As the weather turned back to the Indian Summer we'd all been hoping for, the GTN Bestsellers charts show that the biggest sales increases were Veg-2-Gro.

The GTN Veg-2-Gro chart is now showing a cumulative increase year on year of 11% (also up 14% on 2011) and talk at the Fleuroselect Home Garden Conference this week was of plenty more GYO growth.

At the Tozer seeds trial ground, many new varieties were on show, including some that are already being grown commercially and sold through supermarkets. Flower sprouts are likely to be big in M&S this winter, giving us the ideal ready-made marketing platform for the seeds.

Andrew Tokely from Thompson & Morgan is expecting several new varieties to be new bestsellers in 2014. British Basil is a hot tip – this new variety has a robust leaf and is more weather tolerant for outdoor growing.

T&M will also be selling a pack of mixed beetroot seeds in 2014. Given the perennial success of Beetroot Boltardy it will be interesting to see how a pack of 5 different varieties performs.

We know everyone is up to their ears in Christmas displays right now, but spare a thought about your GYO areas for next year now, while sales are still happening.

How will you make the most of more growth next year, and how will you attract and encourage new gardeners to grow veg in your area? Let us know by email trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year:
• Garden Products – down 3%
• Veg-2-Gro – down 2%
• Growing Media – down 11%
• All items index – up 20%

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Below the ground they will find a nice big crop of white potatoes which are incredibly versatile – they can be boiled, mashed, roasted or made into chips.

Now, home gardeners really can grow tomatoes and potatoes on one plant. This concept has been worked on for over 15 years, but this is the first time that plants have been successfully produced commercially.

Tomatoes are members of the potato family (Solanaceae) and are therefore naturally compatible with potatoes. Each plant is hand-grafted to create this unique double-cropping feature. There’s no genetic modification - it’s an all-natural and completely safe process.

As is the case with all of Thompson & Morgan’s plants, TomTato is dispatched with full growing instructions. However the company says that these are hardly necessary as the plants are so easy to grow.

TomTato can be grown inside or outside, in a large patio pot or 40 litre bag, on the allotment or in the vegetable patch. Thompson & Morgan is expecting huge interest in its innovative new ‘veg plot in a pot’ and customers are being urged to order early to be sure to get their hands on these unique plants. 

Paul Hansord, T&M’s horticultural director, is understandably excited about bringing TomTato to UK gardeners: "When I first saw this plant, I was amazed! Potatoes and tomatoes on the same plant? You really have to grow TomTato to believe it."

An Essex garden centre is closing after more than 50 years due to competition from supermarkets and online retailers.

Planthome Garden Centre in Woodham Road, near South Woodham Ferrers, has customers from across the Maldon and Burnham area.

Gill Blakesley and daughter Tara Eklund have owned the business for seven-and-a-half years but there has been a garden centre on the site for more than 50.

All stock is currently on sale before it shuts on October 27.

The fine weather has meant there is still plenty of activity in the UK’s gardens but consumers are turning their attentions to indoor plants with orchid products prominent in this week’s GTN Bestsellers Garden Product chart.

There are 11 orchid lines in the Top 50, headed by Fito Drip Feeder for Orchids at No 1 and Vitax Orchid Drip Feeder at No 2.

Growth Technology’s orchid products also feature strongly with three re-entries and a new entry in Orchid Pot Clear (8.5cm).

Oasis Ideal Wet Floral Foam Bricks are this week’s highest re-entry as gardeners make an indoor display of their late-summer cut flowers.

And evidence that consumers are spending as much time outdoors as the weather allows at this time of the year comes in the form of Bayer Boltac Greasebands, a re-entry at No 37.

Fiskars coloured hand forks are popular at the moment. The Red version is at No 2 while the Green is the highest new entry. The Blue is also a newcomer to the chart.

Another new entry is Sankey Clear Pots (pack of 4).

See the full GTN Garden Products Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Research shows that a visit to a café or restaurant is fast becoming one of the key reasons for visiting a garden centre.

Customers are looking for a complete experience and 'making a day of it' invariably includes time spent within your dining space.

The key is to ensure that you maximise the retail potential of this captive audience by promoting a wide range of products and encouraging impulse buys.

• Consider lining the route leading to the service and seating areas with products to keep customers interested and encourage cross-selling

• Think about incorporating retail displays in under-utilised areas, such as around the till space or coffee pick up areas. These are ideal spots for impulse buys

• Box clever! You don't need to spend a fortune to showcase your merchandise. Smart use of product lines to create inspiring displays, such as a beautiful cake stand with mouth-watering scones or wooden crate displaying fresh vegetables ensures customers are tempted to buy from other areas of the garden centre 

Sponsorship for the forthcoming HTA Garden Futures Dinner & Conference is now sold out. Over 25 companies are partnering with the ever popular strategic industry event which this year takes place on 17 October at One Great George Street, London with the dinner taking place on the evening of 16 October.

Partners include: Bord na Mona, Hozelock, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Barclaycard, Gardman, Corby + Fellas, i2i Events, Solus, Yankee Candles, Briers, CSY Retail Systems, Suttons Seeds, Easitill, Euro Food Brands, HTA Healthcare Services, Kaemingk, , Alpha Packaging, Citation, G7 Computer Services, Garden Connect, HTA Insurance Services, IS Group, Salepoint, WMF, Cozy Bay Furniture, Davidson Richards and Premier Decorations. The event is also supported by media partners HTA News, Garden Trade News and Horticulture Week.

HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris comments, “We are delighted that this year’s event has attracted so much interest from partners. As a key diary date in the garden industry calendar Garden Futures really brings together the industry supply chain. This year’s programme focuses on the big issues impacting on the sector and with such an array of speakers is sure to cause much inspiration, dialogue and debate.”

For those that still wish to be involved with the event the only options now available are to attend and place a sample product into the goody bags which will be given to all delegates.

Those interested in placing a sample product into the goody bags should contact HTA Commercial Manager Tim Bell on 07808 775177 as soon as possible as there isn’t much time left to take up this offer.

For further information and to book visit www.gardenfutures.org.uk

Aggregate Industries, one of the UK’s leading aggregates, construction and building materials groups, has announced a major re-brand which will consolidate 25 of its businesses under the Aggregate Industries name.

The changes, which will come into effect from the end of September, are part of a drive by the company to make it easier for customers to source products and services from across the group. The move also supports the company’s construction solutions strategy which has seen it supply multiple products and services to a number of major projects including the Olympic Park.

Although the majority of businesses will now trade as Aggregate Industries, brands such as Bradstone will be retained as a product and service range within Aggregate Industries due to its strength in the market place.

Growth through acquisition has led to multiple brands within Aggregate Industries and CEO Alain Bourguignon (pictured above) says that now is the right time to unify the business under one brand.

He comments: “The re-brand is a significant change for the company, but one that we believe will improve the customer experience and provide us with a strong platform for growth as the market begins to recover.

“Across the group, we are able to offer a unique and integrated solution through our broad product and services portfolio. The re-brand supports this approach and will help to communicate our all-round capability.

“Operationally, it is very much business as usual. We will continue to offer a quality local service at a local level and our customers’ day to day contacts will remain the same.”

Aggregate Industries has over 400 operations in the UK, the Channel Islands and Northern Europe and produces and supplies over 40 million tonnes of material to the construction industry, including aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete products. It also imports and supplies cementitous materials and offers a national road servicing and contracting service. 

A new-look website now reflects the re-brand and a new guide to Aggregate Industries has been produced detailing the full product and service range and how it can be accessed through a national network of sales offices. For further information, visit www.aggregate.com

The Ultra Plush Snuggle Bed, by Westwoods Global Ltd, was one product that certainly caught our eye at Glee as well as impressing the New Product Awards judges, who voted it best Pet Product.

Judge Jane Lancaster said:  "The Ultra Plush Snuggle bed really caught our eye. It’s an easy-clean, top quality product offering luxury and comfort for the family pet, and as it’s elevated it offers draught-free sleeping." 

This range of ultra plush pet furniture is a high quality product with wooden frames and removable/washable cushion covers. 

With 13 designs to choose from, including a Chaise Lounge with underbed storage, this product is perfect for those who want a stylish bed for their pet.

For more information visit www.westwoodsglobal.com

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 and on the GTN website www.gardentradenews.co.uk.

Every week we give sales volume comparisons with 2011 as well as 2012 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, or subscribe on-line here

or e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

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

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro 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.

Taylors Bulbs have this week got nine lines in the Veg-2-Gro chart Top 10, with four onion sets, four garlic and one shallot.

Onion Sets Electric, Rada and Senshhyu Yellow fill the top three places while Garlic Marco and Cristo are next in line. Shallots Jermor is at No 7.

There are 17 re-entries this week, headed by Unwins Gro-Sure Chilli Kit. Suttons Broad Bean The Sutton (Dwarf) and Thompson & Morgan Cress Xtra Curled have also had good sales weeks and return to the chart.

The only new entry is Mr Fothergills Broad Bean Bunyards Exhibition. Other notable performances came from Suttons James Wong Homegrown Revolution Cucamelon Seeds, the highest climber moving up 29 places.

Thompson & Morgan’s Green Manure seeds – Organic Mix, Phacelia and Grazing Rye – are also prominent in the Top 20.

See the full GTN Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only 

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here 

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Gem Cambark Chunky Chip Bark and Scotts Miracle Gro Moisture Control Bark have seen an 100% increase in their sales, helping growing media volumes to be higher than the previous week.

There were a few other notable performances, these being:

• Westland Organic Farm Manure (60 litres) has also more than doubled its sales.
• Scotts Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Premium Garden Soil (25 litres) is the chart’s highest climber.
• Scotts Miracle-Gro Multipurpose Compost (25 litres) takes the highest re-entry accolade.
• Arthur Bowers Bulb Fibre (10 litres) has seen a 50% increase is sales.

See the full GTN Growing Media Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Swan Retail and G7, two leading systems specialists with a strong track record of working together on implementations for independent retailers, have announced that they are to merge.

Based in Waterlooville, Hampshire, G7 has over 20 years’ experience in the provision of fully integrated EPoS and multi-channel retail solutions to more than 300 retailers in a variety of sectors across the UK and Channel Islands. Somerset based Swan Retail, meanwhile, formed in 2003, has developed its Swan Retail Management System specifically as an open and flexible IT system, which enables independent retailers to integrate and manage their entire operations from Stock Control and Customer Ordering through to a full suite of Accounting modules.

According to Swan Retail Managing Director Dave Thompson, Swan and G7 have been working together successfully since the beginning of 2013, delivering their solutions to destination retailers such as garden centres, department stores and furniture and fashion retailers.

“The merger is the natural next step in light of our already strong and highly successful working relationship with G7,” says Thompson.

Thompson continues: “By using G7-Swan’s comprehensive and cost-effective business applications, independents will no longer have to license a third-party application to achieve their integration and multi-channel aims. We are 100% committed to making integrated IT more affordable, relevant and effective for the independent retailer. What’s more, we not only offer the technology but also a  partnership approach, with the personal service, long-term road map and the 7-day support teams that independents need.”

G7 Managing Director Neil Biltcliffe adds: “Progressive independent retailers know they have to invest appropriately in integrated systems and processes if they are to cut out duplication of effort, compete and be profitable in today’s world. This merger makes a fully integrated, end-to-end, multi-channel retail solution available to independents at a cost that makes sense.

"From EPoS to accounts, and embracing the management of stock, customers and orders across stores, websites, mobile devices and mail order, including special offers, links to eBay and Amazon shops, loyalty schemes, CRM and more, this is an integrated system that provides a single version of the truth and seamless management of all retail activities and customer expectations across all channels.”

Thompson concludes: “At G7-Swan we are building our business with a very clear aim – to further help independent retailers build their businesses, their service and their profit.”

With an inspiring range of cultivars with coloured leaves and flowers to choose from, Heuchera is nominated as HTA’s Plant of the Month for October and is part of the Plan it Plant it this Autumn campaign.

Traditionally used as fillers in the border, plant breeders have transformed Heucheras (commonly named coral bells) into something of a star turn. New and exciting cultivars of this plant have come on the market in recent years with ever more vibrant leaf colour, from yellows, oranges and lime greens, through to purples, reds and browns.

They are most effective when planted en masse in a border but also can also be used in a stand alone planter to bring vibrancy and texture to the garden. They can be grown in winter baskets and containers for placing on the patio at any time of the year.

Many varieties of Heuchera are almost totally evergreen and are versatile in both sun and shade. They take very little growing, so ideal for the novice gardener and tend to look after themselves.  Heuchera is a delightful plant, for planting to brighten up any part of the garden. In recent years exciting new cultivars with ever more vibrant leaf colour, from yellows, oranges and lime greens, through to purples, reds and browns have emerged

They can be grown in full sun or partial shade in soil that has had well rotted manure or compost added prior to planting. Unlike other leafy plants, Heucheras don’t seem to suffer from slug and snail damage.

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 visitwww.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth2013  

For more information on Plan it, Plant it, this Autumn visit www.the-hta.org.uk/autumn

Savings of more than £3,000 a year could be hidden in the nation’s independent retailers, according to energy supplier npower.

These savings have been released as part of npower’s ongoing work to help small businesses turn the spotlight on how much money they could save by finding simple ways to use less energy. The findings are from a programme of energy saving audits at real businesses including a convenience store in Birmingham. 

The energy saving audit used the business’ average annual expenditure on energy to reveal approximate energy savings including:

-       £1,152  from implementing voltage optimisation

-       £1,000 from increasing staff awareness of energy consumption and implementing real-time energy monitoring

-       £600 from air conditioning maintenance and changes to temperature set points

-       £184 from lighting improvements

-       £150 from lighting occupancy control

-       £62 from fitting blinds to open fronted fridges and chillers.

A series of infographics has been released to bring the results of the audits to life and demonstrate the opportunity to make tangible bottom line reductions through energy saving.

Phil Scholes, SME Sales & Marketing Director for npower, commented: “We know many retailers are busy with the day-to-day operation of their stores, so we work in partnership with them to help identify where energy savings can easily be made.  Our energy saving audits show just how many hidden savings there are within businesses and how these can add up to significant sums of money. 

“We’d encourage any retailers looking for help on how they can save to contact us for advice.”

 For more information on finding the hidden savings in a business, visit www.npower.com/businessenergysaving  

PLAYMOBIL, LECHUZA’s parent company, has hired Uffe Kloster as the new commercial director to head up its UK operation.

Uffe Kloster, who joins LECHUZA on 30^th September 2013, is originally from Denmark and has extensive experience and a proven business track record in Europe.

Fluent in five languages, Uffe Kloster has worked as managing director in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the UK. He brings cultural and professional expertise to further develop LECHUZA in a highly competitive market.

Uffe Kloster will succeed Graham Brennan who, after 13 years with the company, is leaving to seek a new opportunity as managing director.

Bookings are now open for the HTA Seasonal Plants Focus Conference which takes place on Thursday 21 November 2013 at Young Plants Ltd, Stratford upon Avon. Following on from the success of the previous Seasonal Plants Focus Conference interest is anticipated to be high and so growers and retailers are encouraged to book by 16 October to benefit from the early bird rate.

Collaborate, innovate and succeed is the theme for the conference, sponsored by Bulrush, Floramedia and Young Plants Ltd, which brings a wealth of industry experts together to discuss and debate latest issues affecting seasonal and bedding plant growers.

This year’s programme is split into four highly relevant sessions: how growers and retailers should work together to increase sales; extending the season and range; future opportunities for the garden industry and collaboration and smarter working.

Each session is packed with insightful speakers including Chris Beytes, Editor of Grower Talks Magazine, Ball Publishing, who will explain the evolution of the grower-retailer relationship in America and share some interesting stories; Nigel Judd from Thompson and Morgan, who will discuss how to create premium products from common species by giving them a special twist to create new sales opportunities; and Joop Kooijman from Keift Seeds, who will look at the use of perennials for bedding plant growers.

Other speakers include:

• Philip Evason - founder of Supply Chain and Procurement Solutions
• Graham Dunn, Managing Director of Cresco Horticulture
• Nicky Roeber, Plant Buyer, The Garden Centre Group
• Peter McDermott, Managing Director, You Garden Ltd
• Steve Jones, Executive Director, ReSharpen
• Professor Andrew Fearne, Kent University
• Carol Paris, HTA

 The conference this year will be preceded by a superb networking dinner the night before at the Alveston Manor Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, which will feature an inspirational after-dinner talk by Boyd Douglas-Davies, Chief Executive of The Hillview Group. 

Both the dinner and the conference will provide an ideal opportunity to get together with colleagues from across the bedding and seasonal plant production sector as well as retailers from across the industry.

Further information about the programme and a booking form can be found at www.seasonalplantsfocus.co.uk