Wyevale Garden Centres has sold its Chichester site to local property developer Drayton Investments Ltd.

The business will continue to run as a Wyevale garden centre under licence until 31 August 2019.

It is the 40th Wyevale centre to be sold since Terra Firma started the sale process.

WGC said: “We would like to thank our great colleagues at the centre who have been central to our turnaround in the past few years.”

Gloucestershire garden centre Trioscape is fighting a proposal by Severn Trent Water to close a 2.6k section of the main road outside for five months.

Seven Trent says safety is paramount during work to replace a water pipe and it will be putting up ‘businesses open as usual’ signs.

However, Trioscape manager Will Ormand says he has “grave fears” that the work, due to start in February, will have a massive long-term impact on the garden centre, which recently completed a major investment in its gift area and restaurant.

He said that although previous road works nearby had seriously affected the business, it had only only been for a maximum of a month at a time.

“The last time was for fibre broadband, which we understood. This is for five months,” he added. “We are very fearful because the closure notice will come in our busiest time of year and will mean us missing all the bank holidays, which are the bread and butter for garden centres like ours.

“Customers are put off by road works and once they change their trends, we will struggle to get them back. This road closure will not only have a devastating effect on our local businesses but also the thousands of people who use this road on their daily commute.”

He has been told the garden centre will be entitled to compensation but does not believe it will cover the losses and it could have a long term impact.

Residents face a 50-minute detour during the disruption. Hundreds have signed a petition launched in protest.

Severn Trent’s Gareth Mead said: “We don’t take the decision to close roads lightly but it’s vital to keep our teams, pedestrians and road users safe.

“We’re very aware of the concerns of local people and businesses about the closure but we’ll be putting out very clear signage highlighting that businesses remain open as normal, and school buses will be allowed through for drop off and pick up like normal.

“The really important thing here is that we’re investing £3 million in the area to make sure our customers have a reliable water supply in the future, while also significantly reducing the likelihood of leaks and bursts.”

Storm Deirdre may have had devastating effects on high street retail footfall but it didn’t stop garden centres selling as much in total as the snow of last year.

Top line volume sales analysis from GTN Bestsellers shows that volume sales for last week were up by 12% on the same week last year and on a par with the week after Easter earlier this year.

That means the GTN Bestsellers All Products Sales index will close the year on minus 2.6% vs 2017, an amazing turnaround from the position mid-April of being 16% down, even after Easter.

As you’ll see from this week’s chart pages it wasn’t Christmas that saved the day during the storm. Plants, garden products and growing media sales were all up significantly on last year.

Happy Christmas to all our readers and best wishes for a great Bestsellers year in 2019.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 50)
Garden Products - up 25%
Growing Media - up 46%
Wild Bird Care - down 10%
Christmas - down 1%
All Plants Index - up 15%
All Items Index - up 12%

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

The popular garden centre based in Crawley has announced plans for redevelopment, with a revamped centre due to open in spring 2020.

• Up to 70 new jobs created
• Expansion of centre footprint by 20 per cent
• £15m investment

Haskins acquired the Snowhill site in 2003 and has worked hard to maintain its position as one of the best garden centres in the area. Due to a number of ageing buildings on site, pre-dating Haskins’ ownership, the leading garden centre group recognised the need to redevelop and modernise the centre.

Julian Winfield, chief executive of Haskins Garden Centres, commented: “We have worked closely with the local authority and our neighbours over a number of years to achieve the permission to develop the site.

“We are absolutely delighted to be on track with the £15m redevelopment programme. Whilst it is a long-term investment, we’re confident that it will secure the garden centre for our customers for many years and be a good investment for our business.”

Once the redevelopment is complete, customers will benefit from a consolidated garden centre, with all goods and services located in one contemporary high quality building. The enhanced customer restaurant will seat 440 and offer an outdoor terrace. The restaurant will be able to provide customers with a better range of meals, snacks and drinks.

Additional improvements include a new large covered outdoor sales area, as well as a revamped car park with 346 parking spaces.

Haskins in Snowhill will continue trading as normal until the end of 2018 and then a temporary centre will open on site on Friday March 1 2019. The main centre will re-open for business in spring 2020.

The developers are currently in the first phase, creating the new car park and entrance and establishing a temporary centre to continue trading.

Julian added: “Once the Snowhill redevelopment is finished, we will have four purpose-built garden centres which puts Haskins in a unique position. Most leading garden centre groups have centres of varying shapes and sizes, but having four similar sites helps us alleviate the complexities of management.”

Haskins is located in Snowhill Lane, Copthorne, West Sussex, RH10 3EY. For more information visit www.haskins.co.uk

Plant sales stayed ahead of last year again but didn’t reach the pre-Christmas high of 2016.

GTN Bestsellers analysis shows:

• Poinsettia stay at No 1 and with a whole week to go look set to increase sales year on year overall.
• Azaleas, as Christmas houseplants, re-entered the chart at No 25.
• Juncus is a new entry.

All Plants volume sales change: Week on week DOWN 8.0%.  Year to date UP 7.6% on 2017

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

Christmas sales only held their own with last year as Storm Deirdre crossed the country, leaving total GTN Top 50 sales volumes at 4.8% down on last year. However with a whole week still to go before Christmas Eve there’s still plenty of scope to get sales back up to record levels.

Highlights were:

• History & Heraldry’s Angel/Snowman Hanging Decoration holds onto the No 1 Christmas Bestselling product for the 12th week.
• Spare bulbs for Konstsmide 7 Light Arches were in high demand as decorations come out of lofts, climbing 27 places to No 23.
• The Milford Collection Cinnamon Cones & Berries were the highest new entry of the week, in at No 29.

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

Grovewell Garden Centres confirmed the acquisition of their fourth Centre at Hamstreet near Ashford, previously a Wyevale store, on Thursday and they’re open for business.

All existing staff will stay on to help build and grow the Centre, Director Edward Boult says, “We are extremely pleased and excited to add Hamstreet to our family of Centres. We have inherited a fantastic and supportive team and we are very much looking forward to expanding and upgrading the site over the next few years.”

Tenterden Deputy Manager Tim Law who is assisting with the integration of Hamstreet to Grovewell talks of the plans to upgrade and modernise the site, “We aim to build on the success and reputation of Tenterden, Canterbury and Folkestone Garden Centres. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from staff and locals so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Centre develop.”

Grovewell Garden Centres will now comprise Hamstreet Garden Centre near Ashford, Folkestone Garden Centre at Hawkinge, Canterbury Garden Centre & Tenterden. The latter, a family owned business, has been trading under Director Edward Boult and his team since April 1999. Purpose built Canterbury Garden Centre opened Easter 2009, followed by Folkestone Garden Centre formally the McFarlanes Garden & Butterfly Nursery in April 2016.

Defra has announced a ban on the outdoor use of metaldehyde slug pellets in a range of crops and gardens from Spring 2020.

The decision follows advice from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that metaldehyde poses an unacceptable risk to birds and mammals.

Defra is encouraging the use of alternative active ingredients like ferric phosphate – and other ways to mitigate the impact of slugs and snails through through soil preparation (e.g. sowing seed deeper to prevent slugs from reaching them).

The outdoor use of metaldehyde will be phased out over 18 months to give growers time to adjust to other methods. It will be legal to sell metaldehyde products for outdoor use for the next six months, with use of the products then allowed for a further 12 months.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he recognised the significant effort put in by the Metaldehyde Stewardship Group to encourage growers and gardeners to use the pesticide responsibly by. “However, the advice is clear that the risks to wildlife are simply too great – and we must all play our part in helping to protect the environment.”

The new restrictions are also designed to reduce the possibility of contaminating drinking water sources.

‘Bents equals family and family equals Bents’; one of the main messages to come from recent customer focus groups held by Warrington based Bents Garden & Home and designed to gain a deeper understanding of its customer base and awareness of its popular be inspired privilege club.

The initiative comes as Bents marks the five-year anniversary of be inspired and the results will be used to guide future improvements as it moves into its sixth year.

A common phrase used by many in the groups was that Bents was ‘more than just a garden centre’ with it being likened to leading retailers including John Lewis, Selfridges and Marks & Spencer.  Comparison was also drawn with Harrods, but with the caveat that ‘even then you wouldn’t feel as comfortable as you would in Bents.”

Says Matthew Bent, Managing Director at Bents Garden & Home: “The feedback from these sessions has been incredible.  To be compared to such well known, leading retailers is fantastic but the messages that mean the most to us are the ones which relate to the friendliness and welcoming nature of our Centre and colleagues.  Our colleagues are the ones who help create that special atmosphere which makes us what we are and it was great to see this acknowledged by our customers in such a passionate way.”

Another direct comment which reflected this feeling stated that “everyone is welcome and everyone is welcoming’ whilst ‘the friendliness, the courtesy, the smiles and the spirit’ was also widely acknowledged.

Bents used Poynton based Park Lane Research, who have worked with national retailers including Waitrose and Aldi and were happy to admit they had never received such positive and protective comments in when working in similar situations.

Park Lane Research were briefed to carry out a qualitative study comprising two group discussions and twenty in-depth telephone interviews.  The groups were split by age, gender and use of their be inspired card, to include regular and occasional users as well as lapsed users, in order to gain a snap shop of current custom.

Results from the study will be used to guide future communication and improvements from a customer perspective both in store at Bents and it’s be inspired club.

• The RSPB is celebrating 40 years of counting garden birds with its famous Big Garden Birdwatch.
• A new TV advert will showcase real Big Garden Birdwatchers and the many ways people get involved.
• To mark the event, the RSPB is asking participants ‘How will you #BigGardenBirdWatch?’ and to share their stories of how they take part.

A new RSPB TV advert will showcase personal stories from its supporters showing their love of wildlife as the charity celebrates 40 years of its world famous Big Garden Birdwatch.

How will you #BigGardenBirdWatch, is inspired by the submissions to the RSPB’s social media feeds in recent years, which show the amazing variety of ways that people take part and their enthusiasm for the event.

Filmed at RSPB headquarters in Bedfordshire and on locations around the UK, the advert will first air on Boxing Day and features RSPB supporters alongside famous faces like RSPB president Miranda Krestovnikoff, wildlife presenter Chris Packham and TV gardener David Domoney.

From young Rebecca who makes a birdfeeder out of toilet roll, to urban Ste who loves his birds so much he has them tattooed on his body, it’s an engaging celebration of Big Garden Birdwatchers.

Rebecca Munro, RSPB Director of Communications and Fundraising, said: “Big Garden Birdwatch is the most popular activity on the RSPB calendar. We wanted to celebrate and share our supporter’s Birdwatch stories, using them as the cast. What shone through from everyone taking part in our TV advert is that a love of nature is universal; it doesn’t matter where you live or what age you are, the joy of wildlife watching is something that everyone can enjoy.

“Reaching 40 years is a huge achievement and shows just how passionate people across the UK are about their wildlife.  The survey started in 1979 as a winter activity for our youth members. It’s now the largest garden wildlife survey in the world. It’s an event open to everyone and appeals to both children and adults because it’s an enjoyable, easy, inclusive activity and a hugely successful example of thousands of people working together to help make a difference for nature.”

The RSPB joined forces with advertising agency Cherry Tiger to bring the campaign to life. Moving away from a traditional DRTV approach, the advert uses quirky stories and voices of real Big Garden Birdwatchers to show this is an event for everyone and challenge them to take part with the tag line “How will you #BigGardenBirdWatch?”.

Dan James, Creative Director at Cherry Tiger, said: “The idea came from seeing how people shared their experiences of Big Garden Birdwatch on social media. Big Garden Birdwatch is the RSPB’s biggest participation event, and this year we had the added opportunity to celebrate 40 years of the world’s largest wildlife survey. On Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, we found real people who did much more than just watch the birds, they painted birds in watercolour, knitted birds in wool, tattooed the birds on their arm and made bird cake.

“Whether people simply send in images of the birds they’ve seen, or go further and show us the bird feeders they’ve made, the crafts they’ve created, the cakes they’ve baked or the costumes they’ve worn, the RSPB would love to see all the wild and wonderful ways people Big Garden Birdwatch in 2019.”

Big Garden Birdwatch takes place on 26, 27 and 28 January 2019. The public is asked to spend just one hour watching and recording the birds in their garden or local green space, then send their results to the RSPB. Close to half-a-million people take part in the Birdwatch every year.

Over the last 40 years, 130 million birds have been counted giving the RSPB an astonishing amount of insight into how our wildlife is faring.

For your FREE 40th anniversary Big Garden Birdwatch pack, which includes a bird identification chart, plus RSPB shop voucher and advice to help you attract wildlife to your garden, text BIRD to 70030 or visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch 

Outdoor plant sales continued to grow at garden centres for the second month running in November according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade report.

Sales were up 11.69% compared to the same month last year (2017).

Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, said: “In October we enjoyed some much milder weather, which continued into November, meaning people were able to carry on with any gardening much later into the year than usual and could enjoy autumn flowering plants for longer too.

“Hard landscaping sales were also up 13.12% as people made the most of the weather and worked on improving their outdoor spaces ready for 2019.

“Once again, the milder weather meant people delayed their festive shopping sales as gifts were down -1.6% and general Christmas sales were down -2.49%, however we predict this will improve greatly when we see the results of our December sales.”

Seed and bulb sales were up 3.5%. Food hall and farm shop sales were up 3.5% and catering sales were also up at 7.08%. Houseplant sales were also up 6.45%.

Sales in garden sundries were down -2.25% and furniture and barbecue sales were also down -15.01%.

Pets and aquatics sales were down -4.02% and clothing sales were down -0.14%.

Overall sales for the month were up 1.13% with a year to date change of 1.19%.

The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.

The BoT reports allow members to compare their trading positions with other centres.

Continued political and economic uncertainty in the UK, and the government’s ongoing welfare support changes, are contributing to people across horticulture needing additional help and support. Changes to welfare benefits and a reduction in local support services, mean that help is harder than ever to find.  Some existing services have waiting lists. This means that people in crisis, are not getting the help they need, when they need it most.

Perennial delivers tailored support every day directly to people who need help via a UK-wide network of highly trained advisors. The team understands the financial pressures and challenges that people face after life changing events and works with families and individuals giving free, confidential advice and support for as long as it’s needed. To meet the growing needs in Scotland, Perennial has appointed a new debt advisor north of the border. The appointment comes amid the Universal Credit roll out and increasing pressure on wages in the sector.

Julia Hayne, Director of Services at Perennial, says:

“Our small team in Scotland has seen a growing number of people needing our help and identified the need for specialist debt support. Our accredited debt advisers can help by negotiating with creditors, preparing financial statements, advising on bankruptcy, helping with court paperwork and offering representation at hearings. We can act on your behalf or provide you with the advice and information you need to deal with your problem yourself.”

Perennial believes no-one should be denied help simply because they do not know Perennial is here for them and as the charity heads into its 180^th year, Perennial wants to reach more people in horticulture than ever before. To make this vision a reality, new jobs have been created to support the Marketing & Fundraising team forge links with even more companies and individuals who can help spread the word. A new Community Fundraiser role has been created to work with volunteer groups to increase awareness of Perennial at a local level across the UK.  Perennial is also looking for a new Corporate Partnership Manager to work with horticulture businesses to raise awareness and funds to support the charity’s services. Anita Bates, Director of Marketing & Fundraising at Perennial, says:

“For many years the number of people we help has been increasing every year, but we know there are many more people who are not asking for our help either because they don’t know about us or don’t fully understand who we help and how. We need the help of the industry to spread the word and support our fundraising work, so we can keep providing the high level of personal bespoke help to the increasing numbers of people that get in touch. We also recognise there are lots of local groups who could be pivotal in helping raise awareness at a grassroots level.”

In addition, there is an opening for someone to join the events team to help organise the growing number of networking and fundraising events the charity offers the horticulture trade and public supporters each year. This includes the annual Party for Perennial and Festival Dinner, along with Perennial’s popular programme of garden tours and challenge events.

Perennial helps anyone who creates or maintains gardens, parks, sports facilities and other green spaces. If you work with plants, trees, gardens, parks or grass, Perennial is your trade charity. Its free and confidential advice, support and financial assistance is described as often described simply as a ‘lifeline’ and as the charity celebrates 180 years of helping people in horticulture it is building awareness and support for the next 180 years. 

If you would like to join the Perennial team find out more about all the current job vacancies at www.perennial.org.uk/jobs or call 01372 373 962.

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Garden decorations, particularly robins, made all the difference to garden product sales last week, delivering a 25% increase on last year despite the effects of Storm Deirdre. 

Highlights were:

• Fountasia’s Small Springy Robin hopped up one place to No 1.
• The Smart Solar Porta-Light, 220 Lumens, was the highest re-entry at No 20.
• Fountasia’s Birds & Bells Robin is the highest new entry at No 27.

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

Storm Deirdre provided a welcome boost for Wild Bird Care sales but not enough to catch up on last year’s snow induced sales levels. With all the decorative Robins being bought, see the Garden Products chart, surely there must be a linked sales promotion for Robin feeds!

Highlights were:

• Gardman Fat Snax, tub of 50, remains the No 1 Bestseller for Wild Bird Care.
• Westland Peckish Winter Warmer 1.7kg is the highest re-entry of the week.
• Gardman’s Heavy Duty Squirrel Proof Seed Feeder is the only new entry for the week, in at No 41.

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

Gardening activity dropped off as expected last week but the lack of snow meant sales held their own at 2016 levels rather than the bleak mid winter volumes of 2017.

Highlights were:

• Kelkay RHS Horticultural Alpine Grit Large Pack is the highest re-entry at No 17.
• Growth Technology Cactus Focus Compost, 8 litres, was the highest climber, up 28 places to No 21.
• Westland John Innes Ericaceous, 35 litres, is a new entry at No 40.

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

The leading garden centre group has donated cuddly toy reindeers to a selection of charities and organisations for Christmas. It is hoped that the reindeers will help spread joy to those in need over the festive period.

Ferndown centre

• Autism Wessex
• Poole Hospital Children’s Outpatient Department

West End centre

• Southampton Children’s Hospital
• Countess Mountbatten Hospice
• Honeypot House

Roundstone centre

• WADARS
• Love Your Hospital, the dedicated charity of Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in aid of Worthing Hospital
• The Lavinia Norfolk Centre Charitable Trust
• More Radio’s Toy Appeal
• Chestnut Tree House
• Cancer United

Snowhill centre

• Alzheimer’s Society
• The Greenaway Residential Foundation

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins, commented: “In the lead up to Christmas, it’s great knowing that the reindeer will really make a difference to those in need, in particular the kids who find themselves in the unfortunate position of spending Christmas in hospital.”

Haskins has centres in Ferndown in Dorset, West End in Southampton and Roundstone and Snowhill in West Sussex. For more information visit www.haskins.co.uk

Following the successful reintroduction of the Bees brand in 2017, G Plants has appointed Adam Pindus as sales manager to help develop the brand further.

For the last seven years Adam has worked for Festive Productions in the Christmas seasonal market and has a wealth of experience in garden centre and  general retail sales.

Adam said “I can see a real drive and passion within the business to not be run of the mill, but to offer a real point of difference that will ensure that the company stands out in the market.”

Director Alex Reihl said: “Adam has the same motivation and desire as we do and I look forward to him contributing in the business’s success.”

Click here to email Adam adam@gplants.com

A committed quartet from North Yorkshire nursery, Johnsons of Whixley, is celebrating a major milestone – after achieving more than 100 years of service combined for the company.

Graham Richardson, group managing director, and retail assistant manager, Paul Lamb, have both worked at Johnsons for 35 years each, meanwhile Adrian Price, resale plant buyer, has gained 25 years of experience at the business and Gary Sutton, accounts manager, has celebrated his 10^thanniversary.

To highlight their combined 105 years of long service at the site based between York and Harrogate, each member of staff received a certificate and vouchers valued between £350 to £100.

Paul said: “I can remember leaving school in 1983 and then the next day having a job interview with Johnsons of Whixley. After a trial there, I have never looked back.

“My biggest enjoyment over the years has been the people I’ve worked with. I feel very proud to have worked at Johnsons for so long – and even more proud of the fact that they still want me after 35 years.”

Graham, who took on a year-long work experience placement at a nursery near Skipton straight from school before joining Johnsons, added: “Working with family and colleagues whom you consider friends is what I have liked most about my 35 years with the company.

“I love contributing to the success and security of the business and having the opportunity to work with my children every day is just fantastic.”

Johnsons of Whixley is one of the largest commercial nurseries in the UK and a trusted supplier of plants and trees.

Pictured - L-R - Graham Richardson, Paul Lamb and Adrian Price.

Former Channel 4 News Economics Editor Paul Mason will be joining the star-studded roster of guest speakers at the Garden Centre Association’s annual conference next month (January 20-23).

Attendees will hear from writer, broadcaster and film-maker, Paul, on Tuesday, January 22 during the conference, which will take place at Luton Hoo Hotel, Luton.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, explained: “Paul is a writer, broadcaster and film-maker covering areas of economics, globalisation and the future of capitalism. His speech, entitled ‘profit, people & planet’ analyses economic trends and political developments, without ‘dumbing down’ or patronising the audience. We think it will be a great fit for the attendees to the conference and hope they can take lots away from Paul’s speech and instil what they learn into the running of their garden centres.”

Formerly working as Channel 4 News’ Economics Editor, Paul covered all aspects of the UK and global economy, markets, labour and commerce and previously served in the sale role for BBC2’s Newsnight.

Paul was also Channel 4’s Culture and Digital Editor, examining the social, cultural and business impact of the new age of digital and online. Prior to joining the commercial broadcaster, he took over from Stephanie Flanders as Newsnight’s Economics Editor after several years as Business and Industry Correspondent.

Iain added: “Now free of the constraints of broadcast journalism, Paul takes a critical look at business and capitalism. He considers the impact and democratising power of technology and how this could affect the existing political and commercial elites.

“Paul was also previously Deputy Editor of Computer Weekly. He has won the Workworld Business Journalist and Wincott awards for his China reports, and the Diageo African Business Reporting Award for his acclaimed film on how mobile phones are changing the continent. He makes a wonderful addition to our line-up of speakers for our 2019 conference and we’re very much looking forward to hearing all he has to say.”

The GCA represents nearly 200 garden centres nationwide. Through sharing information and its inspection programme, the organisation helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

The GCA’s 2019 conference will be held at Luton Hoo Hotel, Luton on the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border from January 20 until 23 and places can be booked via www.gca.org.uk.

With 39 centres out of 145 sold as we approach Christmas, Wyevale Garden Centres appear to be streamlining their staffing levels as they prepare what's left of the UK's biggest Garden Centre group for trading in 2019.

Over the past week GTN Xtra has received information that as a result of a review process that started in the summer, some staff at Podington and World's End Wyevale Garden Centres have been informed that the process could lead to their roles becoming redundant.

As a result a number of independent garden centres have been approached by the effected staff about any possible vacancies.

A spokesperson for Wyevale Garden Centres told us: "As part of the reshaping of our business, we are proposing to refine leadership structures in our Garden Centres and introduce more flexible ways of workings for all colleagues, to enable us to fulfil our high expectations of customer service at all times. We are currently in a consultation process and dialogue with our colleagues, in which we have listened to and fully considered their views and ideas about the best way to achieve our goals as one team. All reasonable measures are being taken to mitigate any job losses resulting from changes and we are supporting all colleagues throughout the transition."

It is with great sadness that the Austin family announces the passing of David C. H. Austin Snr OBE VMH, rosarian and founder of David Austin Roses Ltd. David Snr died peacefully at his home in Shropshire on Tuesday 18^thDecember, surrounded by his family. He was 92.

For over 75 years David's dedication to roses brought fragrance and beauty to gardens all over the world. A perfectionist at heart, he bred more than 200 English roses during his extraordinary career, unwaveringly in pursuit of an ever more beautiful rose.

From a farming background, David developed a keen interest in Old Roses in his early twenties. David felt that although the Old Roses were charming and often had magnificent fragrances, they were lacking in the colour diversity and ability to repeat flower common to the more modern Hybrid Teas.

This realisation sowed the seeds for the collection of English Roses that we all enjoy today as he set about creating an entirely new rose which combined the beauty and fragrance of Old Roses with the benefits of modern roses. His first English Rose was Constance Spry launched in 1961.

Amongst the expansive collection, notable varieties include Gertrude Jekyll – twice voted the nation's favourite rose – and more recently, Olivia Rose Austin.

David was rewarded for his outstanding contribution to horticulture, receiving gold standard accolades at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and an OBE for services to horticulture in 2007.

David Austin Jnr, son and Managing Director of the company for the last 25 years said: "My father – or Mr A as he was affectionately known within the wider Austin family – was a remarkable man. His love for the art of rose breeding was truly inspiring; he loved nothing more than seeing the pleasure that his roses gave to others.

His presence will be sorely missed within the global family company that he created. But the passion he instilled will continue and we will hold true to my father's vision when he founded the company almost 60 years ago."

The Austin family invites anyone who wishes to share their memories and condolences to send these to rememberingmra@davidaustinroses.com

Baytree Nurseries Ltd. are in the process of buying Dents Garden Centre in Hilgay, just south of Downham Market in Norfolk.

Located on the A10, the site comprises a garden centre, farm shop and 200 cover restaurant. 

Nigel Wallis, son-in-law of Reinhard Biehler who started Baytree Nurseries, told GTN Xtra: "We are all very excited to be welcoming the team at Dents into the Baytree family. 

"As a family we all made the decision to invest and build on the success of Reinhard and Vonny building Baytree into the wonderful business it is today."

Alexander Mackie are handling the transaction for the vendors.

The acquisition is expected to go through in January.

  The Daily Mail had some online festive fun at the expense of Bents Garden & Home, in a report by Jan Moir sending up its “wagtastic Christmas decorations”.

“In Bents Garden & Home Centre, just outside Warrington, nothing says Christmas more than a themed 10ft fake fir tree, covered in polystyrene animals and a thousand baubles, hosed down with glitter and ostrich feathers,” the report gushed.

It said Megan Davison, fiancee of Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, has already shown off her Bents tree on Instagram (pictured); a marvel of sparkly fauna including polar bears, penguins, hedgehogs, butterflies and horses.

“It’s hard to work out what her festive theme is, but Polar Roadkill must be a contender,” jibed the writer.

The report claimed “chief Wag Coleen Rooney” buys her tree and trimmings at Bents every year: in 2016 she apparently went for an owl theme, with a tree “covered with dozens of Bents snowy owls who looked startled to find themselves perched en masse in the Rooney sitting room”.

The Mail’s correspondent was clearly overwhelmed by Bents’ award-winning displays but did admit that “while some might say Bents is a place where good taste comes to die — a torrid snowscape of stuffed reindeers, pre-lit plastic icicles and frosted unicorns — others adore roasting their eyeballs on this festive fiesta of sparkle and preposterous bling, marvelling at the excess”.

Bents, the report notes, is in a prime position to capture “the Wag trade…The footballers’ enclaves of Alderley Edge and Wilmslow lie to the south, groaning with McMansions which are crying out for blingtastic festive décor”.

There is a mention, too, of Bents bespoke Christmas at Home service, offering a decorating team to install and fully dress the tree of your dreams, with prices ranging from £1,500 to £3,500 and beyond, depending on bauble density.

How the other half live, eh?

Corby & Fellas are delighted to announce that, yet another prestigious garden centre - The Old Railway Line Garden Centre in Brecon, Powys - has installed WinRetail, the powerful, comprehensive and fully integrated Retail Management EPoS, E-commerce and Retail Management System.

The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, which just been voted the GCA’s best ‘Garden Centre in Wales and the West’ for the 7^th consecutive year, had some very specific requirements when it came to selecting a new system. So, they sought the advice of several large and experienced garden centres before deciding who would be the ‘best fit’. Having received many positive reports regarding Corby + Fellas, they decided to short‑list WinRetail.

Alan McCammon, C+F’s Managing Director, who dealt with The Old Railway Line’s brief, explained that: “As well as the ‘standard’ EPOS System requirements, they needed a fully integrated, real-time e-commerce system, with links to Amazon. Furthermore, they were particularly focussed on being able to analyse customer behaviour; a requirement that our CRM/Retail Intelligence module was able to handle by enabling retailers who operate any form of membership, reward or loyalty scheme to track their customer’s purchasing patterns at a very detailed level. It also has the capability to segment by demographic, manage offers, promotions and campaigns, and communicate to members via MailJet."

Old Railway Line General manager, Huw Lewis, commented: “The time had come to invest in a new EPOS system in order for us to drive various aspects of our business forward for the future. After a great deal of research and several demonstrations we felt that the system from Corby and Fellas was the right choice for our business. Overall, we were very impressed with the system especially the CRM system which will allow us to target our marketing and integrates many systems we previously used into one single operation. We felt that Corby and Fellas were a very forward-thinking company and had the technical knowledge and skills to continually develop a system that will grow with us.”

The team at The Old Railway Line will be taking advantage of WinRetail’s Accounting Interface to Sage 50 Professional, which is one of the many such interfaces that WinRetail offers. They are also keenly anticipating some of the system’s exciting new features, such as:

• A customer facing APP for smartphones and tablets that enables retailers to keep in touch with their customers; with the ability to disseminate news regarding events, special offers, promotions, etc. The APP also allows customers to accurately and securely sign-up for membership of loyalty/rewards schemes via their chosen platform
• An Integrated Events and Bookings module, which operates in in real-time and is available both online and in-store using an EPoS terminal.
• Restaurant Table Service APP with integrated card payments facility
• A tablet based version of the EPOS module, which can be linked to a wireless Chip & PIN terminal and printer. Ideal for handling furniture sales, for mobile order taking, etc.
• Farm Shop scales interface (Bizerba), which handles any combination of promotions for weighed and measured items.
• Home Delivery Scheduling system that allows the delivery of customer orders to be allocated by date, time and vehicle type, using a delivery postcode, product weight and product dimensions.

For more information email sales@corbyfellas.com or visit www.corbyfellas.com

Dobbies has apologised to a three-year-old boy who was turned away from a Santa's grotto at its Gailey centre in Staffordshire because he wasn't on Father Christmas's list.

Oliver Terry and his father, Daniel, had been hoping to pass on his letter to Santa – but after queuing for half-an-hour they were turned away because they hadn't pre-booked their visit online. Mr Terrry said requests for Oliver to hand over his letter without receiving a gift, or to book a different session, fell on deaf ears.

Dobbies has offered to lay on a special tea with Santa for Oliver by way of an apology.

 “Oliver got upset and emotional when he was told he couldn't see Father Christmas and he was holding his letter to Santa. Seeing that broke my heart and left me disgusted,” Mr Terry told the Stoke Sentinel. “I initially went online to find out about the grotto and didn’t see anything about booking in advance and at the garden centre no-one checked we had booked until we had waited in the queue and got to the front.

“I accept that we should have booked online and that was our mistake. But this should have been made clearer.”

Oliver made up for his disappointment when he was taken to Fletcher’s Garden Centre in Eccleshall, where he met Santa, had a train ride and received a selection box.

The Dobbies Gailey grotto attracts more than 1,500 children every Christmas.

Dobbies Garden World general manager Michelle Stretton said: “We’re so sorry to hear that one of our customers has had such a disappointing experience with us at the weekend. I would welcome the customer contacting me directly so we can make it up to the little boy and his father - we’d gladly arrange a special tea with Santa to make sure the little boy has a lovely Christmas experience.

“We work tirelessly to try to make sure every single child and their families have a truly magical experience when visiting Santa. Our grotto was, unfortunately, fully booked over the weekend. We make it clear in all of our customer communications and on our website that advance booking is recommended and have now ensured it is on all grotto pages. In saying that, our staff did whatever they could to squeeze in walk-ins over the weekend, or we’d normally always try to book customers in for a slot on an alternative date, as we want to try to give every child a fantastic Santa experience.

Mr Terry said: “It’s a lovely gesture from the staff and it’s good that they’ve made it clearer online that you need to pre-book so other children won’t be disappointed like Oliver.”

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 2016 as well as 2017 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 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.

Since its launch in 2014, the ‘new’ 350 cover restaurant at Highfield Garden World in Gloucestershire has seen turnover grow every month – that’s 54 months on the trot.  That success story looks set to continue apace judging by the aspirations of Head of Catering Andrew Hamilton-Rhodes.

Andrew may have only joined Highfield Garden World a year ago, but that’s been time enough to rebuild the core team of chefs and bakers (eight chefs, four bakers), revolutionise the way food is sourced, and start to build a relationship with catering students in the local college for further education.   And all without disrupting the restaurant’s offering or ever increasing takings.

Established in 1992, Highfield is the largest independent garden centre in Gloucestershire and welcomes around 15,000 customers every week.  The founding Greenway family still owns the business, and three generations work within it.  The restaurant accounts for 26% of Highfield’s turnover and the site overall takes £11 million (exc. VAT).  

Andrew commented; “Constantly innovating and finding new things that the customers love is crucial in two ways.  Firstly, it underpins the continued success of the restaurant.  Secondly, it keeps staff engaged in their work – no mean feat in a sector which is notorious for high staff churn.  With no fewer than three Michelin-starred chefs in our team now, and all 12 chefs and bakers actively encouraged to get out and seek out fresh ways of doing things, we have no shortage of new ideas coming into our weekly ideas meetings.  Importantly, we let everyone trial their ideas too, tweaking, adopting or rejecting them as we go.   As an independent business with dynamic leadership at the helm, we have the flexibility to do that, and the customers love us for it.”

But there’s a tightrope to tread between offering new items while still pleasing more traditional tastes (Sundays see more than 600 roasts created from scratch in the kitchen).  Andrew explained;  “We tend to go down the ‘traditional with a twist’ path.  So the afternoon tea features Welsh rarebit, this week’s speciality scone is Mexicano cheese and chilli, and tomorrow’s British braised beef comes with Stilton and smoked Cheddar dumplings.   But it’s the customer’s take that counts, so all of us chefs are out and about chatting to people, asking them what they like, and taking on board their comments and questions every day.   Many are on first name terms!”

Highfield is also looking to forge links with the next generation of chefs.  Andrew continued;   “We’re talking to a local college for further education here in Gloucestershire.  The plan is for catering students to be able to enrich their college training here on-site under the expert guidance of our chefs, while we get to keep things fresh in the kitchen as we help new chefs coming through, and to hear some of their developing ideas.   It’s how I started out myself.”

Tim Greenway, founder and Managing Director of Highfield, commented;  “We've always been independent, and we've always done our own thing here at Highfield.   We offer something different, and that’s why customers like us.   The work Andrew and his team are doing embodies that approach really well.   They’re making great strides with new items on the menu, eye-catching ways of presenting the food and more emphasis on meeting customers.”