Visitors will have the opportunity to select from three names put forward by colleagues at the centre:

• Wolds View – Trevor Blake and Simon Nagle favourite scenic view of the Wolds from the plant area
• Banovallum – historic Roman name for Horncastle as suggested by Richard Howitt
• Horncastle – Because we are proud to be joining the Horncastle community

Wyevale Garden Centres will be donating £500 to local voluntary emergency services charity Lives in recognition of the community’s support for the initiative.

Crowders Garden Centre has for many years supported Lives, and Wyevale Garden Centres is delighted to continue to support this fantastic local initiative. Specially designed voting boxes will be located in the centre from 8th February 2016, and visitors are invited to place a bulb in the voting box representing their name of choice. Voting will run through to 28th February inclusive.

Ken Dawson, Garden Centre Manager, Crowders Garden Centre, said: “We are thrilled to invite visitors at Crowders to play an important role in shaping the future name of the centre to ensure the new name is in keeping with its rich history and heritage, and chimes with local community values.”

Trevor Blake, a long serving member of staff at Crowders Garden Centre, said: “Crowders has so much heritage and we are delighted to be part of the renaming process. I have been a colleague at the centre for 15 years and it is thrilling have an input in this significant change for the centre.”

Martin is well known and respected in the horticultural industry having spent over a decade with the Scotts Miracle Gro Company where he was promoted to the Managing Director position UK in 2005 and subsequently took on the role of Regional Vice President in charge of the UK and Asia Pacific areas. Prior to that Martin’s experience includes many years with Unilever and subsequently Glendinning Management Consultants.

Martin is a graduate of Cambridge University and has attended the Harvard Business School Executive Programme. He was also Chairman of the UK Growing Media Association 2009 – 2011. Martin is cricketing enthusiast and is chairman of Frensham Cricket Club where he is voluntary coach to the youth section and has realised a long-term ambition to qualify as an ECB coach.

Spring Fair at the NEC was the place to be this week if you were buying in order to keep up with the latest trends.

The events organisers, i2i Events, helpfully provided a Top 20 Trending Products display to give you a head start.

But here are some of the trends discovered by our own team of Spring Fair roving reporters. See the gallery of pictures too.

Colours for painted metal garden furniture, for so long dominated by cream and white, are now distinctly pastel-shaded. Acording to Ascalon Design, pale blue (pictured) is now among their top selling finishes.

Tractor seats are officially funky indoors and outdoors, say Ascalon. Gloss-painted in shades of red, green and blue, they make a strong heritage statement.

Natural unpainted wood was everywhere at Spring Fair. An eye-catcher on the Minster stand was a carved wooden set of the Seven Dwarfs (or Dwarves, for the educated), while Dutch Imports had a range of furniture and ornaments in similarly naked glory ready for painting, varnishing, oiling or shabby-chic-ing.

Over at Besp-Oak, a popular supplier of oak furniture to garden centres, we loved their new range of wooden crates, evoking a by-gone age, and the new grey paint finish on certain furniture ranges was attracting plenty of interest from discerning buyers.

The grow-your-own trend shows no sign of fading, according to Mr Fothergill’s Seeds, who report that veg seeds continue to outsell flower seeds by some. Margin. Trending strongly in this category, they tell us, are micro greens as more consumers embrace healthy eating.

The popularity of firepits increases year-on-year, tapping in to the social essence of outdoor entertaining all year round. Kadai Firebowls, best known for their jumbo-size models, were showing their first mini-bowl - targeting keen al fresco cooks who are happy to have two or three different foods on the go.

Products designed to encourage us to take an interest in bee conservation could be found in the home, garden and gift aisles – but the prize for impact has to go to Wildlife World for their giant Bee Nester, a must for any garden centre wildlife department with the space and range to back it up.

History & Heraldry are hugely popular suppliers of personalised Christmas lines to garden centre – but they tell us their offering of scented candles is fast becoming their star performer. The new gondola display is a winner. Also destined for sales success are the new personalised candle cups for the special people in our lives.

Finally, if designer goods are your bag, you won’t want to miss the ‘Sophie’s Garden’ series of gift kits from Burgon & Ball in collaboration with Sophie Conran  – they come in wildflower, edible flower and herb versions – which received a Gift of the Year 2016 award from the Giftware Association. And Briers had their so-stylish William Morris honeysuckle-design garden toolbag featured on i2i’s Trending Area display.

• Garden Products - down 21%
• Veg-2-Gro - down 6%
• Growing Media - up 19%
• All Items Index - up 8%

Aylett Nurseries near St Albans and The Old Railway Line Garden Centre near Brecon hosted the first of the 2016 Love Your Plot Masterclasses and they were both hailed as a great success.

Delegates heard about the Love the Plot You’ve Got campaign to encourage the 30-45 year olds to visit and enjoy their plots. They discussed some theory and took part in various exercises, then they were tasked with building six inspirational and aspirational displays.

Ian Boardman, who facilitated the days, commented: ” The results were amazing. Such enthusiasm and creativity was released!”

This is what delegates said about the day:

• “Very informative and enjoyable”
• “Really enjoyed it. Will go back and inspire my staff”
• “Great tips and increased enthusiasm to create scenes back at our centre”
• “It was very informative and made me look at things differently”
• “Fresh ideas for the beginning of the season”
• “Interesting content”
• “How to make the best of an area to drive sales”

The next Love Your Plot Masterclass is in the North West at Barton Grange on 22 March. See the table below for other dates.

Email Ian Boardman at i.boardman@btinternet.com for more details or to book.

    

Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day is set to take place on Friday 18^th March 2016 - but already the fundraising has begun!  Twitter has already started buzzing with those looking to lose weight after the festive period, and Greenfingers is inviting them to feel even better about themselves by raising money to help create more children's hospice gardens.

The idea is that for each pound participants lose between now and Garden Re-Leaf Day, they can collect a pound from their sponsors, to be donated to Greenfingers after the 18th March.

Linda Petrons, Head of Fundraising at Greenfingers, Debs Skilicorn, Director of Greenfingers and GTN's very own Trevor Pfeiffer are all bravely taking part and want to encourage others to step up to the challenge.

You can sponsor Trevor on his target to loose 1 stone between the GCA Conference and Garden Re-Leaf Day by clicking: https://www.justgiving.com/Trevor-Pfeiffer.  "Immediately after conference I went down with a bout of man flu, so I was only able to get the diet up and running on Wednesday 3rd February.  My start weight was registered as 15 stone 4 pounds and Saturday 3rd February was the second day of my 5:2 Fast diet plan.  

"On that plan I can eat normally on non-fast days but only a maximum of 600 calories on fast days.  The start was particularly tough, feeling very hungry during the evening, but worthwhile as after two fast days I'd already lost 3 pounds in weight.

"Last week I managed to fit in 3 fast days and I've lost a further 2 pounds to get below the 15 stone mark.

"That means I have at least another 9 pounds to loose between now and Garden Re-Leaf Day and with your help I'll raise even more money for Greenfingers.

Next week could be tricky as I'm travelling every day visiting garden centres in the UK and in Holland as part of the HTA Study Tour to the Garden Retail Experience.  I wonder if any of them sell meals with less than 600 calories?

"I'll keep you all updated with my progress in future issues of GTN Xtra.  Thank you to all the people who have already sponsored me."

If you are interested in taking part, here are a few pointers to help you get started:

• If you find it hard to lose weight then don't go overboard - aim for a realistic target
• On the other hand, don't aim too low - challenge yourself and encourage sponsorship!
• Let others know you’re trimming down so you can rely on them to hold you to account.  Post on social media, using the hashtag #Pounds4Greenfingers what you plan to do and why you are doing it.  Why not post before and after photos too?  You'll be surprised at just how much motivation it will give you knowing others are keeping an eye on your progress!
• Take up a short term gym membership, -.   or join a local sports or slimming club - there are tonnes of support group options at this time of year so you needn't be alone!

Garden Re-Leaf 2016 has already attracted eight top industry figures who will be staging 24 hour Plant-athons in garden centres beginning  their Plant-athons on Thursday 17th and finishing on Friday the 18th.  Poplars, Adrian Hall and Sunshine Garden Centres have all recently confirmed they will put on Garden Re-Leaf events in store.

• Spring Days 2016: 11-12 April (the fair will also be opened in the evening of the 11th)
• Summer Days 2016: 30-31 May (the fair will also be opened in the evening of the 30th)
• Winter/Christmas Fair 2016: 8 November.
• The Autumn Fair will take place from 24 until 26 August 2016 (coinciding with the major Plantarium fair). This and the Spring Fair are the largest fairs of the year.

This latest initiative from Gardenex and PetQuip is supported and part-funded by UK Trade & Investment, making it a very cost-effective way for suppliers to meet with key buyers from leading overseas markets.   

The international garden product buyers travelling to the UK to meet with British suppliers are:

•  A retailer from Dubai that is now looking to expand its activities by setting up distribution across the GCC states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and across the UAE – as well as India.  Targets will be leading retailers such as supermarkets, mega-stores, department stores and hardware and other garden-related retailers as well as landscaping companies.  The company is now looking for additional garden and landscape-related products suitable for distribution to the Middle East markets.  Potential innovative items to sell via its own retail outlet will also be of interest.  The buyer’s company stocks a wide range of garden, outdoor leisure and landscaping items and operates a continuous programme of new product introductions.

•  A US web store and mail-order operation that has a  philosophy of sourcing and selling unique tools and other practical accessories of ‘exceptional quality and solid value’.  The company’s focus is on tools, not only for gardening but also for woodworking, DIY, craft and model-making.  The gardening range extends beyond tools to accessories of striking quality that have something different to offer the consumer.  This currently includes items such as gloves, watering-cans,  irrigation equipment, thermometers, harvesting-bags and glass-blown bird-feeders. 

•   A French distributor of practical supplies to the professional horticultural sector.  The company sells a range of over 3,500 items via its online shop and printed 116-page catalogue.  Its customers include professional gardeners, groundsmen and plant nurseries, in addition to forestry and vineyard operations.  In recent years the company has also attracted interest from keen amateur gardeners looking for quality tools and equipment, and currently handles all types of gardening and horticultural tools, cutting and pruning tools, together with some powered items.  It also covers many other practical accessories such as bulb planters, pots, border-edging, watering equipment, plant-labels, pH meters and thermometers, insect/pest repellents/traps and protective clothing. 

The international pet product buyers are:

• A long-established Spanish importer/distributor/wholesaler of pet products that supplies independent pet shops and chains.  The company’s portfolio embraces pet foods and a broad range of accessories for dogs and cats, along with equipment for small mammals, reptiles, fish and caged birds.  In addition to supplying independent pet shops and pet chains, the company has a cash and carry store in Barcelona.  The company is currently working with many well-known European brands and is already importing from the UK.  The buyer is looking to add to his range and is particularly keen to meet suppliers of pet treats and biscuits.  The company exhibits at the Spanish pet trade fair Iberzoo.

• A chain of around 30 pet shop franchises from Finland.  The company also operates a wholesale company which supplies its own shops and other retailers. The stores sell food, pet care products and all types of accessories for dogs, cats, small mammals, reptiles, birds and aquarium fish.  In addition, the company has an online shop selling direct to consumers.  The buyer is looking for new items for both the pet chain and the wholesale company, and is interested in meeting suppliers of any pet items that do not already have a distributor in Finland.  Products that will be of interest include new cat and dog food ranges that are grain free, wet food for cats, meaty treats for dogs and cats and new items for rodents. 

‘Meet the Buyers’ events held by the two associations over many years have all resulted in export business for attending delegates.  To ensure that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to apply for 25 minute one-to-one meetings with any of the buyers on 2 March please contact theresa@gardenex.com as soon as possible.

Plant Area Manager (Full time, including alternate weekends)

West Horsley KT24 6AR

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centre’s based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire. We are committed to 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.

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.  

• 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 

Bedding Department Head (Full time, including alternate weekends)

West Horsley KT24 6AR

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centre’s based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire. We are committed to 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.

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.  

• 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/or 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 

• Service - able to sell through service and demonstrate to the team how to do this.
• People - great at developing a team, leading by example and holding the team accountable.
• Process - able to get to grips quickly with process, understand them, follow to the letter and coach on them.
• Standards - able to live and breed leading standards, not accepting second best and challenging the team to deliver the best they can.
• Planning - someone who can plan and think what is needed to be achieved / delivered tomorrow, next week etc. not just living for the day.
• Task - someone who is happy to be hands on but not to do the work of the team for them.

• Subject Matter Expert: Provide horticultural expertise and guidance (plant naming, plant identification, plant descriptions, gardening and horticultural instructions, etc). Work closely with the wider company community (the FM Support Group team and other companies in the group) to improve the quality of plant content and data services etc.

• Plant Content (descriptive and parameters): Sanitise plant lists supplied by customers (correction of plant names, etc). Originate, amend, maintain and develop plant content (descriptive text and parameter information) within a database, according to the commercial needs of our customers, and determined as useful by the teams within the company. Bring together and maintain a team of freelancers (horticultural copywriting, parameters, general proof reading) who can support the delivery of plant content. Lead the creation of "standard" descriptive text and parameter information, which can be used by other UK teams.

• Plant Content (images): Carry out picture selections, as required by Projects and Creative Teams. Support the image needs of the Creative Team.

• Image Management: Manage the contract arrangements and documentation for 3rd party image use. Manage the Picture Rental Service, looking after the contract arrangements, documentation and invoicing.

• Marketing Copywriting: Write copy for marketing activities (B2B). Play an active role in the Marketing Team.

Plant Area Sales Assistant (Full time, including alternate weekends)

Twickenham TW2 5PA

Squire’s is a family owned group of 15 garden centre’s based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire. We are committed to 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.

Squire’s oldest site with a new centre built in 1993, and is about to undergo a significant facelift.  A garden centre that takes a very high turnover for its size, with a strong horticultural focus in plants and sundries, often winning GCA category awards, with the recent addition of new Pets & Aquatics and Craft areas.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated individual who is quick and willing to learn and who sees customer service as their main priority.

• The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and energetic, have a passion for plants and an eye for creating exciting detailed displays.
• Horticultural experience or equivalent qualifications desirable.
• 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 

• A proven track-record in the industry along with good management and supervisory skills.
• Excellent plant knowledge and a good background in horticultural retailing is a must for this role as they offer over 3 acres of quality plants from their own nursery as well as choice plants sourced from a variety of other suppliers.
• Salary will be competitive and depend on experience and what you can bring to the role.

• Woodlodge Hanging Pot (Violet) is the highest new entry at No 3.
• Woodlodge also have the highest climber in their No 2 Spectrum Pot, moving up 34 places to No 14.
• A place behind is another new entry, this time from Town & Country with their Professional Master Gardener Gloves.
• Highest re-entry is Gardman Pressure Treated Softwood Square Tree Stake at No 16.

• Taylors Rhubarb Red Champagne is the highest re-entry at No 6.
• The highest new entry is Suttons Carrot St Valery at No 18 and they also have another newcomer in Leek Neptune at No 21.
• The highest climber, jumping 39 places to No 8, is Taylors Onion Sets Karmen.

• Westland Multipurpose + John Innes (60 litres) is the highest re-entry at No 18.
• A place behind is the highest climber in Westland Gro-Sure Ericaceous Compost & 4 Month Feed (50 litres), jumping 26 spots.
• The highest new entry is Westland The Gardener’s Seed & Potting Mix (50 litres).
• Arthur Bowers Multipurpose Compost (50 litres) moves up a place to top spot.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Hailed as the world’s first patio buddleja, all colours within the Buzz series have gone down a storm with UK gardeners looking for a more manageable way of adding the iconic flower spikes of buddleja to their planting displays.  The dwarf variety reaching little more than 4ft (1.2m) in height, retains the best qualities of its larger cousin B. davidii, but has done away with all its negative aspects.

Not only do plants in the series remain bushy and compact for container growing, they will grow in almost any free-draining soil too. The scented flower spikes have extremely low fertility, virtually removing the risk of self seeding in the garden – or worse, in brickwork and hard landscaping features – something that has seen B. davidii added to the UK invasive plant species list, vastly reducing its appeal with the gardening public. While Buzz blooms won’t set seed, they are the only dwarf variety to retain the large flower size of B. davidii and  certainly produce a lot of nectar - an essential attribute if gardeners are to help conservationists turn around the dramatic decline in UK butterfly populations*.

These unique attributes, plus a new colour-break, set the Thompson & Morgan entry apart from the crowd, with award judges stating: “Buddleja ‘Buzz Indigo’ has the potential to revitalise Buddleja sales with the support of a good marketing campaign, regenerating the market for the species.”

This is the second time that Thompson & Morgan’s exclusive dwarf buddleja series has been applauded at the UK Grower Awards, considered by industry insiders to be the Oscars of the plant world. In 2010, following an extensive breeding programme at its Ipswich HQ, Thompson & Morgan launched the first colour in the Buddleja ‘Buzz’ series - ‘Lilac’, which quickly took the title of Best New Plant Variety at the 2010 award bash.

Since then T&M Plant Breeding Team has been developing new flower colours to maximise the potential of this groundbreaking series, which has transformed the way buddlejas are used in UK gardens.   Buddleja ‘ Buzz™ Indigo’ was launched for the 2015 gardening season, joining ‘Lilac’, ‘Magenta’, ‘Sky Blue’, ‘Candy Pink’ and ‘Ivory’.

After a positive start of the first Spring Fair of 2016, Floralis Boskoop will organize an extra Spring Fair to enable Garden centres, Wholesalers, Exporters and Landscapers to get acquainted with the extended Nursery Stock Floralis Boskoop offers.

Visitors do have the possibility to buy shelves, trolleys or single pieces of the presented nursery stock either at the fair or at home through the Web shop or the Shop app. Team members of Floralis Boskoop are present to advise on subjects such as optimal stock management, online buying and expansion of the nursery stock range in the store.

Venue: Cash & Carry Floralis Boskoop, Denemarkenlaan 9  in Hazerswoude (The Netherlands)

When:                                 February 16th till 19th, 2016

Opening hours:                 7.30 am till 5 pm

More information: www.floralisboskoop.nl

• Tim Edwards, Chairman, Boningale Ltd
• Ed Birchall, Principal Plant Health & Seeds Inspector, APHA
• John Elphinstone, Bacteriologist, Fera Science Ltd
• Marcus Cousins, Horticultural Manager at Aylett Nurseries
• Raoul Curtis-Machin, Head of Horticulture, Horticultural Trades Association
• Andrew Wilson, Technical Manager, ICL UK & Ireland
• Dr Colin Mumford, Bayer Crop Science
• Derek McCann, Principal Plant Health & Seeds Inspector, APHA
• Richard McIntosh, Defra’s Assistant Chief Plant Health Officer
• James Smith, Deputy Head Plant and Bee Health Policy, Defra
• Andrea Deol, Defra

This highly anticipated event is the pinnacle of the gardening calendar for the trade where winners of the coveted awards will be revealed at a glittering gala dinner.  

More details will be revealed next month, when the GIMA website will be open for entries. For further information call the GIMA office on 01959 564947.

Finalists:

• Dunbar Garden Centre
• Keelham Farm Shop Thornton
• Langlands Leeds
• Langlands Sheffield
• Perrywood Garden Centre
• Pughs Radyr
• The Old Railway Line Garden Centre

Bronze: Waresley Park Garden Centre

Silver: Fresh @ Burcot Garden Centre

Silver: Perrywood Garden Centre

The Greatest Grotto Team 2015

Finalists:

• Arcadia Garden Centre
• Baytree Garden Centre
• Brigg Garden Centre
• Cherry Hill Garden & Landscape Centre
• Gouldings Garden Centre
• Keelham Farm Shop Thornton
• Millbrook Gravesend
• Newbank Radcliffe
• Silica Lodge Garden Centre
• Whitehall Lacock
• Wyevale Worlds End

Regional Winners:

• South West: Chaplins Superstore
• North West: Gordale Garden & Home Centre
• North East: Woodbank Garden Centre
• Wales: Pughs Radyr
• Northern Ireland: Hillside Garden Centre
• Scotland: Hetland Garden Centre

Bronze: Chessington Garden Centre     

Silver: Ruxley Manor Garden Centre

The Greatest Festive Plants Team 2015

Finalists:

• Burston Garden Centre
• Cowells Garden Centre
• Gordale  Garden & Home Centre
• Langlands Shiptonthorpe
• Millbrook Gravesend
• Munros Nurseries
• Newbank Halifax
• Pughs Radyr
• Snowdonia Nurseries & Garden Centre
• Van Hage Great Amwell
• Wyevale Gosforth
• Wyevale Swansea

Regional Winners:

• London: Aylett Nurseries
• East: Perrywood Garden Centre
• Northern Ireland: Creative Gardens Donaghadee
• Midlands: St Peters Worcester
• Scotland: Simpsons Garden Centre

Bronze: Bents Garden & Home

Silver: Barton Grange Garden Centre

The Greatest Christmas Sizzle Team 2015

Finalists:

• Langlands Shiptonthorpe
• Mere Park Garden Centre
• Sunshine Garden Centre
• Van Hage Great Amwell
• Van Hage Peterborough

Bronze: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre

Bronze: Langlands Shiptonthorpe

Silver: Fairways Garden Centre

Gold: Hillmount Garden Centre





A gallery of pictures (below) from the gold award winners is sponsored by Kaemingk...

The Greatest Festive Catering Team 2014

Finalists:

• Burford Garden Company
• Frosts Woburn Sands
• Haskins Snowhill
• Haskins West End
• Hilltop Garden Store
• Perrywood Garden Centre
• Scotsdales Fordham
• Simpsons Garden Centre
• Torwood Garden Centre
• Wyevale Fairoak
• Wyevale Swansea

Regional Winners:

• Midlands: Jacksons Nurseries & Tea Rooms
• South: Squires Badshot Lea
• North: Woodbank Garden Centre
• South West: Whitehall Lacock
• Northern Ireland: Hillmount Garden Centre

Bronze: Fron Goch Garden Centre

Bronze: Haskins Roundstone

Silver: Bents Garden & Home

The Greatest Christmas Supplier 2015

Finalists:

• Allensmore
• Ascalon
• Florasilk
• SnowTime
• Konstsmide
• Swift Imports
• Wax Lyrical

Bronze: Festive Decorations

Silver: Kaemingk

The Greatest Pet Christmas Team 2015

Finalists:

• Baytree Garden Centre
• Cherry Hill Garden & Landscape Centre
• The Old Railway Line

Bronze: Raemoir Garden Centre

Silver: Planters Tamworth

Silver: Torwood Garden Centre

Gold: Bents Garden & Home

The Greatest Christmas Display Team 2015 – Small and Mid Sized Garden Centres

Small Centre Finalists:

• Blackbrooks Garden Centre
• Caerphilly Garden Centre
• Keelham Farm Shop Thornton
• Pughs Radyr

Mid-sized Centre Finalists:

• Almondsbury Garden Centre
• Birkacre Garden Centre
• Busy Bee Garden Centre
• Cherry Hill Garden and Landscape Centre
• Frosts Brampton
• Mere Park Garden Centre
• Millbrook Gravesend
• Newbank Halifax
• Sunshine Garden Centre

Bronze Small Centre: Munro's Nurseries

Silver Small Centre: Jacksons Boutique Garden Centre

Gold Small Centre: Silverbirch Garden Centre

Bronze Mid-sized Centre: Perrywood Garden Centre

Silver Mid-sized Centre: Burleydam Garden Centre

Silver Mid-sized Centre: Castle Gardens

Gold Mid-sized Centre: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre

The Greatest Christmas Display Team 2015 – Large and Group Garden Centres

Large Garden Centre Finalists:

• Aylett Nurseries
• Burford Garden Company
• Burston Garden Centre
• Frosts Woburn Sands                                                           
• Gordale Garden & Home Centre
• Hillside Garden Centre
• Newbank Radcliffe
• Pennells Lincoln
• Planters Tamworth
• Scotsdales Cambridge
• St Peters Worcester
• Van Hage Gt Amwell
• Whitehall Lacock
• Woodbank Garden Centre

Group Garden Centre Finalists:

• Brigg - British Garden Centres
• Grosvenor - Blue Diamond
• Houghton Hall - Klondyke
• Squires Badshot Lea
• Wyevale Swansea

Bronze Large Centre: Raemoir Garden Centre

Silver Large Centre: Bents Garden & Home     

Gold Large Centre: Barton Grange Garden Centre

Bronze Group Garden Centre: Littleheath Garden Store - Hillview

Silver Group Garden Centre: Haskins Snowhill

Silver Group Garden Centre: Spring - British Garden Centres

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 2013 as well as 2014 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 up-to-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.

• For more information on Garsons visit www.garsons.co.uk
• For information on Compass Instore visit www.weareinstore.co.uk
• For information on Abbey Leisure Furnishings visit www.abbeyleisurefurnishings.com
• The architect and planning consultant on the Garsons Garden Centre project was Malcom Scott Consultants Limited, www.malcolmscottcons.co.uk.
• The main contractor was Geo Hodges & Son Limited, www.hodges.co.uk. 
• Ifse is a leading foodservice design and build company. It specialises in all aspects of catering fit out, from supplying a new refrigerator to a complete restaurant design and build project. For more information see www.ifse.co.uk, call 020 8667 1167 or email sales@ifse.co.uk

One of the UK’s most popular gardening programmes, BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, is to be broadcast from The Edible Garden Show & Good Life Live – and members of the public can apply for free tickets to be in the audience at this special recording.

Gardeners’ Question Time (GQT) will be recorded on the Saturday of The Edible Garden Show which is being staged at the NAEC, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from March 11-13. During the programme members of the audience will have the chance to pose their gardening queries to a panel of experts who will include TV botanist James Wong, broadcaster Pippa Greenwood (pictured0 and outspoken Lancastrian Christine Walkden.

James, a presenter for BBC’s Countryfile, and prolific author Pippa will also be appearing in The Edible Garden Show’s Experts’ Theatre on all three show days giving specialist talks and advice to visitors. The BBC One Show’s resident gardening expert Christine will be on hand on the Sunday.

You do NOT have to have a ticket to The Edible Garden Show to attend this GQT recording but if you do want to visit the show itself, you will be required to purchase a ticket to gain entrance to the exhibition area. To enter a draw for free Gardeners’ Question Time tickets, please email your name, postal address and contact telephone number to gqt@bbc.co.uk with email subject: Ticket draw.

There are 200 GQT tickets to give away for Saturday, March 12 with the broadcast due to be recorded in a Stoneleigh Park conference room at 12.15pm. The audience will be selected at random on March 7, 2016 and those lucky enough to be selected will be notified via an email. The audience can bring along photos or small samples to accompany their questions if they wish to.

The Edible Garden Show, the UK’s ultimate grow your own event, will be bursting with innovative products, top exhibitors, home-grown produce, food, livestock and a new celebrity line-up of experts. As well as James Wong, Pippa Greenwood and Christine Walkden, other celebrities include wild food expert Mark Lloyd and flamboyant popular chef Rachel Green, who will be conjuring yummy, healthy meals from plot to plate, while ITV’s Love Your Garden presenters Frances Tophill and Katie Rushworth will be giving spades of advice on home-grown crops.

Doors to The Edible Garden Show and Good Life Live open at 10am and tickets cost £16 (£14 if booked in advance) with concessions for children and seniors.

For more show information or to buy tickets visit: www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk  or telephone 0844 338 8001

McCain Foodservice, Nestlé Professional, New York Bakery Company, Southern Wine Roads, The FoodFellas, Twinings, UCC Coffee, and Young’s Seafood are just some of exhibitors competing for Innovation Challenge Awards at this year’s sold out Casual Dining show, which returns to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on 24-25 February.

All products and services entered into the 2016 Innovation Challenge – designed to promote the best new casual dining innovations over the last twelve months – will have to win over the show’s visitors (including key buyers and decision makers from across the casual dining restaurant and pub sector) before making it through to the exciting live final.

Voting opens from 10am on Wednesday 24 February (the first day of the show) at the Innovation Challenge Gallery on the upper feature level.  Entrants securing the most votes before 4pm that day (one per visitor) will then be invited to ‘pitch’ their new innovations to a panel of industry judges in the Keynote Theatre the following day (at 12.30pm on Thursday 25 February, with the results to be announced at 2.45pm).

Returning judges include leading pub and restaurant entrepreneur Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive at Oakman Inns & Restaurants; Brian Whiting, owner of Whiting & Hammond; and Keith Bird, chief operating officer at Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

“Casual Dining is a hotbed of innovation…the most focused, most relevant, the best show of the year,” says GBK’s Keith Bird.

Casual Dining Innovation Challenge entries include:

• Prep Premium FireHouse – AAK Foodservice
• Marinated Potatoes – Aviko UK
• Gentleman’s Platter – Bar Foods
• Future of Dispense – Brewfitt
• Fat Free Frozen Yogurt Smoothie Base – Coolicious Frozen Yogurt
• Dairy Free Coconut & Mango Ice Cream – DiSotto Foods
• Just Add – JDM Food Group
• Chef’s Pass Liquid Onion Reduction – Kerry Chef’s Pass
• Sorriso Roasted Tomato Pesto – L'Aquila London
• Coconut LOVO – LOVO
• McCain Signatures Skin-on Fries – McCain Foodservice
• British Chicken Ballotine – Moy Park Foodservice
• Nestlé^® Coolpro™ CTS230 – Nestlé Professional   
• Bagel Sandwich Thins – New York Bakery Company
• Gluten Free Pastry Cases – Pidy
• Bee Me – rexmartins
• Monovarietal Grape Marc Distillates – Southern Wine Roads
• Frozen Individual Avocado Halves – The FoodFellas
• The Oval Eco Street Bowl – Tri-Star Packaging
• Twinings Chocolate Cookie Tea Shake – Twinings
• Ueshima’s Double Expresso Coffee – UCC Coffee UK & Ireland
• Young’s Premium Scottish Salmon Fillet in a Sweet Chilli & Ginger Butter Sauce – Young’s Seafood

Innovation Challenge Awards aside, the multi–award winning trade event for casual dining restaurant, pub and bar operators, will see 170 leading suppliers – including food and drink, catering equipment, interior design, furniture, table top, POS technology and services – vying for business across three floors of exhibition space. 

“Innovation is the life blood of the casual dining market.  We can all benefit from the huge advances in innovation, product development and technology.  Casual Dining has a great number of these suppliers on offer and is definitely worth the journey,” says Tim Foster, head of being awesome at The Yummy Pub Co.

The full exhibitor list is available to view at www.casualdiningshow.co.uk/exhibitor-list