After a very busy weekend the GTN team have just completed the top line volume sales analysis for GTN Bestsellers and for "items sold" Mothers Day Week 2019 was the best for the past 8 years but didn't quite manage to beat the record of Mothers Day 2011.

As that is for "items sold" it's quite possible that in revenue terms 2019 is a new record. So we asked garden centres how their turnover figures compared to last year and previous Mothers Days.

GTN Bestsellers analysis for March shows the month to be up by 40% on last year, but 9% down on 2017. How does that compare to revenue trading?  Here are the responses we received today...

Alan Roper – Blue Diamond:

“After a week of great gardening weather Mothers Day provided an early turbo boost to sales.

“Sales for the group excluding the new centres were up 95% year on year for the week and up 41% vs 2017.  The new ex-Wyevale stores were up 128% year on year for the week.  Star performers were plants and gardening with sales at Newbridge up by 185% on last year.

“However, we must not get too excited over one week there is plenty of time to go.”

Chris Francis – Hillier Garden Centres

“Last week was the largest ever March sales week for Hillier with the Saturday being the largest ever single days sales for our garden centres. Even higher than any day in May 2018 which had 2 record weeks.

“Our restaurants had their largest ever single day on Sunday and the largest ever week.

“March ended +50.4% on last year and +7% on March 2017 and our current financial year (from 1st Sept 18) is running at +17.2% on last year.”

David Little – Poplars

“We smashed our best Mother’s day week record. We smashed our record March. We smashed our best non-Easter trading day in March ever. We have had a record start to the year - first 3 months are best ever.

“March was 53% up on 2018 and 26% up on 2017.

“Our Mothers Day week comparisons are: 177% up on last year and 41% up on 2017.”

Mark Cleary – The Old Railway Line

“March was certainly a lot better than last year, overall sales were up 44.8% for the month with Houseplants 32.4% up and Outdoor plants up 113.7% being the big winners. Compared to March 2017 we are 14.6% up on that month so all in all an excellent start to Spring and let’s hope the momentum keeps going. 

“Due to changing our EPOS system we don't have any data for 2011 but 2019 has been the best March since our recent records started in 2012.”

Adam Wigglesworth – Aylett Nurseries

“Perfect Saturday weather after a good lead in resulted in excellent trade both weekend days. Delighted that March 2019 turned out so well, exceeding 2017 by a fraction, but its early days!

“Let’s see what April, May and June bring ...last year’s May will be difficult to match.”

Simon Bourne – Perrywood

“We're just about recovered! At Tiptree Saturday was awesome, we knew it would be busy but the volume took us a bit by surprise. Saturday was

• Best ever Saturday of Mothers day weekend
• Second best day ever. Only £430 behind May Bank Holiday last year
• Most number of transactions in a day

“March was our best ever, up 48% on last year, up 2% on 2017.

“Mother's Day in 2011 was Sunday 3rd April and it was my Dad's 60th birthday. We had booked a nice restaurant and I remember that the champagne flowed that evening after an amazing weekend. Our business has changed a lot since then though so you can't really compare the two years.

“All of the above are based on the garden centre only and do not include the restaurant which has had an incredible few months. A year ago we felt that we were massively over trading but since then we have put on as much as 20% in the busiest months. I'm not sure quite how they do it!

“At Sudbury the coffee shop is now open with a new 90 seat restaurant just in time for Mothers Day. Sales were really good and the numbers were possibly (I have no hard evidence) 50% higher than their previous record.

“Onwards and upwards!”

Mike Burks – The Gardens Group

“It was a very busy last 2 weeks in March taking us 55% up on last year and, more significantly, 12% above 2017 for the month. Saturday 30th was a record day for March with excellent hardy plant and garden furniture sales. The furniture, I think, is a knock-on effect form last summer with customers enjoying the recent warmth and assuming that the summer will be just as good this time round.

“April 2018 was poor until the last week and it'll be important that we keep the momentum of the year so far going because it will be very difficult to match May and June 2018.

Gerald Ingram – Planters and Garden King

“Planters Tamworth had a record Mothering Sunday weekend. We beat the Saturday 2011 by £5,000 and the Sunday by £3,000. 

“In the month of March Planters was up 47.7%, Bretby up 64.22% and Garden King up 92%.”

Matthew Bent – Bents

“This year was easily our best ever Mother's Day - see comparison below which goes back to 2009.

“Our March figures were 17.9% up on last year and 5.6% up on 2017.”

Martin Cowell – Cowells Garden Centre

“We had a great week leading up to Mother's Day.  The weather was kind and the stock was looking amazing. The team pulled all the stops out as we has a few staff shortages with some away on holiday.

• MARCH 2019/2017 +9%
• MARCH 2019/2018 +66%
• YTD 2019/2017 +19%
• YTD 2019/2018 +56%

“We are very pleased with our current trading figures, with most of the increases over last year on

1. Outdoor plants +82%

2. Bedding plants +84%

3. Gardening sundries +32%

4. Compost +87%

5. Houseplants +34%

6. Terracotta/Stoneware +97%

Julian Winfield – Haskins

“We have had a great weekend, all the stars came into line – Weekend, Weather, Late Mothering Sunday.  Excluding Snow Hill, which is being knocked down, all our centres had record days in the centre and restaurant.  Gardening did well, houseplants and gifts did well, I have often found that gardening can suffer during the Mothers Day weekend but not this year!

“For March overall we are level with 2017 and +38% up on last year.

“A reasonable start but our challenge this year will be May, when we are up against the best May we have had for many years.”

Charlie Groves – Groves Bridport

“This last weekend was by quite a long way a record breaker for us. Saturday was our busiest every day for the company.  Even taking Ivy House sales off as this wasn't open last year, the Saturday before mother's day was our busiest day ever.  The Saturday was the busiest day yet in Ivy House Kitchen then that record was beaten again on Mother's Day itself.

“March 2019 has been great.   Taking catering out of the equation we were 53% up compared to last year and 24% up compared to last year.  If we include catering we are 66% up on 2018 and 34% up on 2017.”

James Ducker – Langlands

“We had a brilliant week.  All three centres were really busy and up on last year.  Houseplants and outdoor planted containers sold particularly well.  There was a great buzz with lots of people about and lots of gardening happening.”

Justin Williams – Fron Goch

“It's been a very busy two weeks here. Mothering Sunday week was the best one to date.

“March is 41% up on last year and 29.7% on 2017, that excludes catering.

“Mothering Sunday catering smashed last year's previous record by 25%. Great start to season.”

And a spokesperson from Dobbies told us:

"Spring trading to date has been very encouraging and we enjoyed record trading for Mother's Day, with new plant and gifting ranges performing particularly strongly."

If you'd like to add your Mothers Day and March trading comments please e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and we'll update the story during the week.  Have a great April!

What-ho, Hound-followers! While your Newshound’s diligence knows no bounds, nose never far from the ground on the scented trail of knowledge worth sharing with you, facts are sacrosanct.

OK, so occasionally, I confess, a modicum of speculation can’t be resisted, but only when the source of the titbit is as impeccable as a Bonio (especially when it comes to the subject of Wyevale Garden Centres). No place here for gossip or guesswork.

This is one of those occasions, though, when I shall enjoy the role of observer…simply watching what the speculators are up to, speculating on the speculators....knowotimean?

Turns out that some of them believe Dobbies is about to sign a deal to buy 30 of the 97 Wyevale centres still for sale. They imply they’re basing it on insider knowledge – but WGC, as is its custom, says it can’t comment. Dobbies makes no secret of its desire to grow its current 38-centre estate…doing precisely what Wyevale did back in the old days, when Brian Evans was in charge – bolting on a big chunk of instant turnover. So the sources could be on to something.

Whoah…let’s not get carried away with too much ‘spec’…although I have to say I was intrigued by one source’s suggestion that Dobbies made its move after an investor from outside the garden industry dropped its bid for the whole remaining group.

Let’s pause and do the maths; 97–30 = 67. So that’s probably why one of the speculators suggests that other potential buyers are still in negotiation with WGC as well. There are still 67 to shift.

Meanwhile – and this is fact not fake – WGC is to close its Crowland centre on 28 April (the week after Easter) in Lincolnshire after failing to tempt buyers, largely blaming the arrival of the local by-pass a few years ago for falling footfall. When your hound popped by to take a peek last week, the place was heaving as a “50% Off” closing down sale began to clear the shelves.

Finally, one of the unsold 97 is Wyevale Leicester Rowena – which sits next door to a new retail floristry centre planned by APAC Group, the floristry sundries suppliers well known to many garden centres (see story below for more details about that). APAC’s MD Roger MacKay says he’ll be undercutting Wyevale’s prices….something else to speculate on.

Woof woof! until next time.

As the World-wide issue of recycling plastic continues to dominate news reports, Somerset based Durston Garden Products Ltd reaches out to all organisations big or small to follow its lead and introduce 100% recyclable packaging.

“It may be a small gesture in the scale of things says company spokesperson”, Dan Durston, ”but it’s all the small things added together, that can really make a difference.

"In an ideal world plastic would be banned altogether, but until a realistic, cost-effective alternative can be found then surely we all have a duty to do what we can today, and that’s to reduce the devastating impact this mass-market material is having on our planet and in particular on our marine-life."

Plastic recycling is a process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the material into useful products. Since the vast majority of plastic is
non-biodegradable, recycling is part of a world-wide effort to reduce plastic in the waste stream and in particular the approximate eight million tons of plastic waste that enters the earth's oceans every year.

“So what can we do as organisations to help?” continues Dan. “Well in the first instance, do what we did here at Durstons and look at the plastic packaging you are currently using. Speak to the supplier/printer of that packaging and if it isn’t already compliant, then switch to a supplier/printer that can produce something that is. For us it was as simple as changing the printing process used on our compost sacks.  There may be some cost involved but if you are thinking of changing your packaging anyway, even-better.”

Durston Garden Products is determined to keep the recycling message at the forefront of its publicity campaign which kicked-off at GLEE 2018. At the show they used a student actress/model dressed in a cleverly tailored outfit made from some of Durstons old packaging to get the message across. It certainly attracted a lot of attention and debate and linked nicely into the new packaging which the company also launched at the show.

Plastic recycling is one of those subjects that isn’t going to go away and it is therefore critical that we all pull-together and do something, however small, to reduce/phase out its usage. Think about, plastic carrier bags, and how quickly consumers started to re-use them or buy material alternatives once they discovered they would be charged for them.

“Something as simple as the way your packaging is printed, could be all it takes,” continues Dan. And, until an actual solution is found to replace this toxic material, surely we all have a duty; if not to ourselves, then to our children and grandchildren to do whatever we can to help, and at the very least ensure the packaging we all produce IS 100% recyclable.

Wyevale’s Rowena garden centre at Leicester is to get a potential new competitor right next door after APAC Group unveiled plans for a retail floristry centre on an adjacent site.

APAC, well known to the garden centre industry as a supplier of florist sundries, recently completed the construction of a £9m distribution centre on another part of the site, clearing the way for a start on the new project, which has had planning permission since 2015.

The new 37,000 sq.ft ‘factory shop’ style centre will cover retail sales of horticultural and garden products (with plants sold only from trolleys) as well as crafts, homewares, giftwares plus seasonal and party items, and will have a cafeteria and children’s soft play area. It is scheduled for completion by Christmas.

APAC, originally founded as a packaging company but now operator of 15 cash-and-carry outlets around the UK offering 11,000 product lines, is a major wholesaler to supermarkets and major garden centres.

MD Roger MacKay says the new project is a concept the company has wanted to trial for a number of years and will become the group’s flagship centre. He has been quoted as saying it will offer “products at the right price” and “considerably less than Wyevale is selling them for”.

Sales for the fourth week of March – Garden Re-Leaf Day weekend – headed in the right direction towards the levels achieved in 2017 and 2014 with core gardening activity, especially Veg-2-Gro sales and growing media leading the way.

As garden centres prepare to make the most of a Mother’s Day weekend that has a bright and sunny, albeit colder, weather forecast, March now looks set to be up on last year by around 50% and within 10 or 15% of the record for March set in 2017.

Have a great Mother’s Day weekend!

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year: week 12

• Garden Products Top 50 – up 18%
• Growing Media Top 50 – up 34%
• Wild Bird Care Top 50 – down 12%
• Veg-2-Gro Top 50 – up 120%
• All Plants index – up 39%
• All Items index – up 26%

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

LifestyleGarden® has confirmed they will be working exclusively in partnership with the Eden Project, helping to further drive their common goal of promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability.

This new partnership will see LifestyleGarden®’s garden furniture ranges supported by the Eden Project branding, helping consumers to make a more considered decision at the point of purchase. The new Eden Project ranges – available for the 2020 season – will also provide retailers with a unique point of difference in this normally traditional product category. The company will also have access to the Eden Project’s exclusive designs and patterns, providing the new range with an exciting selection of add-on sales opportunities, including accessories such cushions and deckchairs.

The Eden Project is an educational charity, which connects us with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work towards a better future. Since fully opening in 2011 Eden has welcomed more than 20 million visitors.

David Harland, CEO of Eden Project International Ltd, said: “We are delighted to be entering this significant partnership with LifestyleGarden®. For some time now Eden has sought to work with a furniture supplier whose ethos meets our own in terms of craft and sustainability. LifestyleGarden® have a unique, innovative approach to the challenges within the industry and we look forward to working together”.

Like the Eden Project, LifestyleGarden®, supported by its parent company, ScanCom International, is driven by a desire to always positively impact upon the world; from guaranteeing fair and safe working environments for its employees across the globe, to ensuring all aspects of the business, from material provenance to manufacturing processes, remain as sustainable as they can be. Every product in the LifestyleGarden® portfolio is truly reflective of this ethos, featuring both recycled and recyclable ethically sourced materials, and are created in a sustainable way that works hard to reduce waste.

Talking about the new partnership, Stig Maasbøl, ScanCom International, Group CEO, said: “We are proud to be a sustainable partner to the Eden Project, and we welcome this cooperation much more than the business involved, as establishing a partnership with somebody having so many values in common is a unique opportunity”

“ScanCom will take a humble approach into this partnership and will do our utmost to ensure the company’s dictum - Doing Business The Right Way – The Sustainable Way – will underpin all we do together.”

UK garden retailers will get their first look at the new LifestyleGarden® and Eden Project ranges this summer at the company’s dedicated trade showroom in Basildon, Essex. Available for ordering ahead of the 2020 season, the range will also be showcased at the forthcoming SOLEX exhibition (9th – 11th July, NEC Birmingham).

Visitors to the Eden Project will also be able to enjoy this new partnership as LifestyleGarden® furniture will take pride of place in the Eden Kitchen, Eden’s main eating area located between the Biomes, whilst the company’s latest top-secret product innovation will feature in a number of educational exhibits that will take pride of place at the Eden Project this summer. Further details will be revealed shortly.

If you want to find out more about LifestyleGarden® and its premium-quality outdoor furniture, please visit us at www.lifestylegarden.com and follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.

Further details about ScanCom’s commitment to the environment and social accountability can be found at http://www.scancom.net

Further details about the Eden Project, including booking tickets, can be found at www.edenproject.com

Family-owned garden centre group, Notcutts Garden Centres, has hosted its annual conference and awards dinner to celebrate the success of colleagues and teams across its 18 garden centres nationwide. The conference in Maldon, Essex, recognised individual and business achievements over the past 12 months, with awards presented to outstanding team members who have gone the extra mile.

Notcutts Booker Garden Centre won the award for Best Customer Service. Pictured (L-R): Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman; Paul Knott from award sponsor Smart Garden & Briers; David Carey from award sponsor Mr. Fothergill’s; Stuart Blight, General Manager at Notcutts Booker; Carlton Martin, Customer Care Manager; Dafydd Lewis, Brand & Digital Director; and Andrew Notcutt.

Awards were presented to Notcutts colleagues for achievements across the business, including ‘Best Garden Centre Performance’, ‘Best Restaurant Performance’, ‘Planteria Excellence’ and ‘Best Customer Service’.

‘Frontline Hero’ awards were also presented to individuals who demonstrate excellence and go above and beyond to help customers and their team. Special long-service awards were presented to colleagues who have worked at Notcutts for 25 years.

Planteria (inc Houseplants) won the award for Best Category Performance. Pictured (L-R): Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman; Graham Walker, Trading and Operations Director; James Mitchell from award sponsor Westland; Bronnie Foreman, Buying Associate; Colin Dale, Plants and Gardening Category Head; Calvin Meek, Plants and Gardening Merchandiser; Stuart Andrews, Plant Buyer; John McDowell from award sponsor Westland; and Andrew Notcutt.

The Notcutts annual conference was sponsored by leading industry names; Bidfood, Briers, Esprit UK, Evergreen Garden Care, Gleeds, Hozelock, Kettler, McBains, Mr. Fothergill’s, Pelican, Porters, Sensormatic by Johnson Controls, Smart Garden, Stanley Bragg and Westland.

Nick Burrows, Chief Executive at Notcutts Garden Centres, said: “Our annual conference is always a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the past year, to recognise our achievements and to celebrate the outstanding work of our colleagues across the country. Thank you to our sponsors for joining our celebration, and congratulations to all of our award winners.”

Notcutts Norwich Garden Centre won the award for Best Restaurant Performance. Pictured (L-R): Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman; Kevin Boyle, Food and Beverage Director; Celso Moura-Miranda, Food & Beverage Manager at Notcutts Norwich; Taz Hussain from award sponsor Bidfood; and Andrew Notcutt.

QD subsidiary Cherry Lane is to create 18 new jobs at the Clent garden centre in Worcestershire it has acquired from Wyevale and which is now trading as Barnett Hill by Cherry Lane.

The 34 existing staff have been retained at the site, where the plants offered will include many from the group’s nurseries in Worcester (David’s, bought last year), Beverley and Lowestoft.

The garden centre’s indoor and outdoor play areas remain open as normal as does the restaurant.

Cherry Lane promises to "deliver the great value and quality, which the brand is renowned for, across all departments including garden furniture, pet care and wild bird feed".

QD Group CE Nick Rubins said the acquisition was another great landmark for 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 shoppers our great value, excellent quality and ever-changing spectacular seasonal deals."

The site is Cherry Lane’s thirteenth garden centre, making it the UK’s eighth biggest garden centre group.

Colemans Garden Centre at Templepatrick in Co. Antrim has doubled its workforce to 100 following completion of a  £5 million expansion project that added 32,000 sq.ft of retail space.

MD Richard Fry said the development, which includes new concessions and a farm shop, had propelled the Northern Ireland garden centre sector 20 years into the future, emulating the approach of operators on mainland UK.

“Garden centres in Northern Ireland and Ireland have been years behind what’s happening in England,” he said. “Where we are now is where they were 20 years ago. Now in England you have farm shops in motorway service stations and what we have done here in Colemans has by-passed the last 20 years and brought our garden centre right up to date.”

 He said the centre had a loyal customer base and was also targeting tourism as a secondary source of growth.

He said the garden centre business had evolved in recent years due to competition from the internet and supermarkets. “Twenty years ago, people just wanted a cup of coffee and a bun, but now they’re looking for meals, freshly cooked on the premises, so that’s the line we have gone down,” he said.  “Garden centres, to survive, have upped their game.”

Haskins Garden Centre group has introduced an adoption scheme to keep up with customer demand for houseplants.

With centres in Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex, the popular garden centre group is experiencing a sharp intake in requests to home various succulents, including aloe vera, calathea and cacti. To keep up with demand, Haskins has set up its own ‘adopt a houseplant’ scheme which asks shoppers to fill in a form demonstrating why they believe they would be able to give the houseplant a good home, what former experience they have and why being a plant parent is so important to them.

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins, believes that there are many reasons why an increasing number of customers are looking to adopt a houseplant:

• Always pleased to see you
  Makes a great listener
  Life and soul of any room
  Never answers back
  Easy to look after
  Low maintenance
  Improves the air quality
  The perfect company
  Found to be relaxing
  Makes a house a home

Lisa added: “We want to be able to keep up with the increasing demand for houseplants on sale at Haskins and have therefore introduced our ‘adopt a houseplant’ initiative. There are so many reasons to own a plant pet – not to mention that it will always be pleased to see you and will never answer you back!

“Houseplants come in many forms and vary considerably. Much like the trend for choosing a furry friend with a similar appearance to its owner, customers can choose their houseplant based on character and personality.

“Those interested can ask for a form in any of our centres at customer services and we will then follow this up with a home visit and subsequent check-ups. Adopt a houseplant today – we promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Haskins has centres in Ferndown in Dorset, West End in Southampton and Roundstone and Snowhill in West Sussex. For more information visit www.haskins.co.uk

Work on the development of 32 homes on an unused part of the Brookfields Garden Centre site in Nottinghamshire could start towards the end of the year.

The developer, Davidsons Homes, which is in negotiations to buy the land, is seeking planning permission from Gedling Borough Council to build a mixture of one- to five-bedroom properties on the site, which has already been designated as suitable for housing.

The development is part of wider proposals for more than 500 new homes and a primary school across three sites in the area north of Arnold in a build programme scheduled to last for three-and-a-half years.

More than 60 plant breeders at 31 locations in The Netherlands and Germany will open their doors in June for FlowerTrials 2019 to exhibit the latest pot and bedding plants.

Three new participants will join the FlowerTrials this year (11–14 June):

• AllPlant Young Plants roots and grows young plants from tissue-culture for delivery to professional growers. Specialists in Echinacea, Heuchera and Phlox, its catalogue comprises more than 500 innovative varieties from various breeders. 
• Belgium-based DeCock Plants is a well-known international producer of young plants with a rooting station at their home base and mother plant facilities in Ethiopia. The company has its own breeding program in Lavandula, Osteospermum and Poinsettia.
• Ramm Botanicals/Kalantzis Plants is an Australian/Greek joint venture in the breeding and young plant production of Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paw), Lomanda, Dianella and other Australian Native plants.

Previous exhibitors Thompson & Morgan, Bock Bio Science and Cultivaris have announced they will not participate in 2019.

This year’s FlowerTrials sees a new cluster at FN Kempen in Mijdrecht (area Aalsmeer) where new participants DeCock and AllPlant will exhibit together with Kientzler, who in addition to their main location in Germany will also welcome visitors in The Netherlands.

Ramm Botanicals/Kalantzis Plants will join the Royal van Zanten cooperation in Aalsmeer.

Exhibitors at the World Horti Centre are meanwhile all changing location with Queen and Van den Bos sharing with Sakata at the Demokwekerij Westland Zwethlaan and Schoneveld partnering with Selecta one and VWS Flower Bulbs at Nursery P. van Geest. Prudac and DHMI will also join this cluster, making five exhibitors. Dümmen Orange has announced that they will be moving from Westland to Aalsmeer to their own location in De Kwakel.

Visitors are encouraged to consult the FlowerTrials website www.flowertrials.com for a detailed overview and planner calculating a route around the 31 locations.

Plant sales bounced back up to be above 2017’s levels for the fourth week of March by 1% which is a great position to be in before Mother’s Day.  All but 5 plant groupings in the GTN Bestsellers Plants Top 50 increased their sales

• Rhododendron were the highest chart climbers, up 15 places to No 23.
• Aubretia made the highest re-entry to the Top 50 at No 25.
• Tomato plant sales more than doubled to remain the No 2 most popular plant bought in garden centres last week.

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

While Britain’s High Streets are facing economic headwinds that have seen big name retailers consigned to history, garden centres are bucking the trend and experiencing healthy levels of growth.

According to the HTA, the UK garden market is worth around £5.7billion (excluding landscaping and amenity) and business is booming for the UK’s 2,300 garden centres and retail nurseries.

The January 2019 issue of HTA Market Update found that garden centre sales were up by 3% in 2018 compared to 2017. Houseplants were star performers, up by 15% year-on-year. Christmas categories saw strong growth in 2018 with December sales 9% up on 2017.

HTA Director of Operations, Martin Simmons said: “HTA members are reporting a healthy start to the year, aided by daily maximum temperatures in February that were the highest on record. Given that the equivalent time last year saw the Beast from the East, no one is under the illusion that comparisons with February 2018 would be fair, but it’s a promising start. This is encouraging as we move through an uncertain economic period this season.”

Simmons said that in the past, the garden industry has shown some resilience to economic uncertainty: “With a later Mother’s Day and Easter this year, and the chance of better weather, there’s a possibility that consumers will want a distraction from Brexit.”

High footfall and category growth at garden centres is a world away from the crisis that’s gripping High Streets. According to an analysis by The Guardian, English and Welsh town centres have lost 8% of their shops on average since 2013. Last year [2018] was a retail bloodbath. Toys ‘R’ Us closed its final stores in April. Maplin pulled down the shutters at the last of its 200 branches. House of Fraser collapsed into administration, with the 59-store chain eventually bought by Sports Direct. Up to 31 stores faced threat of closure.

The carnage didn’t stop there. Discounter Poundworld called in the administrators, Carpetright said it was planning to close over 90 UK stores, Prezzo unveiled plans to axe 94 restaurants, Homebase set out to shut unprofitable stores and Mothercare announced it could close 50 outlets. And the dawn of 2019 wasn’t enough to lift the gloom, with HMV and Office Outlet calling in the administrators.

So why is garden retail thriving at a time when shutters are crashing down in High Streets? Garden centres have evolved to embrace catering, giftware and food halls, reinventing their businesses as leisure destinations that offer a family-friendly shopping experience that’s worlds away from the toxic mix of high parking charges, empty retail units and competition from the internet that are blighting town centres across that UK. And it’s a strategy that’s paying dividends.

According to The Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade (BoT), sales of outdoor plants in November 2018 were up by 11.69% compared to the same month in 2017. Mild weather saw hard landscaping sales soar by 13.12% compared to November 2017, as shoppers took advantage of mild weather to complete outdoor projects before winter set in. Category performers included catering (up 7.08%) and houseplants (up 6.45%).

December was also a strong month for garden retailers. Sales of outdoor plants rose by 17.73% on the same period the previous year. Christmas sales picked up after a slow November, rising by 6.54% on December 2017. Houseplants continued their upwards march (up by 8.12%) with growth in food hall sales (9.9%), clothing (4.44%) and catering (11%). Hard landscaping sales climbed by 12.21%.

And festive cheer extended into January 2019, which was led by a double-digit sales boom in houseplants and outdoor plants, up by 16.96% and 13.03% respectively, when compared to January 2018. Christmas sales jumped by 12.39% indicating a buoyant market for post festive clearance. Other star performers in January included garden sundries (9.02%) and catering sales (10.35%).

Organisers of Glee, (NEC Birmingham’s,10-12 September) are upbeat. Glee event director Matthew Mein said: “Garden centres are the retail success story and Glee is a showcase for the innovation and creativity that powers this sector onwards, regardless of economic uncertainty. As well as showcasing the best new products with the potential to drive category growth, Glee is an annual platform to network with existing and potential customers – a one-stop-shop to do business.”

With more than 550 exhibitors and over 7,000 visitors – of which more than 4,000 are senior decision makers – this year’s Glee will help to secure continued growth for garden retail at the ideal time of year for UK and international buyers to place orders to re-stock shelves in run up to Christmas, and secure stock ahead of the coming year.

GIMA director Vicky Nuttall, is also confident about prospects for garden retailers in the run-up to Glee. She said: “The retail market for garden products continues to be strong, despite the doom and gloom predictions for the UK retail. According to Euromonitor International, the gardening sector alone was forecast to show a healthy 4.8% growth in 2018, reaching £4.6billion at retail sales value, with bricks and mortar specialist garden retailers such as garden centres still accounting for around 66% of sales.”

Nuttall pointed out that while the internet continues to grow in its dominance in other sectors, ongoing investment in garden centre development has provided a positive purchasing environment for visiting consumers: She explains: “The ongoing challenge for retailers and suppliers is to evolve their product and service offer to suit the emerging millennial market, without alienating its current customer base.

“More immediate concerns relate to Brexit and how this ongoing uncertainty will affect consumer spending and business investment. It’s still very much a waiting game but the industry already has an inbuilt resilience developed though coping with the unpredictability of the British weather, 2017 being a prime example.”

Another key factor is underpinning confidence in garden retail. According to the latest overview of the UK population, carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 2017, the UK has a growing – and ageing population – a factor that demonstrates why garden retailers are expanding their offering to cater for higher footfall from customers of retirement age.

The ONS found that, in 2016, the UK population hit 65.6million, an all-time high, and it’s predicted to carry on growing, reaching over 74million by 2039. The ONS report said: “While the population is growing, improvements in healthcare and lifestyles mean the population is getting older. In 2016 in the UK, 18% of people were aged 65 and over, and 2.4% were aged 85 and over.”

Crucially, the ONS found that between 1976 and 2016 there was a 3.8% increase in the proportion of people aged 65 and over. It is projected to continue to grow to nearly a quarter of the population by 2046. That can only be good news for garden retailers.

Bord na Móna has welcomed a new fleet of 15 branded lorries to the UK, in a bid to boost brand awareness as it embarks on its most promising season in the UK market to date.

The 44-tonne lorries, which can transport up to 22 pallets of product at a time, made their first journeys today from White Moss Horticulture, the company's distribution site near Liverpool. The new fleet will fulfil deliveries up and down the country and help to build brand visibility for the growing media supplier across both Bord na Móna Growise and Richmoor ranges.

Steve Harper, Head of Commercial and Marketing for Bord na Móna UK, said: "We're continuing to invest in our logistics structure to ensure seamless, first-class distribution from our UK sites in both Liverpool, Penrith and Cambridge, and are thrilled to see our first branded fleet out on the roads in time for peak season. Bord na Móna has long been established as a household name in Ireland, and we're steadily building brand sentiment amongst retailers and consumers to echo this level of familiarity in the UK."

To find out more about Bord na Móna and the Growise brand, visit the website.

The team at Haskins in Ferndown presented Autism Wessex with a cheque for £5,899.45 this week. All money raised from events held at the Ferndown centre throughout 2018 and collected from Haskins’ ‘Wishing Well’ was donated to the charity.

Autism Wessex was the garden centre’s nominated ‘Charity of the Year’ in 2018. The charity provides high quality specialist services for adults and children affected by autism throughout Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset. According to statistics there are around 700,000 people affected by autism in the UK.

L-R: Tom Johnston (Fundraising Manager, Autism Wessex), Pauline Oxford (Customer Services Team Leader at Haskins in Ferndown), Jenny Gardner (Assistant Team Leader Customer Services at Haskins in Ferndown), Marc Etheridge (Assistant General Manager at Haskins in Ferndown)

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Katy Golden has been appointed as The Great British Card Company's new Head of Gifts, a move which signals the company’s diversification into the gifts market.

With over 20 years’ experience in the retail sector in Stationery and Gifts, most recently as Online Category Manager (Stationery and Gift) at WH Smith, Katy is a passionate stationery buff charged with the responsibility of developing some of GBCC’s best card lines into gift ranges.

“I’m very excited about this new opportunity and the chance to work with some stunning creative concepts, across a varied retail landscape” said Katy. 

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Katy into our business” said GBCC MD Chris Wilcox.  “Katy’s is a true specialist in her field, and her track record within the gifts industry is quite impeccable.  With her expertise, drive and total commitment, Katy’s appointment marks a new and important development for GBCC as we diversify into other non-card areas, supported by our retailers.”

Pictured above:  Michael McGunnigle, National Sales Manager with Katy Golden, Head Of Gifts and Nick Adsett, Group Product Director at GBCC.

For more information contact The Great British Card Company www.greatbritishcards.co.uk Tel: 01452 888999

Last week's Growing Media sales volumes, as reported by GTN Bestsellers were just below 2017’s record high for the fourth week of March.  That means with a potential bumper Mother’s Day weekend March 2019 could be a new record for March.

• Westland The Gardener's Multipurpose Compost 50 litres was the highest re-entry to the chart at No 2.
• Evergreen Garden Care Levington Original Gro-bag climbed 11 places to No 13.

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

Planters Garden Centre near Tamworth has defended itself on Facebook after revealed its plans to hatch chicks in time for Easter.

A posting on Planters Facebook page last Wednesday saiud they were putting eggs into incubators so that they would hatch in three weeks time, ready for the Easter period.

The post repidly and attracted negative comments from concerned locals and animal lovers, mainly expressing concern around what would happen to the chicks, particularly cockerels, once Easter was over.

One protest read: “This is utterly irresponsible of you to use living creatures as an extra seasonal gimmick to entice more customers to your business establishment! No thought or care to what happens to them once they’ve served their purpose and kids are back at school. Shame on you!”

Another said: “Do you breed puppies just in time for Christmas too?”

Planters later issued a statement defending its post “Dear fellow animal lovers who have shown concern about the welfare of our Easter chicks.

“We thank you all for your concern. Here at Planters, we are a family run business, who care very much about the welfare of all the animals we have in store.

“In fact, the eggs being hatched this year are the eggs laid by last year’s Easter chicks.

“After our chicks have hatched, they are kept under a heat lamp with everything they need during the Easter period, where no one handles them. Looked after by staff who know exactly what to do.

“After Easter, the chicks return to join our personal collection of chickens in a free range environment. Fed on grass, wheat and chicken mix. We’ve been hatching eggs and delighting thousands of children for over 20 years.

“Thank you again for the concern but please be assured, the chicks are well looked after during and after their time at Planters.

“We would kindly ask that you allow us to share all the facts before writing hateful comments. We love that you think about the animals but please think about our staff as well.”

Garden Re-Leaf Day certainly signalled the start of mass gardening activity this year. Plant feeds, lawn care products, growing from seed lines and garden clean up products all saw big sales increases. 

Plus, decorative items for Easter appeared in the GTN Bestsellers Garden products Top 50 for the first time.

Highlights were:

• Evergreen Garden Care Levington Tomorite 1L + 30% Free moves back up to No 1.
• Gardman Premium Seed Tray 25cm was the highest re-entry at No 6.
• Garland 8cm Round Fibre Pots, pack of 12, were the highest chart climber, up 29 places to No 13.
• Fountasia’s Bunny Springer debuted in the chart at No 24.

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

The March 2019 issue of HTA Market Update, published last week, reports that nationally, garden centre sales recovered well this year from last February, which saw the ‘Beast from the East’ cause major disruption. Despite starting off cold, February 2019 was recorded as the warmest February since 1998.

The report shows that comparing February 2019 vs February 2018 sales were up a significant 35%. The rolling year to February 2019 vs 2018 shows sales up by 5%. Calendar year to February 2019 vs 2018 sales are up by 25%.

2017 is added in to the report to add a further comparison to this year’s sales and reveals that hardy plants have experienced an impressive 42% growth over the last two years.

HTA Director of Operations, Martin Simmons said: “It's great to see strong sales in February. The 'Beast from the East' last year had a dramatic effect on our sector but when compared with February 2017 it's encouraging that this year retail sales are up across all categories. HTA nurseries are also reporting strong performance suggesting that this is being replicated in the wholesale sector and demand for UK grown plants is strong. Given the current economic instability this is an encouraging start as we build towards the peak season.”

The overall consumer confidence index score increased by one point in February but remains three points lower than February of last year. Concerns over Brexit deals and the UK’s economic situation remain; with consumers less confident and looking to save more.

Veg-to-Gro continues to fly through garden centre tills, up nearly 40% on last year and almost catching up with 2017 levels.  Tomato plants dominate the GTN Chart with 10 in the Top 15. Cucumbers and Herbs are selling through well too.

Highlights were:

• Quantil Tomato Gardeners Delight 8cm stays at No 1 for another week.
• Quantil Cucumber F1 8cm is the highest re-entry at No 9.
• Farplants Parsley Moss Curled is the highest chart climber, up 31 places to No 14.

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

Neudorff’s nematode range, which offers effective biological control of leatherjackets, chafer grubs and vine weevils, will be back in stock and ready to ship to customers from 2 April.

The range does not require refrigeration and has an extended shelf-life compared to the refrigerated versions which are usually sold online or by mail order, so stock delivery is strategically-timed to ensure garden centres have stock on shelves during the key months.

Neudorff’s next generation formula makes it simpler and more cost effective for garden centres, whilst making the products much more accessible to gardeners who can apply them the same day or shortly after purchase.

The range features the GIMA Sword of Excellence winning VineWeevilFree plus two varieties for tackling lawn pests; LeatherjacketFree and LawnGrubFree. Each pack now includes two separate sachets containing the nematode mixture, giving gardeners the opportunity to treat smaller areas without using the entire pack. The Nemasprayer, a pre-calibrated applicator is also available as part of the range.

For more information visit the website.

Increased garden centre footfall drove Wild Bird Care sales up last week but they still lagged behind last year, down by 12%. 

• Westland Peckish Complete 2kg + 50% Free was the highest GTN Chart climber, up 42 places to No 3.
• Tom Chambers Sunflower Hearts 2.5kg moved up 3 placs to No 4.
• Smart’s Chapelwood Compact Squirrel Proof Peanut Feeder saw the biggest percentage increase to re-enter at No 27.

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

Local newspapers have reported this afternoon that the Wyevale Crowland Garden Centre will close on April 28th.

The Spalding and South Holland Voice reports that up to 19 members of staff face the possibility of redundancy.

The 8.8 acre centre was listed for sale at a value of £200,000, leasehold, but a buyer has not been found.

A spokesperson for Wyevale Garden Centres told GTN Xtra this afternoon: "We have been considering the future of the centre for some time due to the impact on footfall and sales since the opening the A16 Bypass. Despite our best efforts we are now having to take the decision to close the centre. We will seek to redeploy as many of our talented and experienced colleagues as possible within other Garden Centres in order to minimise any compulsory redundancies"

The site also features a Maidenhead Aquatics concession.

After the closure of Crowland that will leave 96 centres still to be sold as Terra Firma continue with the "Sale of the Century" as they seek to close their third fund, TFCPIII.

There is much speculation about who will be buying any of the remaining centres and indeed if they will all remain as centres after this announcement about Crowland.  Rumours are that large groups and smaller independents appear to be in negotiation with agents Christie & Co.  However Wyevale Garden Centres are unable to confirm any ongoing negotiations at the moment, so watch this space.

With sadness, we share news of Mike Dunnett passing away today (Tuesday 26th March 2019). Mike a well known and greatly respected industry pioneer was MD of Blakedown Nurseries for many years. His energetic, entertaining and always though provoking presentations at conferences in the UK and across the world were often the highlight of the event.

In more recent years Mike has split his time between consultancy projects and his stunning Worcestershire garden. Full details of funeral arrangements will be released when available. His family can be contacted via Adam Dunnett, Adamdunnett@hillier.co.uk

After a successful Awards evening where he announced three new centres for the group, Blue Diamond MD Alan Roper gave GTN Xtra his thoughts on the event and the motivational effect on his teams.

"Well our 14th awards were the biggest and best we have ever staged which was fitting given my 20th year. 500 people really enjoyed themselves and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 500 sore heads the next day. We pull out all the stops to ensure we showcase a grand event and we don't spare the money horses!!

"The unifying energising effect it has is priceless.

"This is the first year we invited suppliers and selected press, which everyone agreed worked well.

"I received many comments from people who felt moved by the interview that was played about my 20 year journey and my view of the team and culture I have built.

"I was obviously touched by the standing ovation and the comments Simon made about the fact that even though he has worked with some well known/ high profile retailers he had never worked with someone that had an unrelenting eye for detail as myself.

"I think the evening showcased what makes the Blue Diamond business shine, the people. A team of people that's been 20 years in the making."

Nisa Retail has announced it has signed a deal with Dobbies Garden Centres to support their new Foodhall strategy across its 35 garden centres.

Nisa's announcement says that the decision to join forces with Nisa was driven by Dobbies desire to develop its Foodhall offer. Customers can still expect to find unique, premium quality ‘foodie’ items in the Dobbies Foodhalls, but now a wide range of everyday groceries will be provided by Nisa. This extended range will give customers more choice and convenience, allowing Dobbies to cater for all customers’ needs under one roof.

The move allows Dobbies to harmonise its existing range with that of Nisa’s, utilising Nisa’s expertise available in range selection, planogram capability and promotional support. 

“We’re delighted to partner with Dobbies and look forward to helping them on a journey to establish their Foodhall as a one stop shopping destination, and unlocking the full sales potential of these sites,” said Steve Leach, Nisa Retail sales director.

Nisa has worked closely with Dobbies retail team to develop a range of fresh, chilled and frozen products, while helping to dovetail an everyday range of ambient products into the existing Dobbies Foodhall range.  The range will first be implemented at the Melville site, where Dobbies Head Office is based, in addition to sites at Dunfermline and Livingston will be the first, but the offer will roll out to the whole estate.

Rolling out to the whole estate could put Dobbies in direct competition with Tesco for convenience shopping at sites which are adjacent to Tesco stores such as at Inverness and Kings Lynn.

The Dobbies team have identified the potential sales in addressing visitors everyday shopping needs and moved to address this through the deal with Nisa.

Archie Stewart, Head of Food at Dobbies said: “I am delighted to see our new strategy come to life in the Foodhalls. Customers are increasingly shopping for less, more often and so we have created a Foodhall offer that caters to this top up shop mission, whilst also maintaining Dobbies’ uniqueness.  The Nisa product range has provided Dobbies with a credible breadth of range, while other well-loved brand collaborations such as Booths and Luca’s Ice Cream, and a continued commitment to local suppliers, have helped to differentiate our foodhalls and enhance the shopping experience”.

“Nisa has enjoyed an exceptional period of recruitment and has proven again that it is perfectly suited to partnering with a wide range of different retail formats and we know that Dobbies will benefit greatly from the input of our specialist retail support teams,” added Steve.

Nisa currently supplies 4,000 independently owned stores.  A spokesperson for Nisa explained to GTN Xtra: "Nisa doesn't have any company owned retail spaces and partners do not need to operate under a Nisa fascia. Nisa will supply Dobbies a range of branded and own brand goods which complement and expand its current range of products for the convenience of its customers. All sales will be Dobbies.

"Retailers have the option to stock either Co-op own brand or Nisa’s Heritage own brand. Dobbies will continue to sell the lines they currently carry, Nisa will be giving them the opportunity to complement that existing range with products to give customers more choice and convenience.

"Nisa can supply a wide range of fresh product lines, including meat, fruit, veg etc. The mix of product would be down to the store to choose what worked best for their business. So for example, and not specific to Dobbies, if a retailer already stocked a range of locally produced sausages and bacon, but didn’t have pre-packed fresh vegetables, they may decide that a further range of sausages wasn’t required but that a complimentary range of pre-packed veg was, in order to cater for a full meal occasion."

Over 100 walkers and 30 cyclists took part in the fifth Garden Re-Leaf Day Challenge held in Buckinghashire with Wyevale Worlds End Garden Centre as the base for the day.

The evnent which will raised over £15,000 for Garden Re-Leaf Day and The Greenfingers Charity was started by a very green haired Boyd Douglas-Davies who came up with the idea for Garden re-Leaf Day six years ago.

Members of the UK garden retailing industry were joined once again by staff from Kew Green Hotels (below) and from Teleflex who have adopted Greenfingers as their charity of the year. 

A special 100 milers presentation was made to three walkers who have taken part in every Garden Re-Leaf Day walk, Kimberley Hornby, Matthew Mein (who initiated the initial Thames Walk) and Vicki Nuttall.

Special thanks go to the team from Wyevale Worlds End for providing wonderful hospitality during the day.  Thank you!

See the GTN Xtra photo gallery from the day below and look out for more images as we add them during next week

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.