Wyevale Garden Centres has today announced the sale of five more centres.

A portfolio of four garden centres – Salisbury (pictured above), West Parley, Fair Oak and Landford – have been sold to In-Excess UK Limited. Hereford Wellington centre has been sold to English Salvage Limited.

Both buyers are delighted by the opportunity to expand their existing businesses and will continue to operate these sites as garden centres.

Roger Mclaughlan, Chief Executive of WGC, said: “We are pleased to have agreed the sale of a further five centres. We would like to thank our great colleagues at these centres, who have been central to our turnaround in the past few years, and wish them well for the next stage of their growth and development under new ownership.”

The sales are expected to complete by end November.

Anthony Jones, Chief Financial Officer of WGC, said: “Since the launch of the sale process in May we have now sold 35 ‘non-core’ centres and are currently evaluating a wide range of competitive offers from the group buyers, regional operators and local entrepreneurs. We look forward to further positive discussions with all potential buyers.”

Christie & Co, the specialist business property advisor managing the sale process on behalf of WGC, have run a two phase process that has achieved considerable interest from a wide variety of buyers.

The sale of four garden centres to In-Excess marks the third completed multiple site deal. The opportunity to run one, a small group or a portfolio of garden centres has ignited interest within the sector and beyond, and Christie & Co continue to liaise with phase 2 bidders as the process continues.  

Corby & Fellas are delighted to announce that Tong Garden Centre have become one of the latest users of WinRetail, our comprehensive and fully integrated EPoS and Retail Management System.

Charlie Barker, Tong’s Finance Director, contacted Corby & Fellas in the spring 2018, having recently joined the company. Tong were keen to grow their business and wanted to introduce a new, more advanced, system that would support the plans and help to exploit the company’s potential.

He spoke to several larger garden centre businesses and, having received positive reports about Corby & Fellas, decided that he would consider adopting WinRetail.

Fortunately, Corby & Fellas' demonstration to Mark Farnsworth, Charlie Barker and their operations team, was good enough to convince them that C&F had the right software, the technical knowledge and the ability to provide first class support.

There were several specific areas of the business where WinRetail’s potential was clear:

• The Farm Shop, which includes a butchery and delicatessen, uses Bizerba scales to output barcoded labels. The barcode has encoded within it the stock code, price and weight of the item weighed; this is affixed to the packaged item and, subsequently, presented at an EPoS terminal
• The Café/Restaurant sells both ready-prepared food and hot dishes, which are made up in a kitchen, behind the scenes. When a customer orders a hot dish, they order their food at an EPoS terminal, from where the details of their order are transmitted to the kitchen and printed out on a dedicated printer. They have table tracker, this allows the team to locate the customer at whichever table they choose to sit at. 
• Tong required the system to output accurate and timely management reports; such reports being produced to a schedule that ensures that the right report is transmitted to the right person at the right time.
• It is essential that the system integrates with Sage Accounts to reduce the time taken to post data and ensuring its accuracy
• Ability to handle the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• A comprehensive CRM (Customer Relationship Management) module to help in producing and targeting marketing campaigns    

Mark commented: "I think another reason for choosing C&F is the ability of the system to get information out thereby enabling us to make better decisions.  That was a key objective of ours at the start of the project and the C&F system was, in our view, the most advanced."

Pictured: Mark Farnsworth, MD of Tong Garden Centre (left), and Charlie Barker, Finance Director (right) with Steve Fellas of C&F.

Once again, the weather is causing sales anomalies for garden centres in 2018. While centres are all set for Christmas, customers have been basking in early November sunshine and the mild temperatures have been sending them into centres to buy more growing media and other gardening products than last year.

Of course, we all know that as soon as the weather changes Christmas sales will start to flood through the tills, just as plants and furniture did earlier this year when the summer eventually arrived.  The key then is to have the most enticing displays and the wide range of products to ensure maximum sales. 

The weather forecast predicts colder weather, frosts and even snow on hills towards the end of next week, so stand by for the rush!

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 45)
Garden Products - up 3%
Growing Media - up 4%
Christmas - down 21%
All Plants Index - down 10%
All Items Index - down 5%

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

Personalisation is today’s key retail strategy, consumer shopper behaviouralist Ken Hughes told an audience of growers, retailers and suppliers at the new Cultivating Retail conference hosted by the HTA and GIMA.

Staged at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham, the event was chaired by Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman, and set out to look at the issues and opportunities that lie ahead for the garden industry.

Hughes explained how personalisation is more important than ever, and how businesses now need to be targeting an ‘Instant Generation’.

In a discussion titled ‘Is your Supply Chain Millennial ready?’ he said the current pace of change at the moment was disruptive, with six generations of consumers walking through the doors at any one time. Highlighting the differences between Babyboomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z, he suggested that the way the music industry had changed for each of them was an example of how retail strategies should be approached.

Ken concluded his talk with racing driver Mario Andretti’s famous  quote: “If everything seems under control, it just means you aren’t going fast enough.”

Will Seymour talked about how people now wish-list for pleasure as well as for purchases, and Trewin Restorick showed the many ways in which environmental charity Hubbub has made recycling a fun activity that people want to take part in. Paul Pegg from Reynolds Catering Supplies provided supply chain insight from the food service industry showing how collaboration is the key to success.

The programme included two insightful panel sessions covering plastics in horticulture and supply-chain issues.

Expert sessions from Claire Harper and Alan Roper (MD, Blue Diamond Group, above) offered their experiences of how to ‘delight the customer’.

Summarising, Cathy Newman highlighted how agility was the watch word of the day with businesses needing to be prepared for the next changes – whatever they may be.

The day was then topped off with a dinner, where the inspirational speaker was record-breaking cyclist James Golding, who gave a compelling, honest and uplifting talk of his life experiences and motivations.  James concluded by declaring that he was going to win the Race Across America in 2020.

Notcutts has recorded another good sales performance in the year ending February 2018 with turnover up 4.8% to £74.7m.  This followed a 5.3% sales increase in the previous year.

As experienced by many in the retail sector, increased costs particularly from unfavourable movements in the £ $ exchange rate, contributed to a more challenging economic backdrop. Consequently operating profit fell by 51.5% to £1m with gross profit margin decreasing by 1% point to 46.9% in the year.

Commenting on the year CEO, Nick Burrows said: “We are pleased to have delivered another year of sales growth against a more challenging economic backdrop than in recent years.  Like others in the sector we experienced pressure on margins and increased costs associated with transportation, business rates and the national living wage.”

“In such an economy we opted not to pass cost increases directly onto customers. Our approach was therefore very much on driving increased footfall and gaining market share as a solid foundation for new growth for when the post Brexit economy stabilises,” added Burrows.  “We were pleased to see footfall grow strongly during the year with conversion rates also improving in our garden centres,” he said.

Notcutts continued apace with a programme of developments and refurbishment projects during the year which form part of a longer term 5 year plan. Nicky Dulieu, Chairman commented:  “Refurbishment works at Cranleigh, St. Albans, Peterborough, Victoria (Pontefract) and Solihull were all completed, significantly improving the environment for customers.  Upgraded colleague facilities were also completed in a number of our garden centres.”

Notcutts have also just opened two major redevelopment projects with new format restaurants in Rivendell (Widnes) and Woodford Park (Stockport). Planning permissions have also been secured for future developments in Woodbridge, Garden Pride (Ditchling), Solihull, Wheatcroft (Nottingham) and Booker.

By the end of 2018 the roll out of the new Notcutts brand across all 18 centres will be completed. There will also be an updated website and online store coming early in 2019.

Notcutts will continue the introduction of their iconic show gardens.  These already feature in ten of their garden centres and are proving a real point of difference for the Notcutts brand as well as becoming popular draws for customers seeking fresh ideas and inspiration for their own gardens. Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman said: “I am so proud to see these superb show gardens being built in our garden centres. They really play to our horticultural expertise and support our goal of bringing an ever wider experience for our customers.”  Each new show garden is introduced to local communities with an official opening party led by Caroline Notcutt.

There have been a number of other key milestones for Notcutts in the last year. Commenting, Nick Burrows, CEO said: “We were particularly pleased to see notable step ups in both customer and colleague satisfaction during the year.  This follows the introduction of a range of new initiatives including our own customer service training course, a wide programme of colleague recognition awards and the launch of a new Future Leaders programme for rising stars within the business.”  Burrows added: “We also introduced a new menu throughout our restaurants which includes a range of healthy options and a new afternoon small plates menu.  These have received positive comments from many of our customers and are another part of our strategy to widen the Notcutts’ visitor experience.”

Notcutts group and Thurrock Garden Centre are among eight businesses who have cancelled plans for Christmas reindeer following video footage released by the Animal Aid charity.

Film shot on hidden cameras at three reindeer centres during the past year raised concerns over the welfare of the animals, with the worst findings at The Reindeer Centre in Kent. A worker was seen to kick a reindeer on two different occasions as well as shouting abuse at the animals.

The Reindeer Centre told the BBC all their animals were much-loved and well cared for and blamed the incidents above on a new employee who had since left the business after proving unsuitable. “We understand people's concerns and distress and I can only confirm we as a family care passionately about our animals,” said a spokeswoman.

Animal Aid's campaign manager, Tor Bailey, said: “Our investigations have revealed the shocking suffering of these gentle animals. Reindeer are sensitive wild animals, not props to be paraded around and used for human entertainment.

“I would urge the general public not to support events which feature live captive animals and find other more animal-friendly ways to enjoy the festive period.”

A Facebook post from Thurrock Garden Centre said the decision to support Animal Aid by not having real reindeer in their Grotto was due to the publicity.

Notcutts cancelled reindeer across eight centres.

As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, Greenfingers Charity has announced an exciting, fundraising raffle, and is looking for FUNdraising heroes in the industry to help.

The Big Greenfingers Garden Raffle, supported by National Garden Gift Vouchers, was announced at the prestigious GIMA and HTA ‘Cultivating Retail’ event, that took place in Nottingham this week.

The raffle will give ticket buyers the chance to win either £1,000, £500 or £250 in National Garden Gift Voucher gift cards. 

The Greenfingers Charity partnership with HTA’s National Garden Gift Voucher Scheme began last Christmas with exposure and awareness of the charity being boosted through the free point of sale material for National Garden Gift Vouchers as well as information that goes through to garden centre staff.The vouchers can be redeemed at most garden centres across the country.

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Greenfingers Charity said: “We are enormously grateful to the HTA for their commitment and support for Greenfingers Charity through the National Garden Gift Voucher scheme and of course for the extremely generous prize donation for the raffle.

"We are looking for an army of volunteers to help sell raffle tickets over the next few months to raise vital funds to help create more gardens in children’s hospices, as well as help to raise the profile of the charity with the gardening public.”

Martin Simmons, Director of Operations at HTA said: “Greenfingers Charity does really important work, creating tranquil garden havens for life-limited young people and their families. 

"HTA is passionate and happy to support such a worthwhile cause and the raffle is a wonderful way to raise awareness and funds to ensure more of these gardens can become a reality.”

The grand draw of the Big Greenfingers Gardening Raffle will take place in May when the winners will be notified and encouraged to spend their prize in participating garden centres in time for the summer. It is hoped that the total amount of tickets sold will raise £20,000 which will go a long way towards designing and creating another precious Greenfingers garden.

If you would like to sell tickets on behalf of Greenfingers Charity, please contact Linda by email Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk or call 01494 674749.

Studley Green Garden Centre has undergone a serious makeover, bringing the introduction of a quality new product offering, extended ranges, an annual charity partner competition, and Capital Garden’s exceptional customer service.

Just in time for Christmas, Capital Gardens has transformed the centre into Studley Green’s very own winter wonderland – a one-stop-shop for decorations, garlands, lights and Christmas trees. Real trees will join artificial trees in store in the coming weeks.

The main store, an empty space just weeks ago, now boasts an impressive four-themed Christmas areas. The store will host special events over the festive season, including a ‘Wild Hedgerow Wreath-Making’ workshop on Wednesday 28 November, and a special Christmas loyalty evening with discounts and festival tipples for loyalty-cardholders on Thursday 6 December. Request your loyalty card in store now to avoid missing out!

Further new products include fantastic giftware and Christmas ranges from quintessentially British brand Sophie Allport, including fine bone china and kitchen fabrics including tea towels and oven gloves. Other new brands include tools from Burgon and Ball, bird-care and hardware ranges from Gardman and Tom Chambers, as well as amazing new kids ranges to get the little ones out in the garden.

The now-extended plant area sees a greater depth of plants and add-ons. Capital Gardens has retained and extended the pot areas with new ranges from Mega and Apta, the UK’s number one pot supplier. Also now in stock is a full range of aggregates and composts and a great selection of spring flowering bulbs to get in the ground before it gets too cold!

The much-loved café now offers an ‘all day breakfast’ as well as traditional sandwiches, baked potatoes, paninis and daily specials. The run-up to Christmas will see festive drinks from coffee connoisseurs, Blue Cap Coffee.

Phil Munn, Studley Green Centre manager says: “My team and our suppliers have really pulled off some miraculous changes in a short space of time here at Studley. We feel that the improved offerings and fantastic seasonal and Christmas set-ups will really inspire customers both old and new. We’re excited to put the Centre back on the map as a hub for the wonderful community!”

Capital Gardens is also hugely excited to announce its search for an annual charity partner at the store. The team has chosen three charities close to the community including: Four Paws Cat Rescue, Stokenchurch Community Bus and Medical Assistance Dogs, Winslow.

Customers will be given counters upon purchasing products in store, and can vote for the charity closest to their heart. Capital Gardens will go on to partner with the winning charity, to work out how it can best support them. Get voting in store from Tuesday 13 November until Thursday 31 January.

The launch of over 40 new products at Glee 2018 coupled with developments elsewhere in the industry has contributed to a significant surge in sales for garden care products manufacturer, Garland Products/Worth Gardening. 

The company’s sales have risen by 90 percent in the past month and by 50 per cent on the overall year.  The company is keen to alert new customers to potential availability problems unless they notify Garland (or indeed other suppliers) of their future requirements.

The current situation is explained by Mark Dedman, Sales Director for Garland/Worth Gardening:”We have worked closely with garden and hardware retailers for many years and know only too well the difficulties that retailers have in estimating their future stocking requirements. 

"However, it is in their interests to communicate their future ordering expectations to their suppliers unless they wish to risk being left high and dry in the spring of 2019.  If retailers talk to their suppliers now it will give those suppliers the opportunity to invest in the necessary extra stock for the coming season. 

"Retailers that sit tight and hope that stock will be available at short notice next year may be disappointed and this is something that we are trying to avoid. Garland has always invested heavily in order to provide its customers with products they require and at short notice.  

"We are determined to continue with that policy but input from the retail sector is vitally important to help us in our aims.

 “In spite of heavily increasing our stock and warehouse capacity for 2018, we were frustrated in having to turn away some new customers in March, and whilst we have invested further still in stock, the same situation could arise early next year if new customers leave it too late.  

"We would urge retailers that have not yet placed orders to contact us now to avoid disappointment.”

The Garland Products Group specialises in the manufacture of plastic injection moulded products and is one of the fastest growing suppliers to the garden industry. 

The products available to both keen and hobby gardeners have been designed through the company’s own experience as keen gardeners.

A national charity established to provide a lifetime of support to soldiers, veterans and their immediate families in times of need, has seen its funds boosted by over £10,000 through the sale of Vitax Q4.

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity received the donation from its horticulture partner, Vitax Limited, at a presentation event at The Cenotaph in Whitehall.

Vitax has been raising funds for The Soldiers’ Charity since November 2017, pledging to donate 20p for every 2.5kg special pack of Q4 fertiliser sold as part of the charity’s 2018 ‘Every Soldier - Past, Present and Future’ campaign, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One.

Over the past 12 months, the specially designed packs have taken pride of place on garden centre shelves across the country and have proved popular with gardeners looking for a premium, multi-purpose fertiliser.

“This is the first time we have partnered with a charity outside the horticulture sector or used a product as a fundraising tool, but the response and funds raised have been phenomenal,” says Paul Gooding, Vitax’s chairman.

“This year marks the centenary of the First World War which serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices many have made, both past and present.  The work of The Soldiers’ Charity is so important and supporting veterans who fought selflessly for others is essential.

“Q4 is one of our most popular products and the garden centres have been very supportive. Raising awareness of the charity and its work is an important element of our partnership, as well as generating funds which have passed the £10,000 mark. This is a fantastic achievement and will help The Soldiers’ Charity provide further support where needed,” says Paul.

Established in 1944, The Soldiers’ Charity is the national charity of the British Army.  Providing a lifetime of support to soldiers, veterans and their immediate families in times of need, the charity provides grants to individuals and to a wide range of specialist charities.

Receiving the cheque on behalf of the charity, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Coles MBE, a regional director for The Soldiers’ Charity based at Wellington Barracks, says: “Every donation counts. The funds Vitax have raised are vital to ensuring we can continue to make a difference at a critical point in peoples’ lives and we cannot thank Vitax enough for their support.”

The Soldiers’ Charity has worked with veterans of every conflict for over 70 years and takes pride in being responsive, providing essential grants in as little as 48 hours to those in need. 

Following the presentation it seemed fitting the cheque was also presented in front of the statue of ‘Monty’ – Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein - who launched The Soldiers’ Charity’s first fundraising campaign in 1946.

To find out more about Vitax, visit: www.vitax.co.uk

To find out more about The Soldiers’ Charity, visit: www.soldierscharity.org

Pictured (left to right): Mark Butler – Vitax, Kate Billingham Wilson – The Soldiers’ Charity, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Coles MBE - a regional director for The Soldiers’ Charity, Paul Gooding – Vitax’s chairman and David Griffiths - Vitax.

With the business growing at an exceptional pace, Smart has invested further in expanding its sales teams.

Carl Beiersdorf joins as Key Account Manager with a wealth of experience in the garden trade and will be a familiar face to many customers.

Dan Twidle is joining the team as Area Sales Manager, working with Adrian Seber in the South West. 

Louise Craven arrives with extensive consumer product experience which will be invaluable in her role as National Account Manager. 

Jonathan Stobart, Managing Director, comments: “As our dynamic growth continues, new opportunities are created in the company.  Carl, Dan and Louise have all worked in our industry and can hit the ground running as we head into next season.  2019 promises to be a fantastic year."

Pictured left to right: Dan Twidle, Carl Beiersdorf and Louise Craven.

Haskins, with centres in Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex, endorsed and promoted the government-backed ‘Purple Tuesday’.

Purple Tuesday was the UK’s first ever accessible shopping day, aimed at getting retailers to take all kinds of disability seriously, as well as recognise the needs of disabled consumers and promote inclusive shopping.

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins Garden Centre, commented: “At Haskins, we make it a priority to cater for those with a disability or impairment – not just on the allocated Purple Tuesday, but all the time. All the aisles in our centres are wider than standard, to facilitate the use of wheelchairs and we are pleased to have wheelchairs available in all our centres for anybody that requires one.

“If you haven’t visited us before, you’ll be surprised at how wide the spaces in our car parks are and how flat the grounds are. Customers often say how much of a difference this makes to their overall experience and we’re pleased that these changes improve accessibility to our centres.”

All four Haskins centres focus on having as much natural light as possible. With large windows and roof lights, Haskins is able to offer a consistent level of light throughout its centres, rather than varying shades of bright and dark.

Lisa added: “Our staff are trained in customer service and will always go that extra mile to help those in need. We are more than happy to help carry your shopping to your car or help carry your tray in the restaurant.”

According to disability organisation, Purple, nearly one in every five people in the UK has a disability or impairment and over half of households in the UK have a connection to someone with a disability. The initiative is being co-ordinated by Purple, with leading brands Marks & Spencer, Asda and Sainsbury’s all pledging their support already.

A Burgon & Ball ‘RHS Gifts for Gardeners’ gift set has been named as a top gift selection by top American media personality Oprah Winfrey, in her ‘Favourite Things 2018’ list.

Lifestyle guru Oprah has for some years been known for her discerning giftware selections; her annual ‘Favorite Things’ list has become an keenly-awaited annual benchmark, the ultimate guide to all that’s desirable and perfectly on-trend in gifting. And this year, the Burgon & Ball ‘Flora and Fauna’ RHS Gifts for Gardeners gift pack is one of just five items selected in the ‘Eco-Friendly Gifts’ section of Oprah’s list.

The list makes headlines worldwide when it’s released, and within 24 hours the story had already been featured in the UK in the Daily Mail and the Independent. The selections also receive huge coverage online, with countless blogs devoted to the gift choices, and Oprah’s guidance is eagerly seized upon by shoppers looking for inspiration as the festive season approaches.

The ‘Flora and Fauna’ range of gardening gifts features an elegant design of delicate foliage and dainty songbirds, beautiful illustrations taken from the RHS Lindley Library of historic botanic art. Items in the range include: a gift-boxed RHS-endorsed trowel and secateur; gardening gloves; twine in a tin; wooden labels; a mug; a drinks tray; an indoor watering can; and an umbrella. The variety of items makes this collection ideal not just for gardeners, but extends choices into homewares, too.

The Flora and Fauna collection of gorgeous gardening gifts will receive extensive publicity this Christmas to inspire shoppers, and with RRPs from £8.99 up to £24.99, there’s a pretty but practical gift in the range for everyone who loves their garden.

A Despatch and Stock Controller at one of the UK’s leading commercial nurseries took part in a sleep out in Bristol and helped raise £3,500 for a homeless charity.

Sara Bowie, who works at Wyevale Nurseries in Hereford, took part in the annual fundraiser in Bristol with four of her friends in aid of 1625 Independent People (1625ip).

The 54-year-old, who lives in Norton Canon but grew up in Bristol, explained: “1625ip is a Bristol based charity that has been supporting homeless 16-25-year-olds for more than 30 years. It works with around 2,000 young people in the South West every year.

“I got to know about the charity and the fantastic work it does as my friend, Jo Lea-Jones, is the Corporate Services Director at the organisation.

“I wanted to do something to raise money and awareness so Jo and I, with three of our other friends, Sue Jenner, Sue Walters and Sharon Howells, decided to take part in the sleep out. I absolutely hate camping, sleeping bags and being cold but I hate the idea of homelessness more, particularly the thought of young people sleeping rough.

“The annual all-night Sleep Out took place in the courtyard at The Station, a central hub for young people in Bristol run by YMCA and the Creative Youth Network. The event gave us the smallest taste of what it’s like for someone who has to sleep out in the cold.

“We’re delighted that we managed to raise a staggering £3,500 for 1625ip. A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who sponsored us. Every penny goes to help young people get back on their feet and off the streets.”

1625ip provides essential services to young people and partners with agencies across the South West so together they can change lives. 

The charity provides a broad range of care for young people from securing homes, teaching life-skills, offering advice, helping access training and job opportunities. Its aim is to help young people to live happily and independently. 

To sponsor Sara visit the team’s JustGiving page – https://bit.ly/2Ov0Sd2.

• The plant’s pot size, density and diameter must be in proportion, the bract must show colour and the spike must look sturdy and fresh. 
• Anthurium should not have any damaged foliage or wilted flowers at the time of purchase.
• Spots on the leaf can indicate cold damage or scorching by the sun. 
• The plant must be free of pests and diseases, particularly thrips and aphids.  
• At temperatures below 12°C place the Anthurium in a sleeve for shipping and also when selling to the customer. 

• Anthurium likes a light spot, but preferably not in full sun. 
• Maintain the room temperature at 18-22°C - the plant should not be too cold. 
• The soil should not be allowed to dry out, but nor should the roots be standing in water. 
• Regular spraying reproduces the humidity of the tropical rainforest.
• Wilted flowers can be removed. 
• Plant food once every three weeks helps Anthurium to flower lavishly for a long time.

Thejoyofplants.co.uk is an initiative of The Flower Council of Holland and lets consumers experience that you feel better with plants around you.

• West Midlands and Wales
• North West, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

A market leading gift product company which has been operating successfully for over 20 years is seeking two well organised and professional field sales representatives with great interpersonal skills and the drive required to grow sales in their territory. The company itself is renowned for quality service, a high performing impulse purchase range and product innovation. We have a great team of friendly staff, both internal and externally based.

The Field Sales Representatives are responsible for maintaining relationships with an extensive existing client base, introducing new lines to them and ensuring sales from existing ranges are optimised. In addition, they will be responsible for pioneering new clients within the territory with the support of sales management and our customer service department. Travelling to clients is a daily function with the role and there is an element of overnight travel and trade fair attendance.

Reporting to the Sales Director this is an ideal position for a sales person looking to truly manage a territory and play a critical role in business development. The company is projecting strong growth and opportunities for career progression will exist.

Experience of selling into the gift /garden centre/tourist attraction sectors is a distinct advantage but not essential. Most important is a proven track record of business development and a positive can-do attitude.

Salary Circa £26k plus commission plus company car and the standard business tools.

Interested parties should send a CV and covering letter explaining why they are the right candidate for the role to: tony@tjpmarketingservices.com

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While Christmas sales may be down year on year at the moment, garden product sales are holding their own, albeit driven a lot by garden lighting sales.

Nine of the Top 20 lines are garden lighting, with 14 in total in the Top 50.

Highlights of the week were:

• Smart Solar Bottle It! Lights moved up 28 places to No 2, making it the highest climber.
• Smart Solar Poppy Stake Light was the highest re-entry during Remembrance weekend, coming back in at No 5.
• Smart Magni-Light 30 Lumens was the highest placed new entry at No 10.

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

More gardening activity than normal for the time of year lead to a 4.25% increase in Top 50 Growing Media sales volumes last week compared to 2017. 

Garden soil accounted for plenty of sales as gardeners took advantage of the balmy weather to get some more projects completed before Christmas.

Highlights were:

• Westland Top Soil, 35 litres, remained at No 2 in the GTN Chart.
• Evergreen Garden Care Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Premium Garden Soil, 25 litres, increased sales to move up five places to No 8.
• Kelkay RHS Horticultural Alpine Grit, Large Packs, were the highest re-entry for the week, back in at No 16.

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

The warm Autumn weather prompted a drop off in Christmas sales last week.

Our Top 50 volumes fell by 4.6% to a level that was 21% down on the same week last year when the weather was considerably colder. Despite the sunshine two Christmas confectionery lines saw considerable increases in the Top 10.

Highlights were:

• Lindt’s Teddy Bear, 10g, jumped three places to No 3.
• Albert Premier Chocolate Gold Coins In Nets, 75g, moved up one to No 6.
• Premier Decorations Acrylic Wine Glass Tree Decoration in Silver was the highest re-entry of the week, back in at No 13.
• The highest climber was Konstsmide Water Filled Dickensia Lantern, which moved up 26 places to No 17.

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

Plant sales dropped significantly last week and were down on last year by 10% even though gardening activity, as measured by our Garden Products and Growing Media charts, was up.

The decrease versus last year is pretty much across the board, even for houseplants too.

• Poinsettias were the highest climber but volumes were 16% down on the same week last year.
• Viola sales trend year on year with volumes up by 82% to hold their position at No 4.
• Brassica plants for veg gardening were the highest re-entry at No 22.

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

The Garden Centre Association is searching for a new inspector to help its members retain the very highest of standards in service and expertise.

The search has started in earnest following the announcement earlier in the year from Roger Crookes regarding his retirement from the role.

GCA Chief Executive, Iain Wylie (pictured) said: “Roger was with us for 11 years as an inspector, so we have some big shoes to fill. We’d like to thank him for all his hard work and dedication over the years.

“We’re keen to hear from anyone who thinks they might be up to the job of replacing Roger and who would like to work with us and who shares our vision and that of our member garden centres.

“Candidates can be from all areas of the industry and must be passionate about providing the very best in customer service and care, as well as offering top quality advice and plants and products.”

The chosen individual will join the GCA’s current team of inspectors, Gordon Emslie, Michael Cole and Alyson Haywood and help to ensure consistency and raise standards throughout its membership.

Iain added: “Our new candidate will also have an insight into the market and new retailing ideas to help our members develop and face the challenges of the future in a positive way.

“Each of our inspectors visits approximately 40 of our members’ centres each spring (March – June), within a specific geographic area. As part of the visit, as well as scoring the centres to given criteria, using our detailed inspection form, they must be able to give objective and honest feedback on what they’ve seen. Inspectors also attend an area meeting and our annual conference.

“They will also need to produce reports and provide ideas for improving standards. As well as make presentations at our annual conference and regional meetings. It is a very interesting and unique role for anyone in the industry.”

Anyone interested in taking on the role of GCA Inspector, should get in touch with Iain Wylie via iain@gca.org.uk.

The Garden Centre Association has launched its Worrall Cup competition that is designed to find the member garden centre with the best marketing expertise.

The garden centre with the best marketing campaign or initiative will be awarded the prestigious cup during the GCA’s annual conference at Luton Hoo from January 20-23.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “We’re searching for the garden centre that has developed the most creative marketing campaign in the past 12 months. We want to see creative initiatives that inspire other members to follow suit.

“The entries will be judged by an independent panel with marketing expertise. As this award is not influenced by the annual inspection, all entries have an equal chance of winning in January when the judging panel meets to assess the merits of each submission and decide the winner.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for members to win a prestigious award, where both flair and commercial success are rewarded.

“If there are any questions relating to the submission of entries, please contact us at the GCA office in the first instance by email via info@gca.org.uk and we’ll be able to help.” 

Members are asked to submit an entry by completing a short form, which can be downloaded from www.gca.org.uk or requested by email, to the GCA office no later than Monday, January 14, 2019.

The submission of supporting material, such as photographs, print examples and web-links is encouraged. An additional sheet of written detail is acceptable along with the entry form, if required. Entries can be sent electronically via info@gca.org.uk or by post to the GCA office.

Iain added: “The winner will be announced during our Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony at our annual conference on the evening of Tuesday, January 22. The conference will take place at Luton Hoo from January 20-23.

“As always our conference will provide attendees with pertinent information on key aspects of the garden centre industry to assist members in achieving their business goals.

“The information shared will focus on a wide range of topics, including merchandising, marketing and management. There will also be plenty of opportunities for delegates to network and socialise.”

Booking for the GCA’s annual conference is now open and can be done via www.gca.org.uk.

Pictured: Perrywood are the current holders of the Worrall Cup's Best Marketing Campaign or Initiative.

The HTA, in association with APHA, are hosting an essential one-day conference, Healthy Plants, Healthy Business’, for anyone involved in the production, trading and retailing of plants.

Healthy Plants, Healthy Business will take place on Tuesday 29 January 2019 at Horticulture House in Oxfordshire and is aimed at growers and their customers (retailers, landscapers and garden designers, architects and public procurement) and key stakeholders.

Speakers include:

• Lord Gardiner, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity
• Professor Nicola Spence, Defra’s Chief Plant Health Officer
• Derek Grove, APHA Plant & Bee Health EU exit manager
• Alistair Yeomans, HTA Horticulture Manager

The event will provide a great opportunity to ensure that your business is equipped with the latest information on plant health matters. The agenda includes information on cross-sector initiatives aimed at protecting UK biosecurity and the launch of ‘Plant Healthy’, a new self-assessment tool for any business to calculate how bio secure its production and sourcing systems are.

Key topics to be covered include:

• Current plant health situation
• Plant Health Biosecurity Alliance
• Plant Health Management Standard
• Plant Healthy self-assessment
• Plant importing post-Brexit

To book your place please visit www.hta.org.uk/planthealth

National Tree Week, which is the UK’s largest tree celebration, returns on November 24-December 2.

It is an amazing opportunity for communities to come together and aim to plant over a million trees.  

BASF, the UK’s only beneficial nematode growers, are large supporters of the national week. Their Nemasys Fruit and Vegetable Protection will ensure that pests are kept away from fruit trees.

Nematodes, such as Nemaslug and the Nemasys range, are naturally occurring microscopic animal organisms that act as biological pest control. Once applied to trees, these nematodes can hunt out the harmful pests and attack it before it gets to your fruit.

Nematodes attack the pest by entering natural body openings, releasing a bacteria which quickly and safely kills it. The nematodes then reproduce inside the dead pest and release a new generation of hungry nematodes, which disperse and search for further prey.

The Nemasys range is as easy to use as watering the garden and there is no need to keep children or pets away from treated areas as the products are entirely biological and causes no harm to non-target species or wildlife.

BASF, producers of Nemasys and Nemaslug products have made them easily accessible online and user friendly; perfect for the domestic gardener who demands an effortless product that is non-toxic and extremely effective. Their online website makes gardeners lives easier as an entire season’s worth of pest control can be purchased via their website and delivered straight to their front door.

You can follow Nemasys on Twitter @BASF_Nemasys_UK and find them on Facebook by searching for @BASF.Nemasys.UK 

Haskins in Southampton is delighted to have partnered with Venture Studios Southampton for its annual photoshoot competition.

Venture Studios Southampton will be at Haskins in West End every weekend until Sunday December 9, taking festive photos of individuals and groups that are keen to participate. With festive backdrops and Christmas-themed props, shoppers can pose for photos taken by a professional team of photographers.

The photos from each week are uploaded to Haskins West End’s Facebook page, where customers are encouraged to ‘like’ a photo in order to vote for their favourite for that week. The weekly winners will receive a plush reindeer toy and will be entered into a prize draw at the end of the competition to win a photoshoot with Venture Studios Southampton worth £1,000 and a gift card worth £100 to spend at Haskins.

James Varney, assistant general manager at Haskins Garden Centre in West End, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Venture Studios Southampton back to Haskins.

The photoshoot competition has become a firm favourite with our shoppers and the children in particular! We’d like to thank Venture Studios Southampton for their ongoing support and for helping encourage a truly festive spirit in the centre.”

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins, commented: “We’ve received great feedback from our early-bird shoppers that have already visited our Christmas department and have worked hard to ensure we remain on the map as a must-visit Christmas destination. Our real cut trees will be available from Monday November 19.”

Haskins is located in Mansbridge Road, Gaters Hill, West End, SO18 3HW. For more information visit www.haskins.co.uk   

Tong Garden Centre was been voted Elite Business of the Year in the Aagrah Restaurant Group's 36th Annual Dinner and Elite Yorkshire Business Awards.

Tong's MD Mark Farnsworth and commercial director Sharon McNair were among the 600 business guests attending the event in Leeds.

Pictured: Sharon McNair and Mark Farnsworth, centre, receive the Elite Business Award.

Mr Farnsworth said: “Yorkshire boasts some of the largest and most successful companies in the UK and I'm proud to accept this award on behalf of the team at Tong who have worked tirelessly to restore Tong to its former glory.”

The event raised £125,000 for the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation.

Hozelock have named Rob Williams, who covers the South Midlands down to Buckinghamshire, as Account Manager of the Year for 2018. 

Meanwhile, Julie Madgin, who previously worked at Stax Distributors, has joined Hozelock as account manager for the north-west.

With about £135m raised out of a target £442m and time dragging on even the national newspapers are now speculating on the future of the remaining 115 Wyevale Garden Centres.

The Financial Times last week reported:  "There have been several offers on the table, including from aggressive turnround specialists such as Alteri Investors, a unit of Apollo Global Management, according to people familiar with the matter. 

"One person close to Terra Firma said so-called vulture funds were unlikely to prevail in the bidding, however, as breaking up the business and selling off the rest of its sites individually would recover more value."

Read the full Financial Times story here: https://www.ft.com/content/3661595a-ddc9-11e8-8f50-cbae5495d92b

What are your views on the future of the remaining Wyevale Garden Centres?  Use the comments button below or e-mail: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Westland has reported this morning that the acquisition of Gardman, taking it from administration, is developing well and that real progress is being made.

Westland’s Operations Director, Peter Madden, Sales Director John Mcdowell and Crest Managing Director Nick Davies are working tirelessly to bring the Gardman business within the Westland structure and ways of working.  They have issued the following statement to update all on the progress over this period.

“Acquiring Gardman from administration has been a complex and challenging process, but what is clear is that the loyalty and support the customer is showing Gardman is beyond all expectations. Within just a few short weeks order volume is returning and is now close to that of last year’s levels, highlighting the industry support for Gardman and the relevance of the product offer.

Gardman has a strong product range with exceptional positioning and quality, which is sector leading in many areas. The opportunity across all categories is significant in each and every area, from lighting, garden decoration to bird food. We can already see that the products have far exceeded our expectations and have a strong fit into the Westland ethos. There is an exciting future ahead for all our categories.

For the past few years, retailers and customers have not been able to maximise the Gardman portfolio to its full potential. It is our job now to turn this around and make every brand from Cole & Bright, Grow-it, Gardman bird through to Eden Bloom a success for all retailers and consumers.

We have already made significant progress in key areas - stock availability is getting stronger by the day and we are in a strong financial position to secure stock when required. This initial progress and the support from our suppliers will deliver over 95% availability for the coming season.

We feel very confident that our customers’ day-to-day requirements are ready to be serviced by the existing Gardman sales team. We have spent a significant amount of time with the team and a strong emphasis is now placed on pre-season and delivering the 2019 plan. The team is very well equipped to fully support retailers and all the inaccurate gossip in the trade around Gardman can now be put to bed!

We are also pleased to announce our ongoing support of the Royal British Legion Poppy appeal. It is a fantastic initiative and we, as an industry, should maximise the opportunity to support such a worthwhile cause.

We have an outstanding and dedicated Gardman team and we are fully focused on delivering the best possible for 2019 season.”

For more information about Westland please visit www.gardenhealth.com.

Westland Horticulture further enhanced its position in the UK growing media market last month when it acquired Erin from parent company LeisureGrow.

LeisureGrow Group CEO Richard Grimmer said the strategic challenges facing the industry meant the businesses would be stronger together and would allow LeisureGrow to focus on developing its Petface, NOMA and LG Outdoor brands.

“I’ve been involved with the Erin brand for almost 40 years, but I believe this is the right time for change and the best thing for both LeisureGrow and the Erin brand moving forwards,” he added. “We would like to thank all of our customers for their support over the years in helping Erin to become one of the most trusted growing media brands in the industry, and we look forward to their continued support with the other brands in the LeisureGrow family.

Erin Horticulture was established in the early 1980’s, evolving from a peat pot company that started trading in 1960. It manages more than 300 acres of peatlands in the Irish midlands but as an active member of the Growing Media Association, also supports the development of suitable peat alternatives.

GTN Xtra understands the negotiations for the purchase of Erin have been taking place since the summer with completion taking place just after the rescuing of Gardman.

Garden Centres who stock and sell Erin products have been told that the brand will continue as a separate business.

Westland acquired the Sinclair growing media business in 2015, consolidating the Dungannon company’s position at the forefront of the sector.

We spotted this ad on TV and social media last week. 

Is your houseplant area ready to serve the needs of people who are inspired by this?

As The Joy of Life website says:  "Plants do so much for us, so it's nice when we do something in return, isn't it? Give them a lovely home. Make an effort to get to know these living things. Play classical music for them and say nice things to them. They really will flourish. And take care of them as if they were your dog or cat. They are a life. They are life itself.

"Thanks Plants."

See the ad and more information about the campaign at: https://www.thejoyofplants.co.uk/thanks-plants

Two years after a fire completely devastated Ansells Garden centre near Heathrow Airport the business fully re-opened yesterday, Saturday November 10th, with a sparkling new shop.

Managing Director Paresh Raithatha told GTN Xtra: "It was a great day and with only Social Media Advertising we pulled in a lot of customers and as word spreads today we are expecting a busy Sunday. The Garden Centre was empty 8 days ago, so the team and suppliers have done a fantastic job to get the stock in and on the shelves in that time. The project still has 14 weeks to go but the progress so far has been amazing and we are happy to be out of the elements and to be trading for Christmas!"

Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2016 as well as 2017 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Garden Plants Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Christmas Products chart for this week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £120m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.

Buy your subscription today and start receiving the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.

Perrywood Tiptree has been shortlisted in the 2018 FreeFrom Eating Out Awards. The garden centre is home to an award-winning Coffee Shop serving everything from hot lunches, paninis and ploughmans to scones and cakes, all of which can be found on the Coffee Shop’s specially designed ‘free from’ menu.

The FreeFrom Eating Out awards recognise the best ‘free from’ eateries in the UK from quirky beach hut cafes to five-star restaurants. With an extensive menu of gluten free and dairy free options, it is no surprise that Perrywood is one of only seven shortlisted for the FreeFrom ‘Newbies’ award in the UK.

As part of the awards process, an expert judge will visit Perrywood and will share a report on the free from offering. The report is compiled based on the eatery’s understanding of how to cater safely for those with food allergies, as well as the ability to provide guests with exciting, innovative and delicious food. This food should rival, if not excel, its 'normal' offer. Chosen winners will then receive a gold, siver or bronze award.

The 2018 FreeFrom Eating Out Awards will take place at Food Matters Live on 20 November, when the winner will be announced.

Hannah Powell, Communications and Business Development at Perrywood comments: “As a business, we are extremely passionate about catering for everybody within our Coffee Shop. Our food offering is something that we are very proud of, particularly our free from menu, and to be recognised for this, is a fantastic achievement.”

Hannah continues: “We offer our customers four menus to choose from including the main menu, the free from menu, a children’s menu and a vegan specials menu. Being a family business, it is important that our offering is inclusive for everyone which is why we have worked so hard to deliver this in our Coffee Shop.”