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Notcutts boss Andy King quits to join Tesco's
Andy King, the Chief Executive of Notcutts Garden Centres, has quit the company to join the Tesco Group. The move comes a week after the announcement that Dobbies CEO James Barnes and Finance Director Sharon Brown had left the Tesco-owned garden centre business...
Andy King, the Chief Executive of Notcutts Garden Centres, has quit the company to join the Tesco Group. The move comes a week after the announcement that Dobbies CEO James Barnes and Finance Director Sharon Brown had left the Tesco-owned garden centre business.
In a statement Notcutts said that after five and a half years of successful leadership, Andy King has decided that the time is right to move on, in order to take advantage of a significant career opportunity at the Tesco Group.
The statement continued: "Both the Notcutts family and all those who have worked with him are very grateful to Andy for the contribution he has made to Notcutts, and for the professional and commercial focus that he has brought to the business during his tenure as CEO.
"The search for a new CEO has already started, and Notcutts are confident that they will be able to appoint a first class successor to Andy, given the quality, brand and reputation of the Notcutts Group and the progress made under Andy’s stewardship.
"Finance Director Andrew Staff will take the role of interim CEO following Andy’s departure. The strength and depth of the current management team will ensure that the business continues to be run as normal until the new appointment is made."
Edward Creasy, Chairman of Notcutts, said: “Andy has worked with great commitment to develop Notcutts as a company and a brand over the last five years and he leaves the company in excellent shape. We wish him the very best as he moves on to the next stage of his career."
Notcutts is a family-owned group of 19 individual garden centres, each with their own distinct character. The company was started in 1897 and since that time its name has stood for excellence in gardening, offering what it believes to be the best products and friendly advice to help its customers.
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Tesco have today announced that Andy King will take up the role of Managing Director of Dobbies Garden Centres...
A spokesperson said: "Andy joins us from Notcutts Garden Centres business where he has been CEO since 2007. He has over 25 years of UK, international and multichannel retail experience with 12 years at board level. Prior to Notcutts he spent his early career at Boots, W H Smith and Mothercare before joining the Body Shop as Global Marketing Director.
"Andy will help continue to grow Dobbies from our current position; and help us focus on bringing the brand to more customers, working across all channels and with the core Tesco business.
"Andy takes up his role at the beginning of September and Dobbies Commercial Director, Katharine Poulter, will continue to lead the business in the meantime."
Meanwhile, Max Britten, currently working within Group Financial Planning and Analysis Management at Tesco Group, is seconded to head up the Dobbies Finance Team as interim Financial Director, reporting to Katharine Poulter. Max has varied Finance & IT experience across a number of companies, including Unilever, Mars, BAA and Associated British Food before joining Tesco three years ago."
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New vision for Glee revealed
The organisers of Glee, i2i Events Group, have announced that 2014 will mark the start of a new chapter for the exhibition, with a number of changes set to be implemented that will create a revitalised and exciting showcase for the garden retail market...
The organisers of Glee, i2i Events Group, have announced that 2014 will mark the start of a new chapter for the exhibition, with a number of changes set to be implemented that will create a revitalised and exciting showcase for the garden retail market.
With a view to creating fresh exhibiting opportunities, productive new features and an improved visitor experience, and following extensive consultation with suppliers, buyers and supporting trade associations, it has been agreed that 2014 will see Glee migrate to an extensive new location within the NEC.
The move is designed to enable Glee to further evolve to meet the needs of modern garden retailers. With a rich, 38 year history, the show has changed beyond recognition since its humble origins in 1975. In the last five years alone Glee has welcomed over 66,000 visitors from more than 60 countries, bringing them together with thousands of businesses across Glee’s core sectors.
 Building on this successful format, Glee’s new location within the NEC’s Halls 17 – 20, will enable every aspect of the show to benefit from a fresh start. Exhibitors will be able to relocate, whilst visitors will be walking a new show; discovering new products and companies at every turn. The overall effect will be a refreshed, revitalised event, as i2i’s Matthew Mein, Glee event manager explains.
He said: “All good retailers know that the best way to keep your store interesting for customers is to constantly revise the layout. We have applied the same approach to Glee. Whilst the show has undergone several enhancements in recent years, we still felt that the overall effect has been, to a point, predictable. In fact Glee is far from predictable. It is full of hundreds upon hundreds of companies, revealing thousands of new product launches every year. Now this revised layout and location within the NEC will enable visitors to discover more than ever before.”
As part of the new layout, Glee will benefit from a greater exhibitor ‘frontage’ with more visitor access points. Matthew Mein confirmed: “Halls 17 – 20 will give Glee exhibitors much more flexibility on their stand location. With multiple entrances, there will be more opportunity to capture visitor’s attention as they approach the show. A new location will also mean that exhibitors can effectively start their own ‘Glee next chapter’. This may mean completely redesigning their stand, or simply revising how they plan and promote their presence at the show. The possibilities are endless.”
Matthew continued: “The move to new halls also allows the overall layout and content of the show to be refreshed, as well as providing an unrivalled opportunity to add additional new content to Glee’s already strong portfolio of features and educational content.
“The other particular noteworthy benefit of Glee’s new-for-2014 location will be the Atrium and outdoor areas that are in close proximity. These two areas offer the potential for overall expansion of the show’s floorplan through additional display and exhibiting opportunities. We already have some great ideas regarding how these areas could be used, and we are excited to discuss them with the industry” added Matthew.
 Supporting the changes is GIMA, one of Glee’s partner trade associations. GIMA director, Neil Gow (left) said: “GIMA continues to work closely with the i2i team as we understand just how vital the Glee exhibition is to the garden retail industry. It is the key event of the year for the biggest majority of our members to showcase their products and services to the whole industry. The NEC is the only place a show of this size and stature can sensibly be held in the UK. The team has been working towards this hall move for many months now and it will bring a very exciting new feel to the show.
“The opportunities that this relocation will bring for all exhibitors to re-think and refresh what they do at the show is tremendous, and with the potential of the Atrium and outdoor space for exhibiting too there will be something there for every single type of exhibitor whatever their needs and budget. This is a massive plus point as it can bring the whole industry together under one roof, which is what the retail buyer needs especially in the tougher market place when the use of their time and money is under greater pressure.”
As the Glee team begins to contact all exhibitors to share further details about these changes, Matthew Mein summarised the exciting changes taking place ahead of Glee 2014: “The move into Halls 17 – 20 will mark an exciting next chapter, not just for Glee, but also for the garden retail market as a whole. It is vital that we keep our show content refreshed so that our audiences, whether exhibitors or visitors, can benefit and do even better business together. This plan will bring even more people together under one roof. Glee’s core values of Discover, Network and Grow will also travel with us to the new halls, and will remain at the heart of everything we do.
“For now, though, we look forward to the 2013 show. We are set to welcome over 500 companies to Glee, with thousands of new products set to make their debut to the industry throughout the show’s three days. I look forward to seeing the industry come together once again, and am excited to be building Glee’s future alongside them.”
More details about Glee 2013, as well as Glee 2014, will be announced shortly. To find out the latest news and to register for your free ticket please log onto www.gleebirmingham.com. For details on exhibiting at Glee, call 0207 728 4623.
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A special meeting to talk through the new Glee vision has been arranged to take place before the GIMA Awards at the Queens Hotel in Leeds tomorrow (Thursday).
Glee are holding the presentation at 3.15pm and it will take up a small amount of time before people get ready to attend the GIMA awards that evening.
"Your contribution and feedback are important to us, to make sure we deliver the best possible event to both exhibitors and visitors alike," said Matthew Mein.
If you wish to attend email matthew.mein@i2ieventsgroup.com or contact him on 0203 033 2160.
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This year's GIMA Awards Gala Dinner and Presentation Evening takes place at The Queens Hotel Leeds tomorrow (Thursday) with pre-dinner drinks being served in the Ark Royal Suite from 6.00pm.
Dinner will be called at 7.30pm and the formalities of the evening will draw to a close around 10.45pm. Networking and dancing is likely to continue long after that!
At the time of going to press there were a few last-minute tickets available. If you're interested call Neil Gow direct on 07812031281.
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