A group of leading garden retail executives has launched Rosebourne Limited to develop what they describe as “a fresh approach to garden centres”.

Rosebourne aims to use the collective skills of some of the best operators in the garden centre industry to develop freehold garden centres in affluent locations, initially in the south of England. It will focus on the high
growth segments of the garden centre industry and local fresh produce together with a table service restaurant operation serving home cooked food.

The management team is made up of former directors of Blooms of Bressingham, Garden & Leisure and the founders of Beckworth Emporium. Charles Good (Blooms) is chairman, Neville Prest (Garden & Leisure) is managing director. Jon Kitching (Blooms and co-founder of Beckworth ) and David Brown (co-founder of Beckworth) are directors. Salim Sajid (Blooms) has joined as operations director, with Hugh Jackson as finance director. The team are being advised by John Moseley (Garden & Leisure) on their marketing and buying strategy.

The group will use the retail model developed by their combined breadth of experience combining local sourcing , a seasonal plants offer, a quality garden sundries offer eclectic gifts and a very strong traditional Christmas presentation. Exceptional customer service is a key element.

“We believe a business model focused on quality and service offers greater potential than the traditional garden centre model, which we see as flawed because of its exposure to the uncertainties of the weather and in most cases is largely commoditised” said Charles Good.

Neville Prest said he was delighted to be working with a very experienced team who had vast experience of the industry. “We look forward to building a company with an innovative approach to garden centres,” he added.

Moseley told GTN Xtra that Rosebourne was close to a deal to build its first centre on a green field site and was considering options on a second site.

The group will be targeting sites of around 5 acres offering potential for 3,500 sq.m of purpose-built retail space, either green field sites or existing independent garden centres looking for a fresh approach.

The Ambassador of Finland, Pekka Huhtaniemi, officially opened Fiskars' superb new UK showroom and offices in Birmingham on Thursday...

Local business dignitaries, industry leaders from the home and garden arena, and Fiskars staff witness Mr Huhtaniemi cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the impressive 17th floor of the Mclaren Building in the centre of Birmingham.

John Grayson, Regional Director Fiskars SW Europe, welcomed the guests, who were then addressed by Mr Thomas Enckell, President, Fiskars Europe.

James Wong, the renowned TV presenter, ethnobotanist and best-selling author, is now working with Fiskars and he was also present at the reception, signing autographed copies of his book 'Grow For Flavour'.

Fiskars, who recently celebrated its 365 year legacy, have moved from Nottingham to the Mclaren building, one of Birmingham's tallest structures and situated within Birmingham's vibrant business area.

From a high rise commanding view point, the new offices include specifically designed demonstration areas and interactive product displays to showcase not just Fiskars garden and kitchen tools, but other iconic global brands: Gerber, Iittala and Royal Copenhagen.

Commenting on the move John Grayson said: "This is an exciting time to be part of one of the world's oldest and yet most contemporary companies.

"We have been through an extensive development program in recent years and the opportunity to now re-position Fiskars UK in such an accessible location, within a welcoming and professional office environment that befits the quality of our brands and company values, is just tremendous."

Thomas Enckell, President Business Region Europe, Fiskars, added: "There is more than age and history which makes Fiskars relevant today. We have a sincere aspiration to be even more relevant - socially relevant, relevant as an employer, business partner and to our end consumers.

"Fiskars will be strengthening our marketing position and expanding and the UK is one of the key markets in Europe. The UK is the most garden loving country in the world and London has the most number of garden loving residents in the world. This new facility shows our aspirations. It's a great view, lots of open space and gives us room to grow."

And James Wong said: "One of the problems with horticulture in the UK is that is can be elitist and people feel that they're not allowed into the club. With Fiskars, anyone can join. It's totally democratic. 

"We want to revolutionise how we talk to the who public to get a whole new generation outdoors."

W: www.fiskars.com E: ukinfo@fiskars.com

The Waitrose gardening pods that are now a feature at 167 of the supermarket’s branches have been singled out as a highlight in the parent group’s end-of-year results.

Reporting 5.6% growth in overall own-brand sales in the year to January 2015, John Lewis Partnership chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield said: “One of the highlights was the Horticulture and Garden range with impressive growth driven from the new outdoor pods in 167 branches.”

Both Waitrose and John Lewis increased market share last year, with customer numbers up by 6% and 4% respectively. Profit before Partnership Bonus, tax and exceptional items was down 9.0% (down 10.5% on a 52 week basis), with increased profits in John Lewis offset by a decline in Waitrose.

The business’s 93,800 ‘partners’ (as employees are called) are to receive a bonus of 11%, equivalent to nearly six weeks' pay. Thanks to the new legislation that puts employee ownership on a similar footing to other forms of ownership, no partner will pay tax on their bonus up to £3,600.

GTN Bestsellers predicts that 2015 will be a year of record garden lighting sales as Gardman and Smart Solar continue to innovate and promote, and some interesting newcomers take a share of the rapidly expanding marketplace.

This week, as the weather warms up, GTN Bestsellers Epos data shows that bestselling garden lighting line sales volumes almost matched those of bestselling growing media lines.

With more and more centres moving their garden lighting sales areas to higher traffic areas, such as the new Smart Solar shop next to the café at Baytree, sales are sure to continue to grow.

The GTN Bestsellers team also spotted some high volume promotional lines from Kingfisher, part of the Bonnington range, at Hilltop Garden Centre this week (see picture above).

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

• Garden Products – up 20%
• Veg-2-Gro Products – down 14%
• Growing Media – down 9%
• All items index – down 7%

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

Bonnington Plastics, owner of the Kingfisher gardening and homeware brand, has joined forces with intellectual property experts at law firm Pannone Corporate to host a free seminar on IP and brand protection. It’s open to all interested suppliers.

Bonnington has been battling online IP infringement for more than two years and last month announced it had reached an £80,000 out-of-court settlement with a group of serial infringers.

Now, the Nottingham-based importer is looking to share its experiences of the struggle against “substitute selling” and raise awareness of the issue which it believes is one of the current biggest threats to online retailers.

Over the past 12 months, Bonnington has issued claims against nine companies and their directors for IP violations, including trademark infringement, passing off and breach of copyright and has secured numerous settlement pay-outs totalling almost £100,000.

Bonnington’s managing director, Ian Fisher, said:  “A couple of years ago, we noticed that a few companies were advertising their own products under Kingfisher listings on Amazon but we had no idea of the true scale of the problem at that time. Some of the companies we have gone after were listing huge numbers of Kingfisher products and 100 per cent of the items they were supplying under these listings were their own-branded goods.

“I want to share what we have learned and show other companies, especially my customers and competitors, how to protect their brands and stop unscrupulous companies damaging their businesses. This is a problem that we all have to come together to fight. If we don’t take action now, there will be no future for any of us.”

In order to monitor the sales of goods advertised under Kingfisher listings, Bonnington teamed up with Williams Commerce, an IT company based in Leicester, to develop innovative new software to help focus the company’s investigations. The software allows Bonnington to track which companies are selling its products on Amazon and eBay and identifies companies which are not customers of Bonnington.

The seminar will be delivered by Bonnington’s in-house legal team and IP specialists from Manchester law firm, Pannone Corporate, and will feature a demonstration of the software.

Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss their own experience of online IP infringement and benefit from advice from lawyers who have pioneered the approach to tackling this threat to internet retail.

Sarah Bazaraa, an IP solicitor with Pannone Corporate, said: “Bonnington has been relentless in its pursuit of online infringers and I think that it is fantastic that it is looking to share its knowledge with the market. At the end of the day, ridding online selling platforms of these substitute sellers is a benefit, not just for Bonnington and its customers, but for internet retailers in general”.

The seminar will be held on April 15 between 2pm and 4pm.   Anyone interested in attending should reserve their place by sending an email with their name, company name and contact details to aidan@bonningtonplastics.com.

The HTA have announced a date for this year’s Catering Conference, which will be a two-day event including a dinner and a trade show.

Titled ‘Catering Matters’ and sponsored by Vision Kitchens, it will take place on 9 and 10 June 2015 at The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.

The venue – 20 minutes from Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham New Street Station – is  the home of the PGA National golf course.

Topics impacting garden centre catering will be tackled both in conference and workshop format. They include growing the catering offer, local provenance and menu planning. There will be time for networking, with the conference exhibition providing an opportunity to meet with catering product suppliers.

New for 2015, the conference dinner will provide a further chance to network and share experiences with those involved in garden centre catering in  The Belfry's impressive setting.

To register interest, email events@the-hta.org.uk

More details will be available in due course at this website

Two new violets bred by internationally renowned violet breeder Clive Groves are on display at the family garden centre in Dorset. 

‘Eliza May Groves’ and ‘Madeleine Mary Groves’ are not only the newest additions to the family but also the newest additions to the National Collection of violets held by Clive Groves at Groves Nurseries in Bridport.

Eliza May (4) and Madeleine Mary (2), pictured above, are the daughters of Clive’s eldest son Charlie Groves, the current manager of Groves Nurseries. Clive has retired from the day to day running of the business but still continues his passionate interest in growing and breeding violets. 

Charlie said: "It's wonderful that Dad is able to do this kind of thing. It's something I know the girls will really appreciate as they get older. My sister Becky is due to have her first baby in April so I guess these won't be the newest varieties for long!"

The collection itself was started in the 1960s by Clive's father, Charles William Groves.  The very first violet he bred was named ‘Clive Groves’ and most members of the family now have violets named after them.  Clive continued to grow the collection of Viola odorata and Parma violets and was awarded National Collection status in 2002. 

The collection is on display at the garden centre in Bridport until the end of March and individual plants are available to purchase online all year round.

Horticultural celebrities from TV and radio have been busy recording questions, wearing Glovies of course, for the 2015 Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day Quiz. And now the Garden Radio Team are editing the complete quiz together ready for downloading in time for Greenfingers Quiz Nights across the country on Garden Re-Leaf Day.

Popular stars of TV and radio Christine Walkden and Chris Beardshaw have recorded questions for the quiz, along with their BBC Radio 4’s Gardener’s Question Time colleague Eric Robson and BBC weatherman Peter Gibbs. Other well-known gardening experts such as Anne Swithinbank, Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood, Bunny Guinness, Matthew Biggs and Matthew Wilson (Greenfingers Chairman) are also contributing to the esteemed quiz.

All monies raised from the quiz, with questions this year written by Andy Bunker of Altons Garden Centre and produced in the studios of Garden Radio, will once again go to the Greenfingers ‘Rosy Cheeks’ campaign. The campaign aims to provide much needed gardens for children who spend time in hospices around the UK, along with their families, by creating inspiring gardens and outdoor spaces for them to relax in and enjoy.

The 2015 Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day Quiz is available to all garden centres, gardening societies and other organisations and is the perfect way to participate in the fourth, annual Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day, which takes place on 27th March 2015.

For £100 participants will receive a pack containing all they need to host the quiz – it includes a special CD or Mp3 download of pre-recorded questions (and answers) to play to the audience, everything needed for the picture round, and a bonus pack of fundraising ideas, hints and tips.

Bosworth’s Garden Centre in Burton Latimer were one of the many garden centres that received great interest in last year’s Garden Re-Leaf Day Quiz. Marketing Co-ordinator, Jonathan Biggs, said: “The quiz was so easy to run, our teams were delighted to hear celebrities’ voices asking the questions, and the ‘heads and tails’ game was great fun.”

Garden centres wanting to take part should register on the Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day website, and can also take advantage of free publicity for their events, by filling in the simple form online at www.gardenreleaf.co.uk/register-an-event. Once registered, each individual event appears on the site’s ‘events’ section, and is searchable by area to help the public find their local participating garden centre.

The quiz is just one of many ways to raise funds for Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day. Other retailer participation ideas include in-store sponsored cycle rides, as well as fun family day activities such as making cress heads and sowing Sunflowers – the Home Garden Association’s plant of the year for 2015. Suppliers can also get involved with the Loose Change promotion.

To ensure maximum exposure for your event, make sure to register soon via www.gardenreleaf.co.uk/register-an-event. To order your 2015 Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day quiz pack, explore other opportunities for supporting the 2015 event as a supplier, or participate as a retailer, email info@gardenreleaf.co.uk.

There has been a fresh crop of displays aimed at helping non-gardening 30-45 year olds make more use of their outdoor space.

The latest in the round of Masterclasses was held at Glendoick Garden Centre near Perth on Thursday this week. Twenty delegates from eight Scottish garden centres braved the wind and rain to build some inspiring Love Your Plot displays. They were given just half an hour and it was amazing what they achieved.

Ian Boardman said: “When you take some creative people and give them some goals and free rein in the garden centre it’s fantastic what they can achieve. It’s simply using stock items and putting them together in new ways – across departments. It’s all aimed at inspiring people to use their outdoor space more and just enjoy it.”

Neil Cummings from HTA, who sat in the Masterclass, added “I’ve never seen garden centre staff move so fast. They loved it when they stood back and saw what they had achieved.”

Ken Cox from Glendoick said he would leave the displays for a few days to test customer reaction – with the occasional tweaks as they hopefully get shopped!

For more information about the Love Your Plot campaign and how to get involved, contact David Arnold, GIMB Campaign Manager: Email:daaltd@virginmedia.com

Call:  07876 643 638

There are still a few places left on the two remaining Masterclasses. These are at Coletta and Tyson on Tuesday 17 March, and Bernaville Nurseries on Monday 30 March.

To book places at the remaining Masterclasses for garden centre teams – contact Ian Boardman at i.boardman@ibbis.co.uk

Love the Plot You’ve Got is designed to help and inspire 30-45 year olds who have access to a garden or outdoor space but don’t currently make great use of it. Industry research has revealed that skills and knowledge once handed from one generation to another are being lost, and that while lots of people want to improve their outdoor spaces and environment, a lack of knowledge and confidence is holding them back.

GTN Xtra also visited Glendoick last week and spotted some great examples of bold and easy to read POS out in the planteria.  See a selection of pictures in the gallery below.

One of the UK's leading pet product companies is giving away one million poop bags free in a nationwide campaign to encourage British dog owners to be more responsible.

Award-winning firm Beco Pets is launching the initiative at PATS Sandown next week (Tuesday and Wednesday), where it is hosting a reception in The Buyers’ Lounge throughout the trade show.

Every one of the 2,000 delegates attending the two-day expo is welcome to visit the lounge, situated in the main Surrey Hall at Sandown Park, near Esher, Surrey. The Beco display area has been turned into a colourful Beco World, with a grassy garden, cut-out trees and an inflatable house.

As well as a warm welcome, delegates will receive free refreshments and have an opportunity to sign up to Beco's UK-wide 'Project Poop Bag' campaign (Campaign motto: 'We Love Poop!'). Independent pet retailers can register to become a Beco bag stockist for FREE, no strings attached!

Beco Pets are so confident that their  eco-friendly poop bags are bigger, stronger and more eco-friendly than competitors’ that they have undergone a nationwide campaign giving stock away for free in an eye-catching countertop display on the basis that they believe the bags will sell well and the retailer will re-order.

Beco Co-Founder George Bramble (pictured above) said: “We started Project Poop Bag back in the autumn and so far we have had nearly 300 retailers sign up to the campaign. The results have been fantastic with more than 60 per cent    re-ordering within a month. It’s clear that pet owners are looking for strong degradable poop bags in eco-friendly packaging, something our competitors don’t offer. The bags are even eco to the core – they have a recycled cardboard centre unlike competitor products that use plastic.”

As one of the UK's leading poop bag specialists, Beco Pets have sold a staggering 10 million bags to 15 countries around the world. With 8.5 million dogs in the UK, enterprising British entrepreneurs George Bramble and Toby Massey seized a gap in the market for bigger, stronger and more eco-friendly poop bags.

The award-winning young duo formed the company in 2009, and are now rapidly expanding, exporting their extensive range of pet products to 43 countries worldwide. Based in Lewisham, south London, Beco have designed and manufactured more than 60 eco-friendly products for dogs, cats and other pets, including toys, feeding accessories, poop bags, hygiene products and pet beds.

Famous for their Beco Bowls, which are made from the off-cuts of Chinese bamboo chopsticks, Beco Pets scored another international success with their luxurious extra-comfortable Beco Beds, which have proved a particular hit with British dog owners and their pets. Made from recycled bottles, Beco Beds are up to seven inches thick, making them arguably the comfiest dog beds on the market. The company believes dogs have better dreams on a Beco Bed.

Also expected to catch the eye of stockists attending the show will be the new Beco Plush Toy range, being launched at PATS 2015. Every member of staff at this enterprising young British company has an animal named after them and the Plush Toy range features popular Beco characters such as Toby the Teddy, Aretha the Alligator, Lucy the Parrot and George the Giraffe, named after Co-Founder George Bramble.

Made from recycled plastic bottles, the new Beco toy range is crammed with 10 bottles in every toy. Double-stitched for extra strength, and with a squeaker inside, Beco characters will provide hours of fun for discerning pets and their eco-conscious owners. All Beco Pets' products are proudly designed in Great Britain. 

Beco Co-Founder George Bramble said: "It's a privilege to be hosting a two-day reception in the PATS 2015 Beco Buyers’ Lounge and everyone is welcome to take the weight off their feet and join us for a cuppa." Beco Co-Founder Toby Massey added: “Not picking up dog poop is anti-social, and disposing of it in a Beco Bag is easy, which is why we’re aiming to give away one million of them at PATS this year.”

For more information about Beco Pets visit www.becopet.com. To register for free entry to PATS Sandown visit www.patshow.co.uk

Visitors to Squire’s Garden Centre in Hersham on a recent Saturday were greeted by the sight of 37  parked Aston Martins, whose owners met there on their way to Beaulieu National Motor Museum.

Collectively, the cars were worth around £3.8 million. The wealth of their 68 owners and passengers is not known. 

“They met at Squire’s café bar for breakfast,” said a Squires spokesman. “It wasn’t the best of weather, but the beautiful cars certainly cheered everyone up!”

Staff and customers at Baytree Garden Centre in Spalding and at Bosworths Garden Centre in Kettering have been getting in the mood for Garden Re-Leaf Day on Friday 27 March by taking ‘Glovies’ of their staff at work.

‘Glovies’ are the new Selfies and they’ve caught on a big way since glove suppliers Briers put their promotional weight behind the idea. Posted on social media (#glovies), they’ve been drawing attention to Garden Re-Leaf activities at garden centres throughout the country.

At Baytree Garden Centre the Holbeach Chapter of the Fen Fatales were first to get in on Glovies directly after General Manager Nigel Wallis recieved his copy of GTN along with the complimentary pair of Greenfingers Gloves from Briers.

Bosworths have a competition online, Facebook and Twitter for the funniest #Glovies to win Afternoon Tea for Two.  They are also holding a special Garden Re-Leaf quiz at the centre on Thursday 26 March, when they will aim to raise funds for Greenfingers, Garden Re-Leaf’s nominated charity.

If you have not yet organised events or activities for Garden Re-Leaf Day, there’s still time to check out the ideas on the website (www.gardenreleaf.co.uk).

Our client is a well-respected and established company who supply the retail sector via traditional and also new media, internet and TV shopping avenues. They are currently looking to recruit a buyer who will be responsible for purchasing live product, hard goods and Christmas gift product for all sales areas against a list of dedicated suppliers.

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Purchase plants/bulbs/tubers/fruit/packaging/potatoes/sundries/fertiliser, based on the forecasting model, ensuring quotes are obtained in advance.
• Place reserves ahead of forecasts to secure exclusives/unique crops by liaison with sales heads.
• To monitor product sales information to keep excess plant purchases to a minimum with ideally no surplus by financial year end.
• To assist with a report to sales and management teams on surpluses every week.
• Responsible for Product availability information (Delivery Window for Product availability).
• Communicate changes in product specification (plug/pot size changes etc) to all relevant parties and ensure any BOM changes are actioned. 
• Date management – responsible for product date changes.
• Where stock available is less than required sales, make timely decisions in liaison with sales, to allocate who gets what and action any other relevant decisions… 
• Delay/Status Change/Refund items as required.
• Substitutions – Recommend substitute product where appropriate (in line with company horticultural guidelines), and then organise information for Customer Care to do sub notes for dispatch on a timely basis.
• To be actively involved in purchase negotiations to ensure maximum discount and best terms are achieved without compromising product quality.
• To visit trials and to attend shows globally.
• To ensure that amendments to purchase orders are always complete for both quantity and timing.
• To control and manage budgets assigned to job holder.
• Liaise with Production for the despatch plan on capacities.
• Quality control – visit every supplier once a year, and major suppliers quarterly, or more often if dictates 
• Be aware of all quality claims, month end stock, and wastage.
• Responsible for stock at other locations. 
• To continually improve company and intercompany communication through team meetings and feedback mechanisms.
• To assume responsibility for own training and development in partnership with the line Manager.
• Continually update own commercial and company knowledge in order to make effective contributions towards the running of the company.
• To perform any other reasonable duties as required by the Head Buyer.

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #7146

Our client is a leading nursery who supply their own garden centres with bedding and other top quality plants they are looking for:

A candidate that can demonstrate their ability to Plan, organize, direct, control and coordinate activities of workers at all stages of growing, harvesting, packing, distribution and selling to the highest standards in terms of quality and efficiency.

A hands on manager of people with past experience of growing on a commercial seasonal plant (ideally bedding plants) nursery with excellent I.T skills to include Microsoft office and ideally some experience of a stock control system.

We need someone who can hit the ground running, quickly identifying quality and efficiency improvements and put systems and procedures in place to meet the business demands. Working under their own initiative, they will be responsible for all day to day activities within the nursery.

This is a development role with the expectation that a successful candidate would progress to Nursery manager in the future.

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #7115

I am currently seeking an assistant manager for a site that belongs to a chain of garden centres based in the midlands. 

I am seeking a competent retail manager to join the senior leadership team of this centre to help drive the turnover of the store with a real emphasis on customer service.  

The centre is plant focussed but also has a good deal of indoor departments. The number of departments will grow as planned investment at group level will develop the site. 

Experience as a retail manager previously would be ideal but enthusiasm and attitude will be just as important in finding the right candidate. Supervisory level would be required but it does not have to be in a garden retail environment.

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Beck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #7072

I am currently seeking a home & leisure manager to join the team of a large independent garden centre. 

Retail management experience is a must for this role as you will be leading a large team in a busy shop floor environment.

Experience at supervisory level may be adequate but will be evaluated on an application by application basis. 

I am looking for someone who is a driven retailer. The goal of this store is to be the best and their managers need to lead from the front.

Experience from a similar quality focussed environment would be preferred

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Beck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #7076

Garden lighting volume sales are back with a flash. From none in the Top 10 last week to six of the Top 10 GTN Bestselling Garden Products this week, including top-placed Gardman Solar Mini Ice Orb achieving sales volumes similar to those of the No 1 growing media line.

• Smart Solar’s Hanging Crackle Globe with Hook is the highest chart climber.
• Gardman Solar Mosaic Border Lights are the highest re-entry.
• Gardman Solar Swirl Marker Light jumps to No 2 to give the company both of the top two bestselling lines.

Homebase is expanding its online offer to include thousands of garden and indoor plants available year-round from this  month (March).

The retailer says it is part of its ongoing digital development and is a bid to make gardening more accessible.

“Customers will no longer need to worry about the years and experience it can take to cultivate beautiful mature gardens, with a new range of Italian specimen plants with carefully manicured spirals and cloud shapes to create an ‘instant’ garden to be proud of,” says its press release.

Jon Kemp, head of garden at Homebase, said: “This is our biggest range of plants ever and now our customers will have more choice – as well as the freedom to shop when and how they want, whether that’s browsing one of our garden centres or at home online or through the new Homebase app.”

A new range of aquatic plants has been added this spring.

Information: homebase.co.uk.

Beetroot Boltardy sales lead the way when it comes to veg seeds purchased at garden centres providing data for the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro Chart.  Suttons Beetroot Boltardy seeds climb 14 places to No 9 and the T&M packs move up to No 14.  Are you making the most of beetroot seed sales?

• T&M Tomato Sungold seeds are the highest chart climber this week, up 19 places to No 17.
• Suttons Courgette Defender F1 is the highest placed re-entry at No 29.
• Taylors Onion Sets Red Baron continue at No 1 for the fourth week out of five.

The HTA are seeking highly professional learning providers who can meet the future skills challenges and needs of its members through creative, innovative, high quality and cost-effective design and delivery.

They want to find contract suppliers, who will work in partnership with the HTA and its members to develop, promote, administer, deliver and evaluate a comprehensive learning service to meet the needs of members and the garden industry.

Organisations wish to bid for this work should register their interest by 20 March, with Penny Evans, HTA Learning and Careers Manager via email Penny.evans@the-hta.org.uk. Tender documents will be issued to those registering interest from the 20^th March.

HTA members cover a wide range of garden businesses, in garden retailing, landscaping, ornamental production and a wide range of industry suppliers. Retail members range in scale from small businesses to multi-site national suppliers – many of whom also offer catering and a wide range of non-gardening products.

The HTA are seeking to offer the best learning experiences for their members and would be interested in hearing from potential partners who could help them to:

• Develop a more comprehensive and high quality learning service to meet member needs.
• Work with professional training organisations that can apply learning best practice knowledge, skills and experience.
• Develop an innovative and cost effective learning service.
• Increase member engagement with the HTA Learning service.

Manure and top soil sales improved significantly, up by 78% last week, as gardeners actually get out on their plots, while sales of multipurpose composts dropped as early-bird offers come to an end.

• Westland Gro-Sure Farmyard Manure (50 litres) climbs to No 2.
• Scotts Levington Organic Choice Farmyard Manure climbs 12 places to No 6.
• Value bags of Westland Top Soil (35 litres) increased sales by over 100%.
• Scotts Levington Multipurpose + John Innes jumps to the top spot.

Award-winning retail pest control product supplier, STV, has launched Live Pest-Free TV, a YouTube channel with a selection of ‘How-To’ videos from The Big Cheese range.

The short videos have been designed to help end-users fully understand how STV products work and also as a training aid for retailers. The videos are available on STV’s YouTube channel - just search STVPest-FreeLiving. Retailers with an approved STV trade web account can log in and download the videos for free from the site and use them as a training aid for themselves.

Packed with informative step-by-step instructions, the videos are clear and concise.

STV’s marketing manager, Claire McDermid, says: “The videos prove easy viewing and have been produced to enable end-users to achieve the best results from the product they’ve bought.

"All of our products come with full text instructions, but a visual instruction is quicker and easier to follow. With the current increase in people searching for ‘how-to’ and DIY product videos online, we felt producing these videos came at an appropriate time.

"They are on our YouTube page, so users can easily access the videos from their computers, tablets and mobile devices wherever they are.”



Link to Live Pest-Free TV from STV

Future plans for videos over all four of STV’s brands are underway, so customers can expect to see more videos over the coming months.



See the STV Special Issue of GTN Xtra here

Retail footfall in February was the best for nine months, say analysts Springboard – thanks mainly to out of town shopping.

At just 0.5% down on January (which saws a 1.2% fall), it was above the three-month average of -0.8% and best overall footfall performance since last May. While shopping centre and high streets suffered declines of 1.5% and 0.6% respectively, out of town locations fared best of all with a 1% year-on-year increase.

The British Retail Consortium’s director general Helen Dickinson said the February picture was “good news overall”.

“Although it's usually traditional to see us putting our feet up after the Christmas rush and January sales, this doesn't seem to be the case for out of town shopping. We are still flocking for those big ticket items with an increase in footfall by one per cent.” she said.

Diane Wehrle, Retail Insights Director at Springboard, said: “Whilst retail parks continue to be the only retail environment that is consistently recording an increase in customer activity, it is positive that the decline in footfall in both high streets and shopping centres slowed in February.” 

Four regions in England reported positive footfall growth in February – East (3.0%), South East (2.9%), East Midlands (2.0%) and South West (0.9%). West Midlands (-1.5%) and Wales (-2.3%) showed the biggest declines.

Garden structures and fencing supplier Grange has appointed Neil Taylor as its new Managing Director following the retirement of Duncan Hill.

Neil has a 33 year track record in sales, marketing and general management in the automotive components, refrigerated transport and fire and security industries in the UK and internationally.  He was most recently with Halma PLC, following 13 years with United Technologies Corporation, where he was latterly MD of Chubb Fire Ltd. 

Neil said he has always enjoyed working with manufacturing companies which combine heritage, operational excellence, market leadership and quality brands.  “Grange is no exception and I look forward to evolving the company to its full potential through strategic development, employee engagement and an increased emphasis on sales and marketing.  There are some very exciting opportunities ahead for both Grange and its customers, which will come to fruition within the next two to three years.”

The Grange portfolio includes fencing, decorative garden structures, gates and fixings including Metpost, either direct from dockside or sourced through traditional design and specification routes.

Information 01952 682 797 or email sales@grangefen.co.uk

One of the wettest and warmest years on record created ideal conditions for traditionally problematic plant diseases to thrive, but it is the emergence of new diseases into the top 10 that has attracted the attention of Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) scientists.

The discovery of four viruses in grapevines and one in wisterias, none of which had previously been reported in the UK, contributed to viruses securing 10th place among the top enquiries from gardeners in 2014 to the RHS Gardening Advice service. The use of advanced detection methods enabled the RHS to more readily identify the viruses.

The two most damaging viruses, which affect grapevines and are transmitted by mealybugs and scale insects, have the potential to affect the UK’s developing grapevine industry.

While viruses were a new addition to the top 10, honey fungus was the most commonly diagnosed garden disease for the 19th year running.

One reason why honey fungus is so destructive is its ability to affect a wide range of plants, particularly woody and herbaceous perennials. This silent killer not only infects and typically kills the host plant, a process that can take several years before symptoms of infection appear, but even after an infected plant has been removed the residues of the fungus in the soil can infect new plants.

As in previous years the weather played a major role in the proliferation of certain diseases. A combination of high temperatures and high rainfall last year created optimum conditions for diseases that attack the leaves of plants to thrive.

Enquiries about foliar diseases, which include rusts and leaf spots, increased significantly in 2014, pushing rust diseases up four places in the chart from 7th place in 2013 to 4th in 2014. Leaf spots maintained their position as the third most enquired-about disease.

Box blight caused by Cylindrocladium or Volutella continues to be a cause of concern for gardeners, as it can discolour and strip the leaves of architectural box plants creating a bald, brown effect. The disease maintains its position as the second most commonly diagnosed among samples received by the charity.

RHS Senior Plant Pathologist Matthew Cromey says: “Although the list may seem concerning to gardeners, they can be reassured that the RHS is looking for ways to manage the most damaging diseases. For example, we are investigating how to accelerate the breakdown of honey fungus residues to allow gardeners to replant susceptible plants more quickly in areas that have been affected by the disease.

“Although we have detected viruses that can seriously damage grapevines, there is no evidence that these have spread to commercial vineyards. Therefore the industry may be able to introduce control measures now to avoid significant losses in the future.”

The Top Ten enquiries of 2014

1. Honey fungus

2. Box blight (Cylindrocladium and Volutella)

3. Leaf spots

4. Rusts

5. Phytophthora diseases

6. Powdery mildews

7. Pythium diseases

8. Wilts

9. Root and stem rots (including damping off)

10. Viruses

Napoleon Grills is taking its Grill Skills Theatre on the road this Spring, visiting garden centre retailers nationwide for a day of demonstrations for their customers.

The tour starts at barbecue retailer Southampton Calor Gas Centre in April and continues through the spring and into summer ending at Keen Gardener in Alcester in June. In total there are 10 events taking place at key buying weekends.

At each event the Napoleon team will use the same visit for on-site retailer staff training, as explained by Martin Sobey, Sales Manager: “This year we are taking our theatre to our retailers to support their selling efforts. Their customers will be able to enjoy the same theatre experience we have taken to festivals over the last two years, but at a time and place that best benefits the retailer.

"Each visit also represents an ideal opportunity for garden centre personnel to see our products put through their paces, so it made sense to combine the customer theatre experience with retailer training.”

In addition to its theatre tour, the company will again be financing exhibition space for some of its retailers at both the CLA Game Fair at Harewood House and Grand Designs Live.

Visit http://www.napoleongrills.co.uk, email info@napoleongrills.co.uk or call 01676 522788 to find out more or to become a stockist.

Wyevale Nurseries donated plants, compost and pots to the 22^nd Hereford Beavers so they could make a potted plant gift for Mothering Sunday as one of their Global Challenge Badge activities.

Steve Faulds, Beaver Leader at the 22^nd Hereford Beavers, said it was one step towards their Chief Scout Bronze Award, which is the highest award a Beaver can receive. It can only be awarded once all six challenge badges are achieved as well as many other activity badges. 

 “The young Beavers all enjoyed the gardening activity and their mums were delighted with their gifts,” said Steve.

Beavers are the youngest members of the Scouting family, with an age range of five and three quarters to eight.

Their activities are based around making things, outdoor activities, singing, playing games, visits, investigating nature, listening to stories and learning how to be safe – all done with fun in mind.

Adam Dunnett, sales and marketing director at Wyevale Nurseries, said: “We were delighted we could help the Beavers. We think it is very important to help promote gardening to the young generation. We hope this experience has given a few of the children green fingers.”

Pictured (left to right): Lindsey White, who is known as Bunny at the 22^nd Hereford Beavers, with Carol Dickinson, customer Support and innovation manager at Wyevale Nurseries with some of the Beavers and the pots and plants donated.

New Liberty mains-free water features from Blagdon combine ultra high tech features with great styling and a number of  user benefits.

Their main selling point is ease of use – with no cables or plumbing needed.  Specially developed lithium battery technology gives 14 hours continuous use on a single charge and recharges in just three hours. (The batteries are also available as an additional purchase so the customer can run one and charge one). The remote control timer can be operated from indoors and offers a number of settings. A solar upgrade is available to run and recharge the battery.

Designs include a new-look wall fountain, plus traditional and modernistic free standing features. Extras include LED lighting, adjustable water flow control and reduced cleaning. The Liberty pump and LED lighting are available as separate purchases so will also be useful for new or existing pond and fountain owners who wish to upgrade to a cable-free or reliable solar option.

When running with the solar option, the Liberty feature continues to be powered primarily from the long-lasting battery, with the solar panel functioning as a charger, eliminating power interruptions when the sun goes behind a cloud.

Under the Blagdon umbrella, Liberty has a strong supporting online presence with video support and user information.

Information 01306 873818 or email sales@interpet.co.uk  or click this link

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 2012 as well as 2013 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 Veg-2-Gro 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.