Even after record weeks in November when Christmas sold through faster than in previous years, garden centres have still been seeing record sales levels into December.

After the end of week 50, the week ending 15^th December, the GTN Bestsellers Christmas Top 50 products index recorded another record high for the week and cumulativeley, from the start of October, garden centre Christmas product sales finished 13% up on last year, and 7% up on 2017 which was the previous best year for Christmas sales volumes according to the GTN Bestsellers Epos data.

And it wasn’t just sales of Christmas products that have been flying through garden centre tills.  The  GTN Bestsellers All Products Total Volume sales index was up by 8% on the same week last year and has reached the year end cumulatively up by 4.2%.

Given the turbulent year for retailing on the high street, at DIY and supermarkets that means garden centres have once again stood out like a bright star, leading the way in creating memorable leisure based shopping and eating experiences.

We can’t wait to report on even more success for garden centres during 2020 and in the meantime all of the team at GTN and Garden Radio wish you all a Very Merry Christmas indeed!

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

•          Garden Products Top 50 – up 14%

•           Growing Media Top 50 – up 25%

•           Wild Bird Care Top 50 – down 13%

•           Christmas Top 50 – up 20%

•           All Plants index – up 9%

•           All Items index - up 8%

Due to a few technical issues we were unable to produce the full GTN Bestsellers Newsletter last week.  We'll catch up with a bumper issue in the New Year.

Leading garden centre, Hayes Garden World, has released a report exploring consumer buying habits and trends at Christmas time. 

People may like to conserve their money for most of the year however when it comes to Christmas, consumers love to splash out. This is beneficial for the industry so long as you know how to make the most of your customer’s buying habits.

Although not everyone may be purchasing a new tree this year, a massive 75% of Brits say they spend up to £158 on Christmas decorations for the whole year.

When it comes to Christmas trees, the retailer - who sells both real and artificial options - discovered that artificial Christmas trees are the more popular option. 86% of Brist will have an artificial tree this year compared to 9% who plan on buying a real tree. 45% of those who plan on having an artificial tree this year are keeping their tree from last year. 41% will buy a new artificial tree this year, with 11% of those switching from a real tree. 

If one tree wasn’t enough just under 40% of those surveyed said they plan to put up two Christmas trees, indicating an opportunity for retailers to offer smaller, supplementary trees.

Cost and aesthetics were regarded as the most important factors when choosing a new Christmas tree, cost coming in at 50% and aesthetics follow closely behind at 41%. These factors are important to consider when choosing new stock and setting prices. 50% of Hayes’ Christmas trees are sold on Black Friday, highlighting just how important cost is to consumers. 

The survey, looking into shopper’s spending habits, reveals that 63% of people follow a theme when decorating their tree. You may not be surprised to find out that over 40% of those surveyed found inspiration for their decorations from social media and ¼  from newspapers and magazines. So, take advantage of your social media platforms this Christmas as it may give your customers the inspiration that they need

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Commenting on the data, Lyndan Orvis, Ecommerce Director at Hayes Garden World said: 

“Make sure to stock up on baubles and string lights this festive season as the results show that they are the shopper’s favourite decorations. Over 90% of respondents said they will be purchasing them this year.

“It is great to see that artificial Christmas trees have a stronghold in the market. As consumers are beginning to buy more than one tree there is a great opportunity to sell additional trees alongside the main Christmas tree purchase.

“As a retailer that sells both real and artificial Christmas trees, it’s interesting to see that just 9% of shoppers plan to buy a real Christmas tree this year. Artificial Christmas trees have come on a long way in the past few years and new technologies such as the Feel-Real PE technology, which uses a mixture of Polyethene and PVC, have opened up the market to artificial trees that look authentic.

“With 30% of shoppers planning on purchasing a new artificial Christmas tree this year, it’s crucial for retailers to release trees with exciting new features that are worthy of an update. New releases for 2019 include Bluetooth trees that connect to playlists and change lights in time with the music and trees with a longer stem that are perfect for cat owners.”

View the full Christmas trends buying report here.

Toddington Garden Centre in Gloucestershire closed last Tuesday after the landlords – the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway railway – declined to renew its lease.

A final Facebook post by joint owners, husband and wife Mark and Liz Tsakarisianos, announced: “We are now closed after 45 years. We would like to say a very big thank you to our amazing staff and customers and thank you for all the support you have given us.”

The site is owned by GWR, who say they need it to add new retail restaurant and parking facilities to their headquarters next door.

A spokeswoman for the garden centre, which the owners say is a thriving business, said the closure would lead to the loss of about eight part-time jobs. However, the family’s other business, Gotherington Nurseries, about 6 miles away, will continue to operate.

The spokesman added: “There’s a lot of sadness. It was leased [to us] by GWR and they wanted the site back so there wasn’t much we could do about it. We’ve got a thriving business here. We assumed that we would just renew the lease or have a shorter one.

 “We’re devastated, absolutely. It’s been a fantastic place to work. We’re really sad and so are the customers.”

GWR’s Ian Crowder said: “We are sorry that the garden centre will close. We ended the 10-year lease after a lot of deliberation and a heavy heart as we are aware that the garden centre is something of an attraction for visitors to the railway. “We gave the garden centre plenty of notice and opportunities to talk to us over recent months.

“The site is needed for expansion of our facilities at Toddington, which is the railway’s headquarters. It will be used solely to expand and improve the experience for visitors to our railway.

“It has been a long-term intention to eventually re-use this space and the lease coming to an end provides that opportunity.”

The opening of GWR’s Broadway station last year, which re-linked the village by rail with Cheltenham 14 miles to the south, via Toddington, brought a 44% increase in passenger numbers.

Following many conversations with garden centres while out and about post Glee and at the Cultivating Retail conference, the GTN team have realised there is a real need for more information about sustainability initiatives from existing suppliers and ideas that could lead to products from new suppliers to be stocked.

In answer to this, GTN is compiling a Sustainability Directory to be published in January 2020 that will provide a guide for garden centre buyers and staff to the sustainability initiatives of garden centre suppliers and their products.

Suppliers to garden centres will be able to take a FREE Sustainability Listing in the directory and there will also be opportunities for advertising and advertorial content to emphasise your sustainability activities.

To take advantage of this FREE Sustainability Listing companies should use this link or send an e-mail to alan.burdon@tgcmc.co.uk by 5:00pm on Wednesday 8th January 2020.

For information about advertising and advertorial opportunities please call Alan Burdon or Ben Greenwood on 01733 775700.

Tickets have gone on sale at a Bradford garden centre for a unique event for cricket fans.

On 7^th July 2020, Tong Garden Centre will host an ‘Audience with' former England test captain, Michael Vaughan and former Yorkshire captain, Darren Gough. Introducing the pair on stage is former Yorkshire wicket keeper, Richard Blakey, who will also host a charity raffle.

Vaughan and Gough, who both played for Yorkshire, will chat to guests about their cricketing careers before drawing the raffle that will raise funds for Tong's charity of the year, Bradford Stories.

Tong's MD, Mark Farnsworth said: "We're very excited to host this unique event featuring two Yorkshire cricketing legends. It will be the biggest event to date that we're hosting in our new event centre, and certainly paves the way for a calendar of exciting events."

Tickets for the ‘Audience with', which includes a cricket tea platter and a bespoke bottle of beer from sponsor Wold Top Brewery, cost from £30 and are available online and from the reception desk at the Tong Lane centre.

"The event is a perfect precursor to the Ashes International T 20 match taking place at Headingly later the same day, and where both Gough and Vaughan will be in attendance," concluded Mr Farnsworth.

The Topping family have sold the Barton Grange Hotel in Preston to a catering company in order to concentrate on their garden centre and newly-opened Flower Bowl entertainment complex.

The 51-bedroom hotel was opened by Eddie Topping and his wife Ada in 1951 in a small manor house they acquired in 1945. The original Barton Grange garden centre was added on adjacent land in the 1960s but superseded by the current centre in 2008.

The new owner of the hotel, Skelmersdale-based Mellors Catering Services, also owns the 81-bedroom Lancashire Manor Hotel at Pimbo near Wigan.

The company also operates over 285 in-site catering contracts in business and education premises across northern England. The Barton Grange Hotel will retain all current staff, with bookings unaffected by the sale

Speaking to the Lancashire Post, Barton Grange MD Guy Topping, said: “We are extremely pleased that the Hotel has been bought by Mellors. Like us, they are an award-winning, family business and we know they will continue the traditions of excellent hospitality and first-class customer service for which the hotel is known.”

Santa’s Grotto at  Hillmount garden centre in Belfast has been voted the area’s favourite by readers of the Belfast Live website.

Nominated by fans of the grotto and then shortlisted into the top five of Santa's Grottos within a 10-mile radius of Belfast, including Titanic Belfast and Castle Court, the public vote opened for a week from 9 December before closing on Thursday. Hillmount polled almost 30% of the votes cast.

Robin Mercer, owner of Hillmount, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be named as Santa's Favourite Belfast Grotto. I would like to thank Belfast Live readers for showing that Belfast Loves our Santa experience at Hillmount as every one of their votes is a vote of confidence in those who work tirelessly to bring the grotto to life every day in the run up to Christmas. It's testament to the dedication and commitment of our team of elves and our Santas who ensure that every child who visits with their parents and grandparents make magical memories, whether they're visiting for the first time or the tenth time." 

The grotto at Hillmount has been sharing the spirit of Christmas with families throughout the festive season for more than 30 years and is open until Monday 23 December, with no advance booking required.

Santa is scheduled to greet dogs at Hillmount on 24 December between 10am and 4pm.

The Horticultural Trades Associatio) has issued a comment regarding the Queen’s Speech.

James Clark, Director of Policy and Communications at the HTA, said: “We welcome the commitment made by Government within the Queen’s Speech to progress key areas of activity around the economy, trade, and the environment – all fundamental to our members’ needs. As an industry, horticulture has much to contribute to the economy and the environment and we look forward to working closely with the Government as further detail emerges.”

He adds, “The horticulture industry has a pivotal role in delivering many aspects of the Environment Bill, including mitigating the impact of climate change and improving air quality through activities such as tree planting. However, in order to meet these objectives and ensure that these trees are supplied from homegrown stock, it is fundamental that UK nurseries have better access to capital investment to invest in infrastructure and labour to meet this increased demand.”

Environment Bill

Recycling - it is reassuring to hear that having a consistent approach to household recycling is within the Environment Bill and it is vital that plant pots are included within this to ensure that that 8,000 tonnes of recyclable pots are collected from the kerbside and made back into plant pots.

Immigration Bill
It is encouraging to hear that the introduction of an Australian points-based immigration scheme will focus on skills and talent. However,  there needs to be better recognition that salary threshold levels should be appropriate for specific industries. We are concerned that if thresholds are too high the UK horticulture sector would no longer be able to employ much needed skilled and experienced full-time workers from EU countries.

The news that the Seasonal Agricultural Workers scheme is going to be increased is welcomed but the scope of this needs to be widened to include horticulture as currently, this applies to edible horticulture and agriculture only rather than the ornamental sector.

Agriculture Bill
Whilst not specifically mentioned in today’s Queen’s Speech it is important that horticulture is recognised alongside agriculture within the Agriculture Bill. The horticulture industry has a role to play in protecting the environment through good land management and flood alleviation, helping to meet the goals of the 25-year Environment Plan.

In response to the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill progress, James said: “We welcome the progress of today’s EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill as the first step to meeting the Government’s commitment for the UK to leave the EU by 31 January 2020.

"However, the hard work on delivering a viable and realistic trade deal with the EU in the short transition period until the end of 2020, will be challenging. With a significant amount of horticultural imports from EU countries and with the industry exporting a range of British grown products to other markets, it is crucial that there is an agreement to deliver free and frictionless trade.

"The HTA will continue to advise members on regulatory and policy trade developments and ensure the industry’s voice is heard by Government.”  

The West London garden centre operating from a railway arch has opened its new indoor plant centre, The Green Room to acclaim from the experts.

At the W6 Garden Centre (on the corner of Ravenscourt Park between Hammersmith and Chiswick), an empty unloved railway arch has been transformed into a lush green environment filled from floor to ceiling with a huge collection of indoor houseplants.

“Our aim is to green-up homes all over London and The Green Room will have you spoilt for choice with the biggest selection of popular and unique varieties of indoor plants,” says the centre’s publicity. “The Green Room is a plant-enthusiast’s dream come true. In store there is also a hand-selected range of plant accessories and care items; that will ensure the continued health and growth of your indoor plants.”

Botanist, science writer and BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time panellist James Wong commented: “Looks bloody brilliant!”

Jane Perrone, indoor gardening journalist, presenter and producer of ‘On the Ledge’ podcast, said: “Paul Holt [the creative director] has done a wonderful job turning this railway arch into houseplant heaven. Sets the standard for the UK houseplant selling scene…”

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Opened in March 2011,W6 has established itself as a leading London garden centre and its coffee shop was named Best Garden Cafe 2019 in the LUX Life magazine’s awards.

Bents Garden & Home will be welcoming in 2020 with the launch of its annual photography competition, looking for the very best images of nature that capture the beauty of our surroundings.

The centre is calling for photographs of gardens and flowers, landscapes and wildlife.  The winning entry, as voted for by Bents’ customers, will receive £50 worth of Bents vouchers and a framed copy of their image.

Says Matthew Bent, Managing Director:  “We always have an incredible response to this competition with some fantastic photographs submitted over the past few years.  The number of entries makes shortlisting a very tricky task but also a hugely enjoyable one as the images are always so varied.” 

Bents  says it would like to see a wide range of nature photography from sweeping panoramic landscapes to close up shots showing the intricate beauty of plants and flowers.

Closing date is Sunday 26th January and 20 short-listed entries will be displayed in store throughout February for customers to cast their votes. The winning entry will be announced in early March.

As the garden industry gears up for Glee 2020, these are some of those themes that will be shaping garden retail in the year ahead.

• Technology and how it’s revolutionising gardening
• Sustainability, including a look at reducing single use plastics and new and recyclable material usage
• Ethical living
• Millennials and how they shop
• Indoor gardening – the growth of houseplants and the return of bottle gardening!
• Retail theatre – how garden centres are switching up their displays to create a more inspiring retail environment
• Wider industry uptake of recyclable taupe pots
• Increase in the ‘naturals’ category and vegan and organic gardening
• 2020 Olympics and how it will influence Japanese gardening trends

The future is looking bright for garden retail. According to AMA Research’s 2017 Garden Market Analysis Report, the UK garden products market* is currently valued at £5.7billion and is expected to benefit from a 2% annual increase until 2023. With technology, sustainability, ethical living, and millennials driving this growth, the long-term picture offers a stark contrast to the doom and gloom that is shaping the UK high street.

Glee 2019 last September perfectly demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of suppliers from across the garden retail spectrum. Spanning eight sectors hosting more than 550 different brands, the show attracted more than 7,800 people from 40 countries. Of these, 41% were brand new visitors with retail buyers with sole or joint purchasing responsibility increasing year-on-year, accounting for 75% of Glee’s total visitors. A quarter of these had a purchasing budget of over £1million, meaning order books were quick to fill and meaningful retail partnership conversations were the order of the day.

In fact, Glee 2019 raised the bar in more ways than one. Innovation and creativity took centre stage, whilst an increasing international contingent opened new retail routes for many. Glee’s Event Director, Matthew Mein, said: “Garden retail is witnessing a real resurgence at the moment as a new wave of consumers engages with the market, and exciting new trends place gardening on both the national and international stage. We are also seeing gardening brands leading the discussion on issues such as sustainability and single-use plastic, and in both cases offering viable and responsible solutions. There is no doubt that gardening is securing its longevity.

“It is this positivity that we’ll be looking to build on at Glee 2020. We’re looking to put together a show that provides an unrivalled platform for growth, and further discussion around those issues that matter. We’ll also look to shine a light on those key trends that are shaping the future development of the industry; whether it is facilitating a forum to discuss ways to tackle single-use plastics, looking at how technology is shaping the evolution of gardening, addressing the ways millennials buy, or simply showcasing exciting new product innovation, Glee 2020 will feature an action packed agenda.” 

With over 60% of the 2020 floorplan booked during the 2019 event, space at the 2020 exhibition is in demand. “Glee is much more than a three-day event, instead its value stretches across the year,” Matthew said. “ Every exhibitor can access an unrivalled tool-kit of support to help them make the most of their time at the show. Whether it’s adding email signatures, personalised invites, getting involved in the PR and marketing activities that promote Glee and its brands to both the UK and international markets, or joining in the conversation on Glee’s dedicated social media channels, the tool-kit helps exhibitors reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers before, during and after the main September event.”

To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit the website.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2020 call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.

A British inventor’s labour-saving digging device has been endorsed by the Design Council and the Versus Arthritis charity.

Nick Skaliotis had the idea for Kikka Digga - an attachment that makes digging easier with any garden fork or spade - while studying levers in physics class. He thought back to working in the garden and his grandfather’s allotment for pocket money, and realised that creating the right fulcrum point would enable gardeners to dig from a standing position, significantly reducing back strain.

“It can be back-breaking work, even for a healthy, energetic kid, so I could see how bad the problem would be for older gardeners,” says Nick. “I was excited about the potential of the idea, so I took some rough sketches along to a local inventors’ roundtable in Croydon, and then worked with a blacksmith in Streatham to build a prototype.”

A few years on, and Nick has exhibited at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Gadget Show Live, received a European Product Design Award, and sold more than 5,000 UK-made Kikka Digga units. With the initial prototype proving too heavy and too expensive to take to market, it is now made from stainless steel using a state-of-the-art laser cutting manufacture process and weighs just 800g.

The product had a significant boost after being accepted onto the Design Council Spark accelerator programme, which had partnered with Versus Arthritis. The charity works alongside volunteers, healthcare professionals and researchers to develop breakthrough treatments, campaign relentlessly for arthritis to be seen as a priority and provide support to people with arthritis and their families when they need it.

Sarah Odoi, IP development manager at Versus Arthritis, said: “There are over 18 million people in the UK living with arthritis and related conditions, such as back pain. Over half experience life-altering pain every day, affecting everything from work and independence to day-to-day tasks and hobbies such as gardening.

“As a charity we welcome designers, like Nick, who make innovative everyday products that will make a real difference to people with arthritis.”

Hiten Kamari Popat, senior digital manager at the Design Council, said: “We received a series of great applications, each uniquely different in many ways. Nick’s Kikka Digga idea was one of the very few innovations that could be applied outdoors and a keen interest was shown online by potential customers.”

Kikka Digga, SRP: £29.99, is stocked by a number of garden centres.

Spring Fair will launch its new vision for the designer-led sector, The Summerhouse, at the 2020 show (2-6 February 2020, NEC, Birmingham).

The carefully handpicked selection of design-led exhibitors will take up a new venue within the NEC, promoting a more collective feel to the sector, as well as encouraging more collaboration between visitors and exhibitors. 

The new prime location in hall 20 puts The Summerhouse in between the Living, Accents & Décor sections in halls 6 and 19, helping to create what will be the largest continuously laid-out offering of lifestyle, home and interiors in the UK. The development of an uninterrupted offering of home and living products across all three sectors comes following a successful re-edit of Living, Accents & Décor at Autumn Fair 2019.

Summerhouse is the focal point of the home section. As the smartest way to discover what’s on trend at Spring Fair, visitors can expect to be drawn in by a community of prestigious, handpicked, artisan exhibitors offering a carefully curated selection of brands across gifting, interiors, lighting and lifestyle.

Brands such as Cozy Living with its Nordic-inspired interiors, The Libra Company with its premium ranges of interior design accessories, homeware and more and Garden Trading, whose pieces draw from both British countryside and city lifestyle trends, are among the draws.

Other sector favourites include the eclectic ranges of Pacific Lifestyle, faux flowers and Christmas decorations from Parlane and Stoneglow Candles’ full range of home fragrance products.

Best known for its Christmas products, Gisela Graham will also be on hand to take visitors through hundreds of new products across 16 ranges, as well as show them around a pop-up workshop, allowing attendees to experience the quality and effort that goes into making each item.

The new offering will allow for greater cross-buying opportunities across the Home & Living halls, with key bellwether Spring Fair names such as Coach House and Kaemingk drawing visitors on into halls 6 and 19 respectively from the Summerhouse.

Paria Mercer, The Summerhouse Editor at Spring Fair said: “Summerhouse is at the heart of what Spring Fair is about – newness and opportunities to source goods that buyers may not have initially realised could be profit-drivers for their business. For that reason alone, it’s often the best place to start on your Spring Fair journey.”

“With the new 2020 vision we’ve put Summerhouse at the heart of our Home & Living destination so to complement the propositions of our other sectors. Our Summerhouse offering is entirely unique in its approach – no other European show curates in this way. What this does for the show is deliver a sector that is thoroughly customer-centric and truly an oasis of on-trend products, and helps make Spring Fair the UK’s best and unmissable sourcing destination for buyers in garden centre, furniture and giftware, as well as interior designers.”

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Wildlife World, Europe’s leading designer and manufacturer of wildlife products, has appointed Mark Pitman to its management team. He joins the business in January 2020 to lead their marketing function, alongside a progressive development plan for future growth.

Mark has over 30 years experience in the horticultural industry, working for Notcutts, Capital Gardens, Hillier Nurseries, and most recently for the John Lewis Partnership, at Longstock Park Nursery in Hampshire, on the Waitrose & Partners Farm, Leckford Estate.

Norman Sellers, MD, said: “ I am delighted to welcome Mark to Wildlife World, we have a fantastic team in the business who are all committed to its success, and Mark’s industry experience will be invaluable to us as we develop our strategic plans for the future." 

Mark commented: “ Wildlife World are an innovative and well respected company, and I’m really pleased to be joining them. It’s an exciting time for everyone as we have some great plans for growth"

Wildlife World, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, design all its products at workshops near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, testing them at its own farm and woodlands. The company is a pioneer in promoting conservation awareness and education. Quality of design and manufacture using naturally durable and sustainable materials is paramount in everything the company makes.

The Garden Centre Association will welcome double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes MBE to its stage during its annual conference, which takes place on January 26-29.

Kelly will speak to conference attendees on Tuesday, January 28 at the Mercure Bristol, Grand Hotel in Bristol about her career, mental health and what organisations can do to help.

The mental health advocate, broadcaster and writer who was only the second woman in history to claim the 800m and 1500m titles in the same Games, said: “During my speech at the GCA conference I will be taking a personal look at mental health and also what individuals and organisations need to do to help themselves and each other. I will also look at the ups and downs of my career on and off the track, at what kept me going and talk about what it takes to achieve your goals.

“Drawing on my time in the army as well as my athletics career I will also talk about effective team building, planning and preparation as well as the importance of physical and mental health and wellbeing.”

As a teenager Kelly had two dreams, to join the army and win an Olympic gold medal. After early school-level success on the track she joined the army, initially training as an HGV driver. After 10 years in the army, rising to the rank of sergeant class 1 Physical Training Instructor, Kelly left the forces and returned to the running track full time.

Despite injuries Kelly amassed seven gold, eight silver and four bronze medals at Olympic Commonwealth and European levels. In 2004, in Athens, she became the first British athlete in more than 80 years to win a double gold on the track. She was also named BBC Sports Personality of the Year and European Athlete of the Year.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive at the GCA, said: “Kelly has had an absolutely fantastic career on and off the track and she is an extremely inspiring person, which is why we think she is a fantastic choice of speaker at our conference. We think she will have lots of helpful advice that our attendees can take with them and instil in their own businesses and teams.

“Despite achieving incredible things in her sport, privately Kelly suffered from serious mental health problems. Her frequent physical injuries also had a psychological effect culminating in a breakdown in the run up to the World Championships before her Olympic triumph.

“It was after retirement that she opened up about her battle with depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. She has since become a champion for greater awareness and support in all areas of life and we think this is an incredibly important topic for our attendees to consider in all aspects of their personal and professional lives.”

Kelly was awarded an MBE for her services to the army and she has recently returned to the military after being appointed Honorary Colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps, the first time anyone has ever been awarded such an appointment.

She founded the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to support both retired athletes and disadvantaged young people. She was also an Ambassador for London 2012 and patron of several charities.

To add to all this, Kelly also founded a multi-million-pound programme for British woman athletes and even opened her own café in her hometown in Kent, which has now become an event space called ‘The 1809 Hub’.

She hosts her own mental health-themed podcast and is an author of several books with Running Life: Mindset, fitness & nutrition for positive wellbeing being named a Telegraph Sports Book of the year.

The GCA’s 2020 conference will be held at Mercure Bristol, Grand Hotel in Bristol from January 26 until 29 and places can be booked via www.gca.org.uk.

Great Britain is among 20 nations that will stage joint national exhibits at next year’s IPM Essen trade show in Germany (28-31 January).

Under the auspices of the Commercial Horticultural Association (CHA), GB will have three joint stands. In Hall 3, British exhibitors will provide information about LED lighting systems for commercial users. In Hall 7, British breeders will show the latest varieties, including new roses, a new agapanthus in bordeaux-violet, and special clematises. PR professionals will be on hand to offer marketing tips.

The HTA has told the government that an agreement to deliver free and frictionless trade following Brexit is crucial for British horticulture.

James Clark, director of policy and communications at the HTA, said: “We welcome the progress of today’s EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill as the first step to meeting the Government’s commitment for the UK to leave the EU by 31 January 2020. However, the hard work on delivering a viable and realistic trade deal with the EU in the short transition period until the end of 2020, will be challenging.

“With a significant amount of horticultural imports from EU countries and with the industry exporting a range of British grown products to other markets, it is crucial that there is an agreement to deliver free and frictionless trade. The HTA will continue to advise members on regulatory and policy trade developments and ensure the industry’s voice is heard by Government.”

As 2019 comes to a close the garden centre landscape in the UK has taken on a new shape post the Wyevale Garden Centres “Sale of the Century.”  Instead of one group that had clear market leadership at 4 times the centres of any other group we now have three groups across the country between them operating 155 centres.   Dobbies lead the pack with 69 centres and a proposition that appeals to everyone, Blue Diamond now have 37 centres aimed at their AB target market and British Garden Centres have created a nationwide chain of 49 “independently” run garden centres under the British Garden Centres banner.

Over the past six weeks GTN’s Trevor Pfeiffer has been tracking down the leaders of the “Big Three” to find out more about their plans for 2020 and beyond.

Read the interviews in the Dec- Jan issue of GTN which will arrive by post this week or read the issue now on-line using this link.

British Garden Centres announced that they have completed the acquisition of Hillview Garden Centres (HGC) from The Hillview Group. The transaction included both the operational business and portfolio of eight garden centres of HGC. This latest acquisition brings the total number of stores in British Garden Centres to 57 making them the second largest garden centre group in the UK.

British Garden Centres have undergone an impressive expansion programme, growing from 10 centres in 2018, acquiring 39 ex-Wyevale sites over the past few months and now adding Hillview centres at Charlbury, Heanor, Studley, Matlock, Charlecote, Bromsgrove, Tenbury Wells and Newton Regis to the portfolio.

Commenting, Director Phillipa Stubbs said “The most exciting part of this latest acquisition is the fit. Not only does this group of centres help with our geographical expansion, but the whole culture of the Hillview team slots so well into the British Garden Centre philosophy.”

“We’ve all seen how hard it can be to make a large corporate model successful in the garden centre business. That’s why our philosophy is so different. We are focusing on bringing all the benefits of a larger organisation whilst retaining the strengths of a family run business. Our individual centre teams all have their own local personality and close relationships with loyal customers. My job is to support them in doing what’s right in their own centres. And the great news for these latest eight centres who are joining the group is that they can now benefit from the financial support and working capital that will allow them to grow the business.”

Hillview Garden Centres has been run for the past 8 years by Boyd Douglas-Davies who will be taking up a senior role at British Garden Centres with immediate effect. He added “I’m so pleased to see HGC settling into its new home with British Garden Centres. All the staff have transferred across so the experience and team spirit is intact! There’s so many opportunities ahead of us now.”

Commenting, Nadav Livni, Managing Director of The Hillview Group said “I am immensely proud of what our team has achieved over the last eight years. Having identified a compelling investment opportunity, we established Hillview Garden Centres as a new owner-operator in this sector and through acquisitions created a portfolio of sites with potential to reposition them as retail and leisure destinations. I am delighted that British Garden Centres will continue with this next chapter and am confident of their successful integration to create the leading independent operator in the UK”

The eight centres have been trading under the British Garden Centre umbrella since late-September under an agreement with Hillview Group that was designed to ensure the business made the most of the busy Christmas trading period. The approach has already paid dividends with the centres reporting strong sales up on the same period last year. 

To find out more about British Garden Centres, go to www.britishgardencentres.com or e-mail us at BDD@britishgardencentres.com or call to speak to us on 07831 200276

See GTN Xtra's pictures from Hillview Hilltop, now Charlbury Garden Centre, taken in October in the gallery below:

Dobbies paid £70m for the six Wyevale garden centres it bought in the year to 24 February 2019, the annual accounts, filed last week, reveal.

Gloucester, Heighley Gate, Huntington, Woodbridge and Woodlands were acquired for £37.4m and Woodcote Green for £33.2m

The group reported a loss before tax of £14m on sales of £166m, although operating profits moved up from £5.5m to £7.4m. A full year’s trading with the six newcomers would have pushed turnover to £197m.

The group says it aims to grow organically as well as through acquisition and its strategic plan is to “lead the future of garden centre retailing”. It believes it differentiates itself through range authority, best in class hospitality experience and strong concession relationships.

During the year Dobbies disposed of two centres, Westerwood and Kinross, that were not of core interest and later acquired 31 more from Wyevale, leaving it with 69 centres.

Borrowings totalled £299.5m at year end, including £44m from its parent division within the Dobbies Garden Centre Group.

It’s a Christmas that keeps on giving. According to the GTN Bestsellers Epos data, the first week of December 2019 was another record week for Christmas sales.

Volumes should start to drop off next week as shelves get emptied but who knows. Perhaps week 50 could be another record week.

Highlights of the week were:

• Scentsicles Christmas Tree Assorted Fragrances were the highest re-entry of the week, back into the GTN Top 50 at No 6.
• Bon Bons Christmas Bear Lolly was the highest of five new Christmas confectionery entries.
• Timstor’s Santa Hanging Decoration was the highest chart mover, up 18 places to No 22.

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

It was a landslide win for garden centres in the first week of December with total sales reaching an all time winter period level, making it the seventh highest week of the year for volume sales.

Even as Christmas shelves start to get depleted – most of the centres we’ve been to recently have all of their stock out now – Christmas sales are still breaking records, and the footfall increase is also leading to high sales in other departments.

With a very low risk of snow between now and December 24th we can rest assured that the year overall will be finishing up 4% on last year and 1% up on the previous annual record set in 2017.

After the election result what are your thoughts about garden centre prospects for 2020?  Email trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 49)

• Garden Products - up 10%
• Growing Media - up 30%
• Wild Bird Care - up 14%
• Christmas - up 9%
• All Plants Index - up 16%
• All Items Index - up 6%

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

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 2017 as well as 2018 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 Christmas Products chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care Products 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.

Which key food and drink trends will be shaping menus in the year to come?  That’s exactly what leading trade show Casual Dining asked some of its regular visitors.  Among them, some of the nation’s favourite pubs, bars and restaurants.

Over a dozen industry experts took part, including senior execs from PizzaExpress, Mitchells & Butlers, Star Pubs & Bars, Marston’s, Punch Pubs, Thwaites, The Ivy Collection, Prezzo, The Alchemist, Dishoom, Mowgli Street Food, The Ambassador Theatre Group and more.  Between them they operate over 8,000 venues (approx), serving tens of thousands of customers a day.  So, keeping up (or ideally ahead) of the latest trends is vital.

While their responses were varied – banana blossom, bergamot, better beef, mussels, seacuterie, kohlrabi, Asian broths, premium fried chicken, protein drinks, British seasonal produce, prebiotic ingredients, fermented veg, alcohol free seltzers, coloured gins, and Picpoul wine for example – the majority agree that health, sustainability and plant-based innovations will all continue to have a big influence on what we’ll be eating and drinking in 2020.

Read the highlights below or the full comments here: www.casualdiningshow.co.uk/news/food-drink-trends-for-2020.

Delicious, fun & meat free – Brian Trollip, ops director at Dishoom
We’re all pretty exhausted by the constant squabbling, politics and polarisation that seems to be happening globally.  All the anger is tiresome, and I think that 2020 will be great for anyone who helps people to escape for a while and to have fun and let go.  Things are getting expensive and we’re fast realising that we need to look after the world we live in, so I think that restaurants offering a delicious, fun, inclusive experience with little or no meat will do very well (and it’s probably important that they do).

Sustainability = the new norm – Jane Treasure, food & beverage director at PizzaExpress
Consumers will be increasingly focused on self and their sense of wellbeing, plus their impact on the world and documenting it.  The big opportunity for food operators will be to elevate the whole dining experience, with beautiful food presentation and great flavours with great ingredient combinations.  Strong sustainable credentials to all ingredients and removal of unnecessary packaging will be expected and become the norm.

Mindful eating – Amir Ali, culinary innovation strategist at Mitchells & Butlers
It’s hard to sell fish that are not one of the big five (cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns).  Aquaculture has traditionally been given a bad rap – but things are changing and eating mussels is one way of getting very good quality protein while having a very small impact on the planet.

Small colourful dishes, packed with flavour – Nisha Katona MBE, CEO of Mowgli Street Food restaurants
Each dish must individually pull its own addictive punch.  Indian, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese cultures major on flavour, colour and chaos.  People are far keener to have a table full of colour, flavour variety and a sharing way of eating.  I see this on my Instagram posts — photos of tables laden with a myriad of dishes, colours and entirely lacking in formality are the ones that inspire the most appetite.

The rise of flexitarians – Paul Lewis, chef director at Prezzo
People, irrespective of demographic and age, will choose two to three days a week to follow a vegan diet.  So, picking the right carbs and proteins will play an important role.  Pasta is now beginning to grow in popularity again – as people have a better understanding of consuming the right amount of carbs to maintain a healthy diet and all the fantastic, meat free alternatives to classic pasta dishes that are coming back on the market.

Flexibility and variety – Nicola Underwood, food development manager at Thwaites
I think consumers will become even more conscious of the choices they are making and the brands they are aligning to.  Shorter supply chains, less processing of ingredients and heritage will all play an increasing role in the industry in the coming 12 months.  Thwaites has already been seeing consumers wanting more choice and flexibility to make food choices that align with their lifestyle choices.

With meat on the side – Andy Briggs, menu development manager at Punch Pubs
Vegan has been a trend for a couple of years and there have been some great developments with our food suppliers.  We’re seeing a bigger uptake in these types of dishes among meat eaters too.  Take the Cambodian curry on Punch’s Our Local menu – for 66% of sales customers add a protein of chicken or prawns to the meal.

Value for money – Charlotte Huckvale, product development and innovation manager at Marston’s
The biggest opportunities for the next year will be particularly around driving experience for consumers (in all the different aspects going to a pub/out for a meal can involve).  Customers will still want to see value for money, not just through price but through provenance and quality.  Health will also continue to be a focus, especially with the pending calorie targets from PHE and increasing awareness of the link between the food we eat and our gut and mental wellbeing.

Home-grown – Seamus O'Donnell, executive chef at The Alchemist Bars & Restaurants

Dreaded to say but Brexit will have a big influence on food and drink trends next year.  It will be a challenge that will impact menus and what we eat.  There are some very basic things that we are going to have to accept that we will have to import, and we will have to pay more for it.

Meat substitutes will be big – Mark Teed, food implementation manager at Star Pubs & Bars

Customers are still eating red meat but are more frequently choosing to have meat free days and are looking for meat free options to balance their diets.  We’ll see things like banana blossom make their way onto mainstream menus and vegetables being added into meat products, both to enhance taste and texture and cut C02 emissions.

Drinks for all seasons – Simon Woplin, head of innovation - F&B at Ambassador Theatre Group
Some long held key Sunshine brands will see more competition in 2020, with anyone who can come up with a 21st century version of Pimm’s being a sure-fire long-term bet.  The decline in growth of Prosecco will continue, as will the growth in UK sparkling.

Healthier choices – Baton Berisha, MD of The Ivy Collection

We will see a growth in healthier choices within both the food and drink categories.  Guests are more conscious of ingredients and eating healthier in general and I think this is a trend that will very much continue into 2020.

Casual Dining show – free trade registration
Casual Dining returns to ExCeL London on 25-26 March 2020.  For further information, please visit www.casualdiningshow.co.uk and use priority code CD10 (direct link: https://eventdata.uk/VISITOR/CasualDining2020.aspx?TrackingCode=CD10).

Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC, 3-5 March 2020, ExCeL London) is a major trade event for catering and hospitality sector professionals.

The HRC team sat down with David Mulcahy, food development & innovation director at Sodexo UK & Ireland, to discuss how consumer trends are impacting food service suppliers and how a company like Sodexo keeps in touch with consumer demand.

Q: Tell us a bit about your company and your role.

I am esponsible for menu and food development team, dietitians and nutritional team. Driving innovation across UK&I business. Also, training and development of Sodexo chef teams and apprenticeship programme. Culinary ambassador for Sodexo to ensure recognition internally and externally as leading food service company. Sodexo employs around 36,000 people and delivers services that improve the quality of life to clients at over 2,100 locations in the corporate, energy and resources, healthcare, education, leisure, justice and defence sectors. Services range from catering, cleaning, reception to asset management, security, laboratory and grounds maintenance services, enabling clients to focus on their core business.

Q: How do you research and plan what ingredients/dishes to put on your menus?

Working with leading insight providers, the Sodexo insight team, our global colleagues and ensuring we are aware of and engaged with current industry and consumer trends.

Q: Consumers demand fresher, healthier, convenient food so how do you meet this demand on such a large scale?

Detailed menu planning, ensuring menus are developed seasonally, refreshed continuously and a promotional programme in place to support special events and healthy eating initiatives. In addition, there are commitments to, for example, Food Foundation to increase the consumption of healthy vegetables, a surplus initiative Wasteful to Tasteful to divert surplus fruit and vegetable from landfill into our business and a change in cooking and service styles to reflect convenience and speed required.

Q: Changing consumer tastes can be challenging but how would you say it has presented opportunities for your company?

It has allowed our chef development team to learn more and develop more innovative food. The increase in vegetarianism and veganism has been a key driver and has led to more flexible style of offers within the business. Working with SME businesses and start-ups bring a fresh approach and excite customers with new ideas.

Q: Consumers now want greater visibility around food safety and where their food comes from – how are you approaching this?

We have developed a more robust technical platform for end-to-end solutions. The menu management system ensures all recipes are fully tested, linked to allergens and any changes are immediately dealt with centrally to avoid consequences locally. Our teams are fully trained on food safety and allergens with clearer labelling, ownership by all responsible colleagues and working closely with government to support and challenge proposals for legislation. There are strong partnerships with suppliers and transparency across the supply chain to avoid any issues.

Q: Does the food-to-go sector present opportunities and challenges for your company?

Food to Go presents significant opportunities. This is part of consumers changing habits and needs. Meeting these needs in a more grab and go or convenient manner involves innovation. App based solutions, delivery options and more exciting food offers support this.

Q: How do you ensure standardisation is to the highest level from kitchen to consumer?

Menus are written to offer a greater deal of standardisation. Some segments require less flexibility around this and so choices can be standardised to both protect consumers and to manage costs. Where more flexibility is required this is done via a managed choice approach. As dishes, cuisines and styles change continually, there is little time for monotony and enough room for creativity at a local level.

Q: What are your top tips for businesses looking to tackle food waste?

‘If you can measure it you can manage it’ Be clear to your staff about why it is important, what the benefits are and make it tangible. If people know how much something costs and can relate it back to their own wallets they will feel the need to do something about it. Start with simple small ideas – clear plastic bin bags, cooking in small batches, daily updates on how the team is doing against targets. Better still sign up to a waste management system such as Leanpath to measure and monitor wastage where the reduction and value of this can be seen instantly. Reward good behaviours and improvements. Make everyone feel part of the solution and success.

Q: Have changing consumer demands meant a greater investment is needed in technology? Are there any technologies you think will be making an impact in the near future?

Absolutely. Customisation at the point of sale means technology plays a greater part. Apps and pre-ordering systems, technology that can determine peoples wellbeing (retina scanning etc) and can determine any food or beverage needs they have at that moment will be more available. Smart technology for cooking, maintaining temperatures and food quality are excellent for the fast convenient food offers needed. 

Q: How do you plan for 2020 and beyond to make sure you’re one step ahead of the competition?

Greater partnerships with our suppliers, even more use of insight to ensure we are in line with the market. A stronger focus on training, development and retention to ensure consistency and loyalty.