A leading figure in the growing media sector has revealed how the garden industry is tackling the ongoing ‘Blue Planet’ debate about how to provide customers with quality compost in the future.

Steve Harper is  the lead for the industry’s Responsible Sourcing Scheme.

“I always had a concern that we were going to replace peat with something else without knowing how good or bad that something else was. That was always the problem: It was ban peat, use peat-free products. But nobody had any real idea how good or bad those peat-free replacements were going to be,” said Steve, who is also head of commercial sales and marketing at the Greener Gardening Company (formally Bord na Mona).

“What I don’t want is the industry to move to something that ultimately in 10 years’ time is at least as bad if not worse than peat. 

“The Responsible Sourcing Scheme looks at how we measure all products equally. It doesn’t matter if it’s peat, coir, composted bark fibres, wood fibre, green compost, or whatever the raw material might be. Every time we use a different raw material, we can measure them using broadly the same criteria against each other to understand how responsible it is.”

Steve says there are seven criteria that each product is measured against. 

1. Energy – If you are harvesting peat, you’ve got tractors and machinery plus the energy that’s used in getting the product to the factory and the energy used in the factory.  It’s taking all of the energy use up to the point you bag the product.
2. Water – As a planet, we’re becoming more and more water constrained. We are inside the UK but these products come from other parts of the world as well. So water becomes a big issue.
3. Social compliance – Are we producing the product in a socially compliant way? In terms of looking at how people are involved in the process. Is everybody paid a proper wage, we’re not using child labour?
4. Habitat and biodiversity – We haven’t opened new bogs for 10 or 20 years at least. So the damage we’re doing to the habitat and biodiversity is more limiting now, but the release of carbon coming off those bogs has become more of an issue. So, biodiversity is measured and it has become part of the process.
5. Pollution – Are any of the products we are using creating pollution downstream?
6. Renewability – How renewable are these products? You go from green compost which is renewable arguably on an hourly basis within a five-year window, to peat which is renewable over a 10,000 year period.
7. Resource Use Efficiency – That’s about using recycled or by-products as opposed to using virgin products in the first instance.

“Each product has issues and the whole point of the Responsible Sourcing Scheme is to measure each one of these products alongside each other and then give them a score. Since November, a number of manufacturers have started scoring their raw materials. They have to go through a calculator which is available on the Growing Media Association website and they have to score each one of their raw materials versus this calculator, create all the evidence to prove that their scores are robust and then we will go to a third party auditor, one who also audits FSC, who will come in and audit all of those scores. Once a number of companies have had their product audited the benchmarking committee inside the Responsible Sourcing Scheme will decide what is going to be a responsible score. Products that score above that can be deemed to be responsible products, scores below that can’t be deemed to be responsible.

“By early summer 2020 we’ll have that responsible score. And that will allow manufacturers to then look at putting something on their bags for the season 2021. What we’re trying to do is mimic some labelling that’s regularly used in the market now and the favourite at the moment is something like the energy rating where you buy a fridge or even a house. The other thing the industry is working hard to try and do is the big question of what’s in the bag? We want to move forward by listing the core ingredients in the bag in order of percentages as with the food industry.”

The full interview with Steve can be found in the March issue of Garden Trade News. Click here to view the digital version.

If there are any other growing media and peat issues coming up with your customers let us know by emailing trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Another weekend of high winds and rain pushed the GTN Bestsellers All Products Sales Index down to the lowest level the past 10 years for week 8.

Although sales increased by 5% on the previous week, by last Sunday the year to date sales, as monitored via EPoS data by GTN Bestsellers, had dropped to -0.5% down on last year and 7.4% up on 2018.

It was Week 9 in 2018 that we first got hit by the Beast from the East and garden centre sales hit an all time low.  With a brief respite to the rain and some sunshine in parts of the country hopefully Week 9 2020 won't see a repeat of that.

In an interview with GTN for the March issue, Steve Harper suggested that all garden centres should be making the most of soil improver and conditioner sales over the coming weeks.  "Garden Centres should be offering multi-buys of soil conditioners now as the soil structure and all nutrients will have leached out as a result of all this rain."

You can read GTN's full interview with Steve Harper about the Growing Media Responsible Sourcing Scheme using this link

With Garden Re-Leaf Day on the horizon (13^th March 2020) now is the perfect time for garden retailers to think about how they’ll be supporting the annual fundraising event. One idea could be to add a dedicated Greenfingers product display at the heart of the store, showcasing all the amazing products that leading garden suppliers have launched to help raise funds for the children’s hospice garden charity.

A central Greenfingers product display is a superb way of helping customers to really appreciate how Greenfingers has been adopted as the garden sector’s charity of choice and will potentially encourage them to purchase a selection of products to gain that warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from helping a charity.

Products to include in the Greenfingers display, each of which donate a sum to the charity for each sale made, include the Vivid Arts Rabbit figurine, Woodlodge’s terracotta ‘Greenfingers’ pot, Zest 4 Leisure’s Tiverton Charity Planter, Evergreen Garden Care’s Miracle-Gro® compost packs, and Wharton Roses ‘Rosy Cheek’ rose.

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications said: “We feel so incredibly lucky to have the support of such well known and beloved brands and know that their Greenfingers products are helping to get the charity in front of thousands of potential supporters every year. Together these products have the potential to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the charity; funds that will enable us to add more gardens to our wish list for 2020 and beyond. The fact that a simple grouping of these products can – and will – drive sales during the peak gardening sales period as well as during the Garden Re-Leaf weekend, We hope that garden retailers will consider adding such a display to their stores this year.”

Get your fundraising pack!

Getting involved in Garden Re-Leaf couldn’t be easier. Greenfingers has created fundraising packs that can be downloaded from  https://www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/gardenreleaf. These packs are full of ideas regarding how garden centres can make the Garden Re-Leaf weekend a family-friendly and fun fundraising event.

The charity also offers a wealth of additional collateral that can help garden retailers to make the most of the Garden Re-Leaf weekend, including t-shirts, collection buckets and posters to name but a few. Garden Re-Leaf is also a great local PR opportunity which helps to drive customers into store, and, again, Greenfingers can offer support to maximise this with draft news releases, and advice on which media to contact.

Garden centres already confirmed to participate in Garden Re-Leaf 2020 include Ayletts, Altons Garden Centre, The Old Railway Line, Longacres, Perrywood, British Garden Centres, Paradise Park, Thurrock, Van Hage (Great Amwell), Whitehall and Haskins, with more expected to sign up over the next couple of weeks.  

If you would like to find out more about how to get involved in Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day 2020, whether by putting on events in your garden centre, through sponsored solo activities or simply by donating - contact the Greenfingers office on 01494 674749 or email Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk.

Lakeside Plant and Garden Centre in the flood hit area of Telford in Shropshire used social media this weekend with a bit of fun to keep gardeners spirits up.

"Here at Lakeside we are always open to new concepts for the garden. Coming soon this six pack of sponges all you then do is dot them round the garden to soak up excessive water.."

"While trying to attract the gardeners interest at this rather wet time I thought this would be a bit of fun of social media if only to have customers looking at us." Kev from Lakeside Plant and Garden centre told GTN Xtra.

On a more serious note, Steve Harper passed on a key tip for all garden centres following on from all this wet weather.  "Garden Centres should be offering multi-buys of soil conditioners now as the soil structure and all nutrients will have leached out as a result of all this rain."

You can read GTN's full interview with Steve Harper about the Growing Media Responsible Sourcing Scheme using this link

More than £1,900 was raised for gardening-for-health charity Thrive at the Europlants Open Day.

With Thrive ambassador David Domoney hosting the lunch during the event, a total of £1,913 was collected from visitors through a raffle and auction, with a giant Italian Easter Egg going for £110. 

Established 40 years ago, Thrive specialises in using therapeutic horticulture to improve people's lives. The charity has three centres in Birmingham, London and near Reading where hundreds of client gardeners visit to take part in its programmes. 

Thrive also promotes the health and wellbeing benefits of gardening to the wider population, through campaigns like ‘It's Not Just Gardening’ campaign in April 2019.

The charity’s Horticultural Therapists work with a wide range of client gardeners including people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, autism, long-term illness and those with poor mental health.

To find out more visit www.thrive.org.uk

LOFA marketing manager Gina Hinde and her husband John will be heading to Monte Carlo in a £500 banger to raise money for Greenfingers Charity.

“We will start in Bridgnorth and drive 1629km through Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monte Carlo and finally cross the finish line in Nice,” said Gina.

“The journey starts on the 4th June and we will hopefully, fingers crossed, arrive in Nice on Sunday 7th June.  The rules state this is not a race. However, if there is an engine, four wheels and a steering wheel how can it not be a race? I shall probably be disqualified on the first leg.  

“As a huge petrol head I cannot wait to get started but I need your help.  We would love to raise a minimum of £3,500 for the charity, a bit more if we could. So I am appealing to your charitable side and asking if you could sponsor us either personally or via your company for as much or as little as you can manage. If you sponsor us via a company we will put your logo on our car as we sail across Europe.

“This means we could help create more magical gardens around the UK for life-limited children and their families, allowing them  to relax and spend quality time together. We will accept any currency in any denomination!

“You can help LOFA raise money for this great cause by donating directly to our JUSTGIVING fundraising page JustGiving sends your donation straight to Greenfingers Charity so that they can put your generosity to good use.”

The LOFA fundraising page can be found by clicking here.

Each year we endeavour to be better. It might be eating better, promising to go to bed at a reasonable time, or it might be finding ways to give back to others. Supporting a charity is one way of doing this. Donating to charity not only helps the organisation to achieve its goals’ but it also helps release ‘happy’ endorphins to make you experience that much sought after warm and fuzzy feeling. With Garden Re-Leaf just days away (13^th March 2020), why not grab your ‘warm and fuzzy’ by participating in the garden retail industry’s number one fundraising event?

Whether you join the Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk and Cycle Challenge or get involved in a range of FUNdraising activities taking place at garden centres across the UK, taking part in Garden RE-Leaf Day 2020 couldn’t be easier. Simply visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/gardenreleaf to find out more information, register as a team or individual entrant, or to register an event at your garden centre. FUNdraising packs are also available, making it even easier to kickstart your fundraising activities. 

Where does the Garden Re-Leaf money go?

In July 2011, Hillview Garden Store CEO, Boyd Douglas-Davies, announced the inaugural Garden Re-Leaf Day at the Garden Retail Awards in London.  Now in its ninth year, Garden Re-Leaf Day is the biggest charity fundraiser in the garden industry’s calendar and has, to date, raised over £600,000 in the UK, over £1m world-wide.

The aim of Garden Re-Leaf Day is to celebrate the start of the gardening year with fundraising events to raise money for Greenfingers, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of children in hospices through the creation of magical gardens.

For the garden industry, the day creates valuable team building opportunities and brings more shoppers into garden centres earlier to extend the peak spring season. Garden centre managers, staff and other industry professionals tirelessly set up fun and exciting ways to not only raise money for Greenfingers, but also to promote gardening as an enjoyable pastime.

But where do these vital funds go?  Most will already be aware that the money raised is used to build Greenfingers hospice gardens which enable life-limited children and their families to enjoy special time together outside enjoying the therapeutic benefits of nature, and away from the bedside.  Greenfingers works exclusively with each hospice to come up with a unique design that suits the needs of the children and families they care for.  Each garden is created with top industry designers and landscapers, as well as help from the local community, volunteers and gardening clubs.

Since launching 20 years ago, Greenfingers Charity has completed 58 gardens across the country, including a special RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden at the 2019 event. 2020 will see more  gardens be completed or being planned for 2021.  These include an updated Remembrance Garden at the Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough, an all-inclusive play garden at St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle, and at Ty Hafan in the Vale of Glamorgan will benefit from an outdoor haven that provides opportunities to stimulate the senses.

Finally, Haven House in Woodford Green, Essex, will receive a Garden of Reflection where children with life limiting or life-threatening conditions, parents and carers can spend time with friends and family, or alone as a peaceful place in which to remember and reflect.

Linda Petrons, Greenfingers Director of Fundraising and Communications said: “Garden Re-Leaf Day has resulted in life-limited children and families who spend time in hospices every single year being able to enjoy precious time together in a Greenfingers garden.  It’s really easy to take part, you can sign up and participate in one of this year's organised initiatives such as the Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk and Cycle Challenge, or an in-store event such as a coffee morning, tombola, cake sale or quiz.  Even if you raise just a few pounds, this will make a difference. We are endlessly grateful for the support and want all those involved in Garden Re-Leaf activities to know that every penny raised will be put to good use and will be so appreciated by the children and families that spend time in a Greenfingers garden.”

If you would like to find out more about how to get involved in Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day 2020, whether by putting on events in your garden centre, through sponsored solo activities or simply by donating - contact the Greenfingers office on 01494 674749 or email Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk.

The new spring season for UK based Durston Garden Products couldn’t have got off to a better start with orders up 15% on last year. 

The company attributes its on-going success to a number of factors, including its ability to produce a consistently top quality range of composts as well as offering its clients a unique all-round customer service experience. 

“Being able to tailor-make a service to ones specific customer needs isn’t always possible with larger organisations,” says company spokesman, Dan Durston. 

“However, being a small to medium sized enterprise (SME), means Durstons can, and often do go that extra mile to ensure its customers’ gets exactly what it wants, but more importantly, when they want it.”

Mix and matching products can be of major benefit to retailers. It means they can order individually, item-by-item their specific requirements without having to stockpile large volumes of one product. It also means that those products which may not be as popular don’t get to sit around for weeks or months on end, on shop floors, or outside where compost is often located and can start to look untidy or weathered over time.

Durstons has developed its range to suit all types of gardens as well as all Garden Centre needs. Its prices are extremely competitive and its reputation for supplying a consistently high quality brand speaks volumes.  

So, if your still looking for a new compost supplier this season or maybe you just need a back-up-supplier for when things sometimes go wrong, then give Durstons a call: 01458 442688.

Homebase has partnered with ITV to sponsor its popular gardening show, Love Your Garden.

Hosted by Alan Titchmarsh alongside co-presenters and gardening experts David Domoney, Katie Rushworth and Frances Tophill, the show sees the team visit locations around the United Kingdom helping people to transform their outside space into gardens they love.  The Homebase sponsorship will run from 25 February during the key gardening months and into Autumn 2020.

As part of the sponsorship, Homebase has created a series of short videos that will be broadcast at the start and throughout each episode, which gently poke fun the often complex Latin names used for plants. Homebase's tongue in cheek humour takes a variety of everyday garden products and scenarios and presents them as if they were plants, accompanied by a spoof scientific Latin name. A garden shed is labelled 'Junkius Storea' and a gorgeous flower bed captioned 'Prettius Whiffius', highlight Homebase's down-to-earth attitude towards making gardening an accessible and enjoyable activity for all.

Lisa Tickle, Head of Marketing at Homebase, said: "We're thrilled to be partnering with ITV and Love Your Garden. Our customers love gardening, and Homebase has over 35 years of experience providing the products, inspiration and advice to create beautiful outside spaces. Building on this strong heritage, we're proud to offer an extensive range of tools, accessories and finishing touches to help our customers bring their gardens to life – whether they have lots of outdoor space, a smaller patio, a balcony or window ledge."

"This creative idea is a natural extension of the advice, practical guidance, and inspiration that our team of trained garden experts provide in-store, to help ensure that the world of plants and gardening does not feel intimidating. From eco-friendly gardening and re-wilding to support the environment, to the relaxing powers of outdoor space, we want all our customers to feel that they can enjoy their outside space as an extension of their home."

The eight-part series of ITV's Love Your Garden will air on Tuesday 25 February 2020.  Further episodes will run later in 2020. 

The sponsorship deal was brokered by JUMP, Havas Media Group’s content and partnerships division.

Since 2014 the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund has helped five brands break into the UK garden retail market. The 2019 winners were Natural Grower, who impressed the judges with the brand’s organic and veganic gardening credentials; credentials that fit perfectly with an increasingly demanding consumer conscience.

Since being awarded the GISCF accolade at Glee 2019, the Natural Grower team has been incredibly busy. Here we catch up with the company’s founder, Charlotte Beaty, to find out more.

Congrats on being awarded the 2019 GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund! Was the win a surprise? How did it impact your Glee experience? 

Winning the Seed Corn Fund was a surprise! We were delighted to have our company and products recognised by GIMA. Glee was a fantastic event for us. It was the first time for us exhibiting at the event and having the Seed Corn Fund awarded to us at the show made it even more memorable. Visitors to our stand all commented on the award, and I am sure it helped to add credence to the company and what we have achieved so far and would like to achieve going forwards. 

What have you been up to since Glee 2019? How has business been?

We have been extremely busy following up all the leads that we made at Glee and have been travelling the length and breadth of the country for meetings. We are receiving a really positive response from all the people we have met with and we currently have new stockists being confirmed on a daily basis which is incredibly exciting.

Have you yet utilised some of the benefits of the GISCF win?

We have used the benefits of the GISCF to help with the costs of marketing, research and product promotion. It has also been used for consultancy support to launch the products on a number of different online portals. 

Additionally, becoming a GIMA member has given us access to much needed business advice. The ability to seek advice and help and meet up with representatives who are happy to give their time to advise us has been invaluable.

It has also been beneficial from a networking point of view, and as a result we now have an excellent person helping us with sales and promoting the products to garden centres and buying groups. This will significantly help us to achieve increased sales over the coming season. 

What has been the response to your products? Has this feedback developed your offering at all?

We have had a positive response to our products wherever we have gone. Sustainability, eco-friendly and chemical free options are top of the agenda for many people at the moment, and our products tick all those boxes. We are offering our soil conditioner in smaller 1-litre sized pouches as a result of feedback. This is an ideal size for hanging baskets and potted plants, and for those people who don’t need the larger 16-litre tub.

What does 2020 have in store for Natural Grower?

2020 is set to be a year of continued growth for the company, and we’ll be looking to increase the number of stockists around the UK. We’ll also be looking at a way to continue the research and development of our products so we can provide veganic options that consumers demand is driving.  

What consumer trends are driving demand for your products?

The strong trend towards sustainability and looking after our environment is driving people to look for non-chemical options for their gardens. The veganic gardening trend is growing as people become more aware of what they are adding to their soils in the quest to grow healthy fruit and vegetables. 

Are there any issues that are concerning you at present – lack of understanding, costs, legislation etc – how are you responding/countering such concerns?

The use of single use plastic is a high concern for all of us. It is, however, difficult to find alternative products to use. Biodegradable and compostable products are not suitable for our type of product and don’t have the shelf life that we would require. Over time new packaging products will become available and we will always be on the look-out for a suitable replacement. Until we find an alternative, we have ensured that all our packaging is 100% recyclable, and in the case of our 50-litre bags of soil conditioner they are made from 30% recycled plastic. We use recycled pallets to deliver our stock to garden centres and distributors and encourage people to reuse and recycle our containers and pallets as much as they can. 

Additionally, a lot of people don’t appreciate how important it is to look after the health of our soils. Chemical fertilisers don’t provide any long-term benefits to the soil health. The use of organic fertilisers and soil conditioners enables the soil to recover and increased microbial activity improves the soil structure. Organic fertilisers release their nutrients slowly and help to retain moisture, whilst increased worm numbers help to improve drainage and aeration for the plants and the worm castings continue to deliver nutrients to the plants. This all ultimately leads to healthy soil which helps to prevent plant diseases.

We are living in a time of great change with regards to how we look after our environment going forwards. Being part of that change with our veganic products is very exciting and I am delighted to be helping to make a difference for future generations to come.  

Find out more

Any businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators interested in entering the GIMA Innovators’ Seed Corn Fund in 2020 are invited to do so by visiting http://gima.org.uk/innovators-seed-corn-fund/ and completing the online application form ahead of the late August deadline.

Further details about GIMA can also be found at www.gima.org.uk or by calling 01959 564947. 

The category with the biggest increase in sales during last year (2019) at garden centres across the country has been announced by the Garden Centre Association as part of its Barometer of Trade report.

Houseplant sales saw a year to date increase of 17.6% compared to 2018.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “We’re not surprised to see houseplants as the fastest growing category at garden centres across the country in 2019. Demand for them has been phenomenal.

“On a monthly basis, houseplants came out on top during January, May, August, September and October.

“The trend has really taken off amongst the Millennial generation, with millions of posts on Instagram being tagged #houseplant.

“It’s now trendy to have houseplants dotted around the home and research has shown that people like to have something to nurture, love and care for. We also see houseplants having a resurgence with the older generation, especially for those who live alone, who would like something to look after.

“Having houseplants in the home is also good for you. They can help people to de-stress and detox. They also, according to research by NASA, help filter out chemicals from the atmosphere as well as helping to reduce dust. We think everyone should have at least one houseplant!”

Hard landscaping also did well in 2019 with a year to date change of 15.56%. Outdoor plant sales were up 5.56%, seeds and bulbs were up 9.63% and garden sundries were up 8.02% compared to 2018.

Furniture and barbecue sales saw a year to date change of 4.06%, pets and aquatics were 8.53% up and gifts were up 5.13%. Christmas sales were up 4.48%, food hall and farm shop sales were up 4.53%, clothing was up 5.56% and catering was up 10.61%.

Overall sales for the year 2019 were up 6.97% compared to 2018.

Joe Aldworth, Marketing Manager at The Old Railway Line Garden Centre in Wales, which won the award for Best Customer Service at the GCA’s annual conference recently, said: “Last year (2019) was another record year for us with garden centre sales up 14% and catering increasing by 16% compared to the previous year.

“Although the garden retail industry is heavily influenced by the weather (of which we faced some disruptive periods of snow and bad weather in 2019) we did buck the struggling high street retail’s trend for another year.

“Catering has again provided a vital backbone of the business, driving footfall even when weather is unfavourable. Houseplants also experienced strong growth for another year, with a 38% sales increase compared to 2018.

“Over the past few years we have worked hard to encourage new demographics to the garden centre, as well as promote the environmental and well-being benefits of gardening and having plants indoors.”

The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.

The BoT reports allow members to compare their trading positions with other centres.

2020 got off to a promising start with January 2020 garden centre sales up 8% compared with January of last year according to the latest HTA Market Update report, published this week.

Hardy plants, shrubs and trees saw a sales increase of 27% compared to January last year, houseplants were up 26%, and sales of outdoor containers were up 25% in month to month comparisons between January 2019 and January 2020.

The February issue of Market Update also looks at garden centre Average Transaction Values and potential disruption to the supply chain caused by coronavirus.

HTA Futures and Sustainability Manager David Denny comments: “January saw garden centres get off to a positive start to the year which is in line with the comparatively warm start to 2020. Less obviously weather driven good news though is that garden centres increased their transaction values in catering compared with 2019. However, we should remember that January’s one of the smallest months in terms of the value of garden centre sales. Consumer confidence and weather through to the spring and new factors such as the coronavirus will likely be key to how the 2020 season turns out.”

The report looks at last month’s garden centre sales and overall market performance. It measures consumer confidence, the wider UK economy, vehicle fuel prices, groundwater levels, weather and business confidence.

HTA member business confidence for the next three and twelve months is very optimistic, with one third of HTA members scoring 7 for feeling ‘very positive’ about their business outlook in the next year.  The consumer confidence overall index score increased two points to 9 in January, the second consecutive month of improvement following December’s election. Weather reports highlight that January 2020 was the sixth warmest January on record, and the warmest January since 2007.

HTA Market Update reports are compiled using the HTA Garden Retail Monitor (GRM) which uploads sales data directly from garden centre EPOS systems, where it populates reports for different product categories.

The GRM currently receives data from 62 garden centre premises, whose retailers use the online platform for business benchmarking and performance analysis. Sales data is securely and automatically uploaded via their EPOS system and populates reports so they can compare performance against regional and national averages. Sales can be analysed by product category or specific time frames, and by a variety of metrics like gross profit, average transaction value and more.

HTA Market Update is available free for members to download from the HTA website, by logging in and then visiting the Market Information pages here.

Garden retailers who wish to inspire their customers with an elegant and architectural look that’s worthy of the Chelsea Flower Show, can now do so with Kangular’s structural screening and installations, ideal for homeowners wanting to add an instant contemporary design statement to their outdoor space, whilst also helping to drive sales of the garden structure category throughout 2020.

Made from high quality-stainless steel columns and FSC or EUTR-regulated wooden slats, Kangular’s sophisticated features and screens are highly versatile, allowing homeowners to create a piece of artwork in their gardens.

Bold statement pieces

The designer pieces will provide customers with something unique and different especially when compared to similar structural products currently on the market, often made from flimsy wood or rust-prone wrought iron.

Kangular’s exclusive design-led features include a range of three striking Fan, Wave and Pear installations with heights ranging from one to three metres, as well as a range of elegant structural screens and borders. Kangular products are perfect to compartmentalise different areas of the garden into rooms, add the wow factor to borders or add privacy to places such as swimming pools, hot tubs, driveways, sheds, and the often-neglected wheelie bin store.

The patented systems also create sight lines and partitions in a garden, can be used to separates different planting schemes and protect delicate plants from the harsh elements, whilst maintaining an architecturally inspired design yet practical fencing alternative for the garden.

Adaptable for gardeners

Customers can instantly change up the look of their garden with Kangular’s three different shapes. Whether it be to bring life to a bland and empty corner, or create a statuesque focal point, nothing is impossible as the adaptable structures can be transformed into whatever the homeowner desires with Kangular’s unique adjustable slot and wedge fixing. Or customers can design their own shape with a ‘blank canvas’ Kangular frame to create a design element as well as a functional one.

Cross selling and merchandising opportunities

If you have a discerning customer base that is looking for something different for their garden spaces, then Kangular is the product for you.   An alternative to common wrought iron designs or natural fencing, Kangular’s contemporary high-end shapes and screens offer unrivalled cross selling and merchandising opportunities that will help to drive sales in-store.

Retailers wanting to maximise sales of Kangular’s portfolio can create some stunning in-store displays to help consumers truly understand the different design elements. Pair with sharp, angular shaped planters for the ultimate urban chic, or behind a sleeper flower bed to make plants stand out in a striking way.  Create the perfect display of a calming oasis for your customers to aspire to with tranquil water features, beautifully framed with Kangular’s screens and structures.   With the Tokyo Olympics on the horizon, Japanese influence is set to be popular, meaning Kangular’s slatted screening will be on trend to allow for natural light to create points of interest and a zen look in the garden. 

Kangular can also be merchandised indoors to help drive sales of products that are traditionally located in a forgotten corner of the retail store, and benefit from being utilised as a design-led point of interest and merchandiser in one.  Why not complement a Kangular screen with barbecues or outdoor furniture to mimic the perfect al-fresco dining space? Or display alongside your hot tub displays to sell the lifestyle?  With Kangular offering a pick and despatch service, garden centres don’t have to take large amounts of stock instore, making the ROI opportunities much more attractive.

Paul Raven, Director of Kangular said: “We’re really excited to be bringing Kangular to UK garden retailers this season. The products are entirely unique and offer retailers the opportunities to really upsell garden structures and screening, something that their customers have been crying out for, particularly amongst those that want to create a really high-end ‘show garden’ look. What’s more, Kangular structures eliminate the need for landscapers and builders and are quick and easy for gardeners to install themselves in their own garden, creating instant impact and the sense of a ‘job well done’ – the hallmark of a repeat customer. We’re looking forward to building new relationships with garden centres over the coming months.”

For further information regarding stocking the Kangular portfolio please email info@kangular.com to find out more.

The 2020 Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk and Cycle Challenge (13^th March 2020) is hotting up with several new names signing up to take part in the event, including some fabulous brands supporting with sponsorship.

Whether participants are doing a 10-mile walk, or hitting the 100km mark on their bikes, it’s safe to presume that a refreshment along the way will be hugely appreciated. Thankfully this year the kind folks at Hozelock have confirmed their sponsorship of the water stations throughout the course. Back at the end point at Chilton Garden Centre, the team at LOFA will be providing further refreshments, including a glass of fizz to celebrate another fabulous event., whilst Outback will be providing one of its barbeques so that the walkers and cyclists can enjoy a mouth-watering snack after their exertions.  

Of course, the event wouldn’t be possible without those willing to get out of the office and into their walking boots and cycling shorts! Recent sign-ups for the 2020 walk include Millbrook Garden Centre’s Tammy and Ben Woodhouse, St Peter’s Garden Centre’s Director Will Blake, independent business consultant (previously Millbrook) Liz Dowling, teams from Evergreen Garden Care and Kelkay and, as well as Greenfingers’s very own Garden Project Manager, Holly Harrington. Holly will be joined on the day by her younger brother, who is planning on running the 20-mile route.

Talking about her involvement in the 2020 event, Holly said: “I’ve been working at Greenfingers Charity now for just over a year and in that time the demand for our support and the number of projects continues to grow. I joined the charity because I believe in its ethos, the fundamental need for everyone to have access to inspiring outdoor spaces that allow moments to escape our own situations; an opportunity to take a deep breath and spend time with our families and friends. When I see up close the difference that the spaces we provide in children’s hospices make to the children, their families and the staff that support them, there really isn’t a choice to be made as to whether to help fund these spaces or not, it’s become a job requirement! 

About the Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk & Cycle Challenge

The annual event, designed to raise funds for Greenfinger Charity whilst also kickstarting the gardening season, has become a popular date in the calendar and this year is set to be no different.

Starting and ending at the newly acquired by main event sponsor, British Garden Centres’ Chilton Garden Centre, the walk and cycle routes will take participants on a stunning tour of the Chiltern Hills, a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Walkers can choose to explore a 10- or 20-mile route, whilst cyclists will embark upon either a 25, 50, 75 or 100km route (or as many times round the 25km route as they can muster!) that will take in the 276m elevation that enables the Chilterns to provide stunning views across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

A superb networking opportunity, the Garden Re-Leaf Walk and Cycle Challenge is popular with teams from across the supply chain who want to come together to enjoy some out-of-office team building. The event also welcomes individuals from a wide range of suppliers and retailers, who quickly find their ‘team’ along the way. Previous participants have confirmed that the event has seen new friendships and new business relationships forged.

To date, eager teams from Hornby Whitefoot PR, Deco-Pak, Glee, GIMA, DAC Ltd, Poplars Garden Centre, Ames, Cadix, Vitax, Kew Green Hotels, Taylors Bulbs, Abacus Cards, and Mr Fothergills have all signed up or pledged their support to take part in the sponsored walk or cycle challenge, whilst Evergreen Garden Care, Farplants and Westland have confirmed that they will be making their debut at the 2020 event. In 2019 over 100 people took part in the walk, with more showed real pedal power by taking part in the cycle challenge. However, for 2020 the Greenfingers team is hoping to exceed these numbers.

Those interested in taking on the Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk and Cycle Challenge can register by visiting https://www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/gardenreleaf.

If you want to find out more about how to get involved in Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day 2020, whether by putting on events in your garden centre, through sponsored solo activities or simply by donating - contact the Greenfingers office on 01494 674749 or email Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk.

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Homebase has returned to profit earlier than expected after its turnaround plan helped deliver strong growth.

The DIY retailer reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £3.2m for the year, up from a £114.5m loss in 2018.

Homebase has embarked on a radical turnaround strategy after it was bought by Hilco Capital for just £1 amid huge losses.

The firm said new ranges and improvements to both its in-store and online offering had helped drive like-for-like sales up 2.6 per cent, while its gross margin rate rose 2.8 per cent.]

Homebase last year bought Bathstore out of administration and has now opened 49 concessions in its stores.

The homeware chain said its cost-cutting strategy had helped trim its costs base by more than £180m, and that nearly all of its 164 stores were now profitable.

A Norfolk garden centre owner who stole almost half a million pounds from his elderly mother has had his hearing to claw back cash adjourned, reports the Eastern Daily Press.

Gary Woodley, 66, who used to run the former Aylsham Garden Centre, was jailed for four years in October 2018, after being convicted of stealing £480,000 from his 89-year-old mother, who has since died.

There was a confiscation hearing on Friday, at Norwich Crown Court, to claw back cash, but Stephen Spence prosecuting said that sale of assets were in progress and asked for an adjournment when it is hoped matters can be resolved. 

The case was adjourned until April 24.

Full story can be viewed on Eastern Daily Press website – to view click here

Picture: Norfolk Police.

Tong Garden Centre has appointed a project manager to oversee the next phase of its £2m extension project.

Sarah Ritchie joins the team at multi award-winning Tong Garden Centre in the newly created position of project manager.  A chartered surveyor with 14 years' experience, she joins the Tong Lane business following a career break to bring up her young family and brings a wealth of experience to Tong.

Tong's Managing Director, Mark Farnsworth said: "We are delighted to welcome Sarah to the team. With a strong track record in the Leeds property market, latterly with BNP Paribas, Sarah is obviously well equipped to oversee the £2m extension project with full responsibility for the delivery of the project.

"We are then hoping to secure other projects for Sarah to manage as the business expands from our single site to a multi-site operation."

Mrs Ritchie is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead: "There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a building project move from its conception to completion and having a part in guiding it on its way.
 

"I'm excited for the challenge and thinking through and overcoming the practical issues we might face on the way. This particular phase of development is really important as it's not just for the Tong customer but for the Tong staff so it's a big responsibility to deliver."

When she's not working, Mrs Ritchie enjoys spending time outdoors, including skiing, netball, walking Tarka the dog and family time watching her sons play sport and relaxing at home.
 

Phase two of the £4m expansion starts in March. The two storey extension will be home to new staff facilities for its 200 strong team, a 180 seat restaurant plus 15,000 sq ft of retail space. Phase one of the expansion opened in summer 2019 and included a new plant canopy, an indoor play area for Grass Hoppers and an events centre.

Work on the build will be carried out by many of the same teams who completed phase one. "In our continued support of, and investment in, the Yorkshire economy, we have appointed Yorkshire tradesmen wherever possible," said Mr Farnsworth

"We estimate that £2.5 million of the £4 million investment will be spent with Yorkshire firms. This part of the project will also create an additional 25 jobs within the business."

Work on the extension is expected to be completed by September.

Tong Garden Centre's owners acquired the centre in 2015 and are currently are actively seeking additional sites to replicate the successful formula of the award winning Tong Lane site.

Photo: Left to right, Sarah Ritchie, Steve Brambles from Brambles Construction and Mark Farnsworth

The RSPB wants to see nests and not nets, and is appalled to see netting used once again to prevent birds nesting.

The RSPB is aware of netting being placed on around 20 trees on the University of Cambridge campus which has resulted in an impassioned reaction by the public in demanding the removal of the netting. In addition to the obvious concerns, the netting appeared unsafe as the holes were big enough for small birds like robins to get through.

At this time of the year, as birds will be thinking about making the next generation, we need to ensure they have a suitable place to raise their chicks, not preventing from nesting, feeding and gracing us with their beautiful birdsong.

We are asking that developers and planners take their actions into consideration and know the suitable alternatives to netting, which will not threaten and silence nature.

In this important year for wildlife as the world makes key decisions on nature and the environment, it is shocking to see the use of netting on trees rearing its ugly head. We must be supporting nature and helping it to thrive rather than covering trees, hedges and bushes in netting which prevent birds nesting. In addition, netting may become damaged, meaning birds who get into the netting may not be able to escape.

RSPB Operations Director Jeff Knott said: “I can’t believe we’re here again, but we won’t give up. This practice must stop. Nature needs us to do better. Last year we saw cases of netting all over the UK and a corresponding social media campaign to get it removed. It would be a massive own goal for developers to go through all this bad publicity again.”

Britain has lost 40 million birds over the last 50 years and as a society we need to be doing everything we can to halt this decline. It is vital that the use of netting in such instances is reported and everyone can help to spot and stop it.

Following a period of unprecedented growth, Primeur, the leading suppliers of environmentally friendly and innovative garden products, has continued to roll out its instore merchandising displays, revolutionising garden retailers’ sales floors in the process.

The Eco Garden range, which includes Primeur’s award winning recycled rubber stepping stones and garden borders, were originally housed on pallets and took up a large footprint instore.  Following customer feedback, the merchandising units were transformed into attractive and streamlined stands with of footprint of just 0.8m².

Now coming fully built, the new display units come fully stocked with product and provides clear messaging to engage with customers on the environmental benefits of recycled rubber tyres, as well as inspiring imagery on how to create the look in the garden.    The free-standing unit can be positioned to create a stand-alone display or can be used in conjunction with other gardening sundries, lawn care, plants or pots to create appealing link selling opportunities for gardeners who visit the store.

The move from pallets to stands has been so popular with retailers resulting in the new point of sale being rolled out to four times more customers this year.  Retailers have seen both instant and impressive results as David Danning, Category Manager at Blue Diamond Group explains:  “This is the third year that Blue Diamond Group has been stocking Primeur products and we have these new stands across all 37 of our stores in the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands.

“I first encountered Primeur in 2018.  I was a judge for the coveted Glee New Product Awards that year and I thought that the products were totally different to anything else I had seen on the market.  It was the recycled rubber stepping stones that caught my eye, the fact that they were both aesthetically pleasing, highly resistant to wear and would be great for gardens with children running around as they would be softer on the feet and legs than traditional stone.

 “The Primeur merchandising stands work so well across all of our stores.  Initially we had the stepping stones near to other paving. The introduction of the smaller footprint shelved stands meant that the displays were easier to replenish, could be positioned anywhere, indoors or out, and often into higher customer flow areas. The edging is new for us this year and although the stands are bigger due to the length of the border pieces, they display the product well and catch the customers eye, so I am hoping for good sales results.”

Primeur’s innovative, new retail display and merchandising solutions create the perfect stage for its products and the results speak for themselves with Blue Diamond reporting the introduction of the stands has resulted in sales of Primeur’s stepping stones increasing by 63% last year.

Jenny Douthwaite, Sales Director of Primeur said: “Our new innovative approach to point of sale and merchandising has yielded some great results for our retailers, especially in Blue Diamond’s case, transforming the way they display Primeur’s products, whilst increasing their sales values and turnover significantly.  Consumers are increasingly engaging in shopping activities that support the environment and seeking out recycled and natural ranges, so the new POS will offer garden centres a complete package of both displaying an attractive and modern arrangement of products, whilst priding themselves on their green credentials.”

To find more about Primeur’s new Eco Garden merchandising stands please contact the team on 01274 518800 or email sales@primeur.ltd.uk

A celebrity has joined a campaign to stop a garden centre closing because of competition from supermarket giant Waitrose.

Comic Katherine Ryan attended an event to raise awareness of the importance of the Wood of Berhamstead Garden Centre.

According to a report on the Hemel Today website, Katherine gathered names for a petition calling on Waitrose to reduce its garden centre offering, which was presented to the supermarket less than 100 yards from Woods.

It’s reported that more than 4,000 people have signed the petition in a bid to stop the closure of the High Street store.

Woods Garden Centre managing director Colin Campbell-Preston told Hemel Today: “The support we have received from the local community and customers has been amazing and we once again call on Waitrose to reduce their garden centre offering to save Woods from closure with significant job losses.

“Woods is a proud member of the Berkhamsted community through the work we do with schools, charities, theatre groups, encouraging young and old to get involved in creating a beautiful and sustainable environment.

“However after almost 50 years we may soon cease to exist. It would be very sad for the town to lose another independent retailer.”

To read the full Hemel Today report click here

https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/people/comic-katherine-ryan-supports-woods-berkhamsted-campaign-1758390

Highfield Garden World in Gloucestershire has won outline planning permission to further extend its growing business.  Work is due to commence in 2020 and is estimated to represent an investment of £2m for the Greenway family which founded, owns and runs the business.

With a turnover of £8m, 140 staff and around 20,000 customers per week, Highfield is the leading independent garden centre in Gloucestershire.  In 2014 the business launched a £2.5m new restaurant and retail development.

Now, the next stage in the organisation's development will boost the number of restaurant covers up to 500 inside and out.  Extra retail space, new planteria areas, expanded kitchen facilities and 120 more car parking spaces are also included in the plans.  

Co-founder and Director, Tim Greenway, commented:  "Business has been good at Highfield for many years, and especially buoyant since our last big expansion was completed in 2014.  Relatively quickly we reached the stage where our 350 cover restaurant was full to brimming again and we were running out of car parking spaces on busy days.  The demand is there, the customers keep coming, and we're on course to have an even bigger, better offering for them now we've secured outline planning permission."  

Highfield worked with Chris Primett from garden centre specialists Malcolm Scott planning consultants to create the plans and gain the outline permission. Chris has worked with the business before, including in relation to its multi-million 2014 restaurant and retail development.  

The current restaurant accounts for £2 million of Highfield's £8million turnover. For the site overall, including concessions, turnover is £12 million (all figures exclusive of VAT).

Storm Dennis had a drastic effect on garden centre sales at the start of the half-term break with sales volumes down 27% compared to the same week last year.

As a result the week ending 16th February 2020 was the first to be down on any of the past four years.

Gardening and plant sales were particularly hit hard with only the bravest customers venturing out into uncovered plant areas.

While we’ve been out and about this week garden centre restaurants and half-term events have been busy, so hopefully sales will hold up where customers can get a great indoors experience.

There’s now just three weeks to go until Garden Re-Leaf Day on Friday March 13th. Have you decided how you’ll join in the FUNdraising and get extra local publicity?

Do let us know what great events you have planned: email trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year: week 7

• Garden Products Top 50 – down 21%
• Growing Media Top 50 – down 58%
• Wild Bird Care Top 50 – down 32%
• Veg 2 Gro Top 50 – down 31% 
• All Plants index – down 51%
• All Items index – down 27%

To subscribe to karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GIMA’s forthcoming Day Conference (19^th March 2020) - open to both members and non-members - will be a must-attend for any supplier wanting to hear from two of the UK’s leading garden centres.

Headlining the Day Conference will be British Garden Centres’ Phillippa Stubbs – who, along with her husband Charles, is certainly in demand having recently acquired the Hillview Group and took advantage of the Wyevale dispersal to create a 57-strong portfolio of stores. British Garden Centres is now the UK’s second largest garden centre chain, and Phillippa will be using her time at the GIMA Conference to talk to delegates about their plans for the future, and their expectations of the supply chain.

Joining Phillippa on the agenda will be well-known garden retailer, Guy Topping, MD of Barton Grange Garden Centre. A popular personality, Guy has been instrumental in raising the standard of garden retailing in the UK.  Barton Grange Garden Centre in Preston, Lancashire has consistently been winning accolades, and this year is no different having just been awarded the ‘Destination Garden Centre of the Year’ award by the GCA. Guy will be telling delegates at the conference about his latest Flower Bowl development and is also keen to share his thoughts on the supply base and what they need to do to keep up with retailer and consumer expectations.  

It has also been confirmed that Boyd Douglas Davies, the newly appointed Director of Communications at British Garden Centres, will also be attending.

It’s not just retailers however that will be leading the content for the day. Leading consumer and design trends intelligence agency, Scarlet Opus, with whom GIMA launched a collaborative partnership with in 2019, will also be giving a sneak peek into their forthcoming trends content that will be officially unveiled at the Consumer & Design Trends event on March 26^th.

The Day Conference, which takes place following GIMA’s AGM (open exclusively to fully paid-up members of the trade association), is also a great opportunity to network with other GIMA members.  Non-members will also get the chance to discuss with the team the range of benefits associated with becoming a member of GIMA.

Find out more

Further information about the forthcoming GIMA AGM & Day Conference can be found at www.gima.org.uk. Open to both members and non-members, GIMA is urging interested parties to secure their places now as space is limited. Tickets cost £60 per person for GIMA members, and £120 per person for non-members. A buffet lunch and refreshments will be available throughout the day and is included in the ticket price.

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 2017 as well as 2018 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 Wild Bird Care Products chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro 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.

Commercial Kitchen has gained more big industry backing ahead of its move to London this 3-4 June, with the Craft Guild of Chefs now onboard as a new association supporter. 

Andrew Green, chief executive of the guild, which boast over 1,200 members, says they are delighted to be involved and see Commercial Kitchen “as a must-attend event for senior chefs”. 

It’s a sentiment echoed across the industry.  Adam Mason, director general of ceda, whose members’ collective turnover now exceeds £700m – calls it “our industry show”.  While Matthew Merritt-Harrison, chair of Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI UK & Ireland), says that their members see it as a vital part of their “continuing professional development”.

The show’s key partnerships with both ceda and FCSI, and its nine association supporters – including UKHospitality, The Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association (PAPA), The British Sandwich & Food to Go Association, Café Life Association, Hospital Catering Association (HCA), National Association of Care Catering (NACC), Soil Association Green Kitchen Standard, and Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) – who together represent tens of thousands of professionals – reflects its unique and important role.  As the UK’s only dedicated kitchen equipment, services and design show it serves the entire hospitality and foodservice industry. 

Many of these organisations take an active role at the show and, as in previous years, are set to host dedicated Keynote sessions sharing their specific vantage points of the market – discussing kitchens of all shapes, sizes and uses – and focusing on the hot topics and opportunities that matter most to their members. 

Ask the experts

Lead partner ceda’s exciting initiatives at the show this year, include an ‘Ask the Expert’ feature on their stand, along with specialised design sessions featuring influential kitchen project experts.  Visitors will also be able to view (and be inspired by) all the shortlisted entries from the 2020 ceda Grand Prix Awards in the ceda Awards Gallery. 

“As with any proactive business these days, time is always of the essence,” explains Mr Mason on Commercial Kitchen’s importance to ceda and its members.  “My Members love to see as many of their key suppliers under one roof in as short a time as possible.  They are looking for innovation and to affirm relationships.”

“It’s just so worthwhile,” he adds, “It’s our industry show.”

Mark Kendall, commercial director at buying consortium Cedabond, agrees: “As Cedabond continues to support its members and suppliers, collective forums to collaborate and promote success and growth are vital.  Commercial Kitchen is all about bringing distributors, suppliers and end users together and helping them to grow their businesses.  We are delighted to be exhibiting at a show with a shared common objective.”

New FCSI Training Theatre

Similarly, for the FCSI, Commercial Kitchen presents the opportunity to network with other members (professional and allied) and have the space to have those one-to-one conversations that time so rarely affords.

FCSI chair, Mr Merritt-Harrison, says: “On our Commercial Kitchen stand this year, we will be hosting bite size training sessions from the many exhibiting allied partners.  The FCSI Training Theatre is going to be an outstanding opportunity for visitors to hear some thought-leading back of house product presentations.

They will also be on hand to talk more about their recently approved (earlier this month) professional conduct and business ethics committee.  “This committee will have real teeth and its role will be to uphold standards of professionalism and ethics in design and management consultancy,” he adds.

Michael Jones, editorial director of FCSI’s Foodservice Consultant Magazine, will also be back hosting a Keynote panel of leading FCSI consultants.

Fit for the future

The Soil Association’s Green Kitchen Standard (new research shows it can help meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in terms of food production) and The Sustainable Restaurant Association are also returning to share their latest insights on efficiency and greener kitchen solutions. 

The SRA will host a Sustainable kitchen panel, bringing together business leaders that ‘serve up food that does good as well as tastes good’.  Plus, they’ll also showcase a new, free online assessment tool to help any and every operator understand and track their sustainability.

Emily Shankar from the SRA says: “As foodservice looks to respond to the climate emergency, it needs to employ every tool on offer.  Innovative new equipment will play a key part in the armoury of every operator as they shift to a model that has a much lower impact on the environment.  Commercial Kitchen is a perfect showcase.

“Having so many innovators under one roof creates both a fantastic creative energy and an opportunity to meet dozens of like-minded people working towards the same goal – a foodservice industry fit for the future in every way.”

“The hospitality sector is incredibly large and diverse and Commercial Kitchen show is correspondingly so,” adds Charna Walfall, marketing manager at UKHospitality (which will also be hosting a Keynote at the show).  “If you run a thriving, modern hospitality business, with any sort of food focus, there will be something here for you.”

Free trade registration

Commercial Kitchen will take place at the new venue of ExCeL London on 3-4 June.  Over two thousand decision makers and attendees are expected, including CEOs, MDs, executive chefs, culinary directors, ops directors, kitchen design and project gurus from across the foodservice, catering and hospitality industry.  

For further information and to register, please visit www.commercialkitchenshow.co.uk and quote priority code CK29 (direct link: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/CommercialKitchen2020.aspx?TrackingCode=CK29)