Armitages Garden Centres have been sold to Wyevale GArden Centres.  GCA Chairman Will Armitage has just announced:  "My Parents and I have just sold our 173 year old family business to Wyevale.

"It has not been an easy decision, and certainly not one we have taken lightly.

"The sale will enable my parents to fully retire and enable me to pursue my other interests while focusing more on my GCA Chairmanship.

"I have no intention on turning my back on the industry and will be spending my time looking for and investigating further opportunities within the industry that has supported me and enabled our business to flourish over the past 173 years.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those suppliers and members of staff who have been part of our amazing journey and I hope our paths will cross again soon.

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 nearing the end of their whistle stop tour of the UK meeting catering teams nominated for The Greatest Catering Team Awards which will be announced at The HTA Catering Conference next 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.

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. 

Strong growth of perennials and shrubs, as people invest more in their gardens has been supported by newly developed ranges, and in this year alone the business has sold over 30 different varieties of Heucheras and sales have tripled through strong visual merchandising including the unique planted shed roof.

Furniture growth sees a move to “All Weather” woven resin weave away from traditional wood and metal, with over two thirds of the range new and exclusive to Notcutts.  Online continues its impressive growth with turnover up by 30%.

In addition to the impressive quarterly figures, Nicky Dulieu, Chairman of Notcutts, has announced the appointment of Nick Burrows as the company’s new CEO, and Bryan Laxton as Non Executive Director.

Nick joins Notcutts having recently undertaken dual roles as Executive Chairman with First Sports Group Ltd and Thames Club Ltd where he led the transformation and brand repositioning of these two companies. Prior to these roles Nick held director positions with Nuffield Health, Whitbread, Rank and Holmes Place Health Clubs. His early career was spent in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Nick hails from Suffolk and is delighted to be returning to the area by joining Notcutts. He is an avid supporter of Ipswich Town FC and a Trustee of the Inspire Suffolk charity. Nick has two daughters and currently lives in Essex.

Bryan has recently retired from Cushman & Wakefield, a global firm of real estate advisors, where he was UK CEO until 2013 and more recently Head of EMEA Client Programme. Bryan holds a number of Non Executive positions, including Turn2Us, a charity which fights UK poverty and the Reading Real Estate Foundation. He lives in Suffolk with his wife and two sons.

Nicky Dulieu, Chairman at Notcutts said:

“We have had a good start to the financial year and are at an exciting stage in our growth strategy, from redevelopment and new build to acquisition. It’s therefore great timing that we can now introduce 2 terrific new additions to our team.

Nick brings a wealth of skills and insight into brand development and customers in both leisure and retail sectors as well as in-depth knowledge of hospitality. I am extremely excited for him to join us in September as we plan for next year as well as trade this autumn.

Bryan brings a vast depth of knowledge of strategic property investments, including retail assets having worked on major structured property transactions for both Marks and Spencer and Boots and will be joining the business immediately.

Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman at Notcutts added:

“This signifies a major step forward in the professionalisation of the leadership of our great family business.”

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.

Compost, fertiliser and garden chemicals producer, William Sinclair Horticulture intends to consolidate its streamlined English operations at its recently opened and extended state of the art production facility in Ellesmere Port.

Part of a wide-ranging restructuring plan for the 165-year old company, the process is expected to see the imminent closure of its Bolton Fell (Carlisle) bark plant, Astley Moss peat bog near Manchester and Beevor Street, Lincoln storage facility.

Under the proposal, production of chemicals and fertilisers will continue at the company’s Firth Road, Lincoln site; however the head office, growing media and central admin functions will transfer to Ellesmere Port.

Having incurred losses since the double blow of a poor peat harvest in 2012 followed by the enforced closure of its growing media production facility at Bolton Fell under a compulsory purchase order from Natural England, Sinclair is also seeking to reduce overheads at Ellesmere Port by restructuring its Commercial team and streamlining the Supply Chain, Marketing and Technical departments.

William Sinclair Holdings CEO and turnaround expert, Stuart Burgin, said: “It is regrettable that our proposed restructuring process will mean some job losses but we must increase efficiency, find economies and realise non-core assets throughout the business in order to be fit for sustainable growth and profitability.

“Having invested over £25 million in our Ellesmere Port supersite which boasts the world's most advanced twin track production line, we must ensure that the business is in a position to harvest the profits from that investment.

“Integrating our operations under one roof at our technically advanced and newly-expanded Cheshire site would enable us to see significant benefits in efficiency and cost-effectiveness while making optimal use of a world-class facility so that we can continue to provide a premium service to our customers.”

Sinclair has embarked upon a consultation process with employees across all sites which is expected to result in a mixture of job relocation offers and redundancies, some of which may be voluntary. New job opportunities in Production, Dispatch and Administrative functions at Ellesmere Port will be open to all employees.

Overall, the company expects to shed three jobs at Astley Moss, nine at Bolton Fell and 74 of the 93 positions at Lincoln. Approximately 20 job losses, including agency personnel, are proposed at Ellesmere Port where the head count is presently 125 – and these will be offset by a number of new jobs to be determined through the consultation process.

Sinclair's Scottish peat mosses in South Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire which employ 26 people are unaffected by the restructuring plan.

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

The Greatest Plant Sales Awards Categories

• The Greatest Linked Sales Team of the Year
• The Greatest Pot and Plant Sales Team – Top of the Pots - sponsored by Elho
• The Greatest Plant Advice Team, including planteria signage and information
• The Greatest Plant Supplier of the Year
• The Greatest Plant Sales Team of the Year, sponsored by The HTA

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.

Garden Shop Manager (ref:BP6422)

Location: Surrey
Salary: 22-24k
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

My client is a large garden centre group who is currently recruiting for one of there established busy centres.

They are looking for a talented retail manager to join the centres leadership team.

Retail management experience is a must and you will have gained 1-2 years experience at least at supervisory level.  

You will ideally have garden retail experience previously but a keen interest in gardening would be beneficial.

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

Sales Exec (ref:DS7339)

Location: Wiltshire
Salary: 35 to 40k per annum
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is an established and successful UK importer and distributor of garden planters who is looking for an experienced professional sales executive to manage the further development of the business into  UK garden centres and multiple chains.  

This is a new role within the company and will require someone who has the energy and skills to work independently and manage the sales growth efficiently and cost effectively.  

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE -  

Experience in dealing with the UK garden centre groups and larger independent garden centres at senior buyer level.

Preferably familiar with the UK garden planter market and specifically the polypropylene planter/container market, although this is not essential.

Proven track record of profitable sales growth within the UK garden industry.

Ability to work alone and manage the profitable development of the business.

Must be prepared to work flexible hours in accordance with the seasonality of the business.

Prepared to travel extensively throughout the UK which may require overnight stays.

Some heavy lifting may occasionally be required.

Basic IT skills required.

Preferred location , within one hour of Chippenham, Wiltshire.

DUTIES -  

Responsible for the sales of garden planters into the UK  garden centres and multiple chains.

Liaise with overseas factories regarding production and supply chain.

Assist in new product development with overseas factories.

Involvement in the marketing of the products in the UK including the management of UK exhibitions (i.e GLEE).

Support MD in the management of existing customer base.

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

Horticulture Manager (ref:BP7337)

Location: Surrey
Salary: 22-24k
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

I am currently looking for a bright and ambitious plant area management candidate to join the team of an established garden centre.  

The garden centre is based in a busy area and is part of a large expanding group based throughout the UK.  

To manage this plantarea I need a a candidate with fantastic plant knowledge and a real love of horticulture. You will be responsible for maintaining the merchandising of the planteria and caring for the plants up to the point of sale.    

You will also be responsible for managing a team to produce excellent customer service and consistently strong sales.    

Candidates must have previous man management experience in retail and will be looking for a real retail role that they can apply their plant knowledge too.   

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

Grower Supervisor (ref:DS7363)

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 and manage the potting unit on a day to day basis. Reporting to the Head Grower he will direct and give instruction on spray regimes, 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 they 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

Garden Centre retailers are looking forward to a bumper May as GTN Bestsellers reports a second week of volume sales up year on both 2014 and 2013.

A solid half term week with reasonable, if still colder than normal, weather should mean record May sales.

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

• Garden Products – static 0%
• Veg 2 Gro Products  – up 135%
• Growing Media – up 8%
• All items index – up 10%

Briers have extended their "Glovies' fundraising idea to 'Golfies' and offering teams taking part in the GIMA Golf Day today (June 4th)  to sell a specially designed gold glove and help raise money for Greenfingers...

The GIMA Golf Day is taking place at the Telford Hotel and Golf Resort, and for the first time Briers will be assembling a team to take part.

Not only will the Briers team be taking part in the game but also promoting to the other teams a limited product to help raise additional funds for Greenfingers. The Briers ‘Golfies’ charity golf glove were sold for £10 on the morning of the event, pre tee off.

For more information email Liam Walsh at liam@briersltd.co.uk

Plant feeds, garden lights, hanging basket products and slugs are the ultimate hotspots for the start of June based on this week’s GTN Bestsellers Epos data.

Six of the Top 10 Garden Products chart lines are plant feeds; 13% of this week’s Top 50 volume is accounted for by garden lights; there are nine specific hanging basket lines in the Top 50; and all of the slug products are making moves up the sales rankings.

Star performers this week include:

• Scotts Levington Tomorite moves to the No 1 ranking for the second time this year.
• Burgon & Ball Herb Planting Bags are a new entry at No 36.
• Vitax have two pack sizes of Slug Gone in the Top 50, 3.5 litres at No 18 and 1 litre back in at No 46.

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

Runner Bean White Emergo plants are the runaway winner during May’s Veg-2-Gro sales volumes. The line from Quantil has been No 1 for four consecutive weeks now. 

Veg plant sales continue at record levels, up by 135% on the same week last year. 

No wonder sales of growing media and related plant supports and veg plant feeds are up year-on-year too.

Star performers include:

• Farplants Strawberry Rhapsody is the highest new entry at No 28.
• Quantil Climbing French Bean Purple re-enters at No 32.
• Farplants Rosemary Corsican in 1 litre pots climbs to No 3 after a 95% sales increase.

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

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.

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

Latest food trends, integrating catering into your garden centre offer, managing people and the growing gluten free market are just some of the key topics for discussion at Catering Matters – the HTA Catering Conference, dinner and exhibition. This popular event, sponsored by Vision Commercial Kitchens, takes place at The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands on 9 and 10 June 2015.

Workshops and seminars include:

• Boyd Douglas Davis, CEO of Hillview Garden Centres Ltd, talking about ‘Integrating catering into your garden centre offer’.
• Charles Banks, Co-Founder and Director of thefoodpeople, will talk about ‘What’s Hot and What’s Not’.
• Edwin Harrison (right) of the Artisan Coffee School will join us to discuss his experience in ‘Managing People’. 
• Rebecca Rayner, joint Managing Director of Glebe Farm Foods, will also talk on Day 2 about the growing market of Gluten Free.

Tuesday 9 June – Focus on Strategy and Operations

Hosted by Paul Pleydell from Pleydell Smithyman topics include where we are as an industry, latest trends, growing and expanding your catering offer, driving footfall and reaching out to a wider audience, managing people and how to create ambience on a budget.

Speakers include: Ron Bent (Bent’s Garden & Home), Chris Brown (Turpin Smale Consultancy), Charles Campion, (food critic and MasterChef judge), Felicity Down (Cleeve Nursery), Tim Greenaway (Highfield Garden World), Anthony Hester (Dobbies), Alan Roper (Blue Diamond Group), Jason Danciger (Wyevale Garden Centres, pictured top), Will Armitage (Armitages Garden Centre), Helen Joyce (Thirsk Garden Centre), Boyd Douglas Davies (Hillview Group) and Edwin Harrison (Artisan Coffee School).

The conference dinner, also held at The Belfry, will round off an inspirational day one. The dinner will be another chance to network and share experiences with fellow industry colleagues. 

Wednesday 10 June – Focus on Food

Hosted by Doug Stewart, CEO of Waring Stewart Associates, topics include innovation and inspiration, provenance, menu planning and cost control. Speakers include: Charles Banks (thefoodpeople), Guy Topping (Barton Grange), Tim Godwin (Fosseway Garden Centre), Rebecca Rayner (Glebe Farm Foods), Salim Sajid (Blueberry Consulting), Brian Turner (Chatsworth Estate), Emma Milton and Beverley Spindler (Mains of Drum), Sarah Dunning (Westmorland Family) and Valentine Warner (TV chef and author).

Trevor Pfeiffer from Garden Trade News and Garden Radio will be chairing the panel discussions on both days of the conference. The panel session on Day 1 will be around ‘What next for garden centre catering?’ Trevor will be leading a debate on the latest hot topics in garden centre catering, including what is new, whether to use concessions or not, chefs versus cooks, and waitress service versus self-service, amongst others. Joining Trevor will be Will Armitage, Ron Bent, Helen Joyce and Anthony Hester. 

The panel session on Day 2 will be a food-focussed debate, including family favourites versus new trends and the convenience of ‘grab and go’ offerings.  The panel will be made up of experienced Catering Managers and Garden Centre owners who have dared to try something different, amongst others, including Tim Godwin, Fosseway Garden Centre, Guy Topping, Barton Grange, Joe Ainscow, Summerseat Garden Centre and Paul Cooling of Coolings Green and Pleasant Ltd.

There are new sponsors for the event, including Mondelez, the production team behind much loved brands such as Cadbury, Kenco, Bassett’s, Oreo and Philadelphia, and Massarella Catering Group Ltd, who provide catering services within shopping centres, department stores, garden centres, retail and leisure outlets.

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

Exhibitors include: Vision Commercial Kitchens, Garden Trade News, Haymarket (Hort 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.

Book now at www.cateringconference.co.uk