Building on success to deliver more for customers

Provider of gardening sundries and wild bird care products, Gardman, has announced its intent to adapt its organisational structure as part of its on-going strategy to create a more dynamic and flexible business. This new structure will enable Gardman to capitalise quickly on market opportunities for its extensive range of new products at attractive prices.  

Explaining the rationale for the change, CEO Stewart Hainsworth said: “We operate in a highly competitive market in which our retail partners trust us to deliver.  Having recently and successfully introduced key initiatives to bring us closer to our customers, we must continue to understand their commercial requirements and retain their trust by meeting those challenges quickly and efficiently. Excellent service levels, continuous innovation and shaRRPer prices are therefore at the heart of our strategy.”  

Gardman’s Sales Administration and Support functions are being integrated with Consumer Support, under the leadership of Laura Smart.  Laura, who has been instrumental within the sales department over the last 14 years, will enable Gardman to deliver a more cohesive and responsive service division.

Adding further strength to the Sales function, Phil Moss will join Gardman as Senior National Account Manager for B&Q and Matthew Bent will join as Group Account Manager for the Garden Centre channel.

Stewart Hainsworth added: “Both Phil and Matthew will bring a significant level of industry and trade experience that I’m sure will prove to be invaluable in building strong retail partnerships with our customers.  We look forward to welcoming them in early November.”  

In addition, Sales Office Manager Wendy Towers, Finance Director Richard Browne and Marketing Director, Jane Lawler have left the business to pursue other opportunities.  “We wish Richard, Jane and Wendy every success in their future careers and would like to thank them for their contributions to the business,” said Stewart.

 “I’m delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Little as Finance Director who brings a diverse range of business expertise in retail and distribution.  Recognising internal talent, Sarah Downing will now lead the Marketing department, having already proven her capabilities, market and industry knowledge during her time with the company.” 

He concluded: “The right corporate culture and willingness to change is essential to adapt to a dynamic market place.  Gardman is determined to modernise its practices, by investing in the latest IT infrastructure, which underlines our commitment to meeting our customers’ requirements.” 

Christmas sales are jingling through the tills across the country wherever Christmas displays are open. And customers are loving it, judging by the smiles of delight at the beautiful sparkly displays and the baskets full of christmas products being carried to checkouts.

The GTN Bestsellers Christmas Top 50 reports volume sales up 58% on last week, 62% up on the same week last year and 30% up to date on last year from week 40 onwards.

Overall garden centre christmas sales will actually be higher than the GTN Bestsellers like-for-like analysis. The GTN team have seen more and more garden centres increasing the area devoted to Christmas displays. With brand new centres opening, such as Dobbies at Inverness and Kings Lynn plus Dunbar Garden Centre on the A1 between Berwick and Edinburgh, customers have more choice than ever before.

Check out the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year...

Garden Products – up 7.7%

Christmas – up 62%

Growing Media – up 20%

All items index – up 30%

Never underestimate the retail power of a hit TV series!  The Great British Bake Off, which reached its climax this week, may well have been driving the storming sales of a baking product in the current Christmas sales chart.

DeLuxe Christmas Cupcake Sets distributed by Baker & Taylor were the highest new entry in the week of the semi-finals – and that was surely more than a passing co-incidence. The product came in at No.7 – and displays like the one we saw at Hetland Garden Centre in Dumfries were clearly capitalising on the interest in a programme that was required viewing for millions. Do our gardening programmes have the same influence?

However, personalised products continue to lead the way in a chart in which every single product in the Top 50 is showing an increase. History & Heraldry’s Personalised Christmas Moneyboxes hang on to the No.1 spot.

The Christmas chart shows a week-on-week increase of almost 58% so, with some items selling out fast, garden centres may now face the problem of securing enough stock to maintain the momentum with seven weeks or so still to go before the big day.

Battery-operated products are selling strongly, so be sure to check your battery stocks.

See the full GTN Christmas Bestsellers Chart here.  Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business.  Subscribe today and invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Members of Choice Marketing who attended their Annual General Meeting recently heard that they were in for a record breaking annual rebate cheque from suppliers at the end of this season.

Addressing the meeting, Sam Bosworth, who was re-elected as Chairman for a further 12 months, told members that despite a slow start to the season, Group turnover had increased by around 8% year on year. He said that this had demonstrated the benefits and importance of members working together for the common good. He also thanked their key suppliers for their support in what had been a challenging year.

Choice is firmly committed to its key suppliers and although the 34 Centres are independently owned, members speak with one voice in their relationships with the suppliers and the industry at large. Each member has their own, individually personalised marketing programme, organised by Choice Marketing which ensures that carefully targeted campaigns are co-ordinated with supplier’s own marketing activity to maximise sales results. Choice members fund all the overheads of the operation which means that every single penny from supplier rebates goes back to the members.

Members are looking forward to a successful close to 2013 and reported that Christmas had got off to a promising start with most Centres achieving sales increases of between 19% and 73% compared to the same period last year. Several Centres have cooperated on container deals from the Far East.

A new addition to the board is Mark Winchester of Blackbrooks Garden Centre at Hastings. Commenting on his election Mark said "I joined Choice 3 years ago and the benefits I have received in terms of friendship, networking, marketing support and enhanced purchasing power have been enormous. The assistance from our suppliers has transformed our in-store presence."

Choice Marketing has had a freeze on new membership for the last 12 months but is now in a position to consider applications from like minded Garden Centres who are prepared to commit to the Choice philosophy of strict adherence to the cooperative purchasing and marketing plans in return for cost effective professional marketing services and greatly enhanced purchasing power.

Just two weeks after opening and the team at Dobbies Inverness are reporting excellent sales.  The Planteria was said to be the second highest for sales in the group already and the 370 seater restaurant had the best opening week performance of any recent Dobbies openings.

Dobbies Inverness takes the place of a Focus DIY store right next to an existing Tesco Extra. The two shops share the same entrance and as the 70 seater cafe has closed in the Tesco Extra, customers wanting a drink or a meal now have to use the Dobbies Restaurant which is at the back of the Dobbies part of the store.

Christmas comes but once a year, so you need to make the most of Christmas sales opportunities.  GTN Bestsellers is the answer. Every week from now until Christmas we compile and publish the Top 50 Bestsellers Christmas chart from garden centre Epos data, giving the best and most up to date garden centre trading information on the market.

If you’d have been a subscriber last year you’ll have known that History and Heraldry Moneyboxes were the No.1 best selling product for the christmas season and which products from Premier Decorations and Kaemingk graced the Top 50 volume sales charts week by week.

Plus, you’ll have benefitted from the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart and our Tip of the week – a gem of a sales idea every week derived from 5 years of GTN Bestsellers charts.

Christmas is cioming fast, so you need to act now.  Buy a subscription to GTN Bestsellers right now. For just £145.00, you get a printed GTN Bestsellers chart posted to you each week, full access to the GTN Bestsellers charts and the GTN Archive on-line and your own copy of Garden Trade News in the post each issue.

And there’s more!! 

If you take out a GTN Bestsellers subscription before the end of October, we’ll send you, as a bonus, all of the GTN Bestsellers Christmas Charts for 2012 so you'll have the best view of how trends have changed and be most prepared when it comes to buying for Christmas 2014.

So, what are you waiting for?  To get your subscription to GTN Bestsellers up and running, simply subscribe online here

or contact us by phone on 01733 775700 or by e-mail: karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers – Garden Centre Bestsellers, Guaranteed!

Toolstream welcomes the ‘May Contain Nuts (& Bolts)’ Gromit to its head office in Yeovil after winning it at auction earlier this month, making a large charitable donation to Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal.

The charity supports Bristol Children’s Hospital, one of only a few specialist children’s hospitals in the UK providing life-saving surgery, care and treatment to children on a local, national and international scale.

The ‘May Contain Nuts (& Bolts)’ Gromit is made up of 24,900 hex nuts each glued on individually by Natalie Guy, a successful mosaic artist. She says the design was inspired by inventors Wallace & Gromit and Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Now at its forever home in Yeovil, staff are extremely excited about the new arrival and the Charity Committee have organised a day of Wallace and Gromit themed fundraising, to raise even more money for charity.

“This is a fabulous opportunity for all our staff to get involved and have fun, while contributing to a deserving charity and we are really happy to be a part of it. We fell in love with the May Contain Nuts (& Bolts) Gromit and with the proceeds going to such a good cause we knew we had to have him. Gromit will sit pride of place for all staff and visitors to see for many years to come,” Darrell Morris – Managing Director.

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 and on the GTN website www.gardentradenews.co.uk.

Every week we give sales volume comparisons with 2011 as well as 2012 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, or subscribe on-line here

or e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

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

Highlights of the GTN Christmas 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.

Lawn care supplier Johnsons Lawn Seed is urging garden retailers to fill their shelves with its best-selling AnyTime seed mixture while stocks last, after its position as a ‘leading lawn seed brand’ was recently cemented once again. AnyTime’s main ingredients are Amenity Ryegrasses including the latest innovation in ryegrass, DLF’s ‘4Turf™’, the ryegrass specially selected by Brazil’s turf constructors for use in the 12 stadiums earmarked to stage the 2014 World Cup.

As World Cup fever is set to grip the nation, now is the time for retailers to confirm their stocking needs for 2014, as Johnsons Lawn Seed Manager, Guy Jenkins confirms.  He said: “No other brand can offer world cup credentials like we can, and we are incredibly proud of this accolade.  Whilst 4Turf™ was specifically designed to meet the demands of our  professional users by our parent company, DLF Trifolium,  AnyTime has been developed to meet the many needs of a residential garden.  AnyTime produces a lawn which is tolerant to drought, as well being good for shaded areas, making it suitable for UK gardens as well as the Brazilian winter climate.  Amenity Ryegrass is also renowned for its resistance to wear and tear, meaning it can withstand the intensive activity that the World Cup can throw at it, as well as the many ‘home tournaments’ that will take place in our nation’s homes next year.”

Guy also added that retailers can also boost sales by maximising the wealth of merchandising potential that the World Cup can offer. He said: “Not only can retailers truthfully claim to stock World Cup pedigree lawn seed, but they can also have some great fun with the way in which they merchandise their stock.  From banners to football kits, the possibilities are endless.  AnyTime is also a great way for enabling all the family to get involved in the buzz that the World Cup will generate.  Those that aren’t sat inside watching the football, can still feel part of the action out in the garden as they sow the seed, mow the grass or just relax on their lawn.”

Johnsons Lawn Seed’s Any Time seed mixture uses three types of Amenity Ryegrass, combined with Red Fescue, to provide the right seed for a winning lawn which is hardwearing without lacking in a luscious deep green colour, meaning it looks great all year round.  The all-purpose Any Time mixture is one of the fastest germinating on the market, and can even be sown when soil temperatures are just +3°C, helping to extend the lawn seed sales period into early spring and late autumn.

Retailers wanting to secure stock of Johnsons Lawn Seed’s market leading AnyTime lawn seed should contact their sales representative as soon as possible.  Further details can also be found by visiting www.dlf.co.uk or www.johnsonslawnseed.com

It’s ironic that this year’s unseasonably balmy autumn may well be having a detrimental affect on core gardening sales.

It’s been a slow week in the Garden Products chart and a quick look back at 2010 and 2011 shows that some of the highest sales came from cold weather lines like frost protection products, path salt and and sledges. Gardman Frostgard rolls crept up by just one place this week to No.3.

Sales in those categories will surely follow as winter begins to bite, and with substantial price increases announced by all the major energy suppliers, we can also expect a surge in demand for alternatives like bagged coal, logs and other fireside products.

Garden lighting continues to shine brightly in the chart, with six examples in the Top 50. Gardman’s Solar Spot Lights retain the No.1 spot for a second week and their bronze Zanzibar Three Lantern Set is a new entry in the top half of the chart.  With great signage as seen at Simpsons in Inverness it's clear that garden lighting is another Christmas Gift Idea that can be promoted right up to December 25th.

Meanwhile, the warmer weather appears to have prolonged the sales season of Boltac greasebands (No.22) beyond its usual peak.

See the full GTN Garden Products Bestsellers Chart here.  Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business.  Subscribe today and invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Growing media continues its downward week-on-week slide, suggesting that planting activity and bedding sales have now all but dried up as consumers switch their focus to Christmas shopping.

However, it you’re looking for a glimmer of good news, year-to-date sales are up 3.2% on the same week last year – although still looking decidedly jaded against autumn 2011. In general sales volumes are being driven by top soil (for raised beds, perhaps) and bark as the autumn tidy-up of paths and borders gets under way. Highest new entry this week is, significantly, the smallest pack size (25L) of Levington Multi-Purpose Compost – a pick-up line in the Christmas shopping basket?

See the full GTN Growing Media Bestsellers Chart here.  Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business.  Subscribe today and invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Agralan Ltd, a specialist horticultural and gardening distributor, has recently partnered with Tecman Speciality Materials to become the main distributor of the innovative new No More Slugs ‘n’ Snails Flexi Copper Adhesive Tape to the UK’s garden centre industry. 

As a market leader in the supply of products which actively promotes alternatives to the use of pesticides, Agralan are the ideal distributor for Tecman’s chemical free slug and snail barrier tape. 

Launched in Spring 2013, No More Slugs ‘n’ Snails Flexi Copper Adhesive Tape combines patented technology with the highest quality materials to transform the basic copper barrier tape into a new generation product. 

The No More Slugs ‘n’ Snails brand is bright and energetic reflecting the products originality and innovation.  The packaging has great visual appeal in store and stands out against other products in the same category and is designed to attract a wide range of consumers from beginners through to experienced gardeners.

Through extensive research, Tecman developed this next generation copper barrier tape by utilising a patented die cutting process and introducing a specialist adhesive to create a flexible barrier that conforms to uneven surfaces such as raised edges on plant pots.  It’s this flexibility which is fundamental to its visual appeal.  The high specification adhesive enhances both the performance and longevity of this innovative product as it allows the adhesive 100% surface contact ensuring there are no gaps to attract dirt and moisture.  This gives the barrier a stronger bond that resists weathering for years.

The patterned copper construction enhances the appearance of pots and planters which is a major plus point for gardeners that want an effective solution that doesn’t compromise the aesthetics in their garden.

For more information about retailing No More Slugs ‘n’ Snails Flexi Copper Adhesive Tape contact Agralan Ltd on 01285 860015 or email sales@agralan.co.uk

On November 14, the latest Gardenex and PetQuip Meet the Buyer event will be taking place at the Lea Marston Hotel nr Sutton Coldfield.

Once again we have a range of buyers attending including  Arett Sales Corporation, the leading distributor/wholesaler of lawn and garden products in the US, Arboretum the leading garden centre in Ireland which also features a pet department, Allox a Swedish importer/distributor of garden products and Solfang a Norwegian internet sales company offering practical gardening products.

Also Dubai garden centre will be attending – their buyer is particularly looking for companies with ranges of products along with suppliers of fertiliser and plant protection and is especially looking for suppliers with Organic/Green/Eco Friendly Products and Solutions.

In addition to Arboretum in Ireland which retails pet products, TiendAnimal, Spain’s leading internet sales company for pet food and accessories and Warmako an importer/distributor of pet products in the Netherlands will be having meetings with potential suppliers. Whilst most meetings will have been taken, please contact us immediately to check whether meetings are still available.

Alongside the Meet the Buyer meetings is “Going Global”, a series of workshops and presentations. These sessions are FREE to attend and include lots of practical advice and information for UK companies including;

• Euromonitor presentations on the latest garden and pet market figures and trends with a particular focus on Germany. Ideal background information for those companies looking to exhibit at spoga+gafa or Interzoo next year.
• UK Trade & Investment – find out the latest areas of support, advice and help available to UK exporters from UK Trade & Investment
• Export Communications Review – tips on adapting your website to communicate with trade customers around the world – and details of how this UKTI scheme can help you with all aspects of communication.
• For garden-related companies, Arett sales will make a presentation on their company’s role in supplying the lawn and garden and related sectors in the US

Find out too about the latest information on services provided by PetQuip and Gardenex. This is a great opportunity to network with Euromonitor and UK Trade & Investment contacts, trade press, fellow exporters and to find out what we can offer exporters or prospective exporters in our sector.

This event is open to all exporters in the garden and pet sectors. If you would like to attend the workshops and presentations please request a registration form NOW – contact us on 01959 565995 or email info@gardenex.com or info@petquip.com.