GTN Xtra were the first to break the news of GCA chairman Will Armitage selling his stores to Wyevale Garden Centres on Thursday after revealing the deal was imminent last weekend. Here we publish in full the announcement from Wyevale, whose portfolio now stands at 149 garden centres.

Wyevale Garden Centres (WGC) today (Thursday) announced it has acquired Armitage’s Pennine and Birchencliffe garden centres from William, Diana and Alistair Armitage.

Pennine garden centre, located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has a total floor space of 16,027 square feet. Birchencliffe, also located in Huddersfield, accounts for an additional 11,155 square feet. Both garden centres will complement WGC’s existing offer in the region and bring the size of the WGC estate to 149 centres.
 
Kevin Bradshaw, Chief Executive of Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “With a strong heritage dating back to 1842, the garden centres at Pennine and Birchencliffe are renowned for their high quality plants alongside garden and gift products, enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff and welcoming family atmosphere. These acquisitions support our strategy to grow our business by acquiring exceptionally high-quality garden centres, and we are delighted to welcome these centres to the Group.”
 
Both garden centres offer attractive positioning near Huddersfield and benefit from strong customer bases and popular restaurants.
 
William, Diana and Alistair Armitage said: “Wyevale Garden Centres shares our commitment to fantastic customer experience, passionate employees, and giving back to the community.  We are pleased that our employees and customers will be able to take advantage of the opportunities a larger retailer can provide, while still enjoying the experience and strong local roots we have in built in Huddersfield.”

The question now circulating around the garden industry is: Who will make it No 150 for Wyevale Garden Centres?

Link to GTN Xtra Issue 37 Breaking News

A team from Woodlodge triumphed against 23 other teams competing in the GIMA Charity Golf Day at Telford Hotel & Golf Resort on Thursday, which was held to raise money for two important charities – Greenfingers and Myeloma UK. 

Woodlodge scored an impressive 85 Stableford points to hold off the challenge of second placed Sinclair B and third placed Mr Fothergill's, both of which returned with 82 points. Sinclair B took runners-up spot on countback.

The wooden spoon for finishing in 24th place and last went to Gardman.

Blue skies and warm weather made playing conditions perfect in contrast to last year when the event was dampened by consistent rain. 

GIMA director Vicky Nuttall said: "From GIMA's point of view, this year's event was particularly successful - bringing together suppliers and retailers in a relaxed and informal atmosphere and enabling the industry to network, have fun and raise money for charity at the same time. The beautiful weather that we experienced on the day was the icing on the cake."

Each team was treated to the honour of playing the 16th par three hole with former European Tour player Paul Broadhurst, who is about to embark on a career on the Seniors Tour.

Paul was also guest speaker at the GIMA Charity Golf Dinner, which followed the round of golf, and he also handed out the vast array of prizes. 

Linda Petrons, head of fundraising at Greenfingers, and Clive Miller, Myeloma UK, both explained the stories behind their worthy causes during the dinner attended by 138 guests.

Event organiser Andy Bestwick conducted an auction for a wide range of goodies, and perhaps the highlight was the Greenfingers Charity Parachute Jump when Spencer Goodall was nominated to take part. It resulted in £300 being raised.

Briers also supplied a special golf glove on the day, which teams could buy before their round. A few were kept back for Paul Broadhurst to sign, and they were auctioned off to raise another £210.

It was also announced that the Beat the Pro contest on the day raised over £500.

GIMA Golf Day 2015 Results:

Beat the pro: Stuart Miller, Anthony Barrett, Graham Miles, David Cornes, Gary Kenyon, Simon Lewis, Simon Hedley, Paul Gooding, Taj Ghala and Mark Nicholls.

Nearest the pin: Chris Owen, Taj Ghala and Stuart Miller.

Longest drive: Bruno Digiulio.

Nearest the pin in two on par four: Mike Laird.

Straightest drive: Lyndon Orvis

Teams: 1 Woodlodge, 2 Sinclair B, 3 Mr Fothergill's. Wooden spoon, Gardman.








Here is the full GTN Xtra picture gallery from the GIMA Golf Day 2015

GTN Bestsellers can confirm it has been a record breaking May.  Volume of sales from the GTN Bestsellers Epos data are up 8% on last May and reached the highest level since GTN Bestsellers started analysing data in 2007.  

Feedback from centres is that turnover in May could be up by as much as 15%, making May a mouth-watering month in a year that is proving great for gardening.  

All we need is for June sales to match levels achieved in June 2013 and the GTN Bestsellers all products sales index will be up year-on-year at the half-year end.

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

• Garden Products – up 21%
• Veg-2-Gro Products – up 85%
• Growing Media – up 20%
• All items index – up 19%

Crest Garden is readily available to provide a reliable alternative for retailers who may be concerned about meeting current demand for tools and watering, at this peak time of year.

Good stock availability is currently on offer from their own warehouse, including eye-catching display stands and fixtures.  Next day delivery, with no minimum order, is also available via their nominated distributor Toolbank.

In its first year of trading, Crest Garden has gained wide distribution throughout the UK, Ireland, and Europe as well as far away shores, including the U.S. and New Zealand.

Nick Davies, Managing Director, commented: “In order to meet this demand our stock levels have been increased substantially.

"From day one, a fast response to our customers’ needs across all our ranges has been a high priority for Crest Garden.

"We also have a full product offering in our Kent & Stowe range of stainless, carbon and cutting tools all of which offer a point of difference with guarantees ranging from 5 to 15 years.”

The complete range of tools, watering and propagation is currently on display at the Crest Garden showroom in Peterborough or can be seen in the mobile showroom which is currently visiting centres across the UK.  

All areas of the UK are covered by the Crest Garden sales team.

This summer The Greatest Awards are going ON TOUR to create more opportunities to reward the excellence of garden centre teams across more areas of garden centre businesses.

Catering, Planteria, Outdoor Leisure and Garden Care sales teams get their own date at The Greatest Awards ON TOUR for 2015 with presentations to the winners at The HTA Catering Conference, The National Plant Show, The GIMA’s and HTA Futures with other dates and venues to be added.

All you have to do to make sure your team is considered amongst The Greatest in their particular area is read through the categories for each Greatest Awards ON TOUR event below and them e-mail: thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk, with details as to why they should be considered for one of The Greatest Awards 2015.

As usual The Greatest Awards team of experts will be out and about meeting nominated teams, gathering information and taking photos of their work so that the Gold, Silver and Bronze Greatest Awards winners can be chosen.

Plus your team have the chance to become The Greatest Garden Centre Team of 2015 by involving your customers in the public voting later this summer.  The Greatest Garden Centre Teams, small, medium and large will be the teams that have the best relationships with their customers and generate the most votes (taking size of centre into account) and in the event of a tie, the centre with the most complimentary comments form their customers.  To take part in the public vote please e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call The Greatest Awards on 01733 775700 to request an in store voting pack.

As this issue of GTN Xtra goes to press the expert judges are sharing their notes after a whistle stop tour of the UK meeting catering teams from over 40 garden centres nominated for The Greatest Catering Team Awards which will be announced at The HTA Catering Conference on Tuesday, 9th June.  Make sure your Planteria, Outdoor Leisure, Garden Care and Garden Centre teams are nominated for visits later in June, July and August.

The Greatest Awards would like to thank sponsors, Elho, National Garden Gift Vouchers, MorePeople and The HTA plus the event organisers at The HTA Catering Conference, National Plant Show, GIMA Awards and HTA Futures for agreeing to be presentation venues for The Greatest Awards ON TOUR 2015.  The date and venue for The Greatest Outdoor Leisure Awards will be announced in a future issue of GTN Xtra.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for product and service suppliers seeking to gain the highest possible exposure between now and November this year.  Please contact mandy.atkin@tgcmc.co.uk for details.

Greenfingers, the charity dedicated to creating inspiring gardens for children who spend time in hospices around the UK, is set to benefit from sales of a new trailing petunia mix now available from leading home and garden retailer Homebase.

The new ‘Trailing Petunia Parade Mix’ has been created for Greenfingers by Homebase and is now on sale in its garden centres across the country. Each pack contains six plants with contrasting shades of flame, rich lavender and yellow providing colourful summer display for baskets and containers. Sold at £7.50, 50p from every promotional pack will go directly to the charity.

This is the first collaboration between the two organisations, following the announcement earlier in the year that Homebase and Greenfingers have established an ongoing partnership. The three-year long partnership will see them joining forces on a number of joint initiatives. 

Linda Petrons, Head of Fundraising at Greenfingers, commented: “We are delighted to have the Greenfingers ‘Trailing Petunia Parade Mix’ on the shelves at Homebase.  It is such a vibrant, colourful mix we are sure it is going to be a great success – and customers will know that whilst their gardens look good they are also helping us create more wonderful outdoor spaces at hospices around the country.”

Amy Whidburn, Head of Corporate Responsibility for Homebase, said: “We’re thrilled to be introducing our first cause related plant for Greenfingers and know how valuable the funds will be to the charity. We hope that people across the country will enjoy them in their gardens while knowing their purchase has gone to help children in hospices around the UK.”

Greenfingers is dedicated to supporting the children who spend time in hospices around the UK, along with their families, by creating inspiring gardens for them to relax in and enjoy. To date Greenfingers has created 45 inspiring gardens in children’s hospices around the country, and always has a list of further hospices needing their help.

The Garden Centre Association has announced the location of the body’s grand golden jubilee year conference in 2016.

The GCA’s annual event, which also sees the organisation mark its 50^th anniversary, will be held at the The Grand Hotel in Brighton from January 24 until 27.

Iain Wylie, interim Chief Executive of the GCA, explained: “Next year is an extra special one for us. 2016 will see the association celebrate its 50^th anniversary so the annual dinner in particular will be a very special event.

“As well as the celebrations the conference will be the usual mix of top quality speakers, analysis of inspections and garden centre best practice and announcements of competition and awards. We will be announcing more details shortly and information on how to book in due course via our website www.gca.org.uk.

“The schedule for the golden jubilee conference will be as follows:

• Sunday – Greenfingers Challenge Cup
• Monday – inspection and competition round ups plus keynote speakers – based around operational issues. An evening dinner themed, networking event for garden centres and associate members.
• Tuesday – a day of strategy with keynote speakers on subjects such as the economy, challenges facing business and direction of future market trends with an emphasis on maintaining and enhancing profitability. In the afternoon there will be the supplier exhibition. In the evening we will host our Annual Gala Dinner and awards presentation, plus a special celebration of our 50th anniversary.”

The GCA represents nearly 200 garden centres nationwide. Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

For further information, please call 0118 930 8918. Alternatively, please visit www.gca.org.uk, log on to www.facebook.com/pages/GardenCentreAssociation or follow the organisation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GC_Association. 

Once again the Flower Council of Holland is investing directly in the UK market, developing campaigns and raising the bar for plants.

With a marketing background gained in the luxury goods sector, Chanel de Kock has been appointed dedicated UK Marketing Manager delivering campaigns for indoor and outdoor plants.  

The chief vehicle for generic marketing of indoor and outdoor plants is the ‘Thejoyofplants.co.uk’ consumer brand that is being delivered to a targeted audience via the regional and national consumer press, directly to consumers via www.thejoyofplants.co.uk, and social media channels. 

Demand for product will be driven through focused, consumer targeted content on core products, as well as stimulating awareness and interest in garden trends based on extensive research within the green sector. The campaign will run all year round, with seasonal themes linking consumers to the best product for each period the year has to offer.

The content of the campaign is evidence-based, drawing on extensive market research data generated by the European research organization Sinus Meta Milieu.

Marketing Manager de Kock summarizes the philosophy behind Thejoyofplants.co.uk: "Flower Council of Holland is committed to generic promotion and market building in this sector that will bring benefit across the board to retailers, growers and wholesalers."

Describing a renewed partnership with the UK industry, de Kock continues: "To help us achieve our goals, we’ll be working actively with our UK agency Optima Marketing & PR Ltd, and will be liaising with UK players to ensure maximum benefit from the campaign."

Thejoyofplants.co.uk incorporates a seasonal structure to inspire and inform consumers of those plants that will achieve the best results for them at the given time of year. 

Nicky Paine, UK campaign Account Manager for the Flower Council describes the garden plant focus for the next three months: ‘in June we highlight soft fruit with blackberry, raspberry and strawberry – brilliant if like me you are gardening for children. July is the beautiful hydrangea and in August we keep it cool with the hebe’.

Thejoyofplants.co.uk is an initiative of the Flower Council of Holland and aims to inspire the consumer to experience the joy plants can bring.  www.thejoyofplants.co.uk 

Bosmere will reveal new covers, colours and packaging as well upgraded, technically advanced fabric at Solex 2015.

There will be an exciting addition to the highly successful ‘Storm Black by Bosmere’ range of urban chic covers, details of which are being kept under wraps until the Show. 

Bosmere supply covers to meet all market expectations from the SimplyCover range in 3 attractive colours through to the luxury Modular Covers specially shaped for contemporary modular garden furniture.

New full colour descriptive packaging is being introduced for the 2015/16 season to make it even easier for consumers to select the model which meets their particular needs. 

Modular covers are new to the market and include the first and only L-shaped covers which reflect the change in garden furniture styles. The Modular, Storm Black and Cover Up ranges are made from a tough, UV stabilised woven polyester material and are 100% waterproof. They are treated with a unique PVC free coating on the underside which is more environmentally friendly. 

Bosmere are specialists in both industrial and consumer protective materials. The covers are designed in the UK and manufactured to a very high specification in their own factory. Quality control is managed in-house to ensure that high standards are maintained at all times. 

Five-litre lupins bursting with buds are proving a real instant gardening hit. 

As the GTN team have been out judging The Greatest Catering Awards this week the effects of Chelsea media coverage and the perfect timing of large perennials looking great is leading to some fantastic sales.

With customers buying up to six at a time, priced between £15.99 & £12.99 that’s a great basket value.

From the GTN Bestellers data we picked out the top five bestselling five-litre lupins from Allensmore.

Pictured above: Lupins at Barton Grange.

Below: Lupins at Bents and Ayletts

The Greatest Garden Centre Team Awards Categories

• The Greatest Garden Care Retail Team of the Year
• The Greatest Garden Centre Customer Service Team of the Year
• The Greatest Garden Centre Training Team or Initiative of the Year, sponsored by MorePeople
• The Greatest Garden Centre Merchandising Team of the Year
• The Greatest Gardening Supplier of the Year
• The Greatest Garden Centre of the Year (Public Vote), sponsored by National Garden Gift Vouchers

If you’re having a great time selling garden furniture and BBQs this year then you’ll probably be looking for even more great ideas, inspiration and new products for 2016. That’s what the team at spoga + gafa 2015 in Cologne have on offer for you – eight halls of garden living, one hall of garden unique premium garden furniture and for the first time this year a complete hall full of BBQ and grill exhibitors.

spoga + gafa runs from Sunday 30th August to Tuesday 1st September this year so it’s the ideal time to take a European summer break and take in some business opportunities as well.

Last year 1,400 visitors from the UK attended spoga + gafa and 93 UK exhibitors joined the 2,000 other companies from over 60 countries. 

“spoga + gafa unites a worldwide unique top offer of garden products,” explained Katharina Hamma, CEO of Koelnmesse to GTN at last week’s European Press Conference.

As well as garden furniture and BBQs spoga + gafa covers plants, garden sundries and garden care, machines, tools, garden equipment and sheds.  In total the show will occupy 12 halls.

Outside Hall 7, 'the epi-centre of the BBQ industry', there will be a grill park where BBQs and grills will be demonstrated by exhibitors.

This year for the first time there will also be a consumer garden show; Garden Day that runs on the Saturday and Sunday in one of the Koelnmesse halls and outside in the adjacent Rhinepark.  This event will host the German Championships of the STHIL Timbersports series and 'Grilling in the Sky' powered by Weber.  Visitors to spoga + gafa will have free entrance to the Garden Day.

You can find out more about spoga + gafa 2015 at www.spogagafa.com.

If you’ve never been to Cologne for spoga + gafa before Koelnmesse have a team that can help with travel and hotel arrangements. If you contact GTN via trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk we will liaise with the koelnmesse team and pass on your details.

What did your business set out to do for its customers at its inception? In a fledgling business high quality personal customer service is a given or the business will fail. However, as a business develops it can lose touch with its roots as growth and financial control start to dominate the agenda.

So, when was the last time you really thought about your customers experience when they interact with front-line staff and how those customers subsequently feel about your business? Many businesses find themselves focussing on developing their products, services or processes when they think about customer experience and the interaction with staff is left to chance. The reputation John Lewis enjoy is equally based on the quality of the experience delivered through their staff, as that is the value and quality of their products and services. It's a potential major point of differentiation in a crowded marketplace and one that many businesses fail to capitalise upon.

ENGAGE WITH ANDREW sessions at Solex

• Tuesday - 14.30pm
• Wednesday - 10.30am & 14.30pm
• Thursday - 10.30am

Andrew McMillan started his career as a management trainee with the John Lewis Partnership at Brent Cross. He quickly moved up through the management ranks and progressed to the head office to take charge of the department stores’ customer centric Intelligence Team. They acted as an internal business consultancy reporting on competitive strategy, product differentiation and value, catchment area and demographics for new branches and customer service.

In 2000 Andrew was asked to lead on customer service for the department store division. The role saw him develop JLP’s market-leading culture and attitude towards customer service and sales with the 20,000 customer-facing Partners in 26 John Lewis shops across the UK. That customer-driven culture is something that has now become synonymous with the John Lewis brand.

Andrew joined a City based consultancy as a Principal Consultant before setting up his own consultancy in 2012 specialising in employee engagement, customer experience and customer centric business change. Consulting clients have included: Argos, Asda, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Kwik Fit, Jardine Motors Group, Lookers Motor Group, Greene King, Vauxhall Motors, Peugeot Citroen and Virgin Atlantic.

Garden Centre Manager - South East England-Group Garden Centre (ref:BP7317)

Location: South East England
Salary: 35-40K per annum
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

The Company :

• My client is a small garden centre group based in the south east of England.
• They are a local feeling garden centre with multiple sites spread across Kent and East Sussex.
• This business is completely focussed on customer experience, building loyalty and repeating business.

The Role :

• I am seeking a special garden retailer to lead the team at the groups largest centre, this candidates will be ambitious, driven and have a measurable track record of influencing growth.
• The successful candidate will take control of the day to day operations of the site and also will help to plan the strategic direction of the centre's future.

The Person:

• This role needs to have a real difference maker in the position, someone who can come to work and from day one change things for the better.
• The business has a clear strategy and it will be your job to elevate the centre to the next level.
• I am looking for a general manager with experience in site management of a large retail site.
• You will have previous garden centre manager experience as the business see this as key to this recruitment. 

Please submit your CV in the first instance or to discuss further please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530

Estimator - Landscape Sector (ref:DS7407)

Location: West Yorkshire
Salary: 16-21k
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is a well-established landscape and grounds maintenance company who are seeking an office based landscape Estimator. The role of Estimator is to manage the whole tender process to include preparation of accurate and competitive costs for submission to potential clients. 

Personal Specification :

• The role of Estimator requires a self-motivated individual who is capable of using their own initiative to prioritise a busy workload and with the ability to contribute as part of a team.
• Must be able to work under pressure, have the ability to plan ahead, achieve given deadlines and have an eye for detail.
• Previous experience in horticulture operations is essential & estimating experience is preferable.
• IT literacy and the ability to use various software packages, spreadsheets and estimating software is essential, although specific training will be given. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal are essential.
• Must also have excellent literacy and numeracy skills.

Responsibilities:

• To assess and process new tenders and enter onto the log in system.
• Have the ability to identify materials and subcontract requirements and collate accurate information for suppliers and/or subcontractors to price.
• Must be able to interpret drawings and accurately take off measures to produce bills of quantities.
• To calculate all pricing works during tender activities.
• To lead and/or support bid negotiations with existing or potential clients.
• To ensure accuracy, competitiveness and compliance of contracts.
• To prepare tenders and supporting documents as appropriate and manage and monitor all responses.
• Must have the ability to liaise with clients, site agents and architects and portray a high level of technical and horticultural knowledge; will also be required to attend meetings and site visits in order to develop and maintain good working relationships.
• To be pro-active in monitoring the ongoing effectiveness of the tender process.
• To ensure regular and accurate management reporting.
• To prepare detailed information and have the ability to hand-over all relevant information on secured contracts to the appropriate Contract/Regional Manager.
• To provide support to the Operations teams, particularly during the early stages of the contract.
• Must promote a Company image that is both professional and efficient at all times.
• Must hold a current full driving licence.
• Any other duties as required.

Please submit your CV in the first instance or to discuss further call Dianne Saunders at MorePeople on 07929013910

Shop Supervisor - Garden Centre Chain - Oxfordshire (ref:BP7355)

Location: Oxfordshire
Salary: 18 to 20K per annum
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

The Company:

This business is an established and well known garden centre group based in the UK. The business has a reputation for quality for all aspects of their business but are particularly well known for their excellence in horticulture. 

The Role:

• I am looking for a talented retailer to join the team of a busy centre based site.
• The garden centre is just off the high street and draws a fast based and impulse buying clientele.
• The role will be responsible for leading and managing the indoor team of the garden centre and also managing the overall retail standards of the site.
• You will have responsibility for ensuring that guidelines on merchandising and layout are followed and that the store is making the most of its retail area.

The Person:

• The right candidate will be a confident retailer with at least 3 years’ experience in a retail environment. I am looking for someone who is driven, ambitious and looking to develop in a large business that looks to promote from within.
• Candidates will have a good level of academic achievement but personality and attitude will be the main drivers for success.
• I.T. Skills will be important in progressing and monitoring sales figures and advanced EPOS metrics. 

Please submit your CV in the first instance, or to discuss further call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530

Grower Supervisor (ref:HQ00007363)

Location: Lincolnshire
Salary: 28 to 25k per annum
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is a well-established and progressive nursery stock grower who are looking for a Grower Supervisor to head up their potting team.

Since the business has undertaken strategic acquisitions in recent years they have geared up to build on their already successful model core lines. We expect to see further diversification into other product lines and so  can see that this is a business and career which can grow with you. There is a strong customer base and the company is rightly proud of its reputation for high-quality products and excellent customer service.

Reporting to the Head Grower you will direct and give instruction on spray regimes, manage the potting unit on a day to day basis, manage potting schedules etc. and it will be up to the Grower Supervisor to see that these are all carried out.

Other duties include general husbandry of all plant stock, supervision of staff and ensuring all stock on site is kept to a high standard.

For this role we are looking for an experienced commercial grower with excellent staff supervision knowledge.

Please submit your CV in the first instance or to discuss further call Dianne Saunders at MorePeople on 07929013910

Heinz Kettler Gmbh & Co KG, the leading manufacturer for garden furniture, sports and leisure products in Europe, has entered a period of self-administration in order to restructure its German business and to help make that company stronger. The UK operation, Kettler (GB) Limited, is unaffected.

Commenting on the news, Paul Bevington, Kettler GB Managing Director, said: “This step allows the German management to build a stronger business.

"As a successful independent company within the Kettler Group, Kettler (GB) Limited welcomes the restructuring and the benefits it will bring.

"This is an important milestone in our 66 year history and an essential part of positioning the business for the next 60 years. ‘Made in Germany’ remains a core strategy for many product areas and we must maintain that status.”  

A restructuring board has been formed and includes the existing sole shareholder Dr. Kettler and Mr Christian Krause as Chief Restructuring Officer with Mr. Christoph Schulte-Kaubruegger of law firm White and Case acting as trustee.

The confirmed speakers and seminars at the HTA National Plant Show, sponsored by Hortipak, continues to grow with speakers such as Chris Collins, Kevin Waters and Tom Hart Dyke confirmed to make an appearance.

On Tuesday 23 June speaking in the seminar area sponsored by Barclaycard, Chris Collins will be giving a talk about ‘Love the plot you’ve got’. The ‘Love the plot you’ve got’ mission is to get people to discover the true value of their outdoor space.  The garden is the most versatile room in the house, changing and offering something new as each day dawns. This talk aims to signpost all the benefits of gardens and their plant inhabitants.

Kevin Waters will then continue the day talking about ‘How to increase sales through responding to trends?’

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor is it the most intelligent.

It is the one most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin

The ability and willingness to change with the times has always been the success of the garden centre trade and currently it is more important than ever that we respond to the trends and present our plant offer in a meaningful, inspiring way which is capable of kick-starting our customers into action. Kevin will use examples from both outside and inside our trade to highlight some of the possibilities.

Tom Hart Dyke is a Modern-Day Plant Hunter, Passionate Gardener & Curator of The World Garden at his ancestral home, Lullingstone Castle in Kent, and will be opening Day 2, on Wednesday 24 June. His presentation will be an eclectic plant filled mix including: What sparked his interest in the wonderful world of plants; his time in captivity at the hands of Colombian Guerrillas; botanical stories from the developing World Garden and to top it off – further plant hunting tales to the far flung corners of our green globe’.

We are also proud to be the hosts of Nursery Fresh who will be launching a special rose raising funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The ‘Breakthrough Rose’ is championed by Nicki Chapman alongside the Breakthrough team who will speak about the project.

For more information about the HTA National Plant Show, visit http://nationalplantshow.co.uk/

Back by popular demand the HTA’s Planties photography competition will feature at the HTA National Plant Show 2015.

The competition, sponsored by Blooms of Bressingham, aims to celebrate the beauty of plants through plant selfies taken by the exhibitors.

Exhibitors are invited to enter their best plant pics which can be as creative or conservative as they like. For example: plant close ups, plants in situ - a border, hanging basket or a pot, plants in an environment - nursery, retail space or garden, or plants with pals - capturing the relationship between plants and people and animals.

Entries will be on display at the show at stand 164 and visitors will be asked to vote for their favourite, with the best Plantie announced at the end of the show.

The winner will feature in HTA News and receive a bottle of bubbly. Last year’s winner was Fairweather’s Nursery with a great selfie of Eryngium Big Blue.

Enter online and find out more at www.nationalplantshow.co.uk/features/plant-selfies

Share your Planties - #HTAplanties

Crest Garden has taken to the road with a mobile showroom visiting garden centres to demonstrate and display Kent & Stowe tools and the Flopro watering range. 

During the first two weeks of operation, 85% of all centres visited placed orders for the new ranges which were introduced to the market for the 2015 season.

Commenting on the success of the venture, Andy Abraham, Sales Director said “The response from retailers has been tremendous. The mobile showroom provides the opportunity for all the staff involved to handle the products and feel the quality. Such was the demand that we extended the operation to a full six days a week."

Kent and Stowe is a complete range of digging, cutting and cultivation tools. The products have been designed in the UK with the aim of improving strength, functionality, cosmetic appeal and comfort.

The range includes the innovative Secateurs Station which allows gardeners to select the right product for their particular needs. The digging and cultivation tools are available in carbon steel and stainless steel and carry the K&S crest reinforcing the brand’s slogan ‘Built on tradition, crafted for life’. 

Flopro is an innovative new range of watering hoses, carts and accessories. Using the finest materials and cutting-edge technology, the brand combines ergonomic styling with fresh colours, offering a truly alternative range to the market.

With competitive pricing backed by impactful POS and merchandising, Flopro is reinvigorating the watering category and driving new sales at all price points. 

It has been the best May for garden product sales, according to the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 data. The make-up of the Top 50 Bestsellers over the past five years has changed significantly with garden decoration items, including solar lights, playing a much bigger role.

Star performers this week include:

• Gardman Solar Mini Ice Orbs had a bumper sales week to jump back to top spot above Scotts Levington Tomorite.
• Gardman Solar Black Nickel Glass Marker Lights were the highest re-enty at No 22.
• Gardman Solar Copper Glass Marker Lights were the highest climber, up 22 places to No 25.

DS Agencies have announed the passing of garden centre agent, Andy Royce:

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Andy Royce. Andy died at home on Saturday 30th May at the age of 63. The funeral is to be held at 11.30am on Friday 12th June at Bourne Abbey Church, Church Walk, Bourne, PE10 9UQ.

Family flowers only, all are welcome.

This notice has been placed at the request of his family by sales agents who were his colleagues.

Veg-2-Gro Top 50 sales are now up 20% on last year. Who said grow your own was dead?  

And the signs are that while there are supplies of good young plants for customers to buy then the increases will keep on coming and that means more opportunities to sell patio planters for veg such as the Elho table planter. Centres tell us the lime green and purple are selling best!

Star performers include:

• Quantil Sweet Potato Bonita 10cm is the only new entry at No 50.
• Farplants Garden Mint 1 litre pot size sees the highest week on week sales growth.

Mr Fothergill's is hoping to increase retail sales of tomato and cosmos seeds in 2016 by launching a bespoke hotspot stand featuring many varieties of the two in response to an initiative led by the home gardening division of Fleuroselect.  

The organisation trials and assesses new flower varieties from around the world to determine their suitability for European conditions. 

Mr Fothergill's Tracy Collacott is the sole UK seed company representative on the Fleuroselect Home Gardening committee. 

"Tomatoes are already hugely popular with our customers, while there has been a large amount of great new breeding work on cosmos in recent years," says Tracy. 

"We hope that by focusing on both we can give our stockists additional sales during 2016".

The stand features 16 varieties of tomatoes and 15 varieties of cosmos, including several new additions to the Mr Fothergill's range;  these include tomatoes Suncherry Smile F1, a sister variety of the renowned Sungold, Red Bodyguard F1, Bountiful F1, and cosmos Hummingbird Pink.

For more information on how Mr Fothergill's can boost stockists' profits, please telephone 01638 554111, log on at www.mr-fothergills-trade.com or e-mail info@mr-fothergills.co.uk

Growing media sales continue at a high pace as 2015 becomes a record year for gardening activity.  

Many garden centres are reporting high levels of plant sales, particularly perennials and veg plants, as our Veg-2-Gro chart shows. Therefore it should not be a surprise that Growing Media volumes are reaching record breaking levels.

Star growing media performers this week include:

• Scotts Levington Ericaceous Compost 20 litres is the highest chart re-entry.
• Arthur Bowers New Horizon Multi Purpose 60 litres moves up 16 places to No 17.
• Westland Jack’s Magic All Purpose Compost 60 litres moves up to No 4.
• Quantil Carrot Baby Round is the highest re-entry at No 30.

The Greatest Outdoor Leisure Awards Categories

• The Greatest BBQ Sales Team of the Year
• The Greatest Garden Decoration and Lighting Sales Team of the Year
• The Greatest Inspiration for New Gardeners Team – Love The Plot You’ve Got Award
• The Greatest Outdoor Leisure Supplier of the Year
• The Greatest Outdoor Leisure Sales Team of the Year

Leading decorative garden structures and fencing company, Grange has ‘made the summer’ for five lucky consumers, as well as seeing significant gains for its own business, thanks to its first ever consumer facing media campaign, which highlighted its 2015 decorative structures offer.  

Competition entrants have won added value decorative Grange products like the Valencia Corner Arbour, the Montebello Arbour, the Regis Gazebo, the Grange Flower Walk and the Colonnade Pergola.

The campaign which ran from March to June included high profile advertorials and consumer competitions in media such as Gardener’s World, Grand Designs, Period Living, Amateur Gardening, Style At Home and NFU Countryside.  It was designed to raise awareness of the brand and the new 2015 product range. 

Senior Product Manager, Rob Giles said, “The 2015 / 2016 season is seeing significant investment in the Grange brand.  The company has proved its capabilities in the most challenging areas of logistics and supply and now we are investing in product development, branding and our engagement with the consumer.  We are already seeing the results in terms of business growth and we are confident that multiple, merchant and garden centre retailers will all enjoy the results of our commitment.”

Grange now combines an unrivalled offering across fencing, decorative garden structures, gates and fixings including the Metpost brand.  The combination ensures attractive purchase options for all customers from specialist timber and builders merchants to garden centres to multiples.  Retailers interested in working with Grange should contact the company on 01952 588088 or email sales@grangefen.co.uk

World-renowned clematis expert Raymond Evison will be giving a talk and demonstration on how to grow clematis successfully at Squire’s Garden Centres on Saturday, July 4.

The talks will take place at Squire’s Shepperton (10am) and Squire’s Milford (4.15pm), and Raymond will:

• Show you how to plant a container with clematis
• Explain what other plants should be grown with the clematis
• Tell you how to care for your clematis, including watering, feeding and pruning

The talk with Q&A will last approximately 75-90 minutes.  Tickets cost £8.50, which includes refreshments and £5 off any clematis purchased at Squire’s on the day.

Malcolm Scott Consultants have announced that Faisal Ishaq has joined the company as a new Town Planner. 

Faisal has a Master of Science Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Birmingham. 

He has worked in Local Authorities and gained important commercial experience in working in Financial Services Support Companies.

He brings to Malcolm Scott Consultants a keen and proven commercial outlook mixed with his Town Planning skills – essential qualities for Malcolm Scott Consultants unique quality of achieving innovative and financially successful planning outcomes for clients.

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

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

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2012 as well as 2013 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

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

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

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro Products Bestsellers chart for last 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.

Chef, food entrepreneur and sustainable living expert James Strawbridge will provide the after dinner talk at the HTA Catering Conference dinner which takes place on the evening of Tuesday 9 June at The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.

James is no stranger to good quality, seasonal and local food. Living in Cornwall with his wife and children, James runs his own food business ‘The Posh Pasty Company’.  James has also appeared on our TV screens on programmes such as It’s Not Easy Being Green, The Reinventors, Paradise or Bust, The Hungry Sailors and Saturday Farm. He is also a published author and his titles include Practical Self-Sufficiency: The Complete Guide to Sustainable Living and Made at Home.

Cooking, being outdoors and hard work is what makes him happy. When not writing, filming or crimping pasties James can be found out at sea relaxing in his wooden sailing boat or competitively gig-rowing for his local club.  

The conference dinner will also include the presentation of the Greatest Catering Awards 2015. As part of the Greatest Awards on Tour 2015, Garden Trade News will celebrate excellence in garden centre catering by hosting and presenting awards in the following categories: The Greatest Afternoon Tea Experience 2015, The Greatest Chef Team of the Year, The Greatest Front of House Team of the Year, The Greatest Catering Supplier of the Year and The Greatest Garden Centre Catering Team of the Year.

The dinner takes place at the end of the first day of the conference, which is sponsored by Vision Commercial Kitchens. The focus for the programme on day one (9 June) is Strategy and Operations with the day two (10 June) focus on Food.

Alongside the seminars, panel discussions and workshops there will be plenty of time for networking, with theconference exhibition providing a great opportunity to meet with catering product suppliers. Exhibitors include:

Vision Commercial Kitchens, Garden Trade News, Haymarket (Horticulture Week), Illy, Barclaycard, Beanworks, R & R Ice Cream, Catering Design Group, Tea Fusion, i2i,  Towergate Insurance, Cawston Press, Creed Food Services, Eden Farm, Easitills, Swan Retail, Fentimans, Cozy Bay Furniture, Planglow, IFSE, Tea from the Manor, Destiny Foods, Mondelez and Massarella.

To view the full programme and to book your place visit www.cateringconference.co.uk

The Greatest Catering Awards Categories for 2015

• The Greatest Afternoon Tea Experience 2015
• The Greatest Chef Team of the Year
• The Greatest Front of House Team of the Year
• The Greatest Catering Supplier of the Year
• The Greatest Garden Centre Catering Team of the Year, sponsored by National Garden Gift Vouchers

With the BBQ and alfresco season about to begin in earnest, Speciality Breads has launched a trio of gourmet demi-baguettes to the foodservice sector.   

All offering depth of flavour, vital texture and real character, the new artisan, fully-baked frozen range which is perfect for a wide range of premium foodservice providers consists of:

• Sunflower Seed demi-baguette - a deliciously nutty sunflower seed demi-baguette, golden in colour with great texture, depth flavour of flavour and character.  30 units x 120g demi-baguettes per box.
• Olive & Tomato demi-baguette – with a Mediterranean twist, these are loaded with high quality black olives and sundried tomatoes.  30 units x 120g demi-baguettes per box
• Onion demi-baguette -  have a gloriously mild, fragrant, onion-y flavour and a typically crisp crust making them sublime for sandwiches and soups. 30 units x 120g demi-baguettes per box. 

Speciality Breads Managing Director, Peter Millen said: “With a buoyant UK foodservice sector, our NPD team are tireless in scouring the world to keep up with the latest trends, techniques and styles. 

"Our demi-baguettes have always been a strong area for us so with this artisan flavoured range, we are confident that we can drive further growth during the summer season and beyond."

The company supplies a range of garden centre kicthens and cafés.

Immersing their arms in a bag of oilseed rape seeds, holding worms used in organic farming, stroking cows and alpacas, watching huge tractors being driven across a field, making sausages and grinding flour - the Essex Schools Food and Farming Day was a hands-on experience for the 3,000 schoolchildren who visited Writtle College on Thursday...

More than 60 schools from across the county attended the Essex Agricultural Society event – now in its eighth year - to discover where their food comes from and to find out more about farming.

For many schoolchildren it was their first experience of farm life, giving them an exciting opportunity to see livestock up-close, hear the thunderous roar of a combine harvester and taste farm produce after learning of its journey from field to fork.

The children could put their hands under a crop sprayer shooting out water, find out about turkey-rearing, see recently-hatched chicks and peer inside a bee hive. They found out about the production of sugar in East Anglia, biological pest control on crops, how to save water and vegetable wholesalers!

Dr Stephen Waite, Principal of Writtle College, said: “The College is extremely happy to be involved with this event alongside Essex Agricultural Society. It is a fantastic day and provides over 3,000 local schoolchildren with an opportunity to understand, perhaps for the first time, where and how their food is produced.

“Hopefully, this hands-one event will sow the seed of an idea, encouraging them to find out more about farming, their environment and even think about a career in the land-based sector. Too few people appreciate how important these industries are to the UK and the range of challenging, exciting and well-paid careers they offer.”

The event was split into a farm trail around five zones – machinery, crops, livestock, countryside & environment and food. Each zone encompassed a key element of the food and farming story with fun, interactive exhibits provided by mainly Essex organisations and businesses.

Among the animals in the livestock zone were dairy cows, chicks, pigs, sheep, turkeys and alpacas, with a sheep-shearing show outside.

In the food zone, children were shown how Wilkin & Son makes its world-famous jams from strawberries, while teachers could be nominated to taste oysters and children could find out about the cereal journey.

Combine harvesters, seed drills and tractors were the main attractions of the Machinery zone, with farmers telling the children about the capability of the huge machines.

In the Countryside and Environment zone, children could get up-close to Common Kestrels, wear a bee suit, hold a piece of honeycomb and learn about the movement of water by using an Archimedes Screw and shifting grains of plastic.

In the Crops zone, pupils could grind flour, see how worms turn natural rubbish into soil, take a plant identification quiz with the RHS, crush oilseed rape seeds into oil and guess how many sugar beets make one bag of sugar (6-7!). They could don 3D glasses to see the head of a flea beetle taken by an electron microscope, see a crop sprayer spraying water, hold models showing the molecular construction of pesticides and herbicides, look through test tubes at insects bred in Clacton for biological control, and taste onions grown locally for a supermarket chain.

The aim of the annual fun and educational event is to bring children ‘out of the classroom’ and give them a better understanding of the food chain and the role played by farmers in Essex, as well as raising awareness of the countryside, environmental issues and healthy eating. 

Carly Williams, Key Stage 2 leader and Year 6 teacher at Wyburns Primary School in Rayleigh, which had 93 children at the event, said: “This event is something really different and unusual for the children to experience. It gives them an understanding of where their food comes from and makes them appreciate that it doesn’t just appear in the supermarket. The event also feeds into our work on healthy eating and we will be following it up with writing activities tomorrow. The children were excited to get out of the classroom and it’s wonderful seeing them gain some practical learning.”

Ceyhan Djevat, teacher at Lincewood Primary School in Langdon Hills, said: “The children are loving it! I’m hoping they will have more awareness about where their food comes from and what goes into producing their food.”

Phoebe Coutts, nine, from Lincewood, said: “I found it interesting looking at the chicks as they are so cute! I liked the pigs too but they were a bit smelly!”

Hannah Smith, a teacher from King’s Ford Primary School in Colchester, said: “It’s a really exciting day and the children are really enjoying it. We’ve had some revelations today! They were interested to find out where pork, gammon and bacon come from.”

Nigel King, from Imperial Birds of Prey Academy, said: “I have had three questions about the Common Kestrels: ‘why has it got a hat on?’; ‘is it real?’; and ‘what are they’!”

Hannah Marriage, from Marriage’s Millers, said: “We are asking the children to think about where their breakfast comes from and showing them that a lot comes from wheat - their cereal, bagels and croissants. We have a mini milling wheel that they can turn so they can make wholemeal flour. We’re also showing them that the by-product is used for animal feed, given to pigs and chickens which produce the bacon and eggs for breakfast.”

The event involved 300 farmers and Writtle College staff with 500 teachers and assistants visiting with the schoolchildren. Volunteer stewards guided small groups of the eight to 11-year-olds through the various activities, giving pupils direct contact with members of the local food and farming community.

Guy Smith, Essex Agricultural Society spokesman, local farmer and Vice President of the National Farmers Union, said: “It was another great day at Writtle College. What I like best about this occasion is the look on the children's faces when they get close enough to farm animals to be able to smell them or when they get close enough to a combine harvester to feel the ground rumble beneath their feet. These are vivid and memorable experiences that leave a lasting impression and help them remember where their food comes from.”