plan
• build on STV's existing category-leading position
• work with senior managers and STV's commercial team to contribute to the overall sales, marketing and NPD strategies
• provide accurate but challenging revenue, volume and profit forecasts – and achieve them

Think you can do that? Then we’d love to hear from you. Send your CV and covering letter to marketing@stvpestcontrol.com. A full job description is available on request.

         

www.stvpestcontrol.com 

I am currently looking for a talented site manager who is looking for a challenge. 

The role will be managing a large site in the midlands. 

This role is highly confidential at the moment and more details will be provided upon receipt of application.

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #7000

Plant Area Assistant (full time, incl alternate weekends) – Hersham

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centres based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire, with GCA award winning plant areas.  We are committed to growing our business and to promoting the highest standards in plant and horticultural retailing.  We want our employees to enjoy working with us in a friendly, energetic, customer focused environment.  

Hersham won GCA’s ‘Best Garden Centre’ in the South Thames Area 2013 has a fully opening plant canopy. The modern technology keeps the plants, trees and shrubs in excellent condition and protects customers from the weather.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated individual who is quick and willing to learn and who sees customer service as their main priority.  Candidates must have relevant experience and/or a horticultural qualification.

The role will involve bending and lifting some heavy items therefore applicants must be physically fit.

Free Parking on Site

To apply, please visit our website www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk  

Woking Plant Area Department Head - full time, including alternate weekends.

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centres based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire, with GCA award winning plant areas.  We are committed to growing our business and to promoting the highest standards in plant and horticultural retailing.  We want our employees to enjoy working with us in a friendly, energetic, customer focused environment. 

Situated near Horsell Common, on the outskirts of Woking, this currently smaller centre, rebuilt in 1995, has high standards and a friendly atmosphere.  Planning permission was recently granted for a significant extension.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our garden centre at Woking.  You will be responsible for managing the outdoor plant department which has an extensive and well stocked plant area.

You must have experience and/or horticultural qualifications and garden centre/retail experience.  You will be able to manage your department to achieve sales and profit targets whilst motivating your team to maximise all sales opportunities and inspiring them to offer the highest standards of customer service.

You must have the ability to thrive in a fast paced environment, have a passion for plants, be highly motivated, commercially aware and able to create dynamic, inspirational displays.

Free Parking on Site

To apply, please visit our website www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk  

West Horsley Bedding Supervisor - full time, including alternate weekends.

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centres based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire, with GCA award winning plant areas.  We are committed to growing our business and to promoting the highest standards in plant and horticultural retailing.  We want our employees to enjoy working with us in a friendly, energetic, customer focused environment. 

West Horsley, a traditional GCA garden centre and nursery with a strong horticultural background set deep in the beautiful Surrey countryside between Guildford and Leatherhead.  An enthusiastic team who know their customers as well as their subject and who strive to make the centre a hub of the local community.  

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our forward-thinking family-owned company, which is committed to our staff, growing our business and setting high standards.

You will be responsible for the bedding plant department at our West Horsley Garden Centre which has an extensive and well stocked plant area.  

You will have extensive knowledge and experience of working in a retail bedding department and a horticultural qualification.  A passion for customer service and the ability to thrive in a fast paced environment are essential.  You will be flexible, enthusiastic and highly motivated, commercially aware and have the ability to create dynamic displays.

Free Parking on Site

To apply, please visit our website www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk  

I am currently seeking a bright plant area retailer to join the team at a large award winning independent. 

I am seeking candidates with previous plant retail experience who can join a challenging environment. 

Horticultural qualifications are preferred but experience in a garden centre will also be of interest. 

Candidates must be excellent at customer service and will be keen to take on a role where excellence is expected.

To discuss further, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #6881

Stanmore Plant Area Department Head - full time, including alternate weekends.

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centres based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire, with GCA award winning plant areas.  We are committed to growing our business and to promoting the highest standards in plant and horticultural retailing.  We want our employees to enjoy working with us in a friendly, energetic, customer focused environment. 

Stanmore is a thriving site in a busy suburb of North London, winner of GCA category awards, also featuring a large Pets & Aquatics department and cafe.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our garden centre at Stanmore.  You will be responsible for managing the outdoor plant department which has an extensive and well stocked plant area.

You must have experience and/or horticultural qualifications and garden centre/retail experience.  You will be able to manage your department to achieve sales and profit targets whilst motivating your team to maximise all sales opportunities and inspiring them to offer the highest standards of customer service.

You must have the ability to thrive in a fast paced environment, have a passion for plants, be highly motivated, commercially aware and able to create dynamic, inspirational displays.

Free Parking on Site

To apply, please visit our website www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk  

My client is a large independent garden centre with an excellent reputation in the industry.

They are currently looking for a talented horticulturist with good retail experience to join their team.

You will be responsible for leading a team in the shrub area of the plantarea, and will be responsible for maintaining quality of both the customer service and the plants.

The planteria team must have excellent plant knowledge and would be able to potentially cover other areas outside of shrubs.

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #6291

William Sinclair Horticulture has finished location shooting in South Africa of the launch TV commercials for its new Growing Success GrowQube® tomato planter and Deadfast 4L RTU weedkiller spray.

The 30 second commercials will start to air on March 26 and the campaign will run until the end of June – including prime time slots on ITV1, Channel 4 and several Sky channels. It required a production team of 75 people to complete the week-long shoot in Capetown under the direction of Sinclair Marketing Director, Simon McArdle.

Local production company, Groundglass first had to find a garden location without tropical or native plants so that it could be made to look like a natural English garden.

Erica Brumage who directed the GrowQube® video, said: “I wanted to capture a little girl’s delight in the joy of growing her own tomatoes and I’m sure the final cut will stir the emotions of a British audience.”

The Deadfast Weedkiller commercial required a different approach. Director Ari kruger was commissioned to bring the effectiveness of the product to life using a complex mix of live action and CGI special effects. He said: “The Deadfast brief called for drama and excitement,” he said, “and viewers will pay attention, for sure.”

“It’s an intensive process, but extremely rewarding,” said Simon McArdle. “Winter filming requires that we follow the sun to the Western Cape of South Africa. It’s a big investment but we anticipate it will be returned with interest when these new products hit the shelves. The agency, production company and the directors have exceeded all our expectations.”

Creative and media work was done by Jola Jackson from Sinclair’s London agency, Premier Communications. “We approached this brief in a very innovative way,” she said, “and this enabled us to give our clients exceptional results and value for money.”

For trade enquiries, call Decco on 01635 556600 or contact Sinclair on 01522 780300; or see the Sinclair online trade area at www.william-sinclair.co.uk/gardening/trade. E-mail enquiries may be sent to info@william-sinclair.co.uk.

In practice, this means that the UK division will now be able to independently make its own trading decisions, which ensures that all decision-making is faster.

A statement from the company read:

"For our trade customers, there will be no change – it’s business as usual – actually, it will be better! The changes will enable us to better meet the needs of our customers and the consumer.

"Our 2015 operational plan is in progress and we’re excited by the opportunity for our new products to drive new sales opportunities for both our customers and for Scotts. There are no changes to our supply chain, and we will continue to provide excellent service levels to all our customers.

"These changes do mean, sadly, that Martin Breddy has left the company. Martin’s role as Scotts Miracle-Gro’s VP and General Manager of the UK and Asia Pacific spanned two worldwide regions. Martin leaves us on a high in his personal career, having been pivotal to the thriving position of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the UK, culminating in the highly successful acquisition of the Solus business last year. We wish Martin every success in his new ventures."

Sheila Hill has replaced Martin as UK General Manager, so the company is in very safe hands moving forward. Sheila has worked for Scotts Miracle-Gro for many years. She started 18 years ago as Lawns Brand Manager. More recently, her role was Vice President and International Marketing Lead, working on new product development, strategy and marketing plans across all the European countries.

There are no changes to our local sales and marketing teams, which continue to be led by Rainer Schubert and Paula Parker respectively.

Sheila says: “I am delighted to take the baton from Martin and lead the UK business. I have been fortunate to stay close to the UK business in my international marketing roles, and know it and many of our key customers very well. I look forward to immersing myself in the UK business and am lucky to have the support of the existing UK Management Team to continue to drive the business forward. The UK is already the star performer in the Scotts’ portfolio and with these changes we will drive even more value for the consumer as well as greater growth for our customers as well as for Scotts.”

Onion sets and seed potatoes from Taylors Bulbs are the flavours of the moment in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart.

With 25 of the Top 50 bestselling lines by volume it’s no surprise that eight Taylors products make up the bulk of the Top 10 with Stutgarter Giant Onion sets just outselling Red Baron again at the top of the chart.

Other strong performers:

• Mr Fothergill’s Beetroot Boltardy seed packs are this week’s highest new entry at No 20.
• Thompson & Morgan Rocket Dragons Tongue and Suttons Climbing French Bean Cobra are venomous new seed entries this week.

Jack’s Magic from Westland looks set to dominate the GTN Bestsellers Growing Media chart for January again.

Last year it was the No 1 bestselling line all the way through to February as keener gardeners take advantage of early bird offers.  This year it’s at No 1 for the third week running with sales volumes equal to the total of the next 17 lines. 

Other strong performers:

• Ericaceous compost sales have seen a boost this week.
• Scotts Levington Ericaceous Compost 50l jumps nine places with a 70% increase.
• Westland’s 25l Gro-Sure Ericaceous Compost packs are the highest entry at No 36.

Post-Christmas orchid feed product sales are the big story of this week’s GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart. Nine items feature in the Top 50 with Vitax Orchid Drip Feeders taking the No 1 spot for the first time.

Other top performers include:

• Growth Technology Orchid Myst 300ml is the highest re-entry at No 21.
• Fito have four drip feeder lines in the Top 50, including Bonsai and Poinsettia mixes.
• Bayer’s top selling houseplant line is the perennial Baby Bio Original at No 7.

Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra printed newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2012 as well as 2013 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most upto date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.