Town & Country will launch a new strategy and a new look for the brand at Glee next month to fend off increasing competition in the garden gloves and footwear categories.

The brand retains strong market leadership, but comprehensive research over more than a year revealed that the trade and end users considered the brand’s image to be outdated, even though product quality and customer service continued to be highly-rated.

Collaborating with marketing consultant Jane Lawler (formerly of Gardman and Bayer Garden), the company began a root-and-branch review at the end of 2014.

Key areas identified for development were packaging, POS and display, with a general feeling that more innovation was needed to bring a fresh new look and more excitement to the brand.

Through a structured pitch process, Town & Country selected a top class strategic agency partner that has worked across high profile consumer brands including Sony, Paul Smith and the BBC.

A new brand logo and proposition was developed - "For people who love life outdoors, Town & Country provides the original range of gloves, Wellingtons and accessories to protect and support outdoor activities, created and infused with a passionate dedication to excellence and heritage".

Working with a leading patterns and trends forecaster helped shape the eye-catching new designs that will be unveiled for trade buyers at Glee, on a brand new stand (18M10). Also on display will be innovative new concepts for products, packaging, POS and merchandising displays. 

Town & Country’s chairman, Barry Page, said he was delighted with the results.   “We have worked with a vibrant branding agency and have involved retailers and consumers alongside our own highly experienced sales and marketing teams to ensure a winning outcome that will produce tangible results.  We have already had some extremely positive and encouraging feedback following some initial presentations to customers.”

The company is targeting an increase in turnover to £6.3m next year.

http://www.townandco.com/

The organisers of Glee have released the shortlist for their inaugural Glee Buyers Power List on Friday last week.

The list aims to recognise individual buyers and buying teams who have gone above and beyond to make a difference within the garden retail industry this year.

The shortlist contains the top nominations in each of the five categories, representing the leading 50-plus buyers and buying teams across the country. The industry can now cast their votes for their top three buyers or teams in each category. Individual category winners and a ‘winner of winners’ will be announced during a special Buyers Power List ceremony at Glee on Tuesday 15 September.

Voting closes on 28 August. To vote, log on using this link. Voting is open to everyone in the industry.

The Shortlist

Best Online Garden Retail Buying Team

• Achica
• Amazon
• Crocus
• Greenfingers.com
• Halls Garden Centre/gardensite.co.uk
• Ideal World
• Primrose
• QVC
• Shop Direct  
• Ocado

Best Multiple Garden Centre Buying Team

• Blue Diamond
• British Garden Centres
• Dobbies
• Hillier Nurseries & Garden Centres
• Hillview Garden Centre
• Klondyke
• Notcutts
• Otter Nurseries
• SCATS Country Stores
• Squires GC
• Thompsons Plant and Garden Centre
• Wyevale Garden Centres

Best Independent Garden Retail Buying Team

• Avant Garden Centre
• Ayletts Nurseries
• Barton Grange
• Bents
• Burford Garden Centre 
• Capital Gardens
• Chessington Garden Centre
• Frosts
• Garsons
• Haskins
• Perrywood GC
• Polhill Garden Centre
• Scotsdales
• Summer Hill Garden Centre
• Webbs

Best DIY/Builder Merchant Buying Team

• B&Q
• Homebase
• Jewson
• Ridgeons
• Stax Trade Centres
• Wickes 

Best ‘Other’ Garden Retailer Buyer Team

• Aldi
• Argos
• Home Bargains (T J Morris)
• House of Fraser
• John Lewis
• Lakeland
• M&S
• Morrisons
• Next
• Robert Dyas
• The Range
• Waitrose

Glee event director Matthew Mein said: “The response from the whole industry has been fantastic, with nominations coming in thick and fast. The shortlist showcases the hard work and commitment that each retail buyer or team has undertaken in the last 12 months, and we’re so pleased to be able to provide a platform on which this dedication can be celebrated and rewarded.”

Kelkay, the market-leading manufacturer and distributor of aggregates, has a new UK sales manager. Alan Sheppard, a GIMA council member and garden retail industry professional with 27 years’ experience, has joined the company to build on its close relationships with garden centre groups across the UK. 

Alan joins Kelkay from Burgon & Ball, the manufacturer of agricultural and gardening tools, where he was head of sales. Here, he managed sales teams and contributed to the company’s dramatic increase in turnover. He was part of the Burgon & Ball team that won two consecutive GIMA Sword of Excellence awards.   

Alan oversaw the development of key sales channels for Burgon & Ball. These included retailers such as, Hillier, Blue Diamond, Klondyke, Dobbies, Haskins and Wyevale. Outside the UK, he set up Burgon & Ball’s US distribution network. 

Alan started his garden retail management career at Badshot Lea Garden Centre, one of the UK’s largest independent retailers. Headhunted by Sinclairs, he held the area sales manager and key account manager positions before joining Town & Country where he managed 15 sales people. 

Speaking of his new role, Alan said: “Kelkay has a clear focus and an ambitious strategy. To get directly involved with the growth of this business was a key factor for me. I’ll be mentoring and motivating the sales team here, supporting them as they strive to build on the impressive growth Kelkay has achieved in the last year.”                                                                                       

Richard Pyrah, sales director at Kelkay, said: “Alan has a deep understanding of our customers and knows this industry well. He’s also a proven people manager, which was a big plus for this appointment. His clear approach will help our whole sales team exceed the expectations existing and prospective customers have of Kelkay.” 

Kelkay recently reinforced its position as a leading manufacturer and distributor of aggregates and paving with a £1 million investment in new state of the art machinery. This investment, which completes the commissioning of the Pollington, East Yorkshire plant, means the company can increase efficiency, improve its products and enhance customer service. 

Kelkay ensures industry leading stock availability and delivery lead times, especially at peak periods. It offers a £500 carriage paid order service across the UK through its transport logistics department. This ensures customers receive their orders within three days - and in many instances, within two days.  

Kelkay’s brand portfolio includes Borderstone®, Build Mate, easyfountain® and Henri®, providing retailers with a single source of supply for a wide range of garden products. These include aggregates, stone, water and garden features, paving, edging and walling, building materials, horticulture, growing media and winter garden products. 

By promoting aggregates, paving and fountains with eye-catching point of sale, merchandising units and display stands, garden retailers have seen sales grow in these categories. 

For more information, visit www.kelkay.co.uk.

Keen consumers still like their seeds presented in an A-Z format – despite the industry’s attempts to segment displays by sub-category –a leading marketing manager said this week.

In a presentation to journalists of the impressively stylish re-branding of the Johnsons Seeds range, Ian Cross, Retail Marketing manager for the Mr Fothergill’s group, said that while a great picture was confirmed by their latest research as the consumer’s top requirement on the front of a seed packet, the plant’s name came next – “and they tell us that A-Z by name is the way to go”.  The exceptions were herbs and wild flowers, which customers expected to see in their own sub-categories. Even organic seeds could take their place in the A-Z, Cross said.

The re-designed Johnsons packets will continue to include a pictorial plastic label, but it will now be on the reverse, to ensure clutter-free impact on the front.

Instructions on the reverse have been kept to “an absolute minimum”, Cross added, to avoid counter-productive information overload in the 700-variety range, which has, he said, been welcomed by the trade as “more ‘gardening’ and more ‘premium’” than its predecessor.

Segmenting, however, continues in the Mr Fothergill’s range itself, with the new GroBox range targeting ease and convenience for novices. You just plant the entire box, cover with soil and water it in for the nearest thing to an instant herb, salad, veg or flower garden. There is a version for children.

Also new is the GroTray, essentially a propagator in a plastic film bag. The kit includes a growing tray, disc of coir compost and a sachet of vegetable seed. Once the compost has been rehydrated, the seeds sown and the tray sealed inside the bag, it doesn’t need watering again until the seeds have germinated, thanks to the recycling condensation. It’s aimed at novice growers.

The company has revealed that its packets of poppy ‘Victoria Cross’ seeds sold to commemorate WW1 had been its top-seller over the past two years. With more than 160,000 sold, the 25p charity donation from each sale raised £15,360 for the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, this year, taking the three-year total past £40,000. Sales of the ‘Give Nature a Home’ range resulted in a donation of more than £19,000 to the RSPB.

Mr Fothergill stockists will be reminded over the coming weeks that 2016 is Fleuroselect’s Year of the Tomato and Year of the Cosmos. There are special display stands to make the most of the opportunity. 

With six weeks to go until we all meet up at the NEC, the GTN team are already well into Glee preparations. The Glee Preview went to press last week, pages are being written for the GTN September Glee Preview issue and the Glee Catalogue listings are being compiled.

This year the GTN Team are also helping with the Glee New Products showcase at the show. Entries are being received hourly at the moment and we are keeping our eyes on the look out for potential new Bestsellers for next year.

All exhibitors at Glee should make sure they enter their new products in advance of the show. We know from The Glee Daily News readership figures that stories about new products are always the most popular, so being a part of the central showcase display is important to make sure you get exposure for your innovations.

The Glee catalogue is another great way of ensuring exhibitors get the most value out of their stand investment. If you’ve not completed your catalogue entry form yet the final deadline is Wednesday 19th August.

The Glee New Products form and the Glee catalogue forms are in the exhibitor zone of the Glee website: www.gleebirmingham.com

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

•  Garden Products – down 1%
•  Veg-2-Gro Products – up 6%
•  Growing Media – up 8%
•  All items index – up 19%

A new Top 100 Product chart on the Glee website highlights the most popular products that buyers are currently viewing, offering a valuable insight into trends and potential bestsellers.

Constantly updated, the chart is a living barometer of ‘what’s hot’ right now, reflecting products that are sparking the interest of retailers and visitors to the Glee website.

Matthew Mein, Glee event director hopes the chart will encourage greater interaction with the site from both suppliers and retailers.  “The chart will be constantly changing, and we believe this will provide a barometer of sorts, in that it showcases which products – from the hundreds and thousands on offer from Glee’s 500-plus exhibitors are appealing the most to our visitors and therefore representing an early glimpse at next season’s bestsellers.”

The chart can be accessed from the homepage (www.gleebirmingham.com).

The Greatest Outdoor Living 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 Sales Team of the Year

If you are looking for a new bestseller to stock in your wild bird care and wildlife area we recommend you make a feature for hedgehogs, and stock a hedgehog food such as the Jacobi Jayne Hedgehog Food.

Every week in the background of GTN Bestsellers we keep track of the Top 50 wild bird care and wildlife products and the Jacobi Jayne ‘I Love Hedgehogs’ feed has featured in the chart every week for the past two months.

At a time when wild bird care sales are static, the growth from a new area is pleasing to see - and satisfying customer needs too.

Subscribers to GTN Bestsellers get useful tips like this one every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletter, along with the GTN Bestsellers volume sales charts.  To subscribe, follow the link below:

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

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 meeting to decide the winners of The Greatest Outdoor Living Retail Team Awards in advance of The National Plant Show.  Make sure your Garden Care and Garden Centre teams are nominated for visits later in August and September.

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 spoga+gafa and HTA Futures for agreeing to be presentation venues for The Greatest Awards ON TOUR 2015. 

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.

Planteria Manager | Hertfordshire | Group Centre (ref:BP7568)

Location: Hertfordshire
Salary: £19,000 to £21,000
Date: 04 Aug
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Planteria Manager

The Business 

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

The Role 

This position will be a key leader in the centre, responsible for motivating a team of knowledgeable and skilled employees. The plant section is key to the success of any garden centre so you will be responsible for not only the care of the plants but all the presentation and customer service of the planteria. This is a business that focuses on quality so your standards must match! 

The Person 

We need a leader with superb retail experience to lead this busy department. The plantarea is the focus point of any garden centre and your standards for customer service, merchandising and the little details that make a department special will make you stand out. Plant knowledge is essential but we are open minded about an academic qualification. Ideally you will have been in a similar position previously

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

Area Sales Manager (ref:DS7440) 

Location: Hertfordshire
Salary: £27,000 to £30,000
Date: 12 Jun
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Area Sales Manager

Reporting To: Field Sales Manager

Responsible For: Sales Merchandisers Assigned To Individual Territory 

The Business 

An exciting opportunity is available for an Area Sales Manager to join our client who are one the UK's leading supplier of products to the Garden Centre market. As an Area Sales Manager, your sales area will be West London and the Home Counties including parts of Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex. The ideal candidate will be based in Hertfordshire, however applications from other base locations will also be considered. 

The Role 

• As the Area Sales Manager (West London & The Home Counties) you will be responsible for building the business by utilising effective sales and negotiation skills. You will have a high degree of autonomy, planning and achieving sales objectives, developing new business and long term, profitable relationships for the company. Reporting to the company's Sales & Marketing Manager (UK), your responsibilities will include:
• Proactively researching into new business opportunities, generating leads
• Calling, visiting and closing deals with these leads
• Hitting and exceeding set KPI targets in your area
• Travelling to client sites, meetings and events
• Reporting and updating the company CRM to track progress and ensure success. 

The Person 

The successful Area Sales Manager will have demonstrable experience in a similar role with a track record of success in developing business and hitting targets. In addition, you will possess the following skills and experience:

• Experienced negotiator with excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent organizational skills, able to priorities your workload
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills
• Passionate and enthusiastic, able to learn and adapt quickly
• Personable, able to build relationships and rapports
• Driven and motivated to hit and exceed targets
• Flexibility regarding working hours and travel 

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

Plant Area Manager | Northern Home Counties (ref:BP7554) 

Location: East of England
Salary: £18,000 to £24,000
Date: 29 Jul
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Plant Area Manager 

The Company 

This business is a well known brand name in the industry. With a large portfolio of centres covering a wide region of the United Kingdom this chain is well placed to lead the garden retail industry in development and practices. The focus with this business is on commerciality and retail acumen as well as plants. 

The Role 

This position will be a key leader in the centre, responsible for motivating a team of knowledgeable and skilled employees. The plant section is key to the success of any garden centre so you will be responsible for not only the care of the plants but all the presentation and customer service of the planteria. 

The Person 

We need a leader with superb retail experience to lead this busy department. The plantarea is the focus point of any garden centre and your standards for customer service, merchandising and the little details that make a department special will make you stand out. Plant knowledge is absolutely essential but we are open minded about invested experience over a academic qualification. 

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

Wholesale Horticulture Manager (ref:DS7524) 

Location: Kent
Salary: £25,000 to £32,000
Date: 14 Jul
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Wholesale Horticulture Manager 

The Business 

Our client is a growing wholesale plant supply business based near Sevenoaks, Kent. They are seeking an outstanding individual to join their small friendly family run team. This person will in effect be the right hand to the owner and will report directly to them. 

The Role 

A sound horticultural knowledge and selling experience to the trade supply chain are key along with a team spirited approach to the running of the whole site on a daily basis, whilst dealing with the growing wholesale plant sales, new business quotes and enquiries.

The Person 

• Proven sales experience in the retail or wholesale horticultural trade
• Sound horticultural plant knowledge preferably with qualifications up to NVQ Level 2
• Highly motivated with a strong work ethic
• Numeracy and accuracy along with strong verbal and written communication skills is paramount 

Working hours are on a two week rota and are: 

Week 1 (49.5)

• Mon-Thurs 8.30-6pm
• Off Friday
• Off Saturday to 12.30
• Saturday start 12.30 - 6pm
• Sunday 10-4 

Week 2 (47.5)

• Mon-Fri 7.30-5.00pm
• Sat 7.30-12.30
• Off from 12.30
• Sunday Off  

Remuneration will depend on skills and experience - Circa £25-32,000

Great potential to grow with the business and be rewarded for your hard work 

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

Netherlands nursery stock trade shows GrootGroenPlus and Plantarium are to exchange their respective Novelties of the Year this summer.

The winning plants at both shows are chosen by the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society. Plantarium, which takes place this month, will show GrootGroenPlus’s winner – Leucothoe keiskei 'Opstal16', from Boomkwekerij Ron van Opstal BV in Zundert.  Plantarium’s choice to be shown at  GrootGroenPlus in September, will not be announced until their show opens.

Leucothoe keiskei 'Opstal16' has very narrow, elegantly bent leaves that turn a dark shade of red in autumn – a welcome addition to the range of shrubs for autumn colour.

Diary dates: Plantarium (www.plantarium.nl) – 26 to 29 August, Boskoop.  GrootGroenPlus (www.grootgroenplus.nl) – 30 September to 2 October, Zundert.

Quantil Purple Sprouting Broccoli has taken over from Autumn planting seed potatoes at the top of the Veg-2-Gro chart this week.

Other star performers this week include:

• Quantil Curly Kale Red Redbor Strip of 8 is the highest climber, moving up 18 places to No 16.
• The highest re-entry is Lettuce Radichio at No 21.
• Suttons Pea Tom Thumb is the highest new entry at No 32 while another newcomer is Allensmore Rosemary Standard.

IBC, the buying group for builders merchants, is inviting garden centres to join.

The grouped, founded in 2009, manages transactions totalling more than £80 million for its 219 members, with a list of suppliers that includes Zest for Leisure, Ronseal, Tarmac, Haemmerlin and Marshalls. Some garden centres already use it.

Membership for retailers is free, but suppliers pay a fee. IBS reps promote the agreed offers to members and suppliers invoice retailers direct.

IBC’s national sales manager Marc Coulson is reported as saying that, with the demise of Solus and Spread, IBC was able to get retailers better terms and direct contact with the suppliers.

The group is understood to want to recruit more core gardening product suppliers.

Top soil and bark have come to the fore in this week’s Bestsellers Growing Media chart.

• Scotts Levington Organic Choice Top Soil is the highest climber, with a jump of 24 places to No 10. Westland Top Soil (Value Bag) is also in the Top 10.
• The highest re-entry is Westland Plant Protection Bark at No 22.
• Another returning product to the Top 50 is Arthur Bowers Coarse Grit.

Lighting products are again the star performers in this week’s GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart, headed by Gardman Solar Mini Ice Orb at No 1.

Star performers:

• Smart Garden LED Lattice Lantern Candle, battery operated with timer, is the highest climber, jumping 23 places.
• The highest re-entry is the Gardman Solar Black Nickel Glass Marker Light at No 17.
• There are four new entries, including Smart Solar Orbis Light at No 39.
• The highest new entry is Bosmere Log Roll Pin, 46cm, at No 14.

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 2013 as well as 2014 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 last 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.

• Dan Baker - Roundstone
• Lauren Whitburn - Roundstone 
• Hannah Rodgers - West End 
• Natalie - Snowhill

• Matt Hill - Ferndown
• David Lilley - Snowhill
• Nick Joad - Roundstone
• Peter Callaway - West End

The most powerful marketing tool we have…

Is one that we seldom use…

Do we tell our customers our story? 

Our humble beginnings as growers

How we risked everything to grow our business

How we are part of our local community

In fact we have been part of it for generations 

Our story defines us

It differentiates us from the chains

It gives us credibility and a real point of difference

It is our most powerful marketing tool.

Doug Stewart can be contacted at www.waringstewartassociates.co.uk

If you’re hankering after adding soft-serve ice-cream to your catering, check out the new range of self-contained soft serve ice cream and yoghurt workstations from foodservice refrigeration specialist Adande and ice cream equipment manufacturer Carpigiani

The units provide a ready to dispense source of soft serve ice cream, which may also be used to create a variety of desserts, including smoothies, sundaes, waffles and crepes. The workstations provide complete solutions for the storage, production, dressing and plating of cold desserts and are suitable for restaurants, leisure venues and casual dining operations. With a compact footprint of just 1100mm wide by 700mm deep, they are ideal where floor space is limited.

The workstations are available in a variety of configurations to meet desired capacity, including a layout which has a countertop Carpigiani 191 G AV soft serve ice cream unit mounted on an Adande® two drawer refrigerator. The worktop of the Adande® unit can also accommodate additional equipment, such as a cream whipper, waffle iron, blender or crepe iron, providing the capacity to produce a variety of desserts.

The 12-litre capacity hopper is capable of producing 240 x 75g portions of soft serve ice cream per hour. Base mix ingredients are chilled in the Carpigiani unit before being beaten and aerated. The aeration process increases the volume of ice cream produced to 140% of the base mix, for maximum yield and increased profit. A patented freezing system ensures a very small ice crystal for a smooth consistency and a perfect texture.

The Adande® units are castor mounted, allowing them to be moved easily for cleaning. The drawers and the soft serve ice cream machine each operate on a 13 Amp power supply and, with no plumbing or water supply required, installation is simple.