Wyevale Garden Centres has today announced the sale of two centres, Barnett Hill and Seven Hills.

Barnett Hill has been sold to Cherry Lane, the value garden centre group (part of QD Group) and will continue to be run as a garden centre by the new owners. Staff at Barnett Hill will transfer to the new ownership.

Seven Hills has been sold to a property development and investment company. WGC will continue running Seven Hills under licence for up to six months during which time the company will be looking to find alternative employment for all staff members.

The deals are expected to complete during March.

Anthony Jones, Chief Operating Officer of WGC, said: “We are pleased to have agreed the sale of two more garden centres, taking the total sold since the start of the process to 48.

"We would like to thank our great colleagues at these centres and wish them well for the future, whether under new ownership or within Wyevale Garden Centres.

"We continue to evaluate and discuss a wide range of competitive offers and look forward to further positive discussions with all potential buyers.

"Meanwhile, the Spring gardening season has well and truly started and we are focusing our efforts on trading our remaining portfolio during this important period in the year.”

Christie & Co, the specialist business property advisor managing the sale process on behalf of WGC, has achieved considerable interest from a wide variety of buyers. The opportunity to acquire garden centres has ignited significant interest within the sector and beyond, and as part of the process Christie & Co continue to liaise with bidders.

Cherry Lane said it was delighted to announce the acquisition of Barnett Hill, Worcester Road, Stourbridge. This represents the third acquisition of its type over the last 12 months for the group as they continue to look for further sites as part of their on-going fully funded expansion strategy.
 
Nick Rubins, Chief Executive of the QD Group which owns Cherry Lane, said: “The acquisition of Barnett Hill Garden Centre is another great landmark in the ongoing growth and success of Cherry Lane. We are a family run business and this is a major purchase for our Group. We are very pleased to welcome the team from Wyevale and are looking forward to sharing with our customers our great value, excellent quality and ever-changing spectacular new deals.”
 
The Garden Centre will be known as Barnett Hill by Cherry Lane and will retain all staff enabling them to remain in their existing roles.
 
Cherry Lane will be working to introduce a number of key improvements and developments to the garden centre over the next few months to enhance customers enjoyment and experience of the great value and quality of products from garden furniture, comprehensive pet department and wild bird care not to mention seasonal special offers and the wonderful array of plants, many grown within the Group’s three nursery operations, located across the country.
 
Barnett Hill by Cherry Lane is now the 13th garden centre owned by Cherry Lane, the UK’s eighth biggest garden centre group.
 
For more information on Cherry Lane, visit www.cherry-lane.co.uk.

Michael Cooling, who joined his father Arthur in 1955 to form the partnership trading as Coolings Nurseries and commenced Garden Centre trading in the same year with the sale of fertilisers, insecticides, peat & compost died last Friday.

Since his retirement in 2002, Michael wrote several books about the history of Coolings including 'Blooming Wonderful' and 'From Smallholding to Garden Centre.'

A full obituary, along with funeral details will follow later this week.

Please use the comments button below to add your memories of Michael or e-mail them to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and we will add them to this story.

Newspan Building Solutions Ltd have started work at Tong Garden Centre as part of the site's £4million investment. Mark Farnsworth and Tom Megginson took over the centre in 2015 with the aim to not only re-establish Tong GC as the local icon it once was but to also further enhance the centres reputation and offering. The award-winning garden centre is now one of the biggest independently owned garden centres in Yorkshire and their new project will see them get even bigger.

Phase 1 of the new development will include a new warehouse, plant canopy, indoor soft play facility with family friendly coffee shop and an events building. Planning approval for the project, which is located in the Green Belt, was secured by Pleydell Smithyman and the work is already well underway.

Newspan have already completed the new warehouse and have started work on the new plant canopy, which is being extended off the existing building’s steelwork. Once complete the new plant sales area will feature overhead sectional glazed doors, providing a flexible covered sales area. Newspan will then move on to erect the 4-span building that will house the events area, soft play area and family coffee shop. The site will eventually welcome a two-storey building on site and lakeside cabins which will allow various educational and horticultural visits. Once the project is complete Tong will create additional 40 -50 jobs for the local community, something that is very important to the owners.

With garden centre buildings at the core of Newspan’s operation Mark Murray, the Director of Newspan, is thrilled to be a part of the job: “Tong is a fantastic project and we are excited to be underway. We knew of Tong Garden Centre before we became involved with the project and we really like what Mark and Tom have done with the site since taking ownership. The new development will no doubt have a fantastic response from their loyal customers and bring in a host of new ones”.

Gardening is hot!  As temperatures soared to record levels for February the nation's gardeners got out to garden centres in record numbers to add some cheer to their outside spaces. 

The GTN Bestsellers All Sales Index was up 8% on last year to be 15% higher than the average for February over the previous eight years.

One record month doesn’t necessarily mean we will have a bumper year, but with sales for March to compare with last year's “Beast from the East” lack of sales we are confident (given the Met office is only forecasting snow on higher ground during the latter part of March) that we will reach the end of March significantly up on last year.

The issue of sales then going forwards may be more of availability of plants and products as lines mature and sell through early and possible transport issues that could be caused by Brexit.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year: week 8

•           Garden Products Top 50 – up 27%

•           Growing Media Top 50 – up 76%

•           Wild Bird Care Top 50 – down 10%

•           Veg 2 Gro Top 50 – up 26%

•           All Plants index – up 72%

•           All Items index – up 43%

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

Brechin, Angus, Scotland

Chief Executive

To take full day to day responsibility for running a family owned two unit catering/retail/ destination business – Brechin Castle Garden Centre and Peggy Scotts Restaurant - jointly turning over in excess of £3m with 90 full and part time staff.

This is a senior management position requiring a relevant qualification and experience at senior level in both retail and catering.  Skills will include staff leadership, financial disciplines, retail buying including plants, an eye for detail, exceptional standards of tidiness and a strong work ethic.  An appetite to expand and diversify the business is also desirable.

The package will reflect skills and experience and will include competitive salary, pension scheme, and company car with accommodation option if required.

Applications with full CV to rc@dalhousieestates.co.uk

Record February temperatures certainly got people out buying plants!  The last week of February and a bright and sunny half term saw volumes up by 72% on the end of the month last year and total plant sales for February up by 13% to a new record level.

• Primula sales increased by 24% week on week.  When they sell out, what will you be promoting for instant spring colour?
• Taxus plants for hedging had a great week re-entering the chart at No 25.
• Bellis sales grew by over 250% to climb up the chart to No 8.

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

If you’re looking for a point of difference for your growing media and horticultural ranges, Bathgate could meet all your needs.

Bathgate products are manufactured to the highest horticultural standards to satisfy the full spectrum of gardening requirements.

The growing media range includes Multi-Purpose, All Purpose, John Innes formulations, John Innes-enriched mixes, Peat-Free Multipurpose, Ericaceous, Seed & Cutting, Rose, Tree & Shrub and special blends for bulbs, tubs and baskets and aquatics – all in clear eye-catching packaging designed to create a strong PoS presence.

Other horticultural products include grow-bags, farmyard manure, sand and grits, bark chips and decorative aggregate.

All the products are subject to rigorous testing on a regular basis at the company’s on-site laboratory in Cheshire.

Unlike a number of other brands, Bathgate products are not sold in grocery outlets or online, so garden centres and DIY retailers can be assured that they are offering customers a truly distinctive proposition.

What’s more, products can be delivered in mixed loads in any product combination, whether it’s a full load or a single pallet.

For more information, check the website (www.bathgatesilica.co.uk) or email them (sales@bathgatesilica.co.uk).

Being environmentally friendly is big news these days. As extreme weather made headlines around the world the UK saw one of its hottest summer’s on record people everywhere are starting to take this Global Warming stuff seriously. In fact, the number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers in England has plummeted by more than 85% after the introduction of the 5p charge.

So what are you offering as an alternative? And how do your Green credentials add up?

When using bags as a marketing tool you have to consider the primary use. Your customers will need something hardwearing, fairly rigid, a bag that will stand up on its own leaving hands free for easy loading and when not in use can be rolled up and stored with no loss of integrity.

Jute has all of these attributes. Not only is it strong and hard wearing, its hessian-style look adds to the “eco” image associated with a Bag for Life. If you want your brand to clearly shout “environmentally conscious” – jute is the way forward.

TMD supply and print jute bags with your logo or pattern of choice. We recently completed a project with Stewarts Garden Centres, and don’t they look great!

Various sizes are available.

Contact us for a quote today.

Bord na Móna has revealed plans to significantly increase its focus in the UK retail market over the next year as it readies for Brexit with the opening of a new distribution site in Cambridge. The news follows the company’s recent restructure as it decarbonises its business in Ireland and moves away from peat harvesting for energy and towards ‘greener’, more environmentally friendly alternatives.

The Irish company, which manufactures peat-free and peat-reduced composts and other growing media, currently exports its own-label and branded products to over 30 countries worldwide, with recent developments opening up new opportunities throughout the UK.

Steve Harper, Head of Commercial and Marketing for Bord na Móna UK, said:
“Our Irish roots will always remain at the core of the business, but with the reduction in peat usage and the uncertainty of Brexit looming it’s only sensible that we look to up-weight our trading focus in the UK – a market that has brought positive sales growth for us in recent years.”

In 2017, Bord na Móna acquired White Moss Horticulture, one of the largest green waste composting companies in the UK. The acquisition was the company’s first step towards mitigating the risks of Brexit, enabling a highly-improved logistics structure while further investing in the UK’s most modern growing media facility, all to meet with rising demand from British stockists.

Steve Harper added: “Bringing White Moss on board allowed us to strengthen our position with new supply chain, manufacturing, storage and distribution sites. This year will see the upsizing of White Moss which, together with the addition of our new distribution site, will help to facilitate increased volumes of production and distribution across the UK.”

Bord na Móna has already moved significant volumes of stock over to the UK to ensure continued control and complete confidence in its service, whatever the outcome of Brexit.

Whilst 2018 was a relatively flat year for growing media according to GfK data, Bord na Móna has experienced double digit growth supported by its purchase of White Moss. The business is now accelerating its investment programme in the UK to maximise its opportunities whilst aligning itself with government strategy to use less peat.

To find out more about Bord na Móna and the Bord na Móna Growise range, visit: www.thegreenergardener.com.

Weed, feed and control brand Neudorff has pledged to provide even more support to its retailers throughout 2019 and beyond.

2018 was a year of extreme weather, with snow in the spring and drought in the summer contributing to slow sales of garden care products. Keen to increase support for retailers in 2019 to help maximise sales, Neudorff is offering additional face-to-face staff training days and has introduced a beneficial trade communication programme.

“We are currently working with retailers to ensure they are equipped with everything they need from Neudorff in order to get the best from the season, from product training to keeping them up to date via face to face meetings and through our new monthly trade e-newsletter,” said Jude Beharall, sales director at Neudorff.

“As consumer awareness and demand for alternatives across the weed, feed and control sector grows it is important for us to focus our energy on ensuring that our retail partners are armed with all of the information they need to effectively communicate our wide product range, which includes the innovative fridge-free nematode products, glyphosate-free weedkillers, neonicotinoid-free bug and larvae killers and the metaldehyde-free slug and snail controls.”

In addition, Neudorff is keen to highlight that its UK warehouse is fully stocked for the 2019 season and beyond should there be any disruptions to imports following the Brexit decision on 29^th March 2019.

For more information visit www.neudorff-trade.co.uk or call 0121 767 1821.

Companies and organisations from across the industry made the most of the opportunity to showcase their new products and stories in front of the garden media this week at Garden Press Event, which took place at the Business Design Centre in London on Wednesday (27 February).

Over 300 journalists, photographers and influencers from key trade and consumer titles, national newspapers, specialist magazines, blogs and vlogs came from across the country to find out the latest information on new products, themes and innovations from exhibitors.  With a real buzz the event was trending on Twitter and there was great interaction on Instagram – illustrating the power of social media.

The event, jointly owned by HTA and GIMA, attracted over 100 companies including 17 new exhibitors for 2019 including: Solar Centre, Flowers from the Farm, Twool, Natural Grower, Mud and Bloom, Itip Handles and Common Sense Gardening.

A small selection of stories from the day include:

• Fiskars – promoting their ‘0% stress, 100% happiness’ campaign, including a spring promotion for garden centres.
• Suttons – ‘Back from the Brink’ heritage vegetables range from the Organic Gardening catalogue, Lettuce OutREDgeous – the first plant to be grown from seed, harvested and eaten in space! The evolution of their Dwarf Mulberry bush into a standard perfect for patios.
• Lowaters – launch of Hebe Carol, Hebe Northern Lights, Hebe Starlight and Hebe Goliath.
• Farplants – promotion of their ‘Small Plants for Small Spaces’ series and launch of new shrub Spiraea Walberton’s Plumtastic from world leading plant breeder David Tristram.
• Natural Grower- launch of approved organic and vegan fertiliser for gardeners.
• Greenfingers – promotion of Garden Re-Leaf and other activities for their 20^th anniversary.
• HTA – launch of National Children’s Gardening Week – 25 May – 2 June.
• Garden on a Roll – news that they are going to be supplying Wickes – bringing new customers into the garden market.
• Wyevale Nurseries – featured plants in taupe pots and saw interest in plants for containers and a new variety ‘Raspberry Yummy’ which fruits in its first year.
• Perennial – promoting the Perennial Lifeline Garden at Chelsea marking Perennial’s 180th anniversary and inspired by Sir Roy Strong’s The Laskett Gardens in Herefordshire.
• Taylors Bulbs – promoting their Daffodil Day on 10 April as part of their centenary celebrations and their Little Daffodils kids campaign for 2019.
• Garden Day – promotion of the event on 12 May and the Candide gardening app.

The New Product awards attracted 46 entries raising a magnificent £2,300 for Greenfingers. The winner, as voted for by show visitors, was Seedball (above) for their personalised seedball matchbox kit.

The Bob Maker Memorial Award for the best stand went to Suttons. Judges commented that Suttons stand was well laid out and welcoming with good plant displays and great attention to detail. They also presented several interesting new stories providing much interest in visitors.

Hilary Mabbutt, Marketing Manager for Suttons comments,

“Another great year at the Garden Press Event for the Suttons Group - and definitely no snow this year to deter any visitors! We didn’t stop all day long talking to editors, journalists, bloggers etc. We were delighted to see so many faces from our own in-house press database! For us it really is an opportunity to create some excitement around everything new for the coming season, as well as gaining valuable input and feedback from our media friends.  I have just completed our booking form for next year… same spot, same time!”

Many thanks to event sponsors:
Registration area – Honda
Refreshment Area – Garden Media Guild
Branding partner – Hozelock

Coffee Partner – The Patio Black Spot Removal Company Ltd

An exhibitor reception was held the evening before the event providing a networking opportunity for exhibitors and media. Bob Sweet from BBC Gardeners’ World Live provided a short preview of the event including news of a special feature comprising of a series of giant plant filled pyramids that are the brainchild of The Sun’s Gardening Correspondent Peter Seabrook.

Companies interested in booking for the 2020 event, which takes place on 4 March 2020 at the Business Design Centre in London, should contact events@gardenpressevent.co.uk or visit www.gardenpressevent.co.uk

Listen to the simple but very strong message from David Domoney about the importance of LOFA Assured and it's benefits for retailers here.

Wyevale Nurseries is now using recyclable plant pots for all future retail plants that it’s currently potting.

The company has started to phase out its black plastic pots replacing them with taupe coloured pots, supplied by Aeroplas in the West Midlands, in a bid to fight the war on plastic. 

Steve Reed, Production Director of the Container Division at Wyevale Nurseries in Hereford, explained: “We’re pleased to announce that we’re now starting to pot up our retail plants into recyclable taupe plant pots starting with our Astilbes. These pots can then be recycled kerbside by consumers.

“We plan to produce plants in more than 700,000 of the new recyclable pots this year. There will be a big overlap for customers as everything we have potted in 2018 is in black pots but by the autumn most of our stock will be supplied in taupe pots to retailers.

“It’s fantastic that the general public can recycle the taupe pots kerbside with other household waste, which has not been possible before. The black pots would previously end up in landfill because they contain carbon black pigment. The new taupe pots are carbon black pigment free polypropylene, which can be identified by near infrared (NIR) analysis and therefore can be recycled through kerbside collections.

“The recyclable taupe pot is an industry initiative being led by representatives from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) and UK growers. It’s great to see many growers’ backing the taupe pot.

“We are also ISO 14001 certificated, this is an international standard for environmental management, and switching to taupe pots is one of our key targets for the year, to reduce our impact on the environment. We’re very keen to look at the other ways we use plastic within the company to furthermore improve our environmental credentials.”

Currently Wyevale Nurseries uses plant labels from Floramedia and these are all recyclable via the kerbside collection.

The product selection available from Wyevale Nurseries is envied across the industry and the talented team regularly introduces new, award-winning plant varieties.

Its main business is to supply garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners with a comprehensive array of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants.

A new HTA Market Information report, published today, looks at how technology is shaping consumer behaviour, the supply chain and the future of garden retail.

Three quarters of all British adults (aged 16+) now own a smartphone¹. This includes 69% of 55-64 year olds, which is predicted to rise to 95% by 2030¹. An on-the-go mindset and a dislike for delay means consumers want to carry out activities on their own terms, unconstrained by time or location. 43% British adults say they’ve accessed the internet on their mobile whilst travelling².  More people are looking online as their first port of call for information, advice and purchases, with ‘Home and Garden’ categories seeing year on year growth of 13% in mobile searches in the last quarter of 2018³.

Consumers are spending 3 hours a day on social media, where we’re seeing an increase in ‘buy now’ and ‘learn more’ buttons appearing on these sites.It’s never been more important to ‘be’ where your customers are. Consumers are looking online for advice, and there are opportunities for the garden industry to position themselves here as the experts.

The new report explores the functionality of mobile apps and the availability of information online. It looks at voice search and auto-replenishment tools, using smart home assistants including Amazon’s Alexa and Siri. It highlights how the industry can compete with ‘Titan’ brands by using their non-titan credentials, and includes a focus on automation, both within the workplace and through the supply chain.

The report covers a range of areas where technology is likely to affect the garden market immediately and in the next few years, with considerations and steps and steps the industry can take to make sure their business stays as competitive as possible.  

Josh McBain, Consultancy Director at Foresight Factory comments,  “The themes outlined in this report will help businesses explore how customer demand is changing and the sorts of competition that will be entering the market. For even innovations in far-off adjacent sectors can still shape what your customers want and expect. Indeed, an amazing service provided at one retailer raises the bar for retailers everywhere. Consequently, understanding and adapting to the changes on the horizon has never been more crucial. This report will give you the ability to start doing just that.”

This special feature on technology is now available free for HTA members to download from the HTA website, by logging in and then going to the Market Information pages at https://hta.org.uk/learn-develop/market-information/special-features.html

Sources: 1 = FF Online, Foresight Factory. 2 = TGI survey, Kantar Media. 3 = The British Retail Consortium (BRC)

For a copy of the report please contact the HTA Media Office.

Use the link below to listen to the story behind the new Wood Burner that is also a BBQ from Chesney, launched at The Garden Press Event last week and will be retailing for £1499.

Listen here

Zest 4 Leisure has announced that Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith will be its charity of the year for 2019.

Hope House in Oswestry and Tŷ Gobaith in Conwy provide care and support to children and young people with serious illnesses and life limiting conditions, and their families, from Shropshire, Cheshire, North and Mid Wales. Offering a range of services, including respite and end-of-life care either at the hospices or within the family home, support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Steve Morgan, Managing Director of Zest 4 Leisure said: “We are delighted that Zest employees have chosen to support Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith throughout 2019. The services that they offer to children and their families are so important but, sadly, they aren’t able to help everyone who needs them.

“We’re determined to raise as much money as we can to support their fantastic work and have a number of different fundraising activities planned already. This year we have 16 adventurous employees taking on a skydive, while others will be tackling the inflatable Gung-Ho! Challenge.”

The finance director of Zest 4 Leisure, Andrew Baker, has committed himself to running over 1,600 miles in 2019 to raise money for the charity. He said:

“I really enjoy running and, over the past few years, I’ve completed six marathons. This year, I’m aiming to do the Manchester and York marathons and also plan to run a half marathon or 10k every month. When you factor in the 40 plus miles I run training every week I’m confident I’ll hit the target before the end of the year.

“I will be getting a lot of support from family and friends and people from other North West businesses have also promised to support me.”

Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith area fundraiser, Nicola Sciarrillo, commented: “We are thrilled to have been chosen as Zest’s charity partner for 2019 and look forward to working with everyone, helping them to raise as much as they can.

“Sadly, three local children die each week, yet Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith can only afford to help one of these families. We are committed to changing this and with the support of Zest 4 Leisure we will be a step closer to doing so.”

A family run business, Zest 4 Leisure is committed to employee fitness and long-term well-being as well as supporting the community and raising money for charity.

Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith is the latest charity to benefit from Zest 4 Leisure’s fundraising. Since 2012, other charities including Meningitis Now, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Action for Children have also benefited. 

The February 2019 issue of HTA Market Update, published this week, reports that nationally, garden centre sales experienced strong growth of 11% in January 2019 compared to January 2018. 

Despite concerns over Brexit deals and the UK’s economic situation remaining, plant and non-plant categories experienced significant growth, contributing to a strong month. The houseplants trend remains popular with sales up 15% for the rolling year. January 2019 was considerably drier than January of last year, encouraging more consumers to venture outdoors. 

Both petrol and diesel prices decreased in January, with petrol dropping 1.6p and diesel dropping 2.2p. This is positive for the consumer’s financial position, as well as reducing business costs through the supply chain.

The trend pick for this month’s Market Update looks at Foresight Factory’s ‘The Indulgence Equation’ which says that consumers are more aware than ever of the costs of excess in every area of their lives – from waste, food and drink, to their health, finances and appearance. In response, the practise of offsetting moderation with indulgence is growing. This feature gives practical tips for businesses to help consumers satisfy their desire to cut back, using reward systems, offering healthy alternatives and reducing packaging.

The February edition of HTA Market Update is now available free for members to download from the HTA website, by logging in and then going to the Market Information pages at https://hta.org.uk/learn-develop/market-information.html This issue looks at garden centre sales, overall market performance and contains a section on trends and a topical feature about water, water abstraction licensing and consumer attitudes to water consumption.

Officially announced at the Garden Press Event (Feb 27^th) it has been confirmed that three brave souls will be taking to the skies on June 2^nd in aid of the Greenfinger Charity. However, this will be no ordinary flight!

Each of the Greenfingers supporters will be strapped to the roof of a bi-plane for a 10-minute exhilarating wing walking experience. Featuring fly-pasts, zoom climbs, steep dives and banks, the participants will see the Wiltshire countryside from a bird’s eye point of view. The wind forces – caused by speeds of up to 100mph - will also help add much hilarity to the in-flight photography!

Taking part in this amazing challenge will be Mark Portman, MD of Evergreen Garden Care, Vicky Nuttall, Director of GIMA, and Lowri Walker, National Account Manager at SBM Life Science. A fourth spot is currently available for anyone with a wish to feel the wind in their hair.

As 2019 represents the Greenfingers Charity’s 20^th anniversary, the brave wing walkers have vowed to collectively raise an astonishing £20,000 before they take to the skies later this summer. Anyone wanting to donate can do so by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gima-wing-walkers

Talking about this latest challenge in aid of Greenfingers, the charity’s Director of Fundraising & Communications, Linda Petrons said: “What an amazing way to support Greenfingers! I’ve no doubt this will be a day to remember for all those involved. I’d like to extend my thanks to those brave enough to take on this challenge, and thank you for your tireless fundraising efforts - £20,000 for 20 years is a truly touching tribute.”

To find out more about Greenfingers Charity please visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk. You can also join in the conversation by joining Greenfingers on social media - https://www.facebook.com/Greenfingerscharity/, @GreenfingersCha on Twitter, and @Greenfingerscharity on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

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February Top 50 Garden Product sales held their own during 2019 but didn’t see the rapid growth reflected in plant sales and growing media. 

That’s no bad thing as our customers need to get growing first before they need the products that help them enjoy their gardens. 

But is there an opportunity when footfall grows to sell more early bird offers and get instant customer satisfaction to drive increased repeat visits later in the year? 

Clearly the warm weather has got some customers wanting to get a head start with plant feeds, weed control and patio cleaners increasing sales and coming back into the Top 50.  Decorative lines and pot feet are still high-volume certs when it comes to Bestsellers though.

• Woodlodge Pot Feet, Large, re-entered at No 40 joining the small pot feet in the chart which moved up to No 6.
• Smart Solar Bonanaza Firefly Balloon, a new product entry at Glee, is the highest chart climber moving up 15 places to No 13.
• Gardman Woven Weed Stop 1m x 2m Black increased sales by over 500% to re-enter at No 19.

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

Although the great weather at the end of February drove Veg-2-Gro sales up by 6% on last year the long-term trend is that Veg-2-Gro sales are moving later in the season. 

The GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro Top 50 total sales volumes for February this year was 10% down on the levels for 2014 and as you see from our graph below it’s been a steady February decline.

The move towards growing more veg, fruit and herbs from young plants could be the major contributor and last week saw the first influx of Strawberry and Herb plants sell through in high volumes.

• Quantil Strawberry Cambridge Favourite was the highest new entry at No 8.
• Farplants Mint Epicure re-entered at No 7.
• Taylors Seed Potatoes Arran Pilot, 2.5kg, were the highest chart climber moving up 22 places to No 14.

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

February Early Bird offers for Growing Media and unseasonably warm weather continue to grow sales. 

This year February Top 50 sales volumes hit a new record high, up by 17% on 2018, making it the fifth year in a row where February sales have grown.

The last week of the month, compared to the start of the Beast from the East last year saw a 76% swing year on year.  Whilst the main volume was sold in large bags of multi-purpose and manure, smaller bags saw the biggest percentage sales increases.

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

The cold snap in the middle of February contributed to the 10% upturn on last year. 

However the lovely warm weather at the end of the month saw sales drop year on year for the last week of the month. 

With February and March being key times for Wild Bird Care sales, what promotions are you planning to keep sales up even if the weather continues to be good?

• Smart’s Chapelwood 30cm Supreme Seed Feeder is the highest new entry at No 2.
• Gardman’s Paint Your Own Nest Box was the highest re-entry at No 16 no doubt the beneficiary of Half Term activities.
• Tom Chambers Robin Rockin Feast 1.88kg increased sales by 240% to re-enter at No 39.

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

Delegates at the one-day The Future for International Trade conference on 12^th March will benefit from hearing top level presentations covering every aspect of exporting, from mega trends in retailing worldwide to finding new and developing export markets and how to ease the path of exporting in the post-Brexit era.

In addition, experts in all aspects of exporting will be on hand throughout the day to answer the questions your company has on international trading and how you can benefit from increased sales internationally.

The event, which is being organised by leading trade associations, Gardenex, BHETA and PetQuip, and is being sponsored by Glee, is aimed at companies in the home enhancement, garden and leisure and pet product sectors.  Senior personnel from UK brand names including Smart Garden, Burgon & Ball, Ames Companies UK, Fothergills Seeds, Burgess Pet Care, Interpet, Charles Bentey, Dexam, Rollins, Creative Tops, Trend Machinery, Rosewood Pet Products, Nutriment and Concept Research, will be attending the day conference at the Stratford Manor Hotel in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, which is easily accessed by road and rail.

In addition to inspirational case studies on how they are developing and expanding international sales from successful exporters WHAM (What More UK), Spear & Jackson, VegTrug and Group 55, the packed line-up of speakers will be giving delegates an intriguing behind-the scenes insight into all the current Westminster manoeuvrings, valuable practical information on export procedures and compliance and a worldwide economic forecast including predictions on potential currency fluctuations.

An expert on international business law will provide pointers on how best to prepare for trading globally and delegates will gain an insight into how British businesses can harness digital channels to expand international sales. There will also be plentiful opportunities for companies to ask Q&As, network with industry colleagues and participate in ‘ask the expert’ meetings.

The speakers taking part are:

• John Arnold, Northern Universal; UK Government Lobbying                  
• Tim Hiscock, Strong & Herd - Export Procedures and Compliance
• Lord Ivo Darnley, Rathbones - Worldwide Economic Forecast
• Dechert Solicitors - Legalities of International Trade for Businesses
• Stefano Botter, Euromonitor International - Retail Megatrends
• Sarah Carroll - Drive International Growth via Digital Channels
• Stephen Turner, Group 55
• Brett Russell, Spear & Jackson
• Joe Denham, Veg Trug
• Tony Grimshaw OBE, Whatmore UK Ltd

Among the international trade service providers taking part in the Ask the Expert Zone are Velta Freight, The Translation People, Strong & Herd, Infinity Blue Marketplaces consumer trend consultancy, GovGrant, plus representatives from the Department for International Trade; exhibition organisers Ambiente and Glee, the conference’s industry sponsor, will also be represented. 

BHETA Executive Director, Will Jones says “We have a varied and stimulating agenda comprising an array of top-level speakers and export experts which will help UK companies to develop and expand international sales in the future.” 

Director General of Gardenex and PetQuip, Amanda Sizer Barrett, commented “Gathering all these top-level experts and industry representatives at a single day event offers delegates a great industry networking opportunity and invaluable insights, inspiration and practical advice on securing, developing and expanding international trade.”  

Places can be reserved at this important conference by contacting any of the organisers.  Contact Gardenex or PetQuip on 01959 565995; email katie-mai@petquip.com or theresa@gardenex.com; or visit www.gardenex.com.  Contact BHETA  on 0121 237 1130, email nab@bheta.co.uk or visit www.bheta.co.uk. 

Members of Gardenex, PetQuip, BHETA and CHA can secure a preferential delegate rate of £69 per person at the conference. The event is also open to non-members at £149 per person (both plus VAT).

The nation’s biggest celebration of gardening returns for 2019 from Monday 29 April to Sunday 5 May 2019 as the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) encourages everyone to get involved in grow-your-own. The theme for this year is Edible Britain, with the RHS calling on gardeners up and down the country to share their love of home-grown produce.

Now in its eighth year, the annual event has grown in popularity every year with National Gardening Week 2018 seeing hundreds of events taking place around the country and thousands of people sharing their ‘passion for plants’ on social media.

In 2019, the RHS hopes even more people will get involved and has created a brand new website so people can find out how to take part: www.rhs.org.uk/nationalgardeningweek. Registration is now open for this year’s event, with everyone invited to upload their events and activities to the website and discover hints and tips for taking part.

For this year’s Edible Britain theme, the RHS will aim to demonstrate that everyone has space to grow something delicious to eat, whether it’s a single pot of herbs on the windowsill or an allotment overflowing with courgettes and potatoes.

RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter says, “After it was reported earlier this month that the RHS has seen sales of fruit and vegetable seeds outstrip flowers at its Plant Centres over the last year, it’s clear that people are keen to reconnect with where their food comes from. We’re supporting this burgeoning interest by encouraging garden centres, nurseries, clubs, societies and other organisations to showcase their edible expertise, as well as highlighting grow-your-own at our RHS Gardens and Flower Shows.”

Guy offers the following top tips to those who are wondering what they can grow this National Gardening Week:

·         There is still time to sow seeds of hardy plants like carrots, coriander, beetroot and parsley. In fact, clay soils may not be dry and warm enough for good results until this time.

·         Sowings of salads such as lettuce and radishes, and peas and broad beans, can be made now, and sow again every three weeks until early July for a continuous supply.

·         Cold-sensitive but quick-growing plants such as basil, courgettes, French beans, runner beans and sweetcorn can be sown indoors now for planting out in a month’s time (six weeks in the north).

·         Although it is too late to sow slow-growing tender plants such as aubergines, chilli peppers, sweet peppers and tomatoes, they are widely are widely offered as potted plants: buy them now to grow on in greenhouses, and set them out later when the risk of frost has passed.

For more ideas and advice on what to grow and how to grow it, see the National Gardening Week website.

Children can plant a beautiful gift for Mother’s Day at Squire’s Garden Centres. Onn Friday 29th, Saturday 30th or Sunday 31st March kids can plant a trug with three colourful plants, then decorate it with a bow to give to mum for just £6.

Squire’s will donate 20% of the price to Greenfingers, a charity who create magical gardens for children in hospices.

There will also be a FREE flower maze activity sheet, where children need to help Hazel the Squirrel find her way out of a paper maze to receive a sticker.

The Mother’s Day Planting weekend is on at all Squire’s Garden Centres except Chertsey.

www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk

www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk        

The Royal Horticultural Society has announced its endorsement of the Agralan range of pest prevention products, which offers home gardeners, commercial growers and retailers protection from garden pests with minimal use of pesticides and environmentally aware use of materials.

The range includes: mesh for crop protection; fleeces for general garden use; cabbage collars; a plug plant trainer; and insect traps.

The endorsement will be formally launched at the Garden Press Event at London’s Business Design Centre on 27 February. The endorsed range will appear at garden centres from April, supplied by wholesalers such as Decco and Stax Homehardware. It will also be available through mail order and online via seed companies such as Suttons, Dobies, Marshalls and Mr. Fothergill’s  as well as through crop protection companies like Gardening Naturally, online garden centres like Crocus and many others. The target market for the range is expected to be professional and amateur gardeners growing fruit and vegetables.

The endorsement will be indicated by an RHS logo, which will be prominently displayed on the product packaging.

All products in the Agralan range aim to minimise the use of pesticides and reduce the use of plastics. Permafelt (used for growing) is made from recycled plastic water bottles, while the netting – called Enviromesh – has a very long lifespan. Many products are designed to be recyclable or reusable to encourage environmentally responsible gardening.

The Garden Press Event, at which the endorsement will be formally launched, was set up in 2006 to bring together suppliers of garden products with trade and consumer editors from both print and broadcast outlets.

Agralan was formed in 1986 by managing director Alan Frost. It evolved from an advisory service to become a supplier of insect monitoring traps to commercial growers and amateur gardeners. Codling moth and yellow sticky traps, Enviromesh, biological controls and more followed, including the Permafelt range, based on products produced from recycled plastic water bottles.

With 56 licensees to date, the RHS licensing programme continues to build its reach into numerous categories such as homeware, apparel and gifts, while retaining and extending its position as a leading gardening charity partnering numerous major names in gardening and horticulture.

Alan Frost, MD, Agralan, says: “We have been in this business for many years and constantly strived to be environmentally responsible as well as to offer practical and helpful pest prevention products to gardeners and growers. This endorsement is an enormously welcome recognition of our work from the leading gardening charity in the UK.”

Cathy Snow, RHS Licensing Manager, added: “It takes a strong commitment to quality, effectiveness, the environment and sustainability to receive an RHS endorsement for pest control and crop protection products. With its commitment to recyclability, reusability and minimal use of pesticides, as well as diverse and highly effective products, Agralan impresses on all counts.”

Garden Centres have been busy stocking up on plants and compost in the run up to Brexit, a late Easter and the hope of a bumper March.

At the Europlants Open Day last week buyers commented that the quality and levels of stock looked great and were in positive mood when it came to placing orders.

Darren Major of Burston Garden Centre told GTN: “I’ve stocked up on more Trachelospermum Jasinoides, Photinia and Nandina today than normal so I have plenty of plants on sale should there be transport issues post March 29^th.”

Other garden centre buyers were also placing higher than normal orders because they were hopeful for a good March and April.  “When the weather is right we need to have the plants ready for customers,” said Alan Bourne from Perrywood.  “I’ve been buying from European growers over the past few weeks to get deliveries into our nursery and greenhouses.”

Garden centres have also been telling GTN Xtra that they have "more compost in stock than ever" as they ready themselves for a busier March than last year.

Westland Horticulture have been encouraging customers to take as many deliveries as possible during March as they are concerned about the availability of transport post Brexit on March 29^th.

The proximity of Easter and the May Bank Holiday are also reasons for encouraging early deliveries and will add further pressure should transport issues prove to be an issue throughout April.

A new farm shop, boutique garden centre and café could be built off the A38 if the local authority approves a Devon businessman’s plans.

Paul Madicott, proprietor of Dainton Group Services Ltd, which operates a string of self-storage depots across the Westcountry, has submitted plans to Teignbridge District Council to transform the disused Rock Farm Nursery in Chudleigh into a farm shop and garden centre, with a cafe and a woodland play park. It could create about full-time and part-time 100 jobs.

The project, says the applicant, would support the local economy, create a valuable local asset, and would work with farmers to ensure the shop champions the best produce from around the South West.

Chudleigh has a fresh produce shop but no butcher, fishmonger or deli.

Last year Teignbridge planners gave the go-ahead for 229 new homes on the Rocklands site on the other side of the B3344 from the farm shop site.

The applicants say that they undertook a community survey last year, with 100 per cent of respondents expressing a likelihood to visit the proposed outlet, and 65 per cent stating they would be extremely likely.

The survey adds that 69 per cent of people had visited the popular Dart’s Farm food and drink outlet at Topsham in the last year, with this proposal seeking to capture that spend and convert it to a ‘Chudleigh Pound’.

The proposals include 113 car park spaces.

They added: “The proposal will be supporting the local supply chain and farmers in the area with another route to market for products. As a new attraction to the area, the proposal will increase footfall to the town through the offer of additional facilities.”

Squire’s Garden Centres announced the appointment of Sarah Squire as chairman last week.

Sarah’s father, Colin Squire OBE, who has been chairman for 30 years during five decades in the business, takes on the role of chairman emeritus, and remains an active director, with particular focus on developments at each of Squire’s centres and the company’s involvement with local communities.

Sarah said: “It is a great privilege to take on the role of chairman of our family company. I have learned so much from my father and from the many people I have worked with over the years within our business, our industry and beyond. I am inspired daily by the dedicated team I work with and together we share a passion for our horticultural business and our industry. We are also incredibly fortunate to have such great support from our local communities. I am confident that, although there will undoubtedly be challenges along the way, we can look forward with optimism as Squire’s enters a new chapter.”

Sarah will focus on further developing this successful, independent family business, which has 15 garden centres in the south-east.

Sarah qualified as a solicitor, specialising in commercial property, before joining the family horticultural business 23 years ago. She has extensive retail experience, having worked in various roles across the company, from a Saturday girl while still at school to her most recent role as deputy chairman.

Sarah has two grown-up children and in her spare time enjoys gardening with her husband. Sarah’s grandfather, D.J. Squire, founded the family business 82 years ago.

Major plans for the expansion of Homeleigh Garden Centre at Crediton in mid-Devon have been announced by the Broad family, who also operate Homeleigh centres at Bude and Launceston.

Plans involve a new café and warehouse plus new indoor retail space, creating up to 60 jobs. Highways improvements for a new entrance off the A377 will be required.

In December Mid Devon District Council deferred the application pending a report on the plan’s affect on Crediton town centre and traffic issues.

The company’s revised planning application envisages reducing the number of parking spaces from 194 to 163, halving the number of coach spaces to three and staff parking from 42 to 30. The proposed height of the buildings has been cut from 5m to 3.7m.

The site, acquired by the Derek and Enis Broad and their son Rob in 2017, already has planning permission for the proposed retail floor space and range of goods.

The company says the site is not fulfilling its potential and is currently under-utilised with large areas of unused scrub ground surrounding a random series of east-to-west gabled simple horticultural glass-houses and propagation poly-tunnels. Site facilities like the shop, customer toilets and car park, it says, are “rudimentary”.

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“Long-term lack of developed facilities on site has added to a steady decline in employed staff numbers and the existing garden centre employs four full-time staff and three part-time staff,” the application support document explains.

“This application is to modernise the site as a viable garden centre, with associated retail and other gardening related and sundry non-related goods, together with an in-house café for the on-site consumption of food and drink.

Local media reports suggest the scheme has split the local community, with over 100 letters for and against.

The Broad family set up their Launceston centre in 1977 and acquired the Bude site from Wyevale Garden Centres earlier this year.

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 newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2016 as well as 2017 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 Garden Plants Bestsellers chart for this week are here

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

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro 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.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £120m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.

Buy your subscription today and start receiving the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.