Established in 2001, Cherry Lane Garden Centres now has sites at:

• Beverley, East Yorkshire
• Bradmore, Nottinghamshire
• Braintree, Essex
• Early Dawn, near Lowestoft
• Glebe, Countesthorpe Leicestershire
• Long Melford, Suffolk
• Pulham Market, Norfolk
• Roman Way, Northants
• South View, near Great Yarmouth
• Tickhill, South Yorkshire

• Garden Products - down 27%
• Veg-2-Gro - down 52%
• Growing Media - down 33%
• All Items Index - down 29%

Irish Rising Stars are ready to shine in GroMór Campaign The Irish Rising Stars are getting ready to shine following their first Masterclass at Arboretum Garden Centre in Co. Carlow.

They are now revved up and ready to use their new found merchandising and point of sale knowledge to promote GroMór, a nationwide campaign to get Ireland growing.

The campaign aims to make gardening accessible to all and is being implemented in association with Bord Bia. The campaign, running in 65 Retail Excellence Ireland Garden Centres with support from 17 Nursery Growers, offers practical advice on growing, highlighting the many benefits of gardening as a pastime and encouraging novices to dig out their wellies and discover their green fingers.

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director for Westland Horticulture, a key sponsor of GroMór and driving force behind the Rising Stars programme, said: “The Irish Rising Stars will ensure garden retailers are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to make gardening appealing to all those who walk through their doors during the GroMór campaign.

“Encouraging new and emerging talent is essential for the future of our industry, it brings fresh ideas and inspiration, essential for driving participation in the garden sector.

The Irish Rising Stars takes its learnings from an existing training model that Westland run in the UK, which has been running for six years with exceptional success.”

Keelan Bourke, Member Relationship Manager at Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) Garden Group said: “The Rising Stars training programme will get the very best from garden centre staff, helping them promote the benefits of gardening to a new generation.”

Carol Marks, Development and Marketing Specialist for Bord Bia, said: “We’re really pleased to be supporting this event which promises to develop garden centre staff and enhance involvement in GroMór.”

Picture shows Irish Rising Stars attending their first masterclass at Arboretum Garden Centre in Co. Carlow.

Set to reach over 29m consumers over April and May, the advert will remind consumers Resolva Liquid Shots offer an easy way to apply concentrated weedkiller. Pre-dosed with just the right amount of weedkiller for a 10L watering can, there’s no mess and no- measuring, giving consumers peace of mind they are not over-applying – simple!

Resolva Liquid Shots is the perfect solution to big weed problems. The advert features the famous weed characters who taunt and tease a man on his driveway. The weed attack continues until our hero thinks to use the Resolva Liquid Shots, with visible results in 24 hours, he gains control and is satisfied with the results.

Amy Gingell, Brand Manager for Resolva said: “With over £1m of TV advertising and reaching over 29m viewers, customers will be flocking to your stores looking for this product. Don’t let them leave disappointed!”

Order the Resolva Liquid Shots range, including Resolva 24H, Resolva Path & Patio and the NEW Resolva Lawn Weedkiller Extra Concentrate Liquid Shots through your Westland sales representative today.

*Source: GfK, Weedkillers, Panelmarket excl. Ironmongers, sales value, Weedkillers RTU/Concentrate, Jun 14-May 15.

Resolva 24H and Path & Patio contain diquat & glyphosate. Resolva Lawn Weedkiller Extra Concentrate contains mecoprop-P and dicamba.

Derek Bunker, owner of Alton Garden Centre at Wickford in Essex urged garden industry suppliers to spend time in garden centres talking and listening to customers rather than carry out focus groups when he addressed the Day Conference meeting of GIMA earlier this month.

"Focus groups, what a waste of time they are," Derek told delegates at the meeting which followed the GIMA AGM. "Why do you bother with focus groups? You've got garden centres full of customers. All you've got to do is send somebody into the centres, quietley, sit down or walk around, not with hats or big supplier logos on, mingle with the customers, listen and understand what it is they can't find, what questions they are asking and why can't they find what they are looking for?

"You may have a winner, you may have a looser. When you have focus groups they have a nice coffee and biscuits and tell you what you want to hear, they know who's invited them.

"Please don't use focus groups.  Sometimes the reason you're succesful is the complete opposite reason than you think. The reason it was succesful may have been the advertising but it could have been just that was that everybody elses products on the shelf were red and yours was yellow and it stood out.  Believe me it happens."

Derek asked why suppliers insist on changing the names of products and making the labels difficult for customers to work out what the product does.  "I've had to make my own sign to tell customers that Weedol Lawn Weedkiller is actually Verdone."

Holding his iphone up to the audience, Derek also has strong words for suppliers using e-mails instead of making phone calls to deal with supply issues.  "Did you know you can actually talk to people on an iphone?You can ring people up and there's someone on the other end who will talk to you rather than email. Surely its a lot easier to ring someone up and say look this is the issue I have than it is to put it all down in 15 scentences about what was wrong. 

"One of the things I want to say today is we should run computers we shouldn't let them run us. Were all on the same side, sometimes it feels like a threesome - I'm on one side and you guys and the computer are on the other.  If you put a new computer system in well, that's death to us in garden centres, we just know that is going to cause problems."

Derek also recounted a time when he met Horace Hagadorn at the Hardware Trade show in Chicago.  Horace thanked Derek for all the business he had done with him that year.  Derek replied; "and thank you for all
the money you've made me.

That is the spirit of garden centre and supplier realationships as far as Derek is concerend.  "That encapsulates what we should all really be doing.  Neither of us can survive without the other." 

• The ideal candidate will understand both the category and customers, possess strong  communication and negotiation skills and have a passion and enthusiasm for customers and products.
• They should an excellent team player focused on driving sales and profitability.

• The effective management of a number of key departments (to include Gifts, Farm Shop, Customer Services and Seasonal). The management of staff within these departments.
• The ability to work closely with other members of the Management Team to ensure the garden centre performs to its optimum.
• Ensuring customers have received an exceptional level of service.
• Communicating effectively at all levels.
• Duty Manager for the site on a rota basis.

• Possess excellent people and communication skills.
• Enjoy working as part of a highly motivated team.
• Have relevant retail experience within a busy environment. A garden centre background would be advantageous.
• Possess excellent IT skills.

• Be able to motivate and train other team members.
• Have semi-mature tree planting experience.
• Happy working out of doors.
• Have Horticultural qualifications, SSSTS, CAT scan and First Aid certificates.
• Be strong and physically fit.
• Have good spoken English.
• Be reliable and hard working.
• Have a good driving record.
• Have machine tickets (Telehandler/mini-excavator).
• Be able to drive a trailer and/or an HGV.
• However training will be given as required to the successful candidate.

To apply for this role click here

• To manage the efficient running of the departments on a day to day basis.
• To drive the sales and profitability of the departments ensuring financial targets are achieved.
• To evolve and develop the offer and it's presentation to a market leading position.
• To coach and develop the teams.
• To act as Duty Manager as required.

• A strong understanding of garden care and its products including garden chemicals.
• Management experience with a garden centre background.
• Knowledge of garden machinery, pets and aquatics an advantage.
• Experience of product ranging and an understanding of sales/stock reports.
• Full Driving Licence and willingness to drive to trade shows etc.

• Scotts Miracle-Gro All Purpose Concentrated Plant Food (1 litre) is the highest re-entry at No 6.
• Westland Growmore (3.5kg) moves up 36 places to No 13, making it the highest climber.

• Quantil Broad Bean is the highest new entry at No 11.
• Other new entries include Beetroot and Broccoli while Bridgen Strawberry is also a newcomer at No 35.
• The highest climber is at No 13, a jump of 32 places for Quantil Peas.

• Scotts Levington Tomorite Giant Planter with Seaweed is the highest climber, moving up 15 places to No 14.
• The highest re-entry is Westland Multipurpose Compost + John Innes (20 litres) at No 27.
• The highest new entry is Scotts Levington Original Compost (50 litres) with 50% free.

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 2014 as well as 2015 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 Veg-2-Gro Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

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

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

Cold Brew coffee and tea were the new stars at the London Coffee Festival, held at the Truman Brewery in London earlier this month.

Cold Brew is a style of coffee that is doing very well in the US at the moment which means it is very likely to become popular here, especially as the high street coffe shops such as Starbucks are getting in on the act already.

The team from Matthew Algie expolained to GTN Food Xtra: "Cold Brew is produced by steeping ground coffee in cold water for an extensive period of time – between 8 and 18 hours depending upon which method you decide to go with.  The result is you get a liquid that has been brewed of infused cold, not through hot water, and it imparts a much softer characteristic from the coffee, gives you less acidity in your coffee, enhances certain flavour profiles, it’s a very well balanced coffee and seasonally because its served cold, with ice, it’s a super drink for the summer time.  You still get your caffeine hit but with cold refreshment of coffee."

This method of brewing coffee and tea could be a much better sales option for the summer than bottled and canned soft drinks they explained:  “As a retailer what you’re trying to do is keep your till ring level.  If somebody doesn’t buy a £2.50 latte and all of a sudden trades down to a can of soft drink at £1.20 or so, you’re losing turnover and margin."

“With cold brew coffee you should be able to charge the same, or even a more premium price (because the coffee used is single origin coffee rather than blends – brewing them cold and serving without milk allows for the pure taste of the coffees to come through) - African coffees are renowned for being very acidic they’re very fruity, ripe plum, damson flavours whereas Sumatran coffees are very earthy and smoky with a much fuller body.  Because of the cold infusion method used it softens a lot of the high peaks you get from an espresso machine. Cold brew gives a smoother, less acidic, less bitter drink."

Matthew Algie also supply Suki Teas and Cold Brew tea is high on the drinks menu for the summer too.  "A cold infusion of Suki loose leaf fruit teas gies you a drink tasting like a refreshing cordial.  Leave to infuse for 12 to 18 hours in cold water the dilute with a bit of apple juice to add a touch of sweetness.  It's ideal for the yummy mummy audience. If you serve a small jug of the brightly coloured cold brew fruit tea with a couple of glasses all of a sudden you’ve got some great theatre to get more customer interest. It will be great for your sales and great for your margin."

Starbucks are already serving cold brew coffee and with the roll out of Teavanna – cold brew tea could become a very popular option this summer.

See GTN Food Xtras pictures from the London Coffee Festival - it's well worth a visit next year if you want great ideas for jazzing up your coffee and tea offering.