The names of the six finalists of the Garden Centre Association (GCA) & Westland Rising Stars Programme have been announced

Will Clark (Barton Grange), Kathryn Bailey (Barton Grange), Sophie Liebthal (Coolings), Sam Clark (Cowells), Matt Turner (Squires, Badshot Lea) and Jack Fillingham (Sunshine) have all made it through to the final challenge where they will present at the GCA Conference in Brighton in January.

The overall winner will then be chosen by conference delegates.

The results are the culmination of an eight month programme in which candidates attended three merchandising Masterclasses run by IBBIS director and training facilitator Ian Boardman. Under the guidance of Ian, all the Rising Stars have made a real and positive impact in their centres, with each presenting the initiatives they have driven to grow both sales and income in their departments. All presented the importance of keeping hotspots fresh, creating clear signage, organising themed displays and demonstrated the benefits of teamwork.

Ian Boardman said: “Each year I am blown away by the quality and professionalism of all the Rising Stars taking part and this year was no exception. We may have picked a final six, but their achievements in the workplace prove they are all stars in their own right. They have grown as people over the course of the programme, with more confidence and self-belief. This year we stretched them with a project which took them out of their comfort zones – and to work across departments. They all achieved excellent results.”

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director for Westland Horticulture said: “On behalf of Westland I’d like to congratulate the Rising Stars finalists for getting this far. The talent we have in this industry is exceptional and every year the standard just keeps getting higher. We now face a very exciting GCA conference final where delegates will get the chance to vote for the winner – Rising Star of the Year 2015. Also at the conference will be announcing an expanded Rising Stars programme for 2016, which will allow a wider participation across the UK.”

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the Garden Centre Association (GCA) said: “We now have to wait just a little longer to find out who’s won. This year it’s the 50th anniversary of the GCA. The Rising Stars presentations are always the highlight of the GCA conference and this year will definitely not disappoint!”

Picture shows the Rising Stars, with Iain Wylie (far left) and Ian Boardman (second from the left) at their final Masterclass, held at St Peter’s Garden Centre, Worcester. Image courtesy of Garden Trade News.

Over 200 delegates travelled from the furthest corners of the UK to Kent last week for the annual British Christmas Tree Growers' Association national competition and conference.

Out of more than 100 entrants, British Christmas Tree Growers’ Association member Andrew Ingram was declared the winner of the Champion Tree category and now has the honour of selecting a tree for Downing Street this year.

Andrew Ingram, from Christmas Tree Common in Oxfordshire, presented an impressive Lasiocarpa tree (a type of fir) at the peer-judged event, which was held today at Hole Park in Kent. It is the third time he has scooped the top prize.

Also emerging victorious and facing a trip to the Prime Minister’s residence this festive season is Hans Alexanderson, from Santa Fir Christmas Tree Farm in Guildford. He claimed a double win and was judged to have the Champion Wreath as well as the runner up position in the Champion Tree category.

Both growers will now visit Downing Street in the first week of December, where Andrew’s choice of 20ft tree will be positioned at the steps of Number 10, while the wreath will hang at the door throughout Christmas, and Hans’s selection of tree will stand within the Pillared Room.

The contest is now in its 17^th year and is entirely managed by the British Christmas Tree Growers Association. It typically sees contenders from 18 to 80 coming together to showcase their trees and be judged by fellow members.

Each farmer, who will have spent around 10 years nurturing the tree to full ‘competition’ height, is able to enter categories including Best Nordman, Best Other Fir, Best Pine, Best Norway Spruce, Best Other Spruce, Best Container Grown, and Best Festive Wreath.

Finalists were permitted to submit only one tree into each category, and trees entered must be commercially cultivated and be 1.8 metres ( +/- 400mms) high from base to tip. Each is judged for foliage, colour, shape and marketability.

Andrew said: “We are delighted to have won for a third time. I’m also enormously pleased for Gary Walford, who is our manager and who selected the tree for the event. He’s the hands-on person and deserves the praise.”

Hans, who won with a Douglas Fir, said: “I am really thrilled. We swept the board on wreaths by winning the dressed and undressed category, and are really pleased that it was a Douglas Fir which won for the tree.

“We find the Douglas Fir goes down particularly well with our American customers at our Christmas Tree Farm as that’s a more common choice back in the States. I’m glad we chose to enter it today.”

Harry Brightwell, secretary of the British Christmas Tree Growers’ Association, said: “We’ve seen some exceptional entries in both the tree and wreath categories this year, so judging was certainly no easy task.

“Every one of our members puts a great deal of commitment into a year-round process of farming Christmas trees, so this event is a valuable opportunity for us to applaud their efforts and enable them to meet with their peers and compare notes on growing practices and the like.”

He added: “It’s very easy for someone unfamiliar with the world of Christmas tree growing to assume that they take relatively little time to reach full height, but they are easily a decade in the making.

“Our message this year to all festive lovers is to make choosing a tree a special event for the household – and to ‘Buy Real, Buy British’.”

Delegate Peter Alexander of Shide Trees on the Isle of Wight, part of the Thompsons Garden Centre group told GTN Xtra:  "We plant 15 to 20 thousand trees a year, plus 1,500 potted trees on our 140 acre site.

"5,000 trees are sold on the Isle of Wight each year and another 8,000 are exported to the mainland to supply our garden centres.  Because we grow and harvest ourselves the trees reach the centres in prime condition, within a week of being cut and netted."

The event in Kent gained plenty of media coverage with radio across the UK, items shown on ITV networks and BBC South East, plus Good Morning Britain presented the weather live from Pole Farm on the day.

The BCTGA currently has around 350 members.

Retailers interested in buying trees should look on bctga.co.uk, select "Buy trees in Bulk" and enter their postcode to see a list of WHOLESALE / Grower members in their area.  Members with stands, netting, etc for sale can also be seen on line by using "Search for Trees and accessories" and entering products required.

The "2015 Wholesale Brochure" shown on left of web site shows growers and suppliers across UK.  This booklet can also be requested in a hard copy by emailing secretary@bctga.co.uk

• Garden Products - up 8%
• Christmas Products - up 12%
• Growing Media - up 27%
• All Items Index - up 8%

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

The HTA Marketing Forum is designed to help you hear about different ways to make your marketing budgets stretch further. With competing interests on consumer time and cash at an all-time high, it is ever more important to ensure your business is promoting itself to its full potential.

This one-day event at Chesford Grange, Warwickshire, is aimed at all those involved in marketing and public relations in the garden industry, no matter what size your business. Based around the topic of ‘Tools for Success’, the forum will provide inspiration and top tips on how to maximise your marketing spend. For example, for the cost of one small newspaper, find out how you can make your marketing spend go further. 

Laurens Doesborgh, Commercial Director of De Haan Group, discusses how the customer nowadays is more demanding than ever before. They know what they want, how they want it and when they want it. What does this mean for garden centres? Can we still do good by trying to serve all of the people, or do we have to make better choices in who we want as our customer to better serve specifically them and their lifestyle? This all starts with the question: "Who are you and who do you want to be?" 

Covering the high and low pointsthrough the first year of operating a Soft Play centre, Boyd Douglas-Davies, CEO of the Hillview Group, will give an entertaining and insightful look into how much they have learnt since opening one at Hilltop Garden Store on 1 October 2014. 

John Ashley, Scotsdales Garden Centre, will talk about the hugely successful way in which Scotsdales Garden Centre targets key postcodes, communicating the wide range of products and services on offer and entice the customer to visit and spend money through voucher offers. 

Edwin Meijer, Founder & Managing Director at Garden Connect, will help you to create a more personal, mobile and interactive loyalty scheme. How can you change your loyalty card into a customer-generator? How does this relate to changing customer behaviour? How can you make it more personal for your customers? And how can you integrate Facebook into your loyalty scheme? Those and many other questions will be answered during this session. 

Garden Radio provides the ideal audio wallpaper to add atmosphere in your garden centre retail areas - but did you know that it can also be your most reliable extra sales person and customer advisor? Trevor Pfeiffer, the creator of Garden Radio, will highlight the unique bespoke in-store marketing opportunities that Garden Radio can deliver.

We will also be joined by Tim Mason, renown for launching Tesco’s Clubcard Scheme, Tesco Express, Tesco.com and Tesco Personal Finance, and Gerald Ratner, former CEO of Ratner’s Group (now the Signet Group). 

To find out more information about this event and how to book, visit hta.org.uk/marketingforum or email events@the-hta.org.uk

The Greenfingers Charity have more places avaialble for the London Santa Run which takes place on 6^th December in Victoria Park.

If you'd like to join in and raise money for Greenfingers, here is a link to the website story which explains more. http://www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/its-time-to-register-for-santa-run-2015/

London stone have entered a team of 10, along with Greenfingers Trustees Paul Ormond and Carol Paris.  

Linda Petrons, Head of Fundraising said: "It would be great to get more people involved to help us reach our overall fundraising target of £5,000 from the event."

Johnsons Lawn Seed owners DLF-TRIFOLIUM has changed its name to DLF and adopted a new simplified logo.

Since the formation of DLF-TRIFOLIUM in 1988, turnover has increased more than tenfold and the company has acquired leading industry names such as Perryfields in Britain, Cebeco Seeds Group in the Netherlands and the Pickseed companies in Canada and the United States.

CEO Truels Damsgaard said the company had reached a point where its identity was becoming blurred by the many different names and logos under which it operated throughout the world. ”We felt that it was time to unite the DLF family under a single world-recognisable identity with a new name and logo,” he added.

As a result, all former company names, including Innoseeds, Prodana, and even DLF-TRIFOLIUM, are now gone. All have been replaced by the DLF name and a uniform DLF logo. “By adopting a single name, DLF becomes a more cohesive unit with a common identity in a competitive, globalised market. It makes us instantly recognisable and helps us communicate what we stand for in a way that is independent of nations and cultures,” adds Truels Damsgaard.

The new logo retains the familiar three leaves of grass.

Guy Jenkins, consumer manager for Johnsons Lawn Seed, added: “The announcement…not only showcases our ongoing commitment to the future of the business, but it also demonstrates that we are open to change, and will continue to evolve to better suit the needs of the markets which we operate within.”

To make you nomination and vote, please send an e-mail today to: thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk with your name, garden centre name and your job title, telling us who is your Greatest Christmas Supplier of the year, what they do that makes them great and what is the thing they do best.

The results of The Greatest Christmas Awards will be announced at The Greatest Christmas Awards Party on Sunday January 10^th 2016 in the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate.  To book your tickets please call The Greatest Christmas Awards on 01733 775700.

Pictured: The current Greatest Christmas Supplier of the Year Premier Decorations receiving their award.

Shop Manager | Multiple Locations Available (ref:BP7727)

Location: South East England
Salary: £20,000-£21,000
Date: 13 Oct 
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

This business is an established and well known garden centre group based in the UK. The business has a reputation for quality for all aspects of their operation but are particularly well known for their excellence in horticulture. 

The role

The indoor area of the garden centre is the epitome of seasonal trading. The area sees huge swings with the season from BBQs and furniture in the summer to Christmas in the winter. The Shop manager takes care of the day to day in the garden centre managing a team of retail assistants and looking after the customer service standards inside. 

The candidate

I am seeking a talented driven shop manager to join the garden centre's senior leadership team. You must be a leader with management experience in a retail environment, this could have potentially been developed at shop supervisor level but team responsibility is a must. Industry experience would be an advantage but is not essential. 

You current job title could be: Shop Manager, Shop Supervisor, indoor shop manager, indoor shop supervisor.

Please submit your CV in the first instance or to discuss further please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530.

Wholesale Nursery| Sales Assistant | Hampshire (ref:DS7742)

Location: Hampshire
Salary: £23000-£25000
Date: 19 Oct 
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is a leading group of nurseries who sell an innovative range of plants to the garden centre sector across the UK. They are currently seeing an office based Sales Assistant to sell quality plants to their customers. The main purpose of job is to provide sales support for the General Manager and the Commercial team. Based in Hampshire.

Reporting to the General Manager.
Work closely with:
Internal: Sales Colleagues, Commercial Manager, Growing manager, Operations
Managers, Office colleagues
External: Customers, Prospective customers, POS suppliers

The candidate:

The role will be predominantly office based but with a requirement to visit trade shows and key
customers on occasion. Showing customers round the nursery and talking to them on the phone,
managing customer orders in the office and keeping accurate records will form the core.
Essential

• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Accurate record keeping
• Excellent IT skills, ability & desire to learn new systems
• Good telephone manner
• Tele sales experience
• Ability to take responsibility for resolving customer issues
• Flexibility in hours to suit seasonal business
• Full driving licence
• Smart and tidy appearance
• Horticultural experience
• Good Plant knowledge
• Knowledge of web sites
• Experience attending Trade shows

The role

• Assist the management team in achieving or exceeding sales budgets.
• Manage sales orders to garden centres and multiple retailer accounts on an agreed frequency,
• communicating amendments / issues to the customer where necessary.
• Develop a range of options for the sales function to improve customer service and business
• efficiency.
• Manage timely communication of stock availability to customers and resolve customer queries.
• Maintain an accurate stock system, update stock systems daily and report promptly on issues
• relating to stock shortages.
• Provide relevant information in a timely manner to the Operations Manager to ensure prompt
• order collation and excellent customer service.
• Report on weekly, monthly sales as required through existing reporting mechanisms.
• Prepare and deliver business presentations to key accounts.
• Assist in product costing, range development and market/competitor research as required.
• Assist in preparation and distribution of marketing materials including catalogues, e-marketing,
• Webshop updates and maintenance.
• Represent the business in a polite and professional manner, targeting key accounts and
• customer visits as agreed with the General Manager.
• Represent the business at internal and external trade exhibitions.
• General office duties including filing, answering the telephone and visitor reception.
• The above is not an exhaustive list and you may be required to perform different tasks necessitated
• by your changing role within the business and changes of the overall business objectives of the
• organisation.

Planteria Manager | Group Centre (ref:BP7726)

Location: Somerset
Salary: £20,000-£21,000
Date: 13 Oct 
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

This business is an established and well known garden centre group based in the UK. The business has a reputation for quality for all aspects of their operation but are particularly well known for their excellence in horticulture.

The role

The plant area manager will be a key leader in the centre, responsible for motivating a team of knowledgeable and skilled employees. The plant section is key to the success of any garden centre so you will be responsible for not only the care of the plants but all the presentation and customer service of the planteria. This is a business that focuses on quality so the plant area manager's standards must match! 

The candidate

We need a leader with superb retail experience to lead this busy department. The plantarea is the focus point of any garden centre and your standards for customer service, merchandising and the little details that make a department special will make you stand out. Plant knowledge is essential but we are open minded about an academic qualification. Ideally you will have been in a similar position previously 
Your current position could be:
Plant Area Manager, Plantarea Manager, Planteria Manager, Plant Area Supervisor, Plantarea Supervisor, Planteria Supervisor, Horticulture Manager, Horticulture Supervisor

Junior Sales Manager | Office Sales Manager | Wholesale Nursery (ref:DS7717)

Location: Essex
Salary: £16,000-£18,000
Date: 13 Oct 
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our Client is one of the UKs leading specialists in the import and supply of hardy exterior European specimen plants, trees, shrubs and topiary. They offer an extensive range of plants individually selected from ten different European countries with a large proportion of the total offering sourced from Italy.

Product range varies from 3 to 1500 litres of containerised stock and within season, rootball as well. They work in partnership with all their clients to ensure they continue to offer unrivalled quality, service, price and convenience.

Their 'core' sectors are Garden Centres, Nurseries, Developers, Landscapers and Designers as well as working on bespoke projects when required.

The role

Currently they are seeking a junior sales person to be based in their Essex office, carrying out tasks from tele sales to existing clients, to following up new business leads, advising clients of stock availability and 'looking good' lists, preparing marketing and promotional information.

The candidate

Will be personable, driven and target focused with the ability to forge good relationships with customers and offer superb customer service
Experience of working in a horticultural business either a nursery or garden centre / plant centre is desirable
Horticultural training and qualifications
Good plant knowledge 
Adaptable and ambitious with desire to build a career with a progressive nursery

Salary will be dependent of level of experience - Basic will be circa £17,000 with plenty of opportunity to increase via on target bonuses.

Please submit your CV in the first instance or to discuss further please call Dianne Saunders at MorePeople on 01780 480530.

Vivid Arts Ltd and Tom Chambers Ltd say they have settled a dispute regarding allegations of design right infringement, copyright infringement and passing off.

Whilst the terms of the settlement are confidential, Tom Chambers, without admission of liability, with effect from 19 November 2015, will no longer offer for sale its Animal Art range but will still accept orders for its Bronze and Pewter ranges.

Skylark Garden Centre near March is offering customers a   ‘Pick Your Own Pumpkin’ service for Halloween.

Visitors can then choose carve out their own designs in the centre’s new marquee.

Owner Edward Gowler the attraction is unique in the Fenland area.

 “We have planted nearly a thousand pumpkins for this year. It has been a great success in other parts of the country so next year we could be planting tens of thousands.

• Stewart Flower Pot 12-inch Terracotta is the highest new entry at No 29.
• Another newcomer is Woodlodge 6-inch Spang Standard Pot at No 38.
• The highest re-entry is Stewart Flower Pot Saucer 8-inch Terracotta at No 9.
• And Woodlodge Small Pot Feet take over the top spot.

Suffolk-based contract grower Skylark Nurseries is reported to be planning a programme of expansion on its Newbourne site.

The nursery was established by former Notcutt production director Paul Masters in 2013.

Consultants Neville Stein and Andrew Staff, both ex-Notcutts, will provide sales, marketing and financial advice.

• Westland Gro-Sure Lawn Seeding Soil (30 litres) is the highest re-entry at No 30.
• Scotts Miracle-Gro All Purpose Compost also returns to the Top 50 bestselling items.
• Westland Gro-Sure Peat Free All Purpose Compost with 4 month feed (50 litres) has doubled its sales from the previous week.

• The highest new entry is Kaemingk Xmas Hanger w/gilt Silver at No 12.
• Premier Pick Robin with Santa Hat is the highest re-entry at No 14.
• History & Heraldry Personalised Christmas Bauble retains the top spot.

The garden industry wants to promote container gardening on an exhibit at  next year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The four-part exhibit will highlighting different looks that can be achieved in small spaces through container gardening.

The idea is being championed by Sun gardening editor Peter Seabrook in association with the HTA and GCA. Linking in with the ‘Love the Plot You’ve Got’ campaign, schools and horticultural colleges ‘The Sun Flower Square’ will focus on:

• A landscaped front garden
• A hanging garden
• A living seed catalogue
• A schools home-grown display

Peter Seabrook said the collaboration would bring together key growers and retailers to highlight the variety of plants available in the UK and innovative ways of displaying them.

HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris said: “This represents a wonderful opportunity for the industry to come together and showcase its work at such a high profile event such – fingers crossed that we get the go ahead.”

Project leaders will find out whether their bid has been successful in mid-November.

To find out how to get involved, contact Martin Simmons or Gill Ormrod at the HTA (0118 9303132. Email: martin.simmons@the-hta.org.uk or gill.ormrod@the-hta.org.uk.uk).

A consumer from Coventry has won a £3,000 garden makeover in a competition that ran as part of Fiskars’ Weedpuller campaign last spring. 

Keith Hopwood (pictured, centre) will be able to transform his garden with plants, paving, patio decking and garden features.

He said: “Our garden is in such need of a makeover. We all love being outside, but often dream of how we could turn the garden into a really special outdoor living area. You've just made our dream come true. Thank you.”

Keith collected his prize from his local B&Q store with building manager Gary Young and Fiskars trade marketing manager James Karanicolas.

The Weedpuller competition, which attracted thousands of entries, was widely promoted via in-store display units and header cards, at customer trade shows and demo days.

Four packs of Fiskars garden tools, each worth £500 were also up for grabs.

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 2013 as well as 2014 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 Christmas Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.