The ultimate accolades in GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards, sponsored by Gardman, are The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre Teams, as voted for by garden centre customers.  Voting starts now and runs through to Christmas Eve, December 24th and to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is download the posters and voting forms below for in-store voting and add our voting link to your facebook, twitter or website to get customers voting on-line too!

As we head towards the busiest weeks of the year it’s time to ask your customers to vote for you as The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre Team.

There's no entry charge for taking part in The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre voting but we are looking to raise funds during November and Decemnber for Greenfingers.  If you'd like to make a donation to Greenfingers, please use this link.

GTN Xtra and the Greenfingers Team are also looking for great new Christmas fundraising ideas for Greenfingers, so get your creative thinking caps on, let us know what ideas you've come up with and you never know, you may be inline for a special award.

So, what are you waitiing for?  All you have to do is download the voting posters and voting postcard artworks from GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards Dropbox 2017 folder or these links:



GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards 2017 Voting Postcards.pdf




GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards 2017 Poster A1.pdf

GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards 2017 Poster A3.pdf

GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards 2017 Poster A4.pdf

Print them out and get your customers voting.  They can post them to our Greatest Christmas Awards office or you can create "Post your Votes" here boxes for votes to be posted in store.

You can also ask your customers to vote for you on line this year, just paste this link:  http://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/GTN/p6fmqykzsk8  into your social media pages, e-mail newsletters and websites.  The link will take them straight to our voting form.  Last year we received a record number of on-line votes and we expect the number to grow even further this year.

The closing date for votes, both on-line and posted in-store is 4:30pm on Christmas Eve, 24th December 2017.  If you collect votes in-store, please send them through to us on a regular basis to help with the counting and then make sure you send your final batch of votes off directly after Christmas.  

The Greatest Christmas Awards will this year be presented during Glee@Spring Fair at a special Greatest Awards Breakfast Reception on Tuesday 6th February 2018 so the cut off for final votes to be received and counted in our office is Monday 8th January 2018. 

Remember to look through all your votes before you post them to us - your staff will love to know all the wonderful things your customers say about you as they vote for The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre Team.

When all the votes are counted, size of centre and number of staff are taken into account, so there are as many chances of small and medium sized centres winning this ultimate Christmas accolade as that of a big centre.

If you have any problems downloading any of the files please e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and we’ll send you them by e-mail straight away.

The Greatest Awards team is out meeting as many teams as possible this festive season. We are doing our best to get to you all but just in case we don't make it please send us photos of your team and your displays or grottos.  trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Good luck!

Wesfarmers is trialling smaller store formats following the conversion of the first 12 Homebase stores to Bunnings Warehouses.

The Bicester store, covering 36,700 sq ft, which opens this month, will be around a third of the size of its flagship Milton Keynes store and less than half the size of a number of the others.

The Homebase store at Walton on Thames is due to close in early January for conversion over a three-week period to the group’s smallest UK Bunnings to date – at 26,234 sq.ft., almost bijou compared to MK’s 90,000 sq.ft.

Bunnings UK and Ireland boss Peter ‘PJ’ Davis says success of the pilot schemes is an absolute pre-curser to investment in converting the rest of the 250-plus Homebase estate.

 “We are still in phase one of our acquisition plan and trialling Bunnings pilot stores is an important part of this,” Davis told Retail Week. “We are testing and learning from different formats, store sizes and locations.”

Bunnings’ challenging UK market debut resulted in losses of £54m in its first full year here, but one-off transition and restructuring costs accounted for more than a third of the total.

Its a Girl Power takeover for the Westland GCA Rising Stars this year.  Here are the five finalists who will be making their presentations at the GCA Conference in Stratford upon Avon on Monday 22nd January 2018 prior to conference delegates voting to decide who will be the winner for this year.

Emma Blackmore from Bents

Samantha Davis from Haskins

Sarah Postlethwaite from Fron Goch

Andreea Robertson from Gardenwise

Jayne Scott from Klondyke Daleside

Westland Marketing Director, Keith Nicholson, said: "The quality of the five finalists this year is really high.  It is great to see Rising Stars gaining momentum and delivering even greater benefits to the participants and their employers."

"I can't wait to see the presentations at conference.  I think it will be a close call for delegates to choose a winner this year, but one thing is for sure there will be plenty of good ideas for conference delegates to take away."

Last weekend’s snow, which was heavy enough to cause centres to close in the Midlands, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, made it impossible for overall weekly sales volumes to reach the pre-Christmas peak expected, according to EPOS data analysed by GTN Bestsellers.

Sales volumes of the GTN Christmas Top 50 Bestsellers dipped too but still performed at 9% above previous year’s levels.

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

• Garden Products Top 50 – down 29%
• Growing Media Top 50 – down 5%
• Wild Bird Care Products Top 50 – up 4%
• Christmas Products Top 50 – up 15%
• All Plants index – down 1%
• All Items index – down 13%

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

Following the BBC's successful Blue Planet II series the Garden Centre Association (GCA) has secured a guest speaker passionate about shark conservation for its annual conference in January (2018).

Lesley Rochat, known as the Shark Warrior, is the founder of Shark Warrior Adventures and AfriOceans, a non-profit organisation, and she will be the first speaker at the event on January 22.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, explained: "We pride ourselves on being topical here at the GCA and the BBC's Blue Planet II series really captured the imagination of the nation. Lesley challenges, inspires and motivates audiences with a multimedia presentation that includes compelling video footage and world-class photography. She weaves in the radical choices she makes to put herself into potentially dangerous situations underwater and it's truly awe-inspiring.

"Our delegates all either run or participate in the running of businesses and Lesley's presentation about fearless leadership, conquering free and the power of positive thinking, all linking in with the natural world, ought to be very stimulating for them. I am sure it will encourage some in-depth and exciting discussions away from the auditorium too. In light of the Blue Planet phenomenon, it will be very interesting to hear Lesley speak about her conservation work as well.

"She believes that at the core of environmental degradation is humanities disconnect from nature, forgetting that we are a part of it. It promises to be fascinating and a great opening presentation for our 2018 conference."

AfriOceans launched initially with Lesley's unique shark conservation project that involved the satellite tagging and releasing of captive sharks and, under her leadership, continues to run environmental education, awareness and lobbying projects.

Shark Warrior Adventures was developed as a self-funding initiative of AfriOceans. As a responsible tourism initiative, it offers photographic expeditions, safaris, tours and courses led by Lesley, including a beachfront water-sports centre, based in Cape Town, South Africa.

"Lesley's portfolio includes being a documentary filmmaker, a keynote speaker, a well-published dive-travel and environmental photojournalist and the author of educational books and several children's books.

"Her photography, which began with a Pentax K1000 and her own dark room, remains her primary communication tool in raising awareness about our oceans.

"As the Principal Photographer and videographer of AfriOceans, she covers all the organisation's projects. She also teaches photography and leads photographic expeditions, joining forces with other like-minded organisations, such as the Big Animals Expeditions."

Lesley is an inductee of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, a member of the Ocean Artists Society and recipient of many other awards.

She aims to help reconnect people with nature through transformational wildlife experiences, both above and below the waves, and through sharing her skills in her photojournalism internships, leadership and underwater photography courses.

The GCA's 52nd annual conference takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire from January 21 until 24, 2018.

Lesley will be the first speaker at the event on Monday, January 22.

A ‘state of the nations’ report from the organisers of January’s IPM Essen horticultural trade show says Britain’s dependency on imports of plants and flowers from the Netherlands, is declining.

The report says the Netherlands, which has an 80% share of trade within the EU, feared that Brexit would impact on its role as the hub for the European market. Directly after the British referendum, Dutch sales quantities to Britain, which the report claims imports 90% of its need for plants and flowers, decreased by 5% - and they are still running at 6% to 10% below earlier levels. The weak pound is largely to blame.

The report says new trade relations will need to be set up but many experts agree that Britain would find supplies from elsewhere in the long term.

IPM Essen runs from 23 to 26 January 2018. Click here for further show information.

Thompson & Morgan is launching its latest world exclusive plant breeding success. Sunbelievable is a truly phenomenal new sunflower. Like no other sunflower, Sunbelievable flowers continuously from June until the first frosts. In trials, plants were still blooming in late November. Incredibly, over 1,000 flowers are produced on each plant during the growing season!

Paul Masters, T&M's Head of Horticulture, said:

"Sunbelievable is an amazing breakthrough in decorative plants for the garden in an area that has been distinctly lacking in innovation in previous years. We expect this fabulous new sunflower to make a real impact in people's gardens - its non-stop blooming will appeal to sunflower lovers and gardeners everywhere."

Set to create quite a media buzz, Sunbelieveable is the product of eight years of work by T&M's breeding team. Head plant breeder, Charles Valin's vision was to breed a sunflower that was long-flowered and which could be used and enjoyed as a bedding plant as well as in containers.

Charles comments:

"I was always disappointed by the garden performance of traditional pot sunflowers. I've crossed the very best with the very best to really boost the plant's performance. I still can't believe how many flowers this plant can produce! I also realised that it was the energy that the plant put into setting seed that was preventing it from flowering for long. So I aimed to create a new hybrid that would not set seed and would therefore carry on flowering all summer long."

For further information and specifics on Sunbelievable's features, go to https://blog.thompson-morgan.com/its-sunbelievable/

Still on a high following Glee 2017, the event’s post-show report has helped shape much of the thinking for the short and long-term future of Glee.

The research has highlighted Glee’s ongoing value for the industry it represents. With over three-quarters of the attendees at the 2017 exhibition responding positively, it’s safe to assume that the show hit the mark for those that made the journey to the NEC Birmingham, including the 31% of first-time visitors. What’s more, the purchasing power of Glee continues to prove its worth. 83% of attendees had purchasing power.

The Retail Lab @ Glee – celebrating its inaugural year in 2017 – proved to be a popular attraction, which is why the area has been confirmed to make its return in 2018. Over 80% of those that visited the Retail Lab found the area to be useful, helping them to source new products, merchandising ideas and retailing best practice. 

A sentiment mirrored by over half of Glee’s overall audience, who stated that finding out more about future trends was a primary reason for attending the show. With the support of the HTA, the Retail Lab is set to be bigger in 2018, whilst over the coming months Glee will be working with the market to present ‘The Retail Lab in Practice’ – showcasing the different ways retailers have taken Retail Lab concepts and ideas, and implemented them in their own retail environments.

The exhibition itself will also be benefitting from a complete relocation into NEC halls 6,7,8, 19-20, providing the show with a much bigger footprint, and an even larger and more exciting exhibition.   Exhibitors will be able to relocate, whilst visitors will be walking an updated floorplan; discovering new products and companies at every turn. 

The overall effect will be a refreshed, revitalised event, as Matthew Mein, Glee Event Director explains: “Glee has been growing at a significant rate – for example we had over 200 new brands join us at the 2017 event - and that means we’ve outgrown our current home.

"Glee has successfully relocated before, and we believe that this next move will be received with the same level of industry support. Not only will the exhibition be able to better accommodate more exhibitors and visitors, but its refreshed layout will breathe new life into the show.

"This move is inspired by the way that retailers keep their store interesting for customers by constantly revising the layout. This way customers discover more, and ultimately spend more – something we know our exhibitors and visitors want to replicate during their time at Glee.”

Building more content to help support the continuous growth of gardening in the UK will be a key theme of the 2018 event. Garden retailing is continuing to buck the trend, with growth for both garden retailers and suppliers continuing to grab the headlines.

At Glee 2018 look out for more features, seminar sessions and year-round information relating to trends, merchandising and practical advice on ways to build better business, whilst also tackling the most burning issues set to affect the industry in the years ahead.

With over three quarters of Glee’s audience coming to source new products, with many stating the importance of being able to touch and feel a product previously only seen in a catalogue, Glee 2018 will see even more focus on new products, including the New Product Showcase – created in partnership with Garden Trade News -  relocating to the main floorspace.

Pet products and suppliers will be benefitting from enhancements in 2018. Bigger and better than ever before, this dedicated area of Glee will benefit from its own entrance that will drive retailers right into the heart of the pet area, to a special pet care seminar stage, the new look ‘Pets @ Glee’ will be a hub of information, exciting new products and business advice that will enable garden retailers to tap into this thriving sector. PetQuip has also confirmed that it will be continuing its support, bringing with it a pet focused Buyers Connect networking event. These special 10-minute speed networking sessions will place pet suppliers directly in front of buyers from key garden retailers. These retailers are actively looking for new and innovative pet product suppliers, and for many Buyers Connect will be the place where long-term and profitable relationships are forged.

Glee’s added value content, such as the Seminar Theatre, will also be getting an upgrade in 2018, including a relocation in hall 8. With an increase in visitors to the theatre of 30% year-on-year, Glee will be working to bring even more high-profile speakers to the stage in 2018.

Matthew Mein, added: “We’re excited about what Glee 2018 can achieve. We’re coming off the back of an incredibly positive 2017 event, however we’re not resting on our laurels. Retailing is a constantly evolving business, with garden retailing setting the standard. As the annual exhibition that represents this market, we have a responsibility to keep Glee fresh.

By making changes, adding more content and focussing on areas of significant growth, we can create a show that continues to deliver. Our post-show research has been incredibly useful, and we thank our visitors and exhibitors for their continued support and honest feedback. We are confident that with his feedback Glee 2018 is set to be the best show yet.”

Further details about Glee 2018 will be unveiled shortly.

Find out more

Glee is the UK’s leading garden retail show, focussing on building year-round profits for buyers and suppliers within the core gardening and outdoor leisure product categories.  To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2018 call 020 3033 2160.

To help celebrate the launch of its brand new website, Bents Garden & Home recently ran a festive competition to find a very special person – someone who deserved to have Christmas made for them, with an impressive prize package worth over £1,000.

With hundreds of entries, the decision to choose a winner was one of the hardest ever made, but having considered all nominations a unanimous winner was chosen and Bents welcomed 15 year old Jasmine Beedles and her family to the Centre to collect the prize.

Jasmine, from St Helens, who was nominated by her mum, Samantha, has a life limiting heart and lung disease which means each Christmas could be her last, so her family plans to make Christmas 2017 even more extra special than usual.  Jasmine goes through so much every day, and is on a ventilator and oxygen to breathe for her and is fully wheelchair dependent.

Says Samantha:  "When she is well enough Jasmine loves coming to Bents, especially to look at the Christmas decorations so when we saw this competition we knew we had to enter!  We are delighted to have won and plan to turn her bedroom - and outside her bedroom window - into a little grotto so when she is too unwell to get out of bed she can enjoy looking at all the lights."

From Christmas trees, indoor Christmas lights, ornaments and decorations to homewares, seasonal plants, gifts and festive pet treats, Bents has everything required for the perfect celebration and in what is its 80th year it wanted to make someone's festivities even more special in the shape of a fabulous Christmas prize.

Says Matthew Bent, Managing Director at Bents Garden & Home: "2017 has been a very special year for Bents, celebrating our 80th anniversary and launching our new website so we wanted to extend the celebrations and make it a special year for someone else too.  And we really hope we have been able to do that for Jasmine.  It was a very difficult decision, as there were so many amazing entries, but Jasmine's story stood out and having met her we know she really is someone very special."

Worth over £1000, the prize includes a 2.3m pre-lit Christmas tree, a 1.2m outdoor LED snowman, a charming Christmas carol scene with moving figures and £250 worth of Bents vouchers, which Jasmine was able to spend at her lesiure.

Up to 20 deserving individuals will enjoy a surprise this festive season as Tiptree-based garden centre, Perrywood, embarks on its Christmas Cheer campaign.

The centre, which is dedicated to supporting the local community, successfully launched the campaign in November, asking customers and staff alike to nominate someone special who deserves a Christmas to remember. The campaign aims to spread cheer throughout North Essex and the centre has seen a flurry of nominations from across the local area.

Nominations have been open for anyone who deserves an additional festive smile and examples have included hardworking carers, those struggling with ill health and individuals who go above and beyond to show kindness to others.

Lucky recipients will be gifted one of Perrywood’s beautiful planted containers, which will be hand delivered by one of the garden centre’s team members.

Successful nominations have been selected and the first gifts have already been delivered, including some extra special surprises for recipients who were nominated by Perrywood’s staff members.

The other deliveries will be taking place right up until Christmas Eve – just in time for the big day itself!

One of the deliveries which took place this week was to The Lomas family from Bicknacre. Charlotte Lomas suffers from polyglandular auto immune syndrome and her father has been unwell recently.

Jayne Lomas, Charlotte’s mother, has been a great support for both of them through this very tough period and employees at Perrywood Garden Centre believed that they deserved a special surprise.

Communications and Business Developer at Perrywood Garden Centre, Hannah Powell, comments: “Once again, our Christmas Cheer campaign has been a huge success. It’s so important for us to support our community, especially during this time of the year.

"We recognise that for some people Christmas can be a lonely or emotional time if they are experiencing hardship, and others deserve some extra cheer in recognition of their generosity of spirit to others.

"We enjoy witnessing the reactions of the recipients – it can be overwhelming and we often even get tears of joy!”

Indoor plant sales shone while the snow kept customers out of planterias for a large swathe of the country. 

Poinsettia sales jumped by 63% to take over at the top of the chart while indoor planted Hyacinth sales are up by 34% on the same week last year.

• Indoor Azalea sales jumped by over 200% and moved up 30 places to No 18.
• Beech, Fagus, was the hedging of choice last week coming back into the chart at No 27.
• Prickly Pear Cacti, Opuntia, are the latest succulent to feature in our Top 50, in at No 47.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers and get the GTN Top 50 Plants Chart every week email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or use this link to buy a subscription on-line

Squire’s Garden Centres recently held a special “Santa Paws” event for dogs to meet Santa and have their photo taken with him.

Dogs of all shapes and sizes came along, and were very happy to ‘paws’ for a photo with Santa while the ‘puparazzi’ (or owners) snapped away! Santa rewarded all good dogs with some tasty treats.

It was free for dogs to meet Santa but many people kindly donated money to support Squire’s local charities. Over £500 was raised for the Guide Dog Association, Princess Alice Hospice, Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, the Alzheimer’s Society and Riding for the Disabled.

Children can meet Santa in his magical grotto every day from now until Christmas Eve at Squire’s in Crawley, Milford, Twickenham and West Horsley, and this weekend at Squire’s in Cobham, Hersham, Long Ditton, Reigate and Windsor - and it’s all to raise money for local charities. !

Santa will also be making an appearance at Squire’s Christmas Circus in Badshot Lea, Stanmore, Shepperton and Washington.

For details see www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk.

Haskins Garden Centre in Roundstone has partnered with Wadars Animal Rescue to spread festive cheer to volunteers that give up their time to support animals in distress or danger over Christmas.

The garden centre has donated 50 boxes of chocolate to Wadars as a thank you to the volunteers that have fostered and cared for animals this year and will continue to do so over Christmas. The charity will also be handing the gifts out to volunteers who answer its animal helpline, carry out administrative tasks, help keep the Ferring site looking spic and span, as well as those who drive animals to vets and other wildlife centres in the county.

Nick Joad, centre manager at Haskins Garden Centre in Roundstone, commented: "We're proud to continue our support for this local charity that helps rescue wildlife and re-home companion animals. As a brand, we're very keen on protecting wildlife and looking after our feathered and orphaned friends."

Wadars, based in Worthing, has been providing protection to animals of all kinds since 1969 and its volunteers work tirelessly to help co-ordinate the rescue and rehoming services.

Sophia Wilks, fundraising and volunteer co-ordinator at Wadars, commented: "We are extremely grateful to Haskins Garden Centre in Roundstone for generously donating the festive goodies for our volunteers. Wadars relies heavily on volunteers to enable the running of our wildlife rescue and pet rehoming services, and being able to thank them with the donated chocolates was brilliant."

Colour increases brand recognition by 80%, but how many brands can you name from colour alone?

• 1 in 3 top global brands use the colour red in their logo

• Black is the most popular colour used by luxury brands

• 80% of consumers recognise Starbucks just from its green colour

• 91% of consumers recognised at least one brand from colour alone

Colour has the unique ability to communicate a feeling immediately. Whether that feeling is passion for red, serenity for green, or festivity when combining the two; it is not difficult to see why it is so important to choose the right colours when it comes to creating a brand.

Hues of blue are most commonly seen in corporate businesses, and black is incorporated most often in the luxury market. That’s not to say that you can never stray from conventionality. Indeed, Ikea’s surprising contrast of blue and yellow makes the brand extremely memorable. In a survey of 2,648 consumers conducted by Reboot, 67% could recognise the Swedish furniture retailer from a depiction of the iconic colours alone.

So, can you recognise the following brands just from their branding palette?

See how your brand-recognition skills match up to other consumers, answers for the graphic are revealed below:

ANSWER (followed by % of consumers who correctly identified the brand)

• 1. Ikea       67%
• 2. Starbucks        80%
• 3. McDonalds     84%
• 4. Tiffany & Co   17%
• 5. Cadbury          31%
• 6. Harrods 12%
• 7. Facebook        73%
• 8. Subway 68%
• 9. BP         33%
• 10. Google          91%

The importance of colour in branding  Research has revealed that a signature colour can increase brand recognition by 80%. Even without seeing their logo, most people could recognise a Starbucks’ drink by its characteristic green straw. According to Reboot’s study, when shown a selection of five made-up company logos 78% could recall the primary colour of the logo, compared to only 43% who were able to remember the name.

So how can you go about choosing the right palette for your business?

Why not look at what the most successful brands have done with their logos? Reboot analysed the top 100 global brands to see what the most popular branding colours were:

34% used the colour black in their logo

30% used the colour blue in their logo

30% used the colour red in their logo

9% used the colour yellow in their logo

7% used the colour green in their logo

6% used the colour grey/silver in their logo

5% used the colour orange in their logo

2% used the colour brown in their logo

The study also showed that blue was most commonly used within the tech industry, red was preferred by automotive companies and black was by far the most popular choice for luxury brands.

Please find the quiz and full study here: 

Once again you can use social media, e-mail and your website to invite your customers to vote for your team in The Greatest Christmas Awards.

All you need to do is copy and paste this voting link into your website or your social media posts:  http://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/GTN/p6fmqykzsk8

You can add The Greatest Christmas Awards logo too:

GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards logo

The closing date for on-line votes is 4:00pm on Christmas Eve, 24th December 2017.  

Please note:  To avoid unscrupulous multiple votes the system will only accept one vote per IP address, so please do not use on-line voting in store, the postcards are better for in-store voting.

We'd love to know how you use your social media, e-mails and website to drive your customer voting.  Please send us links to your activity and we will report on them in GTN Xtra: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

When all the votes are counted, size of centre and number of staff are taken into account, so there is as much chance of small and medium sized centres winning these ultimate Christmas accolades as that of a big centre.

If you have any problems downloading any of the files please e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and we’ll send you them by e-mail straight away.

Good luck!

For families looking for something to do after Christmas then Squires has the answer – a fantastic circus show under the Big Top.

The circus is held at Squire’s in Badshot Lea, Shepperton, Stanmore and Washington from 27^th until 31^st December, and it’s great fun for all the family.

You’ll feel the magic up close at this brand new circus show, which has new jaw-dropping acts to amaze and entertain you including uni-cycling, plate spinning, aerial acrobatics, sword and dagger balancing, rola rola balancing, and rolling globes.

Hosted by a Ringmaster who is ‘helped’ by a very funny clown, the circus also stars Boris the dancing polar bear, who has to be seen to be believed!

There are daily shows from Wednesday 27^th until Sunday 31^st December at 11.30am and 3pm, and tickets are just £10 per person. The show lasts approximately one hour and is brought to you by John Lawson Circus.

More details at www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk.

Sales Agents

Location: United Kingdom
Salary: Commission Based
Date: 01 January
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Contract Based

We are seeking outstanding sales agents with a proven track record to sell our Casamoré Outdoor and Indoor Furniture

All areas available. Good commission structure.

To apply for this role contact please contact Firmans Direct at enquiries@firmansdirect.com for the attention of Michael Firman.

GTN Bestsellers Christmas Products Top 50 was up 15% on the same week last year despite many parts of the country losing a days trading due to the heavy snow. 

While the aggregate for the Top 50 was down 13% week on week when managers would have been expecting their peak trading the trend is still up on the three previous years.  Thankfully the “extra” full weekend before Christmas should allow for sales to be made up.

• Suki Personalised Angel Ornaments move back to No 1.
• Albert Premier Chocolate Coins, 100g, are the highest re-entry at No 8.
• Triflora’s Sitting Feather Robin 13cm is the highest new entry at No 26.

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

Patrick Grant, the entrepreneur made famous for his role as a judge on BBC’s ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’, is speaking at the Garden Centre Association’s 2018 conference.

As well as appearing on TV, and despite having no fashion experience and being an engineer by trade, Patrick Grant is also the owner and Creative Director of Savile Row tailors’ Norton & Sons.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, enthused: “Patrick will be entertaining us all with the tale of his accidental entrepreneurship and the importance of creativity in business, when he takes the conference podium in the afternoon on Tuesday, January 23. As well as running his own business, he has a wealth of experience and consults for brands such as Barbour and The Kooples, and is an honourary Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University.

“Patrick bought Norton while studying for an MBA. Back then, the centuries-old business had shambolic branding and variety of different products, but it stood for nothing.

“Patrick abandoned the sidelines in guns and sporting tours, hired a new, core staff and focused again on doing a simple thing well, making beautiful suits.”

Norton continues to make only 300 bespoke suits each year and Patrick has since founded a ready-to-wear line, E. Tautz and produced a collection for Debenhams.

E. Tautz is stocked in 10 countries and won Patrick a British Fashion Award. He has since collaborated with fashion giants such as Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane, and brands such as Chivas Regal.

“Patrick will be stressing to our 300 plus delegates the importance of doing one simple thing well, paring down their brand and listening to the needs of their customers. It doesn’t matter if it’s engineering, fashion or garden centres: it’s about making the product amazing.

“I think his presentation entitled ‘Where Heritage Meets Innovation’ will resonate with our members, as so many operate or come from independent, often family-run, garden centres. These centres are likely to have been around for many years, have deep roots in the communities they serve and ooze heritage.

“This can be a very positive attribute as they represent to the customer stability, experience, knowledge and trustworthiness. However, our members are also very aware of the need to embrace innovation and I know they will be very keen to hear what Patrick has to say when he delivers his speech at the conference.”

The GCA’s 52nd annual conference takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire from January 21 until 24, 2018.

Mr Fothergill’s Seeds has welcomed Ken Ross to the company as territory manager responsible for looking after garden retailers in an area running from Cambridgeshire to the West Midlands.

He fills the vacancy left by Chris Owen who has been promoted to a new role as business development manager with the recently acquired Darlac garden tool company. Ken brings a wealth of sales experience in the hobby seed trade having spent 14 years working for Unwins and then 12 years for Thompson and Morgan.

Announcing the appointment Mr Fothergill’s joint managing director, David Carey, said: “Ken will be a great asset to the company. His experience will only go to strengthen our commitment to great customer service.”

When not selling packet seeds, Ken spends his time as a keen supporter of Ayr United football club and the Scotland rugby team, of this Ken says “you can’t accuse me of glory hunting!” He also enjoys cycling, horse racing and music.

Snow shovels, thermal gloves and house decorating with plants and flowers sum up the week for garden product sales. 

After several years of taking up space in stock rooms snow shovels, sledges and salt flew out of centres in areas where there was heavy snow.  Three lines of sledge would have made it into out Top 50 if we categorised them as garden products.

• Fito Drip Feeder for Poinsettia & Christmas Cactus 32ml moves up to No 1 as Poinsettia also move to No 1 in the plants chart.
• Oasis Florist Wire Green, 25g x 12 inches, is the highest new entry at No 17.
• Smart Garden’s Eureka! LED Frosted Lightbulb is the highest re-entry at No 4.

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

A debut report that is designed to showcase the biggest and best businesses in York has been compiled by The Press, York St John University’s Business School and Mark it, York. Rolawn is proud to have been ranked 44^th in the report which was published on Wednesday 22 November and which is available
on-line at www.yorkpress.co.uk/business/news  

Jonathan Hill, Rolawn’s Sales & Marketing Director commented: "To be independently vetted so highly amongst York businesses makes us very proud. There are so many well run professional companies in the area it proves that hard work and dedication pays off.  

"With so many exciting activities in the pipeline for the coming year, we look forward to seeing how high we can climb in 2018."

Smart Garden Products have announced the launch of Three Kings, a new Christmas brand for the 2018 season, with over 60 products to adorn the home and garden, from a warm welcome at the front door to the cosy surround of the fireplace. 

Building on Smart’s expertise in solar and garden lighting, this is now being extended indoors with beautiful string lights and lanterns, complemented by a comprehensive range of festive décor and ornaments which will brighten up any home. 

The new range will be unveiled at the Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair in January, where buyers can come to stand Q58 to discover a collection which has been carefully designed to provide a variety of price-points across multiple categories. 

Jonathan Stobart, Managing Director of Smart Garden Products, comments: “We felt that the time was right to extend our expertise across all seasons, giving retailers a reason to buy from Smart Garden all year round.

"This is a modest introductory offer which will be expanded next year and beyond.“

Fleur Morgan, Director of Category Management, adds: “It is a really exciting launch for us, and with over 60 products to choose from we feel that we have provided a compelling selection for the festive season."

The range will be complemented by stunning packaging and practical merchandising solutions to suit all spaces, with a full social media programme for consumers planned for Winter 2018.

To find out more about Smart Garden’s market leading product offering please visit www.sgpuk.com

Growing media sales were hit by snowfall, dipping to the lowest weeks aggregate Top 50 sales volume of the year. 

Indoor planting drove the sales of small bags of composts and the cold weather prompted sudden increases in mulching product sales.

• Growth Technology’s Orchid Focus Medium Compost, 3 litres, and Cactus Focus Repotting Mix, 2 litres, enjoy a second week at No’s 3 and 4 respectively.
• Westland Gro Sure Smart Cover, 100 litres, re-entered the GTN Chart at No 10.
• Shamrock Irish Moss Peat, 75 litres, moves up 17 places to No 2.

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

A report on ModernFarmer.com, a US-based website, says Amazon has patented a 'garden service' for grow-your-own consumers.

Users would be able to to upload pictures of their veg plots and then receive advice and product recommendations.

It would use image recognition and algorithms to make recommendations for plants to grow, how to grow existing plants and what to cook with them. A hypothetical ‘case study’ tells how it could help someone moving to an unfamiliar area and didn't know what would grow there.

From uploaded images, the service would be able to recognise challenges like a tree shading part of the garden, for example, and then recommend suitable plants, which Amazon could supply

.

The service could generate a virtual garden showing how a garden would develop across seasons and over time.

Amazon recently bought the Whole Foods chain.

Click here to find out more.

Applications are being invited from potential exhibitors for the first flower show to be held in the grounds of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire.

The Belvoir Flower & Garden Festival will take place on 14 and 15 July 2018 and will offer all those with a love of gardens and gardening in the East Midlands and East Anglia a floral destination for garden inspiration and shopping. Perennial, the horticultural charity, is the show’s inaugural beneficiary charity.

Applications are being invited for three types of exhibit:

• Show gardens – to be staged outside. Plot sizes vary and all design ideas are welcomed.
• Floral /Nursery Exhibits – to be staged in Belvoir Castle’s grand Lakeside Pavilion.
• Trade Stands – garden related products to be staged outside.

Event organiser Andy Tudbury hopes the castle’s beautiful setting will prove attractive to nurseries, designers and garden trade businesses from East Anglia and the East Midlands. “There is a dearth of garden events in this part of the world but we hope to change this with the Belvoir Flower & Garden Festival and give all those with a love of gardening in this wonderful corner of the UK something to look forward to this summer,” he added.

Local artists have been booked to entertain visitors in the Music Zone and a range of food and refreshments will be offered in the Nourish Zone.

Tickets will go on sale to the public in January. Exhibitor enquiries should be made to Andy Tudbury by email or by phone 0115 968 0046 or 07713 029898.

The organisers of Spring Fair have published an online shortlist of products entered for the 2018 Gift of the Year Awards.

The finalists will be announced here on Friday 12 January. The final results will be posted after the awards ceremony at Spring Fair on Sunday 4 February.

To checkout out the shortlist, click this link.

Notcutts has confirmed that all ‘Santa experiences’, where children can meet him face-to-face over breakfast or tea, will go ahead as planned following a fire at its garden centre in Woodbridge on Sunday afternoon.

Santa's grotto would be closed until further notice, although staff were working hard to rebuild it.

Firefighters were called to the scene in Ipswich Road at around 3.30pm on Sunday, December 3.

Flames and smoke were seen billowing from a marquee where Santa’s grotto was located.

A spokeswoman from Notcutts confirmed that no one had been injured as a result of the fire.

Two fire engines, from Woodbridge and Ipswich East station, were sent to the scene.

Picture: Ipswich Star

Ansell Garden Centre in West London has been granted planning permission by Hillingdon Council to rebuild the centre which was destroyed by a massive blaze just over a year ago.

On Facebook the garden centre said: “A year and 2 weeks after the devastating fire we have just received planning permission to rebuild. So happy to share this picture with you guys.”

An artist’s impression of the new building is illustrated above.

After the fire last year managing director Paresh Raithatha spoke to GTN Xtra about the amazing response they’d had from both the garden industry and customers, and vowed to rebuild the business

“It has been immense,” said Paresh at the time. “The kind words have kept us going through some dark times over the past week. On Facebook alone we’ve received 50,000 messages.

“This level of support gave us the push we needed to get back on our feet and rebuild this business. We face a long road ahead but we’ll be back. And we’re determined to make the garden centre even better than before.”

The garden centre was gutted when a huge fire broke out. It took around 100 firefighters more than five hours to bring the flames under control, with huge plumes of smoke seen in the sky from miles around.

How much is the ‘extra’ full weekend before Christmas effecting sales? That was the question being asked around garden centres last week. 

Christmas sales set another record and overall sales are there or thereabouts in year on year comparisons, but everyone is thinking that the peak weeks are still to come as the way Christmas falls there are three full weekends left between now and Christmas Day rather than the two full weekends last year.

How do you feel the extra weekend before Christmas will impact on sales? 

Do you think you’ll be busy on December 23rd and 24th or will your customers have finished everything by then?  Let us know by email: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year...
Garden Products - down 18%
Growing Media - down 18%
Wild Bird Care - down 7%
Christmas Products - up 25%
All Plants Index - down 5%
All Items Index - down 3%

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

Spalding-based Bridge Farm Nurseries has submitted planning application for a 75-acre site on the A16 as part of the group’s continued expansion plans. The first phase of the development is expected to be completed in 2019 if approval is granted.

Bridge Farm Group, which includes the prominent Neame Lea and Zyon brands within its portfolio, specialises in the growing and production of ornamental plants, flowers and herbs for retailers throughout the UK.

The company’s brands have been recognised by the industry with key awards, with Neame Lea most recently winning Overall UK Grower of the Year at the Grower of the Year Awards 2017.

The group currently operates a 10-acre production facility in Spalding and has invested significantly in recent years in glasshouse infrastructure and biomass heating to become the lowest cost producer in the industry.

The company’s focus on low cost production and operational efficiency through investment in automation and improved workflowshas led to rapid sales growth, with key customers, including Tesco and Asda, benefitting from its streamlined supply chain.

This follows a significant investment from NorthEdge Capital in August this year, which saw CEO David Ball lead a management buyout of the overall group. The transaction has provided the capital required for the project to proceed, as well as allowing Bridge Farm to invest further in its highly differentiated market proposition.

The company will continue to employ around 200 full time and 400 seasonal workers, and the group’s plans include further investment in people as the business expands.

The Bridge Farm facility will feature a range of automated handling systems to improve efficiency and enable the business to handle a greater number of orders.

David Ball, Chief Executive of Bridge Farm Group, commented: “Our new site represents another key milestone in the evolution and expansion of Bridge Farm Group.

“With our existing sites now reaching maximum capacity, a new development represents the next logical step. The new facility will feature a range of state-of-the-art machinery and automation, and will also safeguard the jobs of hundreds of staff in and around Spalding and ensure our customers are protected from the cost inflation the industry is seeing.

“We’re working closely with South Holland District Council to finalise our proposals, and we’re hugely appreciative of their support in recognising the importance of the growing industry in Spalding and to the wider Lincolnshire economy.”

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 2015 as well as 2016 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 Christmas Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care 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.

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 £100m.

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 buy on-line using the button below:

For further enquires please call 07973 504214.

Uxbridge based foodservice and food retailing equipment provider, Fri-Jado UK Limited, has claimed a sustained increase in sales of its heated multi deck (MD) merchandisers.

The company’s Director of National Accounts, Gary Thacker reports that the trend is being repeated across the broad spectrum of the food to go sector, including high street supermarkets, convenience stores, forecourts, symbol groups and independent quick service restaurants.

“Customers looking for food on the move are no longer content with cold snacks and meals. Diners are increasingly seeking a hot food option, especially during the colder months. The advent of meal deals has further exaggerated the demand for hot grab & go options.”

The Fri-Jado range of self service, heated MD merchandisers is suitable for the display of a wide variety of hot, pre-packed snacks and meal solutions, including whole chickens, chicken portions, panini, pies, sausage rolls, pasties, hot rolls and wraps. The range include models with three, four and five tier displays, each of which is available in 600 mm, 1000 mm and 1200 mm cabinet widths.

The upright design of the display units offers a large capacity relative to footprint, making maximum use of sales floor space. The large display area of the cabinets reduces the potential for shelf stock being exhausted and consequent lost sales, especially during periods of peak trading. It also reduces the frequency of shelf restocking.

The range also includes a two tier, space saving model, on which a four or five spit rotisserie may be mounted, combining food preparation and presentation, whilst creating additional kitchen theatre and promoting impulse purchases.

The heated MD merchandisers incorporate an innovative and patented hot blanket holding technology, which delivers a consistent and food safe holding temperature of 65°C and above, maintaining cooked food at the perfect quality and appearance for at least four hours and reducing the amount of merchandise that may be price discounted or thrown away, due to product deterioration. The MD models also benefit from air curtain technology on the front of each shelf, retaining hot air within the cabinet and recycling it via the canopy. This feature limits warm air spillage, creating an energy saving of some 20%.

The MD merchandiser range has been engineered to deliver a range of food to go focused features. Panoramic shatter proof glass end walls, safe to touch sloping shelves and illumination on each shelf maximise product visibility to encourage impulse purchases. The display units have an illuminated canopy with the facility for signage or branding, as well as EPOS ticket strips on the front of each shelf. Additional features include a bump rail to prevent cabinet damage from shopping trolleys, castors for simple relocation of the unit and optional pass through doors for restocking from the rear.

Gary Thacker added: “Our heated MD merchandisers provide an excellent standalone solution for the display of hot, pre-packed snacks and meal solutions. They are particularly suited to high traffic food to go operations, providing aesthetic presentation and optimum visibility of merchandise to promote impulse purchases.

"For larger stores, with a broader menu offer, MD merchandiser models may be suited with our complementary range of chilled and heated, self-service and serve-assisted Modular Counters to create a comprehensive food to go concept.”

Fri-Jado UK’s product range is supported by its sister company, Tec Line Limited, which offers a comprehensive installation, commissioning and maintenance service, providing  customers with a single source of supply and total peace of mind for after sales support.

Adande Refrigeration’s parent company, Applied Design & Engineering Limited, has completed a successful field trial of its new integral refrigerated Aircell ‘Crivat’ Grab & Go cabinet at a UK fine food hall and farm shop.

The field trial follows positive results from the testing of a prototype Aircell® display cabinet at Le Pain Quotidien food-to-go outlet in London.

As part of the ongoing development of the ‘Crivat’ open front cabinet, a unit was installed for the display of speciality foods, convenience meals and soft drinks. During simultaneous monitoring under the same store operating conditions, over a three week test period, energy consumption of the Airecall cabinet was measured as 53.6% less than the store’s existing open front multi deck display, representing an annual saving in electricity costs of £660.65. The company claims that had a night blind been deployed, as it was on the existing cabinet, the calculated adjustment of reduced energy consumption would have been 57.9%, representing an annual saving of £714.13.

Cabinet air temperature was measured to a bandwidth of 3°C in the Aircell® ‘Crivat’ model, compared to an average range of 13°C in the store’s existing open front multi deck. The narrow temperature range of the Aircell® ‘Crivat’ model helps to maintain the quality and fresh appearance of food to go, providing a more enjoyable eating experience for the customer. It also reduces waste through spoilage.

With less cold air spilling from the open front ‘Crivat’ cabinet, the shopping environment is also more comfortable for customers.

The cabinet is ideal for busy grab & go outlets, where simple and speedy access to food to go is essential.

Applied Design & Engineering’s chairman, Nigel Bell, said a full commercial launch of the new cabinet was planned in the first quarter of 2018.

Aircell Crivat_R2.jpg. Caption: The Aircell® ‘Crivat’ cabinet has undergone successful trials at a food to go outlet and a speciality food hall.

Food hall graph.jpg. Caption: Graph plots a comparison of air temperatures in the Aircell® ‘Crivat’ model against those in the food hall’s existing cabinet, over a 24 hour period.