In This Issue
Who are the Greatest Christmas Garden Centre teams of 2023?
Back by popular demand - let your customers vote for your team as The Greatest this Christmas
Bed bugs besiege British homes
Klondyke acquire The Crieff Food Company
Evergreen calls on DEFRA to make Responsible Sourcing Scheme Protocol ahead of the 2024 peat ban
Boyd Douglas-Davies confirmed as Greenfingers Trustee & Chairman-Elect
Saplings from Sir Isaac Newton Tree with Gravitas auction
September sunshine boost and final quarter optimism
Blue Diamond continues support for horticultural students
Notcutts Dukeries Garden Centre undertakes restoration project
Henry Bell wins primary supplier contract
Which trade has the best and WORST music taste?
New initiative to tackle single-use packaging waste
New for 2024 – Introducing INDX National Flooring Show
Spring Fair reveals snapshot of what's in store for 2024
Let sales flow with Easy Fountain’s 2024 offering
The complete Glee New Product Showcase Directory - GTN Magazine latest issue on-line now
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Get your copy of GTN Xtra
Squire's announces two new appointments
Keukenhof gardeners plant flower bulbs with US Embassy in The Hague
Agapanthus by De Wet Plant Breeders confirmed to flower for over 100 days
HTA responds to Government consultation response on consistency in collections, now known as Simpler Recycling
CHA hosts UK exhibitor group at IPM 2024
Resounding success for EGO at 2023 Distributor Conference
AIPH presents its garden and pavilion at Expo 2023 Doha Qatar
The best of last week's
Family-run garden centre sold to ice cream firm
Local couple set to take over Setley Ridge Garden Centre
Peckish to launch million pound TV campaign
Severe weather forces garden centres to close
Hillier Garden Centre Newbury’s first stage of redevelopment now complete
GIMA New Product Digest Autumn 2023
Buy your subscription to the GTN Bestsellers printed weekly newsletter
2023 GIMA Awards update – winners give reactions
Unwins Seeds scoops GIMA Award for wildflowers mix
Peckish recognised for its sustainable packaging
CJ Wildlife scoops award for Kids Wildlife Range
Situations Vacant
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
 

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

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Who are the Greatest Christmas Garden Centre teams of 2023?

Our team of judges have their sleighs ready to start the judging process for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2023.

 

If you think your Christmas teams are the best in the business, now’s the time to get them nominated for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2023.

 

There are categories to recognise display teams, Christmas Trees sales teams, marketing teams and back this year are the much sought after Greatest Festive Garden Centre Catering team, The Greatest Garden Centre Grotto team and The Greatest Christmas Wild Bird Care and Pet team awards.

 

It's simple to take part, all you have to do is nominate your teams for the award categories below in an e-mail to trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk including a few words about why our team of judges should come and meet your team and a photo or two that we can include in our GTN Xtra Christmas photo galleries. The closing date for nominations to guarantee a visit from our judges is Monday 6th November 2023.

 

Here are the categories for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2023

  • The Greatest Christmas Houseplant Team
  • The Greatest Christmas Tree and Outdoor Plant Team
  • The Greatest Christmas BBQ and Outdoor Leisure Team – The Solex Sizzle
  • The Greatest Christmas Wild Bird Care & Pet Team
  • The Greatest Christmas Marketing Team
  • The Greatest Christmas Community Event
  • The Greatest Festive Gardening Gifts Team
  • The Greatest Festive Retail Food Hall Team
  • The Greatest Festive Garden Centre Catering Team
  • The Greatest Garden Centre Christmas Video
  • The Greatest Garden Centre Grotto Team
  • The Greatest Group Small Garden Centre Christmas Team*
  • The Greatest Group Large Garden Centre Christmas Team*
  • The Greatest Small Garden Centre Christmas Team
  • The Greatest Mid-Sized Garden Centre Christmas Team
  • The Greatest Large Garden Centre Christmas Team

*The Group Garden Centre awards are for centres that are part of groups with 5 or more centres

 

Judging visits will take place during November and December with the winners being announced on The Stage at Spring Fair on Monday 5th February 2024.

 

As well as the kudos and fame from winning a Greatest Christmas award, our Gold winners in each category will win prizes including stock, services or hotel accommodation from our sponsors, which at time of going to press include:

  • AMES
  • Garden Radio
  • Glee 2024
  • Kaemingk
  • LeisureGrow
  • PATS 2024
  • Smart Garden Products – Three Kings
  • Solex 2024
  • Stars for Europe
  • Woodmansterne

Watch out for details of the prizes on offer in issues of GTN Xtra: www.gardentradenews.co.uk and in the next issue of GTN.

So, what are you waiting for, get snapping and send an e-mail today to trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk to get your entry registered.

 

What the judges will be looking for:

As GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards firstly recognise the amazing teamwork involved in garden centre Christmas retailing excellence we asked our judges what specific things they will be looking for in each Christmas Awards category this year:

  • The Greatest Christmas Houseplant Team
    • Christmas theming of the displays, link sales and plants as Christmas presents 
  • The Greatest Christmas Tree and Outdoor Plant Team
    • Extending the Christmas experience out into the Planteria, not only making the sale of cut trees fun and different but what is being done to promote link sales to trees as well as plants as presents. 
  • The Greatest Christmas BBQ and Outdoor Leisure Team – The Solex Sizzle
    • Effort (and success) being put to inspiring  sales of BBQ’s, firepits, furniture, arbours and leisure items normally associated with summer rather than Christmas
  • The Greatest Christmas Wild Bird Care & Pet Team
    • From a gondola end of Christmas pet treats to a whole department dedicated to wild bird care or pets of all shapes and sizes. The festive feeling generated by the team, from their attitude for sales to their inspirational displays.  Who has been bold enough to include a pet or wild bird care display in the main Christmas area?
  • The Greatest Christmas Marketing Team
    • On and off centre Christmas marketing activity: advertising, p.o.s. video, social media, influencer promotions. We are looking for originality, execution and sucess.
  • The Greatest Christmas Community Event
    • A one off ‘launch’ or an ongoing feature – for example a zoo, woodland walk, colouring competition, cookery demonstration or a charity fundraiser that engages the community and extends the Christmas experience.
  • The Greatest Festive Gardening Gifts Team
    • This is all about creating sales at this time of year through inspirational use/display/promotion of regular gardening tools and sundries items in a festive setting /department which are capturing sales to both new annd experienced gardeners.
  • The Greatest Festive Retail Food Hall Team
    • Food Hall, Farm Shop or just a department in the retail area. Looking for seasonal lines, offers and services to build unit sales as well as dressing of the area. What is special to your Garden Centre offer over other food retailers?
  • The Greatest Festive Garden Centre Catering Team
    • What have you done to make your restaurant or coffee shop a part of the Christmas experience? Looking for dressing of the seating area, servery, menu, special offers, link sales, promotions and of course, Festive staff!
  • The Greatest Garden Centre Christmas Video
    • Simply a Christmas promotional video that creates garden centre visits and sales.
  • The Greatest Garden Centre Grotto Team
    • What have the team done this season to create a really memorable and enjoyable experience.
  • The Greatest Group Small Garden Centre Christmas Team*
  • The Greatest Group Large Garden Centre Christmas Team*
  • The Greatest Small Garden Centre Christmas Team
  • The Greatest Mid-Sized Garden Centre Christmas Team
  • The Greatest Large Garden Centre Christmas Team
    • For all of the overall team awards the judges are looking for happy, festive garden centre teams who can keep their Christmas retailing standards at their best throughout the Christmas sales period. 

By popular demand we have brought back Customer Voting for The Greatest Garden Centre Christmas teams, after all it is what customers think that is most important. See the details here

 

The first Greatest Christmas Awards Team visit the judges carried out this year was at British Garden Centres Woodthorpe, back in August.  See our gallery of pictures below:

 

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BGC Woodthorpe GTN220823 001.jpg
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