In This Issue
Wesfarmers seeks fast-track exit from the UK
Grow your sales this season with Bord na Móna Growise Pro 5 All Purpose Premium Range
Gardman SKUs building up after Kings Lynn site re-opens
Everything in the garden is growing like mad
Resolva Pro TV Ad goes live this week
Still two weeks behind with plant sales
Smart celebration at Eureka Building
Parliamentary group explores post-Brexit options for horticulture
Former Miracle-Gro boss offers a view from the other side
Strong start to 2018 for Glee
Centres hope for better weather after Easter washout
Jody Lidgard opens latest Greenfingers garden
Garden industry can lead the way on single use plastic
Fosseway GC plans get go-ahead despite local opposition
Garden Centre directors take on Maserati Tour de Yorkshire
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Malcolm Morgan, founder and chairman of Zest 4 Leisure, passes away
Hanging pots lead the way for garden product sales
John Taylor Awarded 2018 Carlo Naef Trophy
Young plants dominate Veg-2-Gro chart
LOFAssured initiative gains strength across the garden furniture industry with 14 members already certified
Easter momentum lost for growing media sales
New GIMA-HTA conference will address strategic issues and solutions
Change at the top in Wild Bird Care Bestsellers
Smart Garden Products invest in their Supply Chain
Autumn Fair to showcase growing artisanal trend
The best of last week's
‘Closing down’ signs appear outside garden centres
Homebase Lincoln faces the Bunnings axe as Consultants are called in
British Garden Centres looking for sales to flow
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Food at Webbs awarded Food Hall of the Year
We want our centres to be plastics-free say Pugh's
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Email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk, or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700



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Former Miracle-Gro boss offers a view from the other side

Martin Breddy of Squires Garden Centre (previously UK head of Scotts Miracle Gro), gave GIMA AGM and Day Conference delegates a rare insight into the differences between suppliers and retailers.

 

He summarised them under the following succinct, thought-provoking headings:

 

Speed – retail is so much quicker than the supply side. As a result, retail often has to go with its gut and make snap decisions.

 

Price & Value – don’t let retailers bully suppliers into reducing prices; instead suppliers need to help retailers to see the value, not just the price.

 

Breadth – Squires currently lists more than 100,000 SKUs. As a result, retailers cannot look that deeply at any one category, and this will be reflected in the way they interact with suppliers.

 

Human Service – all those people working in the business, from the shop floor to the café, are the face of the business, so it’s important to work with them to listen, learn and educate.

 

Environment – garden retailing is much more than just a building – it’s a nice place to visit, and the right environment encourages customers to come back time and time again.

 

Property – this is your asset, so you need to get it right. Invest when required as the return will be notable.

 

Marketing – Squires may be a £50m turnover business but its marketing team can be counted on one hand. In retail, teams are much smaller, and this means that decisions are made quicker and more impulsively – a significant difference when compared to the supplier side.

 

External Focus – in retail you have the chance to talk to end consumers, and there is significantly less internal hassle, meaning you can get on with the job at hand and get involved at the coalface as well as top-level executive thinking.

 

Culture – retail is deeply rooted in communities/localities. In the case of Squires, it is a family-business, which is reflected in the way the business operates. In an ever more frantic world, garden retailers are here to help people relax and live happier lives – not just a merchant but more an experience.

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