Westland Horticulture boss Edward Conroy has admitted that troubled company Solus Garden and Leisure would be sorely missed if a buyer for the company couldn't be found, and has suggested the industry should learn from the whole experience.

The joint managing director of Westland Horticulture said: “Our industry relies on good businesses to innovate and create engaging initiatives to get more people to realise the pleasure of gardening.

“We are a consumer industry that has changed more than most. Garden centres have developed enormously in the last 10 years, with a bigger range of products and one of the best food offerings available to consumers.

“Solus were a very good business for a long period of time and will be sorely missed by the entire industry. We should use this news as an opportunity to reflect on our progress as an industry and to consider what still needs to be done. There is much that we could still do to give consumers a better helping hand in the garden and if this news sparks that debate, then something positive will have come of this.

“At Westland Horticulture, we are committed to excellence and providing consumers with what they need, in an accessible and approachable way.”

Solus went into administration earlier this month, and the administrators have already axed 91 jobs because of the company's growing losses. 

Administrators Rob Hunt and Tony Barrell, who were appointed on May 15, remain hopeful of securing a sale of the business but when GTN Xtra contacted them earlier this week they said there wouldn't be any imminent news of further developments.

Sales volumes for the first part of the late May Bank Holiday weekend indicate that we may have to work very hard to keep the year-on-year increase momentum going.

Last week’s Epos data provided to GTN Bestsellers shows garden centre volumes to be down on both 2012 and 2013 for the first time this year.  

With a deluge hitting most of the country during half-term the chances are that volumes will also be down year-on-year for the second half of the Bank Holiday weekend - that is usually the peak of the first half of the year.

There is still plenty of scope for sales to achieve our prediction of 6% up on last year at the end of June, but it may not happen if we don’t have plenty of summer promotions and events running to keep customers visiting.

Plants and garden products are still selling well, however it may need a rush of summer furniture and BBQ-related sales to make up the difference.

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

• Garden Products – up 12%
• Veg 2 Gro – down 32%
• Growing Media – down 17%
• All items index – down 8%

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

The Garden Centre Association’s members say May has ended with mixed results with weather affecting sales during the second Bank  Holiday of the month.

The GCA asked members for feedback on the weekend’s trading (May 24-26) to see how one of the industry’s busiest weekends had gone.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, explained: “The feedback we have had from members has been that it was very hit and miss due to the  cooler, rainy weather that was experienced on one day or another across the country for much of weekend, especially in the North.”

The GCA garden centres that were contacted said generally Sunday and Monday were the better days despite the poor weather.

Managing Director for The Gardens Group in Dorset and Somerset, Michael Burks said: “The weather or more so the weather forecast had an impact over the weekend and including  Friday, which was a shame because the Chelsea factor normally works very positively for us. 

“Prior to that we had been very busy and this week has started well but the weather may reduce the positive effect of half-term for the rest of the week.”

The rain affected sales in other parts of the country too.

Will Armitage, Managing Director of Armitage’s Home and Garden in Huddersfield,said: “It seems to be monsoon season in this part of Yorkshire at the moment, so sales were 20% down during the Bank Holiday weekend. 

“However, we are still 5% up on the month and 15% up for the year to date so it’s not all bad. From what I understand, the centres that dodged  the rain over the weekend did best.”

Meanwhile, Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre in Somerset, reported steady sales.

Mike Lind, Managing Director at Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre, said: “It was a good, solid May Bank Holiday weekend for us but no records were broken. 

“The wet weather on Saturday was welcomed by a large core of our customer base, who are our more serious gardeners, they love tending their gardens whatever the weather.  As the weather improved over the weekend, we saw more of our fair weather or weekend gardeners visit for instant colour, bedding and grow your own. Plant sales were also strong. 

“Year to date has been an improvement on previous years. Customer spend has been steady over the warmer spring period compared to last year where the cold start to the  year resulted in a compressed spring sale period. Overall our customer trend is positive, but cautious on larger priced items.”

There has been a drop in garden product buying activity as cooler and wetter weather has put a dampener on sales.

Gardeners seem to have been driven indoors by the showers, as Fito Drip Feeder for Orchids is the highest climber in the chart this week. 

The wet weather has caused the slugs to be active, however, and as a result Vitax Slug Gone (1 litre) is the highest newcomer.

Any outdoor activity seems to be focussed on supporting trees and shrubs. Gardman Stakes (8mm x 90cm) is the highest re-entry while Gardman Bamboo Canes (0.6m), pack of 20, is another new entry.

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

Garden centres across the country are joining forces with TV gardener David Domoney and the Horticultural Trade Association to encourage communities to team up with their neighbours and spruce up their front gardens.

More than 250 garden centres, including groups Dobbies, Klondyke and Haskins plus a host of independents, have already signed up and are encouraging local residents to join in and get gardening.

The Cultivation Street campaign, launched in association with the HTA and the Sunday People newspaper, aims to promote gardening among communities and bring together neighbours young and old to make their street a nicer place to live.

The HTA has put up a prize fund of £20,000 of National Garden Gift Vouchers to support the campaign. The top prize for ‘Britain’s best street’ is £10,000, and there are 16 regional and special recognition awards to be won too.

Grosvenor Garden Centre (above) is a strong supporter “We have the leaflets in our coffee shop and posters and leaflets by the tills, it’s a great way to encourage our local communities to get growing.  It makes perfect sense - more gardeners, more customers.”

Mike Parker, General Manager at Bents Garden & Home, says:  “Spending just a little time outside each day, whether tending to plants or just enjoying green space, can help improve our mood so we’re big fans of any type of gardening. 

"The Cultivation Street Campaign is a great initiative, promoting community and neighbourly gardening and inspiring people to get outdoors.  At Bents we are in the process of creating some new community allotments which we believe will be a great way of encouraging our local community to get even more involved in gardening.”

Andy Bunker, of Alton Garden Centre, says: “I think Cultivation Street is a great idea as it appeals to a wide audience with gardens both large and small. We need gardening to have more exposure and with David at the helm we have a great ambassador.”

Campaign founder David Domoney said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from garden centres up and down the country. It’s great to see them using the campaign as a way to engage with their local communities and promote gardening to more people. The purpose of the campaign is to bring people together through gardening, and to encourage people who are new to gardening to get outside and have a go.”

But he added: “We need even more garden centres to join in and help us make a difference. It’s a great way for them to build stronger relationships with their local community. Garden centres are the best place for people to get advice and recommendations.”

Cultivation Street is about bringing back a sense of pride to the streets of Britain and is squarely behind forming relationships with communities and local garden centres. The campaign hopes to benefit garden centres as well as their customers by getting neighbours together and encouraging more people to take up gardening.

The campaign also aims to reward different gardening achievements, and includes categories to reward school and community gardens, as well as poppy displays to celebrate the centenary of the First World War.

It’s extremely easy for garden centres to get involved. They can apply to the HTA to receive a free POS and marketing pack with a totem display, posters, leaflets and stands. It’s a fantastic way to engage with their local community and schools and encourage neighbours to join forces and get gardening and growing together.

 If you are a garden centre here is what to do

1. Contact Tony Stacey at the HTA tony.stacey@the-hta.org.uk he will send you leaflets & posters all free of charge
2. Set up posters, place leaflet boxes in café, tills or other trafficked locations.
3. Nominate a member of your staff to champion the project send off the leaflets to local schools in your area, garden clubs, community projects, housing associations etc.

For more information visit www.daviddomoney.com/cultivation-street and follow @CultivationSt on Twitter.

The Garden Centre Group has appointed CrowdControlHQ, the leading social media risk management and compliance business, to manage its social media.

TGCG operates 140 garden centres in England and Wales, including Bournville Garden Centre, Blooms in Solihull and Country Gardens in Aldridge, employing over 5,000 people. 

This created a challenge for the business when seeking to connect with customers on a local level, whilst at the same time ensuring the messages given out through social media were consistent and reflected the ethos of the business.

James Leavesley, CEO of CrowdControlHQ explained the issues The Garden Centre Group faced. “The group is a national brand with a very strong local presence. Social media enables local engagement to take place, which is critical to deliver footfall and revenue. However, to do this successfully the business needed a system which would enable them to have full control of their social media output”.

By using CrowdControlHQ The Garden Centre Group can now:

• Maintain control over all social profiles by securing all usernames and passwords. In a retail environment where there is a high turnover of staff, the ability to add and remove users and keeping account details secure is critical to uphold IT policies and governance. The organisation can now lock down their username and passwords so if an employee leaves their access can be turned off without compromising the usernames and passwords.
• Manage major national campaigns across all its’ centres. National campaigns can be pushed out to all social profiles in just a few clicks saving time as well as ensuring consistency of message.
• Control content. The online team can now control messages across the business to ensure consistency in tone of voice and content in order to build on the brand. Any employee who drifts off message can be identified and then supported with training.
• Identify best content. Best practice can also be shared across the organisation using automated reporting to identify the most popular content and linking this back to an individual.

The system can also be utilised to target new customers. Using the Buzz Monitoring Feature within CrowdControlHQ means that the organisation can set up key word searches around specific geographies to ensure that they capture relevant opportunities to target new customers.

“With a vast number of social profiles, keeping a track of analytics and progress is a time consuming job (a little like painting the Severn bridge).

"Using our platform enables the online team to build reports and then automate these to capture headline information and the most successful activity in just a few clicks, which was originally taking hours to compile.

"This not only makes the organisation more efficient but also reduces costs. I am delighted that The Garden Centre Group chose our product and we look forward to a long partnership," concluded Leavesley.

Pictured: James Leavesley (left), CEO CrowdControlHQ, and Mark Abbot, of The Garden Centre Group.

Glee is set to welcome one of the strongest influxes of American and North American companies for several years, making for an exciting showcase of garden products from ‘across the pond’.

From artist-designed door and floor mats, to homemade glass art, miniature garden accessories, stylish umbrellas and wind-chimes, the variety of products available from this year’s American and North American contingent at Glee promises to entice and inspire a range of garden retailers and department store buyers.

Assisted by White Pebble International, Glee’s exhibitor support partner, which also provides warehousing, distribution and sales support for American companies across the UK and Europe, will be Woodstock Chimes, Jeremie Corp, Kitras Art Glass, San Francisco Umbrella Company and Entryways.

Talking about this exceptional showcase of international design, i2i’s Matthew Mein, Glee event manager said: “England may be the home of gardening but that doesn’t mean that we can’t draw inspiration from other parts of the globe.  Being able to confirm that so many international brands are joining us at Glee 2014 is fantastic, and will no doubt further demonstrate Glee’s status as the place to launch products and the latest innovation to the market.”

In total Glee 2014 will be welcoming over 70 international brands from across the globe, ranging from Algeria, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, France, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands.

This year the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has teamed up with i2i Events and Glee to offer visitors and exhibitors alike unprecedented access to their international trade expertise. Over 30,000 SMEs grew their business overseas in 2012/13 thanks to the support of UKTI, and at Glee, UK garden retailers and designers can get the advice they need to start their export journey.

The UKTI International Business Zone will host a number of UKTI representatives including International Trade Advisers and Commercial Officers, who will be on hand to provide all levels of export advice. Offering knowledge of the garden retail sector and the opportunities around the world for UK businesses, those wishing to start expanding their business overseas or looking to continue their growth into new international markets will be able to get advice from the UKTI.  

Crispin Simon, Managing Director: Trade Development, UKTI said: "Business success in international markets is central to rebuilding the UK economy, and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) support for companies has a crucial role to play in driving sustainable economic growth through exports and encouraging foreign investment into the UK. UKTI is committed to building on the success we have already achieved. Working in partnership with event organisers such as i2i Events will help us to further increase and enhance the support we can offer to UK based businesses of all sizes wanting to export."

The Gardenex export federation and the PetQuip association will also once again be organising and manning the International Buyers’ Centre at Glee 2014.  Over the years, the Centre has become the focal point for overseas garden and pet product buyers visiting the show, and a place where British suppliers of garden, leisure and pet products can source a range of business services, international market information and export advice.

Amanda Sizer Barrett, the director general of Gardenex commented on this year’s arrangements; “As an addition to its services to UK suppliers and overseas buyers at Glee this year, Gardenex will be the hosting a two-hour session of International Buyer Connect meetings on the first day of the show, where UK suppliers can apply for short introductory meetings with a few selected international buyers at the International Buyers’ Centre.  Similar ‘Meet the Buyers’ meetings that are staged several times a year by Gardenex have resulted in significant export orders for the participating suppliers."

Further details about Glee 2014, including a wealth of additional brands confirming their support for the show, will be announced soon.  For exhibiting information, call 0203 033 2160, and to find out the latest show news log onto www.gleebirmingham.com. 

Bents Garden and Home is dramatically increasing its workforce with the creation of up to 150 jobs ahead of the opening of its new business extension in October.

A huge range of positions, ranging from general assistants and section leaders to chefs and specialist pet roles, are available at the massive Warrington Road centre.

Bents will hold a number of recruitment events in July with inductions and training following in August and September. Dates for the recruitment events are: Tuesday 8th July, Thursday 10th July and Saturday 12th July, and interest can be registered by sending a current CV and covering letter to jobs@bents.co.uk

Managing director Matthew Bent said: “Our colleagues are crucial to the success of our business and so the recruitment process for the new positions is a very important one which we have already started to plan for. There will be openings at all levels and we are keen to employ locally. I would urge people to look out for further details of our open events and take advantage of the opportunities that will be available.”

The extensive alterations to Bents include making the restaurant bigger, doubling the size of the food hall to introduce fresh deli counters and increasing the space for the children’s boutique and pet care department, with proposals including a grooming room and a pet cafe.

The new positions being created will include general assistants in eight departments, supervisors and section leaders and assistants for catering and housekeeping.

Bents is also looking for several levels of chefs, including those with bakery and patisserie skills, team leaders and assistants for the restaurant and experts in pet diets and behaviour.

With the evenings getting longer and brighter, extra light and warmth encourages the garden put on a burst of growth. One plant that takes centre stage this month is the rose, which is why it has been selected as HTA’s Plant of the Month for June.   

There is a rose for every garden situation, from Hybrid Teas to miniatures, climbers to floribundas, the choice is endless. They are the perfect addition to any garden environment, large or small, contemporary or traditional with varieties for planting in flower beds, borders and planters.     

Market research  conducted by HTA revealed that 49% of Britons with a garden grow roses in them. Roses have also seen a revival over the past decade with breeders creating varieties that are easier to care for and more disease resistant.  

Blue Peter gardener, Chris Collins (above), thinks no garden is complete without a rose or two. 

“I suppose the choice of a rose as my favourite may be considered an obvious one when gardeners talk about plants - but the English garden is incomplete without one or possibly many.

“When I started my apprenticeship with the parks, the hours spent in the rose garden is where I  first connected with  plants  in a professional  capacity.

"However, my real love of them came much later when I began to import David Austin Roses into Japan whilst working there.  These plants really just give and give and with the minimum of fuss”.

Roses can also be grown in pots so consumers are being encouraged to visit their local garden centre or nursery for advice and tips on caring for container roses, as part of the nationwide ‘It Starts with a Pot’ campaign running through the Summer to encourage everyone to give gardening a go.  

Nominated and agreed upon by British growers and retailers, the HTA’s Plant of the Month campaign highlights the plants that are widely available and looking especially good each month.  

For more details about Plant of the Month, visit www.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth

Cornish garden centre Trelawney@Wadebridge has installed a biomass boiler fuelled by wood chips from sawmills in the county to help with its carbon welly-print.

The centre is now using chips from tree branches that are too small for other uses to help produce its water and heating for the entire store.

David Danning, Director of Trelawney@Wadebridge in Sladesbridge, said: “We have a very strict environmental policy here at the garden centre and always do as much as we can to keep things green.

“We have recently installed a biomass boiler, which produces 200kw of energy and supplies us with all of the hot water and heating needed for the kitchens and the rest of the store. The boiler is fuelled by wood chips, which come from the sawmills in the area.

“In the summer months we will be burning Miscanthus Grass, which is grown just four miles from the garden centre. The grass is very similar to bamboo and can be burnt to produce fuel to heat the garden centre if needed.”

As well as the boiler Trelawney@Wadebridge also recycles all of the cooking fat from the kitchens as bio fuel. Five hundred solar panels, which are fixed onto the roof, produce 120kw of electricity to power a third of the garden centre and uncooked vegetable waste from the kitchen is composted for use on the garden centre’s flowerbeds.

David added: “We’re always looking for new ways to be green. It is very important that we do our bit for the environment and as a business we have a responsibility to do so.”

One of Cornwall’s largest and leading independent garden centres, Trelawney@Wadebridge was originally launched in 1970 as a nursery by Frank and Marion Danning. The garden centre is now run by their son David and David Symons, who started working for the family at the age of 11.

The garden centre provides customers with a wide range of quality gardening products including plants, furniture, barbecues, gifts and food items. Its friendly and knowledgeable staff are on-hand to give visitors help and advice on all gardening matters. There is also a garden building and Elite Spa concession on site. 

Carriages Restaurant, which seats up to 240 customers, is situated next to the lake at Trelawney@Wadebridge. It serves hot and cold drinks, snacks, cakes, breakfasts, lunches, a daily carvery and children’s meals.

The award-winning, family-run business includes two generations of the Danning and Symons families. More than eight years ago the company launched a sister garden centre in North Devon, Trelawney@Ashford and is opening its third garden centre Trelawney@Probus on a green-field site in Cornwall next year (2015).

Trelawney@Probus looks set to offer visitors a chance to see plants and products in action with garden areas on site showing how things grow and work.

For more information, please call Trelawney@Wadebridge, which is located just off the A389 in Sladesbridge near Wadebridge, on 01208 893030 or visit www.trelawney.co.uk.

The New Plant Awards, sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society, will once again be at the heart of the HTA National Plant Show 2014 and will showcase the best in new plant introductions from UK plant suppliers.

Exhibitors are being encouraged to enter the Awards to promote their new plant varieties and gain recognition for them. There are five award categories for 2014 which are: annuals, herbaceous perennials, house plants, and new for 2014 conifers and trees and shrubs and climbers. Entry is free and creates a valuable marketing opportunity at the Show.

The award winners will be announced and presented by the judging panel on the morning of Tuesday 24 June. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Best in Category awards will be allocated from which the Best in Show plant will be selected. Winners will be selected for the quality of plant, suitability for the market and whether it is an improvement on other plants currently available. All entries and winners will be displayed in the New Plant Area for guests to see. 

All entries will be entered into the Visitor Vote, sponsored by Floramedia, where visitors have the opportunity to vote for their Best in Category and Best in Show. Voting closes at 3pm on Wednesday 26 June and the Visitor Vote awards will be presented at 3.30pm that day.

Last year the New Plant Awards attracted over 100 entries and the New Plant Area proved to be a great source of inspiration bursting with new plants. New Leaf Plants took the crown of ‘Best in Show’ at the New Plant Awards 2013 with new introduction; Clematis ‘Beautiful Bride’ and also topped the list of visitor favourites as it was also award Best New Plant in the Visitor Vote.

Entries can be submitted online at www.nationalplantshow.co.uk

As J & E Importers re-structure, an exciting new opportunity has arisen for an experienced National Account Manager to join the team. The role will involve working from Head Office, out in the field and from home as required in developing and implementing a sales strategy for a group of products marketed primarily for large volume resellers. 

The ideal candidate will have good working experience in a similar role and knowledge in the Home, Garden and Pet environment and seeking a new challenge within this expanding industry. 

The successful candidate needs to be hardworking, energetic, enthusiastic and committed for this exciting and rewarding position.

This role provides an excellent opportunity within a growing company offering a range of recognised products across multiple markets.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience: applicants should possess the following:-

An understanding and background within the Home, Garden & Pet industry would be considered advantageous, but not absolute for the right calibre person.

Excellent communication skills and a warm outgoing personality

The ability to excite, engage the customer and explore the full potential.

The knowledge and ability to be able to deal with container sales as well as palletised options

Strong influencing skills are required, as well as a diplomatic manner and a positive pro-active outlook.

To nurture and develop customer relations

To establish new accounts and to develop a clear strategy and action plan to grow sales and profitability within our existing portfolio of accounts as well as new.

Regular concise, clear and logical reporting on a regular basis is a pre-requisite for this position.

Must be able to produce/substantiate a proven track record of sales within a similar position/role

The package includes a Company car, laptop, mobile phone, 28 days holiday including bank holidays and staff product discount

Please email vince.green@greenjem.co.uk for further information or to forward your current CV

This exciting new role, based in Scotland and also covering Northern Ireland, offers a great opportunity to the right person with an in-depth understanding of horticulture and its industry sectors, including commercial production retail and landscaping.

You will be engaging with members to ensure strategies developed by the HTA remain market leading and relevant. Ensuring that the national and regional governments' horticultural policy is communicated to members and helping members benefit from any assistance given via those "policies".

Working closely within the HTA team, the role involves interaction with every department of the Association and high levels of involvement across all sectors and all levels of the trade to improve communication and help drive innovation within horticulture for their membership.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience: applicants should possess:-

•Excellent communication skills and an outgoing personality

•Commercially "savvy" - with a can do attitude to their work and life

•Strong influencing skills and a diplomatic manner enabling them to work closely with HTA members and policy decision makers alike

Please call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910 or apply with your CV to info@morepeople.co.uk

The HTA are working exclusively with MorePeople on this assignment and any CVs sent directly to them will be forwarded on to MorePeople

Our client is a successful garden centre group who pride themselves in offering an aspirational and innovative environment for their customers to shop within. Currently they are looking for a creative and inspirational Buyer with good retail knowledge within the AB1 retail sector, as the person in this role will have responsibility for sourcing and managing a group of products within the Indoor Living/Home range.

Based at their newly refurbished Hampshire site the Buyer will select product and analyse product performance whilst ensuring they hold the optimum levels of stock in order to maximise sales.

You should have proven experience within a fast-paced buying environment. You should have experience of range building across large product areas and you should have a commercial outlook, always looking to create an opportunity to increase sales. Buying experience is essential to the role.

Established for over 25 years, J & E Importers have built a strong global reputation in the manufacture, export, import, supply and distribution of a range of quality, value-based products, whilst delivering high customer service satisfaction at all times.

This is an outstanding opportunity to work within a large, successful organisation, currently undergoing a team building and re-structure programme

The responsibilities of the Area Sales Manager will include:

• Managing schedule of appointments on an ongoing basis
• Developing relationships with existing and new customers
• Visiting potential customers in the area to generate more sales

We are looking for an enthusiastic and energetic salesperson who is:

• Seeking a career in a customer-focused sales environment
• Driven and determined
• Well-presented
• Motivated
• Focussed, hungry and ambitious to ensure success in this role
• A quick learner with industry experience
• Energetic with a can-do attitude
• From a field or internal sales background
• Able to demonstrate success in previous sales roles

Although a field based role, the successful candidate will need to live or be based in close proximity to the South Eastern area

There are excellent opportunities for career progression within the company and the group.

Benefits also include a bonus, company car, mobile phone and 28 days paid holiday entitlement.

Please email vince.green@greenjem.co.uk for further information or to forward your current CV

www.jandeimporters.com

My client is a small garden centre group based in the London area.

They are looking for an experienced garden centre manager to lead the team of a large destination style garden centre based in a scenic and historic part of London.

You will have site management experience previously and be ready to take on a challenging role in a very competitive environment.

There is an opportunity to grow with the business.

I am currently looking for an ambitious and enthusiastic plant retailer to join the team of an established garden centre.

My client is a large garden centre group looking for a plantarea manager to join the senior leadership team of one of its centres to develop the centre and plant area.

You will need to have at least supervisory knowledge previously and must be a confident team leader.

Excellent plant knowledge is a must preferably supported by a qualification.

Sales in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart have been disappointing this week, with the dismal weather seemingly putting off gardeners. 

There are a few bright spots, however:

• Quantil Lettuce Little Gem is the highest climber, moving up 18 places to No 9.
• Quantil Climbing French Bean Purple is the highest re-entry, while the same company’s Tomato Totem is the only newcomer in the chart.
• Suttons Grafted Tomato Indigo Rose is the bestseller.

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

Vitax is providing fast and effective products designed to help reduce and terminate the most common household pests.

Nippon Pest Smoke is one of Vitax’s most innovative products for 2014. An effective smoke generator it eradicates a wide range of insects in just two hours. Odourless and easy to use, simply activate and leave the room and it will kill bedbugs, fleas, cockroaches and much more.  Available in packs of two - RRP £8.99.

To help safeguard winter woollens and other fabrics from clothes moths, Nippon Clothes Moth Traps can be used inside wardrobes or under-bed storage boxes so that clothing is kept in pristine condition all year round.  Discreet and practical, the traps contain a pheromone which attracts male moths to catch them and prevent breeding. Available in a pack of two, they last for up to three months - RRP £5.99.

For more information about Vitax and its products, visit: www.vitax.co.uk.

Scotts Levington Decorative Chipped Bark (60 litres) was one of the highlights in the Growing Media Chart this week, returning to the Top 50 after a strong selling performance.

Other highlights were: 

• Growise Multipurpose Compost has taken the accolades for the highest climber with the 56 litre bag and the highest re-entry with the 20 litre size.
• Arthur Bowers Multipurpose Compost (56 litres) stays in the No 1 position.

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

There’s less than three weeks before the deadline for entries to this year’s GIMA awards.   

If you want your products to be considered for the most prestigious awards in the gardening industry, and shown to a panel of leading and influential industry names, then get your entries in now before it’s too late!  Deadline for entries: June 20.

GIMA Awards Judging Panel

This year’s judging panel includes some of the UK’s top gardening retailers and magazines, so why wouldn’t you want your product to be seen by these people?  Will Armitage, Armitage’s Home & Garden; Tony Blake, St Peter’s Garden Centre; Mike Burks, Castle Gardens; Steve Guy, Dobbies Garden Centre; Alistair Jackson, Poplars Garden Centre; Tim Rumball, Amateur Gardening Magazine Editor; Heidi Towse, Homebase; Mike Wyatt, Garden Trade News Associate Editor; and last but by no means least, Dan Zinner from The Garden Centre Group.

Join us for a Night to Remember

This year’s awards evening is taking place at the fabulous Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales on Thursday, July 17.  Places are filling up fast, so don’t miss out on joining GIMA to see who’s won top honours this year.

www.gima.org.uk/awards

Hozelock winning the Sword of Excellence for their Flexi Spray product at last year's GIMA Awards.

A family of blackbirds has taken up residence in an unusual spot at Kershaws Garden Centre, in Brighouse.

The family of blackbirds has made a nest behind a plant pot in a bookcase at the entrance to the shop, and have hatched several of the eggs, and can be seen feeding them on a regular basis.

Manager Liz Kenny said: “We have had many birds nesting in and around the plants, this is the first time that the eggs have hatched, especially in a noisy place where doors are opening and closing."

Kershaws is celebrating 150 years this year, with a party on the weekend of August 2-3 with many special offers, party games, stalls and donkey rides. The barden centre will be raising money for Overgate Hospice.

Deco-Pak’s marketing manager Craig Hall is taking on the inaugural Forget Me Not 500 ‘banger rally’ challenge, which will see him drive from Huddersfield to Paris (and back!) in a £500 ‘old banger’, all in aid of the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice charity.

Craig will be embarking on this epic journey on Thursday, June 12, starting in his hometown of Huddersfield and taking in the many sights and sounds of Rotterdam, Brussels and Paris along the way. The end point will be at the Le Mans 24 hour Race, before the team head back to England’s sunny shores, arriving back on Sunday, June 15.

Craig will be joined by two team mates who will be helping to navigate, share the driving and provide encouragement along the way, and together will be joining another handful of teams for the rally. The most exciting part of the rally is the fact that each team has been given just £500 to buy a car that will last the journey. Craig’s team have purchased a Daihatsu YRV, dubbed the ‘Car de Triumph’ and now the team are looking for sponsors to help bolster their targeted £3,000 fundraising total.

Craig Hall explains: “The Forget Me Not charity is a hugely worthwhile charity, and we want to raise as much as we can for them.  Our car is ready to go but now we need to appeal to our friends, families, business associates and local communities to help us reach our £3,000 fund raising target.  Every penny raised will support Forget Me Not in helping children with life shortening illnesses to enjoy the time they have left, whilst also supporting their families.  I can’t urge people enough to dig deep and give generously – every penny will be hugely appreciated.

“I’d like to personally thank those that have already helped us raise over £1,000 in donations, including local businesses such as Taylors Foodstore, Waterfront Insurance Brokers and Dubbers Sport.  Further afield we’d like to also thank Newcastle based Imprint, and Hargreaves Services, as well as Home Bazar who has sent sponsorship all the way from America.”

Liz Paver, Director of Fundraising at the charity added: “We are really excited about launching our first ever Forget Me Not 500 ‘banger rally.’ The race will offer supporters a unique way to get involved with the charity and we are sure it will be an amazing experience for everyone.”

Anyone wanting to donate to Craig’s fundraising total can do so by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/Craig-Hall9.  Car sponsorship and branding details are also available, please contact Craig directly for more information.

Further details about the Forget Me Not children’s hospice and the work the charity undertakes across West Yorkshire can be found at www.forgetmenotchild.co.uk

Encouraged by strong sales of gardening and cookery guru Sarah Raven's flower collections in the past two seasons, Johnsons has launched her Kitchen Garden range for the 2014/15 season in a similarly eye-catching livery which will appeal to imaginative cooks and to both experienced and new vegetable gardeners. 

Passionate about all matters relating to gardening and to food, and with an expert knowledge of both, Sarah's belief there is nothing more rewarding than using produce fresh from the garden to enhance any cooking is the inspiration for the range.

Sarah Raven's Kitchen Garden range comprises 16 vegetable collection packs, each of six varieties, segmented into four categories with varieties specially chosen by Sarah for their outstanding flavour. 

The four divisions are Classic Collections, full of traditional favourites, Productive Collections, great for making the most of available space, Patio and Borders Collections for any size of garden, and Foodie's Collections specially chosen for superb flavours and texture.

The double-size packets have great visual impact and include an introductory message and growing advice from Sarah.  Each has a RRP of £5.99.  Sarah Raven's Kitchen Garden range is displayed on a dedicated, free-standing unit which can be easily moved to maximise sales.

To find out more about Sarah Raven's Kitchen Garden range and the full Johnsons offer, log on at www.johnsons-trade.com or telephone 01638 554111.

All retailers, growers and suppliers are invited keep up to date on the newest legislation affecting ornamental growers at the British Ornamental Plant Producers (BOPP) AGM and Technical Seminar on Thursday 25 September 2014 at the Oak Tree in Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.

The event will bring guests together to learn about and discuss the current issues affecting the industry and also provide an update on the strategy and activities of the BOPP Scheme. New for this year, the seminar will include an interactive workshop session to delve further in to the individual topics affecting businesses.

A highlight of the programme will be a grower panel session focussing on Biomass boilers. Biomass technology offers the potential for growers to address rising fuel prices and to reduce their environmental impact, although for many there are unanswered questions about the practicalities of its implementation. BOPP members, including Richard Harnett, Kernock Park Plants and Simon Earley, Earley Ornamentals, will share their own experiences of installing the technology and answer questions from the audience.

The programme also features other industry experts including:

• Kerry-Ann Francis, SEDEX who will offer advice and guidance on ethical trading in the supply chain.
• Raoul Curtis-Machin, Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) who will provide an update on the work the HTA is doing to influence policy and offer advice on keeping up to date with the changes in legislation.

The seminar will also include an update on crop protection and new biocide regulations.

The AGM & Technical Seminar 2014 promises to be engaging, informative and interactive making it a must-attend event for all those looking to keep up to date with the latest legislation and important issues concerning British Ornamental Plant Producers.

Places cost just £15 + VAT for members and £25 + VAT for non members – just complete and return the form at www.the-hta.org.uk/events to book places today.

Respected plantsman and horticultural author Graham Rice is now writing a regular blog for Mr Fothergill's.  

Entitled Plant Talk with Graham Rice, log on at  www.mr-fothergill.co.uk and click on the 'Plant Talk' button to read his opinions and recommendations.  The blog is published every Friday.  He will be writing on a wide range of plants and not just those offered by Mr Fothergill's, the company says. 

Graham Rice is the author of more than 20 books, including the Encyclopaedia of Perennials, which was published in 2007 in association with the Royal Horticultural Society.  It won the Garden Writers' Guild Laurent-Perrier Award for Reference Book of the Year.  Graham is also the winner of five other writing awards.

He has written for a range of newspapers and magazines and judged for many years at the Chelsea Flower Show.  Graham was trained in horticulture and botany at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The company's joint managing director John Fothergill said "We are delighted to have a plantsman and communicator of Graham's quality contributing to our website, where our customers can draw on his knowledge and experience of ornamental plants."

Police are appealing for information about the theft of seven sculptures and one box tree from a garden centre in Exeter.

The aged effect bronze finish sculptures, which have a total value of approximately £1,000, were stolen from Bernaville Nurseries, Cowley, Exeter.

Those responsible gained entry to the garden centre and made off with one foal, two large deer, one gun dog, one fox, one duck, one pheasant and a cut box tree that was approximately 4’ in height.

PC Mike Doidge, based at Crediton police station, is investigating the theft.

He said: "Whoever stole these statues went to great lengths to take them and I suspect that they may have been stolen to order or to complete a landscaping project.

"I would appeal to anyone who has seen these statues appear in someone's garden recently or been offered them for sale, to get in touch."

Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting reference KC/14/236, or by contacting Crime stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre near Worthing has appointedPhilip Relf as Assistant General Manager.  

Originally from Eastbourne, Philip and his family have relocated from the Wirrall, where he was a Store Manager for Tesco. As a keen gardener, he says that his only regret was having to say goodbye to the garden he had nurtured for 11 years.

“I’m delighted to join General Manager Nick Joad and his team of 150 full and part time staff at Haskins, and assist award winning centre to continue its success,” said Philip.

Philip’s career in retail started over 25 years ago as a sales assistant, and he has worked for Sainsburys, Wyevale and Homebase where he first became a Store Manager in north west.   

Photo caption: (From left) Haskins’ Nick Joad welcomes new Assistant General Manager Philip Relf.

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 upto 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.