The Garden Centre Group is reporting an increase in revenues by £17 million to £276.2 million for the year ending December 29, 2013, while operating profits showed a decline of £6.1 million to £22.0m. The figures were issued today by Trellis Capital Limited, the holding company for TGCG, in its Annual Report and financial statements.

Stephen Murphy, Chairman of The Garden Centre Group, said: “I am pleased that 2013 was a year of successful progress and development for The Garden Centre Group.  We completed several acquisitions, which further strengthened our market position, continued our focus on strengthening the management team, and made major improvements, which led to the profitability of the business significantly improving.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Bradshaw, Chief Executive Officer of The Garden Centre Group, commented: “In my first full year as Chief Executive, I am delighted at the overall performance of the Group.

"Despite a year of challenging weather conditions for the industry, we delivered a positive increase in revenue while exceeding prior year performance on all profit and margin metrics.

"Our strategy brings a sharp focus on the most valuable opportunities to build and develop the business, and I am confident we will be able to grow significantly in the coming years.”

2013 Operational Highlights

-          Strengthening the executive team:  Appointments have been made throughout the year that have brought a wealth of skill and experience to the executive management team to drive the business forward and improve the value and quality of products and services offered to customers.

-          Growing concessions:  The Group introduced many new concessions partners including WHSmith, Laithwaites Wines, Viners, and Bonmarche reflecting our emphasis on ‘weather proofing’ the business and increasing footfall to the garden centres.

-          Introducing new sales channels:  The Group has introduced a ‘Click and Collect’ service, which allows for plants to be ordered online and collected in its stores. The Group plans to further expand the online offering.

-          Expanding through acquisitions: During the year the Group completed the acquisition of ten garden centres: Bolton Garden Centre was acquired from Barton Grange Group, Cheddar and Lechlade Garden Centres from Park Garden Centres, and the Garden and Leisure Group from Louis Delhaize Group.  These acquisitions further strengthen the market position of the Group and the Board is confident that these will deliver a strong return.

2013 Financial Highlights

-          Reported EBITDA: EBITDA, TGCG's key indicator for measuring performance, grew by 50% to £42.7 million, highlighting the focused effort management has made on strengthening margins and reviewing the cost base.

-          Revenue:  While overall it was a challenging year for the industry, as mixed weather patterns impacted footfall into our centres, revenue for the year increased by £17 million to £276.2 million on a pro forma basis.

-          Concession income:  The Group continued to focus on growing concession income and recorded an increase of 6.6% on 2012PF[1], rising to £14.4 million.

-          Gross margin:  Pricing initiatives, coupled with a more rigorous approach to executing key promotions served to increase gross margins by 3.7%, as did a strong focus on refining business mix and reducing the cost of goods sold via improving rigour behind tendering processes.

-          Operating profit:  The Group’s operating profit shows a decline of £6.1 million to £22.0m as result of exceptional items. In 2013, total net exceptional costs were £6.1 million, driven by restructuring expenses, costs related to strategic projects helping to establish the strategy of the Group, and acquisition related costs. Operating profit in 2012 was impacted by an exceptional gain of £16.8 million as a result of negative goodwill. With the exclusion of this gain, operating profit has increased in 2013 compared to 2012.

-          Cashflow:  The Group generated £37.8 million from operating activities, up by £29.2 million on 2012 actual reported numbers for the eight month period to December 2012. The increased operating cashflow was reinvested to improve the estate and expand the Group.

-          Net Assets:  The Group’s net assets grew from £18.4 million to £38.3 million, mainly driven by additional shareholder equity contributions, reflecting the strength of the Group’s financial backing.

[1] 2012 pro-forma results for the 12 month period ending 30 December 2012, including the four months of trading pre- the acquisition of The Garden Centre Group by Terra Firma.

The full report can be found at http://www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk.

The boss of The Garden Centre Group, which has bought a total of 11 centres in the past year, has revealed that the company will continue to grow at a similar rate over the next two or three years.

Kevin Bradshaw, who became CEO of TGCG in November 2012, told GTN: “It’s a fragmented industry, and as the market leader we’re still relatively small compared to the overal market. I can see significant growth from this point forwards.

“This isn’t about The Garden Centre Group driving growth at the expense of others. A lot of the investment we are putting into the business serves the purpose of growing the overall industry itself – that’s got to be good for our competitors and suppliers.”

TGCG is owned by Terra Firma and among its acquisitions in 2013 was the Garden & Leisure group of centres. 

“Terra Firma is a fabulous shareholder and has been very supportive of growing and improving the business,” said Kevin. “Although I can’t speak for their exit plans, I can say that Terra Firma’s interests and those of the management team are aligned and we have been working very hard together to transform this business.

“Our vision is to be the UK’s favourite, most inspiring destination for garden, home and leisure. We’ve got to inspire customers when they walk through the door.”

Meanwhile, Marketing Director Sarah Fuller admitted: “We’re looking at the branding of the company. We’ve got a portfolio of strong brands within the group and we’ve been looking at how we’re going to use them."

The full interview with Kevin Bradshaw can be found in the July issue of Garden Trade News.

William Sinclair said half year losses widened and revenues increased as it settled compensation for its ending of peat bog operations at Bolton Fell Moss, Cumbria at £21.25m

The company said loss before taxation widened to £3.7m for the six months ended March 31st 2014 from £1.88m a year earlier, while revenue rose £21.8m from £20.4m.

William Sinclair said trading conditions in the six months to March 2014 were challenging, as had been expected. This was made harder by the refinancing of the company which meant strategic plans were put on hold for four months.

Chief Executive Peter Rush said: "We are delighted with the £21.25m agreement to settle our claim at Bolton Fell. After four years of negotiations this is a significant step forward and our strong financial footing will enable us to accelerate the transition to become the UK’s most advanced manufacturer of horticulture products.

"While there are further milestones to be met the largest investments have been committed and good progress has been made with the more challenging work. Improvements to product quality and efficiency benefits are already being created."

No interim dividend payment will be made this year compared to a 1.5p payment in 2013.

Gardman has invested to create a unique wild bird care offer for its retail partners.  Featuring 58 great new products and 28 ShaRRPer Prices, the complete range spans the essential basics to the high quality seeds and tables from the specialist wild bird care brand new to the garden centre sector, The Ernest Charles Co.

“We’ve listened carefully to the market and have innovated our complete wild bird offer in response to consumer feedback,” explained Sarah Downing, Marketing Director at Gardman.  “The Ernest Charles Co. is a premium wild bird care brand with a unique proposition for this market.  With its UK heritage, British made products and proven quality, it gives retailers all they need to trade up consumers and so boost sales and profit.”

The Ernest Charles Co.’s roots reach back to 1844 when Exeter chemist Isaac Lang began selling medicinal seed alongside traditional medicines.  

The brand is still true to its original commitment to technical excellence; each of its five specialist seed blends is 100% wheat free and selected, blended and packed in the UK.  Its bird tables are hand-crafted in the UK and each comes with a 15 year guarantee.  Eye-catching new packaging stands out in store and the resealable feature makes it simple for consumers to keep the feeds fresh.  Bespoke point-of-sale materials and merchandising units have been also developed to offer in-store theatre. 

Complementing the introduction of The Ernest Charles Co., Gardman has made sure its core wild bird care offer is stronger than ever, with the ShaRRPer Pricing so crucial in this price sensitive market.  New products include feeders and feeder sets; the improved packaging has a premium look and feel, is easy to merchandise and resealable to maintain freshness; and the Stronger Off£ers include feeding sets that will help retailers drive volume sales. 

“We have also simplified our range of feeders; we now offer Flip Top, Premium Flip Top and durable Black Steel feeders in just two sizes, standard and large,” said Duncan Ross, Garden Centre Sales Director at Gardman.  

“Our research showed that the variety of sizes previously available meant consumers rarely opted for the higher value, larger products.  This simpler, clearer choice means consumers can differentiate more easily between the products on sales and so will help drive up sales of the large feeders.”

A special email campaign announcing a ‘new’ exhibition taking place in the Birmingham NEC during September has caused quite a stir in the gardening industry.  i2i Events Group, the organisers of Glee 2014, sent out the email to promote its new Green Shoots feature, and now claim the marketing ploy has worked a treat...

i2i’s Matthew Mein, Glee’s event manager, said: “Over the past few months we’ve been working tirelessly to develop a program for Glee that is unlike any show that has come before.  ‘New, new and even more new’ really does encapsulate this year’s show, as every step around the 2014 show will offer exhibitors and visitors something different.  From the layout and new location, to the raft of amazing features and content that we’ve got planned, we believe that Glee 2014 will work harder than ever before.  Whilst we’ve been communicating these changes we thought it might be good to have a bit of fun with it, and see if people would recognise the changes and automatically link it back to Glee.  

“The response to the email has been fantastic, and has opened up new lines of communication with both existing and potential exhibitors and visitors.  Many people instantly recognised the branding and messaging, whilst some others worried that there was a pretender to the ‘garden retail exhibition’ crown, prompting them to quickly pledge their allegiance to Glee! Either way, the email has certainly got people talking, and has helped us to reiterate that Glee 2014 will be new. 

"From the very second you walk into the show this sense of newness will be felt, and we believe it will positively impact on the show, helping people to build better business, source new and exciting products, gather inspiration, and network with even more companies than ever before.  All of this comes together as an extremely exciting prospect; one that we hope the industry shares with us as we rapidly approach the opening of the 2014 show.” 

Thompson & Morgan has announced the appointment of Bryan Magrath as Chief Executive. Formerly CEO of James Hull Associates, Vision Express and MD of Dixons Stores, Bryan takes over in planned succession from John May who, after 17 years in post will remain on the Board as Deputy Chairman.

Bryan brings a wealth of marketing, consumer focus and organisational strengths as well as being an enthusiastic recreational gardener.

Established in Ipswich in 1855, T&M has grown to become the UK’s leading brand for supplying seeds, plants and other related items to recreational gardeners through its catalogues, websites and in garden centres.  Its reputation for quality, exclusivity and depth of range is helped by its unique and multi-award winning breeding activity. 

Bryan Magrath said, “I am very excited to be joining Thompson & Morgan to lead the next phase in the life of this very special company – the nation’s favourite horticultural brand”.

John May said, “We are delighted to welcome Bryan to Thompson & Morgan.  I have served for over 17 wonderful years as Chief Executive, and the time is absolutely right for this succession.  I am looking forward to the future with great confidence.”

  

Over the past 10 days, garden centre customers across the UK have been voting for their Greatest Garden Centre and Greatest Catering Teams.  All votes with a valid e-mail address stand the chance of winning one of five £100 Natinoal Garden Gift Vouchers.

You can also ask your customers to vote on-line too - and on-line voting has been extended to Friday 4th July - see this link for details

Then on Monday 7th July we will announce the winners at The Greatest Awards Summer Party, in the National Motorcycle Museum, opposite the NEC.

The winners will be the teams with the most votes, with separate awards for different sizes of centre and regional awards too.

What’s more, thanks to sponsorship from National Garden Gift Vouchers, there is a great incentive for your customers to vote.  Every vote with a valid e-mail address will be entered into a draw to win NGGV vouchers to the value of £100.  There will be five winners, one from each of five regions.

Over the years, customer voting has helped many garden centres gain an interesting insight into the positive ways their customers perceive them, and it also adds a spark to team morale.

And there’s no cost to you for being involved – all you have to do is get your staff talking to your customers!

We look forward to counting your votes, and who knows, if your team can get the most votes we’ll see you on stage at The Greatest Awards Party on July 7th!


  

The administrators acting on behalf of Solus Garden & Leisure have this week told GTN Xtra that they are making progress with potential buyers and remain hopeful of completing a sale.

Tony Barrell, joint administrator and director, PwC, said:“From the outset, we have been focussed on securing a sale and have received expressions of interest from a number of parties. 

“We have reviewed the offers received to date and are now in detailed conversations with several parties. We are making progress and remain hopeful of completing a sale." 

GTN Xtra has learned from a number of garden centres that Solus sales reps have been telling them that a sale of the business is imminent, and the potential buyer was a leading supplier in the garden industry.

Only last week the administrators announced that the company's Rackheath depot in Norwich is to close next month and that 19 jobs could be affected.

Solus will continue to serve garden centres in the region, added the administrators, but this will now be done from the Midlands (Hunnington) in future.

The Greatest summer awards and evening garden party will take place in association with SOLEX at the National Motorcycle Museum on 7th July at 7.15pm.

Reward your team after a busy day at SOLEX and rub shoulders with The Greatest Garden Centre teams in the business.

Included in the ticket price is a pre-dinner drinks reception, a three course meal with wine, coffee and mints and the prestigious awards ceremony, followed by dancing to our live band.

Back by popular demand after their success at the Greatest Christmas Awards, The Rockits are the resident band from the Cavern Club in Liverpool.

Dress code is smart casual

Book early to avoid disappointment, call 01733 775700 or book on line using the Buy Now link below:

Tickets

1 Ticket £102.00 GBP2 Tickets £204.00 GBP3 Tickets £288.00 GBP4 Tickets £384.00 GBP5 Tickets £450.00 GBP6 Tickets £540.00 GBP7 Tickets £630.00 GBP8 Tickets £720.00 GBP9 Tickets £810.00 GBPTable of 10 £840.00 GBP

My client is a small garden centre group based in the London area.

They are looking for an experienced garden centre manager to lead the team of a large destination style garden centre based in a scenic and historic part of London.

You will have site management experience previously and be ready to take on a challenging role in a very competitive environment.

There is an opportunity to grow with the business. 

info@morepeople.co.uk

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

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

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

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

Please call Brad Peck on 01780 480530, or apply with your CV to info@morepeople.co.uk

As J & E Importers re-structure, an exciting new opportunity has arisen for an experienced National Account Manager to join the team. The role will involve working from Head Office, out in the field and from home as required in developing and implementing a sales strategy for a group of products marketed primarily for large volume resellers. 

The ideal candidate will have good working experience in a similar role and knowledge in the Home, Garden and Pet environment and seeking a new challenge within this expanding industry. 

The successful candidate needs to be hardworking, energetic, enthusiastic and committed for this exciting and rewarding position.

This role provides an excellent opportunity within a growing company offering a range of recognised products across multiple markets.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience: applicants should possess the following:-

An understanding and background within the Home, Garden & Pet industry would be considered advantageous, but not absolute for the right calibre person.

Excellent communication skills and a warm outgoing personality

The ability to excite, engage the customer and explore the full potential.

The knowledge and ability to be able to deal with container sales as well as palletised options

Strong influencing skills are required, as well as a diplomatic manner and a positive pro-active outlook.

To nurture and develop customer relations

To establish new accounts and to develop a clear strategy and action plan to grow sales and profitability within our existing portfolio of accounts as well as new.

Regular concise, clear and logical reporting on a regular basis is a pre-requisite for this position.

Must be able to produce/substantiate a proven track record of sales within a similar position/role

The package includes a Company car, laptop, mobile phone, 28 days holiday including bank holidays and staff product discount

Please email vince.green@greenjem.co.uk for further information or to forward your current CV

Our client is a well established young plant supplier who supply the professional growing market with a large variety of plants. They are currently seeing a driven sales orientated individual who has both superb plant knowledge and an aptitude for sales or a professional sales person who has sold into the growing sector.

The SUCCESSFUL Candidate will be responsible for:-

• Managing key grower account
• Developing new business and managing existing accounts
• Provide technical advice to customers
• Represent the company at trade shows and exhibitions

For this role our client is ideally seeking:-

• A proven background in territory sales to the grower sector or an outstanding individual from the growing or retail sectors who has the drive to become a top sales person
• Be a target driven individual who has the ability to hit sales target and achieve growth within their sector
• A strong relationship builder who has excellent customer skills and can ensure customer satisfaction   

Please call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910 or apply with your CV to info@morepeople.co.uk

The Greatest Garden Centre Catering Teams:

http://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/GTN/1kylf3j9wfv?a=6&p=47641441&t=27966603

The Greatest Garden Centre Team

http://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/GTN/krqfbpl133o?a=6&p=47641440&t=27966603 

If you have any questions about the on-line voting for The Greatest Awards, please e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

With the growing season in full swing, gardeners are tackling those weeding and feeding tasks with related products showing up strongly in the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart.

• Scotts Roundup Pump n Go (2.5 litres) is a new entry, along with the company’s Pathclear Gun.
• With tomato plants growing well, Scotts Levington Tomorite (1 litre) has taken over top spot.
• Garden lighting is another good category, with Gardman Solar Sparkling Bubble Lights, (triple pack) being the highest new entry.
• Gardman Heavy Duty Knitted Netting is also a newcomer to the chart.

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

There are several carrot lines showing up strongly in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart.

• Quantil Carrot Chantenay is the highest re-entry at No 14.
• Suttons Carrot Early Nantes 5 has also returned to the chart.

Thompson & Morgan Carrot Resistafly F1 Hybrid is the highest new entry at No 32.

The highest climber of the week is Quantil Lettuce Winter Cos, jumping 41 places to No 6.

Quantil Runner Bean White Emergo has moved to top spot to displace French Dwarf Bean, which drops to third place.

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

Gardeners seeking to keep the weeds under control while retaining moisture for their plants in the warm weather, are turning to decorative  bark products, according to the Growing Media chart.

• Westland Decorative Mini Bark (50 litres) is a re-entry after a good sales week.
• Arthur Bowers Bark Chips (60 litres) has jumped to No 2 with a doubling of sales.
• Westland John Innes Repotting No 2 (30 litres) is the highest climber.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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