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How are suppliers faring during lockdown - Westland, Smart, Evergreen Garden Care and others are getting ready for re-opening of garden centres
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Last week we asked garden centres how they and their teams were after the quietest Easter ever and as the story has been so well read we thought this week we should ask suppliers how they are faring with the crisis...
“Garden centres will have plenty of opportunities when they get to re-open. There will still be 25 million households trapped at home and many of them will be starting a brand-new relationship with their garden..."
“The landscape is moving quickly, and demand is remarkably strong. Independent garden centres have been super creative and entrepreneurial. I think the season will be longer than usual..."
“After 6 month's of wet, gloomy weather, the clocks going forward, an ideal date for Easter, everyone is 'up for gardening' . . . then this happens!"
“The next few months are going to be critical for our industry. Retailers and their suppliers are totally inter-dependent and the only way of getting through this will be by working together for the common good..."
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Read comments from Simon McArdle, Mark Portman, Steve Harper, Andy Chalmers, Paris Natar, Nick Davies, James Hoad, David Nicholson, Tim Jeffries, Guy Jenkins, Millie Ferns, Jenny Douthwaite, Jackie Eades, Mark Pitman and Stephen Illingworth
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Behind the scenes at Baytree Click & Collect
The benefits of a large family mean that while almost all of the staff are on furlough leave, family members are working all hours to keep their 3 delivery vehicles and a steady stream of click and collect customers supplied...
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Greenfingers Charity’s #floralfriday continues to bring a little floral cheer to the nation
The third #floralfriday (Friday 17th April 2020) saw floral creations galore as garden lovers, young and old, once again donned their favourite floral attire or shared floral pictures across social media...
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Analogue survival for garden centres in a digital world
Garden centres are deploying extraordinary tactical agility with a generous dollop of staff loyalty and a large helping of true grit in order to survive writes industry consultant Jane Lawler...
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Dobbies launches Little Seedlings at home
Dobbies Garden Centres are encouraging children to get green fingered this season, and has launched its popular Little Seedlings Club online...
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Use of Black Plastic in UK Packaging Continues to Drop
RECOUP’s Black Plastic working group estimates that black packaging used in the UK has dropped from around 36,000 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes going into 2020...
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Gardenex recruits exhibitors for spoga+gafa as Government confirms grants of £1,500 for eligible SMEs
As preparations for spoga+gafa continue ahead of its planned date of 6-8 September 2020 in Cologne, Germany, the Gardenex export association has been successfully recruiting UK exhibitors for the event...
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Woodlodge’s Richard Newton raises a staggering £7686 for Greenfingers Charity
When Ambassador, Richard Newton, ‘drove-in’ as Men’s Captain of Erewash Golf Club, he nominated Greenfingers charity to benefit during his reign as Captain. Along with Lady Captain Judith Evans, they and club members raised a staggering £7686 for Greenfingers Charity...
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GIMA urging retailers to keep cash flow active during lockdown
GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall, said: “The continued closure of garden retailers understandably leads to a need to control expenditure, however, halting the flow of cash through the supply chain is not the answer. There is no question that for some suppliers, lack of payment could lead to their untimely demise..."
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Thank you for reading GTNXtra in such high numbers
Thank you from the team at GTNXtra for all the reading and sharing of our e-mail newsletter during this crisis period. Our stories about Easter feedback from garden centres have beaten all records in terms of number of individual story clicks and the amount of time spent reading GTNXtra which has jumped by over 65%. Thank you.
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Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
with all the news direct to your e-mail inbox...
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Garden product supplier provides plastic for NHS visors
Thanks to a donation of plastic from Desch Plantpak a South Durham state-funded technical school for 14-19 year olds has been making visors for the NHS...
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Recoup include film recyclability guidance in plastic packaging design publication
Recycling charity, RECOUP has released its updated Recyclability by Design publication to include guidelines for recyclability of plastic film...
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Hillier Trees prepare for a positive post covid-19 future
Hillier Nurseries, Amenity Tree Division is continuing to replenish stocks after a record-breaking winter planting season, with sales currently 31% up on the previous exceptional year...
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Garden Radio charges on hold
Thanks to help from suppliers and licence authorities Garden Radio charges have been put on hold from Tuesday 24th March 2020 when the lockdown started...
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The best of last week's
If you missed last week's GTN Xtra, below are the most-read stories...
After the quietest Easter ever, how are you and your team?
Usually on Easter Monday, GTN Xtra’s Trevor Pfeiffer contacts garden centres to ask how their Easter trading has gone, but not this year. Instead we just asked: How are you and your team? And how are delivery services going? Will Click and Collect be part of your recovery strategy?
"It’s been manic! With three vehicles we’re managing 100 deliveries a day from phone orders."
“We’ve made sure we found a way through it all, after 49 years building the business I’m not about to throw in the towel."
"We have plans for changing our shop around to help customer flow and reduce the 'browsing' that we spend so much time perfecting."
"In conversations with customers on the phone especially the elderly it’s clear that many are bewildered and a call that takes 30 seconds to take an order often extends to 10 or 25 minutes as the team just chat."
“I have had my battle with the virus but now clear...
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Read comments from Green Pastures, Alton Garden Centre, Caulders, Perrywood, Haskins, The Gardens Group, Planters & Garden King, Fron Goch and Blue Diamond
"I just don't get how gardening is deemed non-essential then certain supermarkets put big banners with get ready for spring," more post Easter feedback
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After publishing GTN Xtra last night we've now had feedback from other centres including a record-breaking day online on Easter Monday at Longacres, how a veg hub is working wonders in Cornwall, how 12 vans are delivering up to 200 orders a day from Coolings, feedback from Matthew at Bents and comment from deepest Kent's Grovewell Garden Centres...
"I just don't get how gardening is deemed non-essential then certain supermarkets put big banners with get ready for spring etc and roll it out also selling clothes, homewares etc. It just seems like everyone is finding ways to bend the rules."
“It’s very intense work and there is no let up all day. We're still all smiling though, and it just hammers home to me what a great crew I have.”
“We know that we are making no more money (or losing no less) than those who have closed their doors completely and furloughed all their staff. What we do have is a core of enthusiastic staff who are keeping busy and that has to be a good thing for mental wellbeing as well as keeping some wheels of trade in motion which is good for the local economy.”
“We had a record-breaking day online on Easter Monday when we opened up a new load of delivery slots. Demand is exceptional and we’ve had some great feedback from people who are immensely grateful for our delivery services.”
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Read comments from Grovewell, Bents, Coolings, Longacres and Pengelly Garden Centres
GrowNation could be a good answer to organisation challenges of garden centre delivery systems
Following the launch of GrowNation, the free E-Commerce web site for garden centres, GTN Xtra has been asking Steve Meleka to give more information about the site and the reasons behind the initiative...
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Derek Spicer, Kilworth Conifers dies
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Derek Spicer, owner of Kilworth Conifers, passed away on March 30th from complications following surgery for oesophageal cancer. He was 77...
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John Grayson joins Hozelock
Hozelock announces the appointment of John Grayson as Commercial Director for UK and Ireland, Scandinavia and Southern Hemisphere...
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GTN Xtra - Send to all
If you want to keep your staff up to date with what's happening in the industry during the lockdown how about adding a link to the GTN Xtra weekly e-mail newsletter into your staff communications...
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Garden Centre Photo Tours
If you've missed one of our popular photo tours of garden centres then click on the links below:
Haskins Snowhill re-opens after £15m re-vamp
Haskins Garden Centre in Snowhill, Crawley, has opened its doors to customers following a 12-month refurbishment costing £15m...
Read more and see GTN Xtras photo tour of the new centre
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