The announcement coincided with the opening of the fourth Bunnings Warehouse in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire; the largest in the UK and Ireland to date.

The store, on the site of the former Homebase in Snowdon Drive, occupies over 90,000 square feet, and employs 140 team members – including 88 in newly-created full and part- time roles. Bunnings continues to invest in the team and has provided more than 1,500 hours of training.

The increase in the number of Bunnings Warehouse pilot stores is a major step in developing the format in the UK’s £38 billion-a-year home improvement and garden market.

It follows a positive response from customers to the first pilot stores in St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. To date, the new stores have created more than 220 new jobs, with more than 1,000 new roles anticipated by the end of the year.

Bunnings also recently announced two new additions to the UK and Ireland senior leadership team. Damian McGloughlin, Chief Operating Officer, and David Haydon, General Manager, who bring with them over 55 years’ industry experience. These new hires reflect Bunnings commitment to strong, sustainable leadership and long-term growth within the UK home improvement market.

Managing Director PJ Davis said: “Our decision to extend the pilot programme reflects the positive reaction we’ve seen from customers to the stores we’ve opened so far.

“Increasing the number of pilot stores to 20 will give us the opportunity to test the concept in new geographies, with different demographics, across a range of store sizes.

“We are determined to combine the best of Bunnings Warehouse with what UK consumers want. The success of the pilots still remains a precursor to additional investment.”

Michael Ward, Director General UK Trade & Investment Australia and New Zealand said: “This is a significant investment by Bunnings which will create hundreds of jobs, providing security to families across the UK. “The Department for International Trade works with companies around the world to promote the strengths of the UK and this investment from Bunnings is yet another endorsement of the UK’s attractiveness to overseas investors.”

The next store to open after Milton Keynes will be in Folkestone, Kent in July. Following that, the Homebase stores in Thanet (Broadstairs), Sittingbourne, Kent and Basildon Vange, Essex will be the next to be redeveloped.

Bunnings, one of the world’s leading retailer of home improvement and outdoor living products based in Australia and New Zealand, acquired Homebase in February 2016.

The company, part of Australia’s Wesfarmers Group, plans to invest up to £500 million rolling out the Bunnings Warehouse format in the UK and Ireland over the next three to five years.

The first four pilot stores opened earlier this year in St Albans, Hemel Hempstead and Milton Keynes. Bunnings Warehouse gives customers the lowest prices across the widest range of products, supported by the best service.

The new store, on the site of the former Homebase on Snowdon Drive, continues the momentum of establishing the Bunnings Warehouse format in the UK’s £38billion-a- year home improvement and garden market.

The store occupies over 90,000 square feet and employs 140 people – including more than 88 in newly-created full and part-time roles.

It also stocks more than 35,000 different home improvement and garden products, including a mix of international and British brands – from Purdy’s paintbrushes, never before available to non-professionals, to Ryobi and DeWalt tools. Paint mixing services from Johnstone’s Trade, Crown and Dulux are also available in-store.

Bunnings team members have already been busy in Milton Keynes, lending a helping hand with gardening and decorating projects for MK Snap, Loughton Manor First School, and Milton Keynes Hospital. This support continues a long tradition by Bunnings in Australia and New Zealand of playing an active part in the local community.

To celebrate the opening, Australian legend and racing driver Mark Webber hosted a welcome breakfast for team members.

Nine-time Grand Prix winner and F1 legend Mark Webber said: “Bunnings Warehouse is a huge name in my native Australia, so it’s an honour to be opening their biggest UK store to date. I’m sure the store will be a great success.”

The store’s Complex Manager, Kevin Dale, added: “It is great to finally open our doors to customers. Our team members have worked really hard to get the store ready for opening.

"Collectively we’ve already completed more than 1,500 training hours to make sure we have the expertise to help with home or garden projects.”

Two grand opening weekend events will also be taking place on 8/9 and 15/16 June with a raft of free family activities.

"Customers can enjoy face-painting, balloon modelling and even join Peppa Pig & George for a Story Time session (see in store for details).

The company, part of Australia’s Wesfarmers Group, plans to invest up to £500million rolling out Bunnings Warehouse stores across the UK and Ireland over the next three to five years.

Watch out for this weekend's GTN Xtra for more pictures of Bunnings Warehouse at Milton Keynes.

Horticultural Plant Buyer

£36,880 pa

Permanent f/t (37.5 hrs pw)

Swindon

Ref: IRC53290

We have a rare and exciting opportunity to work as a Horticultural Plant Buyer within an ambitious and forward thinking charity. If you’re someone who has a true passion and drive for horticulture then this is the role for you.

You will be the creative force behind the sourcing and development of our plant offer ensuring our core values and customer needs are reflected in the range. We are looking for someone who fully understands and can manage the complexities of our peat-free offer and implement quality control throughout the supply chain.

It’s a truly exciting time here in Retail for the National Trust. We’re redefining how we do things and pushing the boundaries in our product ranges more than ever before.

Closing date: 2nd July 2017

For more information and to apply please visit: https://careers.nationaltrust.org.uk/OA_HTML/a/#/vacancy-detail/53290

Alistair was involved in the UK garden centre and plants industry for over 30 years, learning his core retail skills within the innovative Jardinerie group.

He gained a certificate in Strategic Management whilst at Malcolm Scott Consultants and worked closely with garden retail clients throughout the
UK, Ireland, USA, Middle East and northern Europe.

He became the Buying and Marketing Director for the Blooms of Bressingham Group where he was closely involved in the development 
of Bicester Avenue, the first UK garden centre ever to achieve the Retail Week Retail Design of the Year Award and Retail Destination of the Year Award.

Blooms was sold to the Wyevale group in March 2007 after being built up to 10 centres with annual sales of £30m and a staff of over 400.

Most recently Alistair had been providing consultancy services for both retail and plant breeder clients worldwide.

No news is available about funeral arrangments at present.  We will publish those when they become available.

Our thoughts on behalf of the industry go to his family and friends.

If you'd like to add a personal comment about Alistair, please use the comments link below or send to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk


From Boyd Douglas-Davies, CEO Hillview Garden Centres:  "Really sad to learn of Alistairs passing. I've known him for many years and have great respect for everything he achieved in the industry. He's wisdom and encouragement will be sorely missed. I owe him a lunch and now I'll forever be in his debt, for many reasons."

From Carol Marks, Development / Marketing Specialist, Horticulture, Bord Bia, Dublin:  "I am so very sad to hear of Alistair's passing. I had the pleasure of working closely with him over more than ten years, as he carried out the assessments for the Bord Bia Garden Centre Quality Awards, and through the many workshops and seminars he presented to the Irish horticulture industry for me."

"His philosophy of always providing commercial, profit focussed and practical support to garden retailers was always delivered with enthusiasm, humour, honesty and integrity, and he was highly respected and liked by all those whose path he crossed. While he was unable to travel over the last two years, I had kept in touch by phone and email to check in. He was always so pragmatic and so positive."

"A true gentleman, a huge loss, He will be greatly missed.  Our thoughts, on behalf of the gardening industry in Ireland, go to his family and friends."

• Briers All Season Gardener Gloves was the highest re-entry.
• Smart Solar Eureka! Lightbulb Lantern was the highest climber, jumping 21 places to No 15.
• Gardman Solar Hanging Globes was the highest new entry.

• Farplants Chives 9cm was the highest climber, jumping 28 places to No 10.
• Quantil Sweet Potato Bonita 10cm was the highest re-entry at No 15.
• Farplants Rosemary Common was another returning entry.

• Westland John Innes Young Plants No 1 (30 litres) was the highest re-entry at No 22.
• Another returning product was Scotts Levington Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost (56 litres).
• Westland Multipurpose (50 litres) +20% Extra Free was the highest climber, moving up 32 places to No 15.
• Scotts Levington Multipurpose + John Innes (56 litres) stayed on top of the chart.

• Penstemon recorded the highest percentage sales growth, up by 160%.
• Arctotis were the week’s highest new entry, in at No 46.
• Hebe bounced back into the chart at No 30.

• January     Camelia
• February   Willows (Salix)
• March        Ivy (Hedera)
• April           Petunia
• May           Vegetables (Pepper =Capsicum annuum); tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum);
•                    chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum); cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
• June           Climbing fruit (raspberry; blackberry; blueberry, grape)
• July             Olive tree
• August         Shrub speedwell (Veronica)
• September  Garden palms (Yucca, Cordyline, Phoenix)
• October       Firethorn (Pyracantha)
• November   Skimmia
• December   Helleborus

• Plants may be promoted once every three years
• A plant or group of plants must fit with the current trends
• A plant or group of plants must be widely available and commercially interesting for the entire supply chain

Long part of the international Juliana Group, headquartered in Denmark, which has an enviable reputation for quality and value, the UK company has enjoyed considerable consumer and trade reputation with its mass market Halls brand, one of the most trusted UK greenhouse names. 

In the last two years, the company’s revolutionary Eden Zero Threshold greenhouse range has seen a 53% sales increase, according to annual sales figures reported by the company, bringing the Eden brand to the forefront of the market. 

There are now over 160 Eden greenhouse dealers giving nationwide coverage with the company receiving more approaches from the retail sector all the time.

“This latest move,” says Pete Monahan, Marketing Manager, “is a logical progression, aligning our good, better, best sales strategy with activities throughout Europe. Our customers will still enjoy the fantastic customer service that we have become known for and our new product development program will continue as before.”

All products offer comprehensive frame guarantees and RRPs include VAT and home delivery.  Interested retailers should contact their sales representative or call the company on 01242 676625 or email mail@eden-greenhouses.com

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 2014 as well as 2015 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £195.00 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 Veg-2-Gro 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.