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What an exciting new chapter for Gardman and its customers...

Gardman goes to Glee next month with a greatly enhanced product range following this summer’s management buy-out that has left the company in its strongest financial position for eight years. Chairman Jonathan Halford, who led the buy-out, says the new management structure, backed by private equity investor Rutland Partners, which owns Pizza Hut, Bernard Matthews and Maplin, gives the company a stability it has not had since 2007.

Business as usual at Thompson & Morgan as owner considers future of the business

Despite interest in the business from new investors, Thompson & Morgan CEO Bryan Magrath says its business as usual. He commented: “It’s flattering to be considered an attractive target for investment but we remain focussed on our plans for the autumn season and won’t be distracted.”

Time to discover the bestsellers of tomorrow

It’s that time of year when we all take a deep breath and start heading off for a month of shows and events that will shape next year’s trading and inevitably the GTN Bestsellers charts...

Break some records this Christmas

Greatest Award winning Brookside Garden Centre have already started breaking records for Christmas 2015. Within 20 minutes of opening up bookings for their Santa's grotto, Christmas Eve sold out...

Wyevale call in specialists to streamline supply chain

Wyevale Garden Centres has appointed supply chain solutions provider RELEX, to streamline key parts of the business.

Above: the David Austin Rose Centre at Syon Park, Wyevale Garden Centres HQ.

GCA members see standards and profitability improve

The Garden Centre Association has revealed there were record numbers of members receiving highly commended awards and awards of merit after its annual inspections and these have helped drive standards and profitability. Sixty-three garden centres received a highly commended title and 150 received awards of merit.

Planters of Bretby were one of 10 garden centres in the Midlands region to be highly commended.

Raw and natural pet food specialists to exhibit at Glee

Natures Menu, the UK’s No.1 raw pet food specialist and Europe’s leading experts in raw and natural feeding, are to exhibit for the first time at Glee...

LOFA takes its Bank Manager for a Gloverly ride!

Phil Gibbs, the organiser of SOLEX, and Hannah Dunn, the Lloyds Bank Relationship Manager responsible for LOFA, made the highest Greenfingers Glovie of the year...at 13,000ft over Salisbury Plain!

Burgon & Ball put the 'Ooh and the Aww' into Christmas

Whether they’re filled with chocolates or biscuits, bird seed or fish food, this Christmas Burgon & Ball’s adorable NEW collection of animal themed storage tins come complete with guaranteed smiles...

Help us beat new agapanthus pests says RHS

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is calling on gardeners and the trade to help it learn more about a new insect that is attacking agapanthus plants...

Gordon Rigg Garden Centres celebrate 70th anniversary

One of the north of England’s leading garden centres, with operations in Todmorden and Rochdale, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this month....

All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering

Food was a big seller in garden centres during July

Food halls and farm shops were on the up during July (2015) according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) results. An increase of 13.97% compared to last year (2014) was seen in this sector...

lunch! exhibitors unveil their show highlights for 2015
A first look at new drinks, packaging, equipment & technology at next month’s lunch show

lunch! has released its first preview of some of the new drinks, packaging, equipment & technology being showcased this year. The multi-award winning trade event for the food-to-go sector, returns to the Business Design Centre in London on 24-25 September with 350 exhibiting companies...

The Greatest Outdoor Living Sales gold winners to be presented at spoga+gafa

Five gold winners of The Greatest Outdoor Living Sales Awards will have the added prize of receiving their prizes at this year's spoga+gafa exhibition in Cologne, Germany. One person from each of the five winners will be treated to travel to and from Cologne plus one night's accommodation, coutesy of spoga+gafa, as The Greatest Awards really celebrate going on tour this year.

HTA Futures is the venue for The Greatest Garden Centre Team Awards 2015

poplars - the greatest green team 2012.jpg

Poplars, Groves and Barton Grange have all won Gold in The Greatest Awards. Which garden centres will be leaving the HTA Futures Conference with Gold this year?

Nominate your Garden Centre Teams here

October date set for South West grower show

The South West Growers Show will be staged on Wednesday 7 October at The Matford Centre in Exeter, Devon, the organisers announced this week...

Get all the Glee News in the Glee Daily News

There will be more preview issues of The Glee Daily News this year, plus three "Live" from the show issues...

Click here for link to Glee Daily News 2015 Issue 1

GTN August 2015

Garden Trade News

Steve Harper leaves Gardman

Gardman said yesterday that their garden centre channel sales director, Steve Harper, had left the business by mutual agreement...

Warm evenings drive sales of Bug Bats and lights

As the nights draw in sales of garden lighting products continue to outperform all other garden product lines, with the exception of the STV Bug Bat, but that all just fits in with spending more time
out side at weekends and in the evenings...

Brompton Bicycle CEO and EFSA chair join HTA Garden Futures Programme

Will Butler-Adams OBE from Brompton Bicycle and Ronald Van Veen from the European Floral and Lifestyle Product Suppliers (EFSA) have been unveiled as the latest speakers to join the programme for the HTA Garden Futures Conference...

Cauliflower climbs to the top of Veg-2-Gro sales

Romanesco Cauliflower plants were the outstanding performer on the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro front in last week’s winter veg sales...

Revealed: Glee's first Buyers Power Shortlist

The organisers of Glee released the shortlist for their inaugural Glee Buyers Power List on Friday last week and voting is now open...

See the shortlists and use the link to vote

Growing media cuts a good sales performance

Topsoil and multipurpose compost with John Innes are keeping growing media sales ahead of last year according to the data supplied from garden centres for GTN bestsellers...

Entries pour in for Glee New Products Showcase

The Glee New Products Showcase is building to be the biggest for years as entries from exhibitors pour in...

Horticultural Scholarship Season opens

The David Colegrave Foundation (DCF) Scholarship Season opens next month, giving young horticulturists five months to apply for a scholarship...

Victoria Cross poppy sales near £40,000 for the Royal Hospital Chelsea

Sales of seed of Mr Fothergill's Poppy Victoria Cross have now resulted in a massive £39,823 being raised for the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners...

Last few stand spaces available

Glee 2015 is nearly sold out, with limited space available this is your last opportunity to book space at this year’s event...

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