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Garden centres are now de-stocking their shrub benches in the winter preferring to order plants in early spring, according to one of the UK’s leading commercial nurseries.
Wyevale Nurseries says garden centres have recently changed their buying patterns to match those of consumers and despite campaigns designed to encourage autumn planting, spring still remains the key season.  Sales and Marketing Director, Adam Dunnett (left) said: “Gardeners seem to be less confident about planting in the autumn months despite this being an ideal time to do so and now garden centres are de-stocking through the winter to mirror this trend.
“To help plant buyers and garden centres maximise their shrub sales opportunities, we’ve introduced a service we’re calling ‘The Early Bird Shrub Offer’ with 15% off on 200 shrub varieties. “Making the most of the early season shrub sales is critical. Our Early Bird Shrub Offer enables garden centre plant buyers to secure the very best range of three litre shrubs. It will give them priority deliveries when they want them during February and March 2015, in small three plus trolley drops. “Those that place a reserve from the range by the end of October 2014 will receive 15% discount off our list price on stock to be delivered between February and the end of March 2015. They can have as many deliveries as they like through February and March as long as they have a minimum of three trollies.” Wyevale Nurseries is one of the largest family-run wholesale nurseries in the UK. It was established in 1928 by Harry Williamson, a horticulturist and entrepreneur. It became the company it is today under the leadership of his son, Peter, who sadly passed away in 2011. The Williamsons’ saw the opportunity to sell their product to an undeveloped retail market, creating one of the first garden centres, followed by a chain. In 1987, the retail side needed to expand and the 19 garden centres were sold as a PLC. The family then turned its focus to Wyevale Nurseries Ltd. It continues to be a family-run business with ownership and joint chairmanship currently being held by the third generation, Heather and Simeon Williamson, with plans for the fourth generation to takeover in the future. Wyevale Nurseries has a significant product range and is regularly introducing new plants. It offers a large variety of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants to garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners. For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, which is based in Hereford, please call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk.
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Garden centres have a duty to display plants during the winter even if it means moving them to an undercover area. That's the view of award-winning stores like Altons and Groves, who believe it would be a mistake to de-stock completely.
Andy Bunker, of Alton Garden Centre in Essex, said: "I don't think garden centres should de-stock but more importantly they should think about what and where we offer plants during the late autumn to early winter period.
"The best place to display plants during this period is undercover. You can fill it with looking good lines in shrubs but you have bedding and seasonal lines like miracle cyclamen and pansies. Other good sellers at this time of year are garden girl heathers, solanum and autumn patio plants. "But centres should adopt a little and often policy or speak to the growers/wholesaler about offers." Charlie Groves, from Groves Nurseries in Dorset, commented: "We don’t actively de-stock our plant area with clearance promotions but obviously the amount of stock reduces depending on the time of year. "However, you have to be careful about managing and protecting containerised plants particularly if you have a very cold winter and we make use of our nursery to overwinter more vulnerable stock. "We do remove sales benches from the sales area and move the plants towards the shop so that the first impression is always that of a well stocked, healthy plant area even if the amount of lines has reduced in reality. I can’t ever see a time that we would clear out all of our plants for the winter, our customers would not be happy with that at all. "I can understand there might be a necessity in centres that have a smaller outdoor area and have to make room for Christmas trees. During December these are a lifeline but fortunately we have the space to be able to sell both."
What is your view on de-stocking of outdoor plants during winter? Use the comments link below or e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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Wyevale Garden Centres appoint B&Q and M&S executives
Wyevale Garden Centres has strengthened its trading division with the addition of Martin Bitmead (pictured) as Head of Store Format and Design and Patrick O’Connor as Head of Visual Merchandising. Bitmead joins from B&Q while O'Connor moves from Marks & Spencer...
Wyevale Garden Centres has further strengthened its trading division with the addition of Martin Bitmead as Head of Store Format and Design and Patrick O’Connor as Head of Visual Merchandising. Kevin Bradshaw, Chief Executive of Wyevale Garden Centres, said: "Wyevale Garden Centres aspires to give our customers an experience in which every step they take in our centres reflects the joy of the garden and offers inspiration.
"I am delighted to welcome Martin and Patrick, whose industry-leading expertise in store formatting and visual merchandising will help bring the garden to life in our centres and create a fresh and engaging shopping experience for all our customers.” Martin Bitmead joins Wyevale Garden Centres from B&Q, and prior to that, Homebase, where he delivered new store concepts which balanced customer and commercial needs. Martin’s 14 years of experience in the retail sector and his deep understanding of the home and gardening space will enhance Wyevale Garden Centres’ format strategy, store design, and space planning to improve customer experience. Patrick O’Connor joins Wyevale Garden Centres from Marks & Spencer, where he was the Head of Visual Merchandising for Home and Foods and led initiatives such as the Home standalone store concept. Patrick’s previous experience includes roles at Heals, Breuninger, and Habitat. As Head of Visual Merchandising, Patrick will focus on creating inspirational product presentation.
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Wyevale Garden Centres has appointed London advertising agency Now to handle its national rebrand following its decision to change names from The Garden Centre Group... Now’s brief includes strategic positioning, brand identity creation and retail communications. Wyevale's marketing director Sarah Fuller said: "Our ambition is to make our brand synonymous with the joys of the garden, as well as a place where anyone can come to find help, ideas and inspiration."
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Capital Gardens are holding a grand closing down sale at Morden Hall Garden Centre in anticipation of the store being taken over by the National Trust.
 Colin Campbell-Preston, managing director of Capital Gardens which has run Morden Hall for the past 23 years, said: "We don't quite know what's going to happen but the National Trust has indicated they might not renew our lease so we are taking steps now to reduce our stock."
"It upsets me that I am going to lose 30% of my business. It's been lovely. It's a great little business we have got at the garden centre. It's going to be awful to be honest."
The garden centre, which employs about 15 staff, has been at the heart of a legal battle for more than a year. Edward Ikin, National Trust general manager at Morden Hall Park, said: "We are in discussions with Capital Gardens about the future of the garden centre at Morden Hall Park and have shared our intention that we would like to take the garden centre into our care. "As we are speaking with Capital Gardens directly, and with their solicitors, we do not feel it is appropriate to discuss the details of the matter at this stage." Mr Campbell-Preston says he expects the garden centre to be taken over by the National Trust by the end of August.
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Sinclair have merged their retail and professional sales teams to create a single sales force they claim will bring service and logistics benefits. The annoucement came yesterday as the company prepared to commission their new state-of-the-art £15m growing media facility at Ellesmere Port. Commercial director Richard Carr (right) said the new integrated hub made a unified supply chain not only possible but highly advantageous in terms of efficiency, flexibility and service levels. A raft of major new products are being readied for 2015. Mr Carr said: "With many of our customers buying both retail and professional products from us, and those products soon to be made and shipped from a world-class supersite, an integrated sales team will help both them and us. In many cases, we will be able to ship both retail and professional products on the same lorry so logistics benefits will accrue from a more dynamic, agile and efficient supply chain." The restructuring has also meant new appointments. Chris Hepburn, formerly with Hozelock, fills the new cross-company role of horticultural sales director, while Jon Watson takes on the new role of national retail sales director with responsibility for national accounts. Tony Nelson joins from Westland to become northern regional sales manager and Tara Truman assumes a new role as southern regional sales manager. A number of sales executives have been given more senior roles as cross-company area sales managers, nine of whom will cover the country with back-up from local distributors as needed. Growers who require more technical support will be serviced by three new dedicated senior professional sales managers – Jon Evans (west), Cliff Day (east) and Hayley Perrin (south). The company say they have removed the barriers segregating their retail and professional businesses and that all customers can now buy and sell both ranges. Ellesmere Port, which houses leading edge technology for the production of high performance peat-free retail compost made from composted wood, comes on-stream this month following a five year research, design and building programme.
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Garden lighting products are on the verge of outselling all other garden products, according to the GTN Bestsellers chart.
In this week’s Garden Products Top 50 chart there are 16 garden lighting product lines and their cumulative sales equate to 42% of overall volumes.
This product category allows gardeners to instantly make changes to their garden, and it must be benefiting from the great weather we’ve been enjoying.
But to grow volumes by over 100% on the same week last year is a staggering performance. No wonder the GTN Bestsellers Garden Product sales index is up by 6% on last year to date.
The question is: How many more garden lighting products can we sell in garden centres?
There is no doubt from the Epos data supplied to GTN Bestsellers that this category must not be tucked away in distant corners of a garden centre.
Customers want to buy easy-to-install solar and battery powered garden lighting so we need to make the products as easy for them to add to their shopping basket as possible.
GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year
- Garden Products – up 31%
- Veg-2-Gro – down 14%
- Growing Media – down 4%
- All items index – down 1%
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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'Meet the international buyer' meetings will be new Glee feature
Gardenex will be hosting a two-hour session of 'Meet the International Buyer' meetings on the first two days of Glee. This will allow UK suppliers to apply for short introductory meetings with a few selected international buyers at the International Buyers’ Centre.
Gardenex will be hosting a two-hour session of 'Meet the International Buyer' meetings on the first two days of Glee. This will allow UK suppliers to apply for short introductory meetings with a few selected international buyers at the International Buyers’ Centre. Similar ‘Meet the International Buyers’ meetings that are staged several times a year by Gardenex have resulted in major repeat export business for the participating suppliers. Also new to the show this year will be a UKTI International Business Theatre, where the Gardenex federation has been invited to share its export expertise in three presentations during the exhibitions. The director general of Gardenex, Amanda Sizer Barrett will make a presentation on ‘How to boost export sales without huge investment’ and commercial manager Charlie Parker will provide information on ‘New tips on maximising exports to Germany’ and ‘The USA: how UK exporters can gain a foothold in the world’s largest garden products market’. Over the years, the Centre has become the focal point for overseas garden and pet product buyers visiting the show, and a place where British suppliers of garden, leisure and pet products can source a comprehensive range of business services, international market information and export advice. As in previous years, international buyers attending the show will receive free-of-charge product sourcing advice as part of the Gardenex federation’s continuing drive to increase international sales between British manufacturers and international buyers. Business services on offer to the international visitors include the use of multi-lingual interpreters, e-mail /internet access, meeting areas and refreshments, all of them free of charge. International buyers at the show will also receive copies of the Gardenex Directory of British Garden & Leisure Products and the PetQuip Buyers’ Guide. The two multi-lingual publications are definitive directories of major UK suppliers of garden, leisure and pet products and these are used extensively by buyers in markets across the world to identify British suppliers who are ready and prepared to export. In addition to distributing the directories to international buyers and distributors at various international garden and pet trade shows, the Federation mails copies of the directory to its extensive database of overseas buyers and to commercial staff at British Embassies and Consulates throughout the world. New this year, Gardenex and its comprehensive range of export services will be featured in a special UKTI / Glee export publication, ‘Great British Gardening’ that will be distributed during the show. The Gardenex and PetQuip teams will be present on the International Buyers’ Centre throughout the show and they look forward to meeting member and non-member companies. The Federation will also outline its comprehensive programmes of garden, leisure and pet sector initiatives for 2015. Also available will be the latest information on the Federation’s Open Day which will be held on 3 December 2014; members and potential members of the Gardenex and PetQuip trade associations will receive an invitation to take part. Companies wishing to apply for membership and access to the export sales leads, market information and practical export advice and plethora of other export support that the Federation offers, should contact the Federation; appointments can be made during Glee or after the show ends.
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Celebrating colour has been the theme of the Ball Colegrave open days during the past three weeks with containing planting also at the forefront of their displays.
Stuart Lowen from Ball Colegrave said: "This year is all about colour and that has been our main focus. But we have also concentrated on containers for displaying our plants for next year.
"We're right behind the HTA campaign 'It Starts With A Pot' because we believe there is a trend towards growing plants in pots and hanging baskets, which is being driven by more people renting properties these days. At least, when they move they can take their containers with them."
Ball Colegrave approached pot manufacturers at Glee in 2013 to see if they would like to be involved with this year's open days and got an amazing response from the likes of Anglo Eastern Trading, Scheurich, Elho, Cadix, Stewart Garden, Modiform, Lows, Woodlodge, Vertigarden and Desch Plantpak.
The company created nine inspirational gardens to show off their colourful 2015 collection with all the plants in pots and hanging baskets.
Pictures of the nine gardens can be viewed below...
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Nordic Garden Buildings, whose products include pavilions, orangeries and the nation’s first ever uPVC double glazed greenhouse, has launched a consumer facing campaign to educate the UK about the benefits of uPVC double glazed garden buildings.  Featuring point of sale in Nordic dealerships and consumer promotions such as the current one with Period Living Magazine, the campaign outlines the year round usability and low maintenance associated with Scandinavian-style buildings as opposed to traditional wood or aluminium single glazed products.
The ‘no need’ campaign sets out a series of benefits unique to Nordic-style products, majoring on low maintenance, long life and reduced heating and insulation costs. Garden retailers interested in joining the campaign and getting involved with the Nordic Dealer Network can secure exclusive territories. The network benefits from dedicated account managers, online and offline direct marketing support, sales training and installation support as well as sales incentives for dealership staff. Information: email justin@nordicgarden.co.uk. or call 07717 710062
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Cannova Bronze Scarlet F1 wins Fleurostar
Fleuroselect, the international organisation for the ornamental plants industry, has announced that the FleuroStar Award 2014/15 goes to Canna generalis Cannova Bronze Scarlet F1, created by Takii...
Fleuroselect, the international organisation for the ornamental plants industry, has announced that the FleuroStar Award 2014/15 goes to Canna generalis Cannova Bronze Scarlet F1, created by Takii.
The winner was announced at the Fleuroselect Annual Convention's Gala Dinner, held in Somerleyton Hall. Takii’s Marketing & Sales Manager Flowers, Harm Custers, accepted the prize from Fleuroselect President Nils Klemm and Sally van der Horst, Secretary General of the Organisation.
Harm Custers said: "It is an honour to receive this key award in the horticultural sector. We are proud that the quality, uniqueness and wow effect of Cannova® Bronze Scarlet have been recognised by the various players from the distribution chain.
"The FleuroStar award will strongly support us in increasing Cannova's visibility in the market and in bringing its story across to the end consumer. This seed-raised F1 Canna is an excellent garden performer with perfect leaf quality and has all it takes to star in gardens all over the world."
The Fleuroselect jury praised the "superb contrast of scarlet flowers with dark foliage, giving this newcomer exactly what it needs to catch the consumer's eye at point of sale."
Takii's breeder Diony de Bont states: "Customers encounter subtropical plants during their holidays and want to recreate that Mediterranean flair in their garden at home. Created for gardens with a moderate climate, Cannova Bronze Scarlet F1 meets this trend perfectly and will open a new market."
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A new sensory garden in Birmingham’s Perry Hall Park has received the mayoral seal of approval following a £10,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Shafique Shah, officially opened the garden, which was developed by the Friends of Perry Hall Park working with Birmingham City Council and Glendale, a green services company. Friends of Perry Hall Park applied for the funding at the beginning of last year after receiving support from local schools and day centres. The group was successful in the bid and received an additional donation of £250 from Glendale, which was used to buy plants for the garden. Glendale carried out the initial preparation and site clearance in November last year and installed pergolas and arbour seating when work began this February under contractors RMF Landscaping. Volunteers from Glendale donated their time and use of the company’s machinery to complete the works. The Rangers service and members of the community also showed their support, helping out with planting, weeding, stone turning, and donating plants for the garden.  Sensory gardens are designed to provide sensory opportunities that users may not normally experience.
Helen Banks, secretary to the Friends of Perry Hall Park, said: “Receiving the Lottery Grant has been fantastic for the park and Glendale has supported the development of this lovely garden all the way, from clearing the site through to putting arbours and gazebos together and creating a welcome entrance. We were so grateful for all the support and encouragement the company gave us.” Tod Hale, contract manager at Glendale, said: “The official opening was very well attended which demonstrates the strong community support for projects like this one. Dave Hetherington and George Faraday, our park keepers, put in a lot of work before the day so everything ran like a well-oiled machine. “This has been an exciting project to be involved with and the sensory garden will be a great asset to the area. Schools have already commented on how the space will benefit their students for the learning opportunities it offers, and we hope the garden encourages more people of all ages into the park. “We’ve worked very closely with everyone involved and it’s been a great team and partnership effort to make the sensory garden project such a success.” Perry Hall Park has just received prestigious Green Flag status, awarded to green spaces which are considered to be the best in the UK in terms of being welcoming, clean, well-maintained, safe and with particular attention paid to conservation.
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Katie Melua champions Hydrangeas in August
The hydrangea has been named as HTA’s Plant of the Month for August and these big, long lasting summer blooms are being championed by one of Britain’s most successful recording artists, Katie Melua...
The hydrangea has been named as HTA’s Plant of the Month for August and these big, long lasting summer blooms are being championed by one of Britain’s most successful recording artists, Katie Melua. There are two types of flowering hydrangeas - Mophead flowers are large round flowerheads resembling pom-poms and lacecap flowers bear round, flat flowerheads. Over the winter, hydrangeas will lose their leaves but being fully hardy will re-leaf the following year. Flower colour changes depending on soil condition. Hydrangeas should be planted in a moist area in full sun to partial shade, but are normally very easy to grow and low maintenance.  Musician, singer and keen gardener Katie Melua is a big fan of hydrangeas. “Even as a singular flower head, a hydrangea is majestic to me," she said.
"Flowering from summer all the way through to autumn, large cone shaped hydrangea flowers command a lot of attention.
"The variety and richness of colours from white to the deepest purples are another glorious quality of this plant. Even when the flower is dying, the textures of the tiny flowers and the large florets, means the colours carrying on.
"I used a lot of hydrangeas at my September wedding and was able to keep and dry nearly all of them. They still fill the house with that richness and bring back the lovely memories of that day.”
Popular varieties include Hydrangea macrophylla Mophead and Lacecap, Hydrangea arborescens’ Annabelle' and family, Hydrangea quercifolia Oakleaf, Hydrangea paniculata PeeGee and family. Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Miss Saori’ won RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2014 and was also awarded Gold and Best in Category in the New Plant Awards at the HTA National Plant Show 2014. Nominated and agreed upon by British growers and retailers, the HTA’s Plant of the Month campaign highlights the plants that are widely available and looking especially good each month. For more details about Plant of the Month visit www.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth
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Norfolk Leisure is a successful garden & leisure supplier highly focused on our brand development. We are seeking an additional sales executive to maximise our team’s coverage of the UK market. This is an outstanding opportunity for a Sales Executive to sell the company’s full range of garden furniture and leisure products to targeted independent garden centres, buying and marketing groups and leisure product retailers. The successful candidate will work on his or her initiative as part of a growing friendly team whose objective is rapid but profitable growth. Reporting to a Sales Manager. Good sales experience combined with first class communication and organisational skills are essential. The preferred area to be covered would be the Northern Territory but this is flexible for the right candidate. An above average salary, bonus and car is available to the right candidate who can demonstrate the required skills and experience. For a full Job Profile, please contact Debbie Waudby, Director at Norfolk Leisure Lifestyle Limited Apply in writing with a full CV to Debbie Waudby,
Norfolk Leisure Lifestyle Limited, Garage Lane,
Setchey, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE33 0BE Tel: 01553 811717 Fax: 01553 811818
Email: debbie@norfolkleisure.co.uk
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Floors Castle is owned by the Duke of Roxburghe and is part of the Roxburghe Estates, Kelso. The Estate is a diverse land and property based business with interests comprising hospitality, leisure, tourism, sporting, agriculture, forestry and renewable energy. Floors Castle Plant Centre is a recently established venture for the Estate opened in 2011 and located within the historic walled garden at Floors Castle. The position of Plant Centre Manager offers an exciting opportunity for an individual looking to further his or her career in Plant and Garden Centre Management. The salary level is in the region of £25k depending on qualifications and experience. It is also possible that an estate house could be included as part of the remuneration package for this post. The candidate - First and foremost you will be a plant enthusiast, you will eat, live, sleep and dream plants, and you will have an insatiable desire to communicate your passion with customers.
- You will have a solid background in plant retail and a real passion for delivering exceptional customer service. You should have a suitable horticultural qualification.
- You will be expected to manage the Plant Centre with responsibility for meeting agreed targets and deadlines as well as managing a small team of part-time staff.
- You will also have responsibility for purchasing plants for sale and for growing on some perennials under the “Castle grown” label. Other stock will be the responsibility of a specialist merchandise buyer.
- You will be dynamic and driven by the desire to build Floors Castle Plant Centre into one of the finest places for plants in Scotland with an outstanding reputation for range and quality.
Further details Please apply in writing with CV to: R E Jackson FRICS Roxburghe Estates Office Kelso TD5 7SF Email: rjackson@floorscastle.com
For more information about Floors Castle visit: http://www.roxburghe.net/plant-centre
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Our client is an award winning mailorder / e-commerce business who have a high and longstanding reputation of providing the amateur gardener with outstanding varieties of fruit and vegetables. They are currently seeking a top buyer who can buy, range plan and category manage. Someone who is retail commercial aware and can build on their current success and continue to stimulate growth in the 'Grow your own' sector.
The ideal candidate will have considerable experience within the e-commerce and or retail buying. Have experience within the live plants and horticultural sector and preferable at chain or supermarket level. Must be a superb team leader who can lead from the front. Please call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910 or apply with your CV quoting reference 6536 to info@morepeople.co.uk
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A fantastic opportunity has arisen at our Birchencliffe garden centre for an enthusiastic, self-motivated Restaurant Manager for our established café within our family-run garden centre. The successful candidate will be a confident and committed individual with excellent people management and communications skills. You will have a proven record of achieving growth in both sales and profit targets, and able to positively lead and develop your food services team to ensure a consistently high level of customer service. Key experience · Previous managerial experience in a catering environment is essential · Demonstrate planned career progression within quality food and beverage environments · NVQ level 3 / 4 or equivalent · Coordinate and direct the day-to-day operations of the kitchen and front-of-house · Responsible for the direction and supervision of all catering staff · Ordering food, costing and planning menus · Responsible for maintaining high standards of hygiene, health and safety · 40hrs/week, daytime working and alternate weekends, occasional late nights To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter detailing your experience, evidence of your capability to fulfil the role and why you should be considered for the position to recruitment@armitages.com Closing date Friday 8th August 2014
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My client is a large garden retailer who is currently looking for a plant area manager at one of their flagship sites. I am looking for a planteria manager with the skills to join the leadership team of one of the UK's top garden centres. You must be an excellent man manager and have the necessary retail skills and experience to take on this role. Plant retail knowledge must be good but specific in depth knowledge is not required. This role will suit an individual that has ambition and is looking to progress to a site management role in the future. Please call Brad Peck on 01780 480530, or apply with your CV, quoting reference #6508 to info@morepeople.co.uk
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Our client is an award winning mailorder / e-commerce business who have a high and longstanding reputation of providing the amateur gardener with outstanding varieties of fruit and vegetables.
They are currently seeking a Junior Buyer to form part of their buying team. Ideally someone from a good horticultural background who is keen and driven and can work within this fast paced business that buys seeds, onion sets, live-plants and garden sundries for a catalogue driven market.
The ideal candidate will have 2-3 years post college experience within a retail or commercial horticultural business. Experience of buying is desirable but not essential. Good IT and communication skills.
Please call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910 or apply with your CV quoting reference 6537 to info@morepeople.co.uk
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I am currently recruiting for a chain retailer based in the garden industry.
I am looking for an ambitious individual to join a hardworking team based on the south coast.
You will preferably have a purchasing background, preferably at at least a buying administrator level and be looking to step up.
Preferably from a fashion background preferably with experience in accessories also.
Could suit a graduate with work experience.
Please call Brad Peck on 01780 480530, or apply with your CV quoting reference #6493 to info@morepeople.co.uk
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Packets of veg seeds in high demand
Seed potatoes for Christmas continue to fill the top 5 places in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart, but elsewhere in the Top 50, packets of seed are making a return, particularly where instant growing is needed...
Seed potatoes for Christmas continue to fill the top 5 places in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart, but elsewhere in the Top 50, packets of seed are making a return, particularly where instant growing is needed.
There are 26 re-entries this week with a number of Suttons Speedy Seeds showing up.
The highest new entry comes from Thompson & Morgan with their Carrot Adelaide.
Quantil have the highest climber in Pak Choi (Winter), jumping 29 places to No 21. To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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An application has been submitted to East Staffordshire Borough Council to build a garden centre on former nursery land. The plan, which has been submitted for a development in Dovecliff Road, Stretton, includes alterations to the site access as well as provision for a car parking area. In addition, there will be a service area, drainage facilities and boundary treatment. The application also includes prosals to erect a building to be used in association with the garden centre as a shop, cafe, office and store. Comments from members of the public regarding the application can be made on the East Staffordshire Borough Council website up until July 30.
In total there have been 14 people consulted with regard to the application including councillors Len Milner, Rebecca Carlton and Maggie Fowkes, who represent Stretton ward at the borough council, and Sam Tilley, clerk of Stretton Parish Council. The Ramblers' Association and British Horse Society have also been consulted.
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Bark sales volumes in the GTN Bestsellers Growing Media continue to show week-on-week increases, and there’s also demand for repotting compost. - The highest re-entry in the chart is Westland Decorative Mini Bark (50 litres).
- Westland John Innes Repotting No 2 is the highest climber, jumping 18 places.
- Scotts Miracle Gro Potting Mix (40 litres) has seen sales rise to move up the chart.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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Retailers, growers and suppliers will gather at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry next month to discuss current issues affecting the ornamental plants industry. The occasion is the AGM of the British Ornamental Plant Producers (BOPP) group, which will be followed by a Technical Seminar. New this year are two interactive workshops providing an opportunity to explore issues that affect individual businesses. Consultant Paula Edgington will host a workshop on the importance of developing, implementing and maintaining a quality management system, along with an achievable and effective policy and objectives. Anna Cook (HTA) will host a session focusing on supplier management, covering the benefits of effective management and tools to assess the risks associated with suppliers. There will also be an interactive exercise. The Horticultural Development Company’s Bolette Neve will discuss what the future holds after a new wave of regulatory pressure has left growers with reduced options for crop protection. She will explore how to navigate the new regulatory landscape. Other key speakers include Dan Murray (SEDEX) and Raoul Curtis-Machin (HTA). As well as updates on crop protection and new biocide regulations, the programme will include a grower panel session focussing on biomass boilers. Biomass technology offers the potential for growers to address rising fuel prices and to reduce their environmental impact, although for many there are unanswered questions about its practical implementation. BOPP members, including Richard Harnett (Kernock Park Plants) and Simon Earley (Earley Ornamentals), will share their own experiences of installing the technology and answer questions. The AGM & Technical Seminar is regarded as a must-attend event for all those looking to keep up to date with the latest legislation and important issues concerning ornamental plant producers. Places cost £15 + VAT for HTA members and £25 + VAT for non members (go to: the-hta.org.uk/events to book or find out more).
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Weber revved up for Cook-A-Long at CarFest
Weber take their barbecuing expertise to petrol heads and music enthusiasts at one of the UK's most sought after festivals, CarFest North and CarFest South this August...
Weber take their barbecuing expertise to petrol heads and music enthusiasts at one of the UK's most sought after festivals, CarFest North and CarFest South this August.
Now firmly in the Weber calendar, CarFest, along with other key events, provides the ideal platform to get up close and personal with a broad customer base.
Weber expert barbecue chefs, Jamie Foy, Richard Holden and Jamie Bill, will be hosting free workshops at Oulton Park, Cheshire on the 1-3 August and Laverstock Park Farm, Hampshire on the 22-24 August.
Festival goers will have the chance to cook great tasting barbecue food that's far beyond bangers and burgers.
The chefs will be demonstrating step by step techniques on how to create delicious dishes including authentic stone-baked pizza, succulent sliders and tasty teriyaki salmon skewers, all on the barbecue.
The team will be cooking up a storm in the Weber® marquee in the Music and Food Field, where they will be giving tips for charcoal, gas and electric barbecues, and will be on hand to answer any burning barbecue questions.
Each visitor will also receive a Weber recipe booklet, to re-create these mouth-watering dishes and impress friends and family on the barbecue at home.
Commenting on the workshops, Weber chef, Jamie Foy said: “We'll be cooking up some of our favourite dishes, to show the real versatility and variety that barbecue cooking offers. It's all going to be about getting creative and experimenting, but perhaps most important, participants will get to eat their creations.”
Now in its third year, Chris Evans' CarFest 2014 is back with plenty of good honest fun and all in aid of BBC Children in Need.
To date the hugely successful, sell-out CarFest North and CarFest South have wowed more than 200,000 visitors and the intoxicating mix of fast cars, live music and great food has raised over £2m for the popular charity.
For further information on Weber visit www.weberbbq.co.uk
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The South West Growers Show will take place on Wednesday 1 October at The Matford Centre in Exeter, Devon, the organisers have confirmed. Now in its 41st year (and the sixth since local growers reassumed control), the show is aimed at growers and plant buyers, from garden centres and retail outlets to local authorities and the landscaping industry. It brings together key growers and suppliers of specialist horticultural equipment and services. The show’s chairman, David Jackson, says the show has gone from strength to strength since it was bought back from its previous owners, The Haymarket Media Group, in 2009. ”We have seen a steady increase in both visitors and exhibitors and look forward to building on this in October,” he said. There would be new attractions this year, as well as the core focus on providing an excellent trading platform for growers. Approaching 70 exhibitors have already booked. Admission is free. The show committee comprises: David Jackson (chairman. from Jackson & Son; Andrew Spilsbury (Whetman Pinks); Mark Taylor, (Kernock Park Plants); Adam Powell (Talaton Plants), Les Lane (XL Horticulture; Samantha Wallis and Bill Finch (WeeTree Wholesale Nurseries) and Peter Rider of Rainbow Plants. Information: www.swgs.co.uk or call 01404 821982.
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The 2015 Direct Container Catalogue from Gardeco Ltd is now available. This 90-page edition includes 19 pages worth of garden furniture for 2015 delivery. This includes both the Rattan and Outdoor Mosaic & Cast Aluminium range of furniture. In addition, there is also a range of outdoor slate furniture available. To avoid late delivery of garden furniture, orders for 2015 should be placed by the end of August. This will ensure shipment before the Chinese New Year at the end of January. Delivery times for direct shipments are 2-5 months after receipt of order. The Gardeco range of cast iron and steel products are featured in the catalogue and include Chimeneas, fireplaces, fire pits and steel charcoal BBQ's. The Clay Chimenea range is also an integral part of the Container options. Sourcing via the Gardeco Direct Container catalogue offers many advantages. Clients benefit from the lowest unit prices which represent real savings and increased margins. The extended range of products can be supplied exclusively providing greater marketing freedom and a real competitive edge. Gardeco do also offer their market knowledge and expertise to assist with product sourcing. Gardeco take care of all aspects of direct container shipments including production schedules and customs documentation. For further information contact Gardeco Ltd on 0870 234 0003 or email info@gardeco.co.uk for your free copy.
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Stewart Garden has named the top 10 schools in the Stewart Garden Schools Campaign with Pippa Greenwood 2014. The schools are competing for a prize of £1,100. In alphabetical order, the top 10 schools are: - Aqueduct Primary School, Telford
- Bradley Barton, Newton Abbot
- Cherry Tree Primary School, Lymm
- Great Arley School, Thornton Cleveleys
- Hook Lane Primary School, Welling
- Long Sutton County Primary School, Long Sutton
- Lough View Integrated Primary School, Belfast
- Stourport Primary School, Stourport-on-Severn
- Westonzoyland Community Primary School, Bridgwater
- Wilden All Saints CofE Primary School, Stourport-on-Severn
The campaign challenged participating schools to show their creativity and inspiration with their Stewart Garden kits. Entries included DVDs of children using the kits, photographs, drawings, videos, scrapbooks and slideshows. In total, 100 schools across the UK, from the Isle of Wight to Stirling, participated in the Stewart Garden Schools Campaign with Pippa Greenwood 2014. The aim of the competition, which was first launched in 2012, is to encourage pupils to get involved in grow your own. In the 2012/13 campaign, 95 schools took part, with the winning prize going to Lough View Integrated Primary School in Belfast. Pippa Greenwood, BBC Gardeners' Question Time panellist, BBC Gardeners' World columnist and judge for the campaign, said: "I thoroughly enjoyed looking through all the entries for the Stewart Garden Schools Campaign 2014. It's great to see children growing plants, especially fruit and vegetables, and learning so much. I congratulate everyone who got involved." Each school received a garden kit worth over £400. Inside the kits were three varieties of easy-grow vegetable seeds from Pippa Greenwood's own range. Compost was donated by participating garden centres and professional grower's specialist, J Arthur Bowers. Pupils received a booklet produced by Stewart Garden. Also supporting the Stewart Garden Schools Campaign 2014 is the global electronics company, Brother, who supplied its sophisticated GL200 garden label printer. The top ten schools have received a visit from the judges. Once their feedback is collated and analysed, the campaign winner will be announced in September 2014. The winning school will receive £1,100 to be spent at their local garden centre. Nine runners up will each receive £500, with £100 of each prize being donated by J Arthur Bowers. Pippa Greenwood is one of Britain's most popular gardening columnists, a respected author and regular broadcaster. Pippa's writing commitments include BBC Gardeners' World Magazine and a monthly page in NFU Countryside Magazine. For eighteen years, Pippa was the gardening columnist for The Mirror newspaper. For more information about Stewart Garden, visit www.stewart-garden.co.uk.
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The Decco Belfast Autumn Trade Show will be held at the famous Crumlin Road Gaol (Jail) on Tuesday 9th September...
Originally opened in 1846 it closed its doors as a working prison in March 1996. Now after extensive renovations in 2012 it has reopened for public tours and exclusive events. Visitors to the Decco Trade Show can enjoy a complimentary tour taking in “C” wing, the famous tunnel to Crumlin Road Courthouse and the condemned man’s cell. Kevin McElroy, Belfast Governor, commented “Some of my colleagues have said that many of our suppliers will feel quite at home in the Gaol, I of course would not be so uncharitable. I am however sure our customers will be able to take advantage of some ‘steal’s’ on the day without ending up in handcuffs.”
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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.
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Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters delivered via the post 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 turnoiver 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 receiveing the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.
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