Poplars Garden Centre have announced the news that on the 27^th December Alastair Jackson lost his short battle with cancer and died peacefully, at home, surrounded by his family. He will be greatly missed by everyone that knew him.

"Alastair was Garden Centre Manger at Poplars Garden Centre, Toddington for 24 years having previously worked for Wyevale. Alastair was the smiling face of Poplars. Customers and colleagues alike quickly fell under his spell, he was a friend to everyone.

"His wife, Mikala, worked by his side, literally by his side, sharing a large desk. They were an incredible couple and an incredible team. There was always laughter wherever Alastair went – his sharp wit and sense of fun on display for all to see. He loved making people laugh and delighted in the company of others. He loved a party and would take every opportunity to have a celebration. Staff social events were legendary – with Alastair conducting proceedings and making sure everyone had a good time. He truly was a people person, a family man in every sense of the word.

"Adored by his family, the Poplars family and the wider garden centre industry family. Many of his closest friends he met through work and his loss will be felt across the whole Industry as we mourn his passing. If ever the words “Work Hard, Play Hard” applied to one man – it was Alastair. He was self motivated and had a way of bringing out the best in people, unlocking their potential and in some cases helping them get back on their feet again. He built a talented team that adored him and they are heartbroken that he is no longer with us.

"Alastair was not religious and has requested an unattended cremation. A Celebration of his Life will be held at the appropriate time where family, friends, colleagues and friends from across the Industry can come together. How typical of Alastair that his last request is to hold another party."

Paul Cooling 1964 – 2022

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Paul Cooling, Coolings Nurseries Ltd. Paul recently suffered a massive stroke and lost his fight on the 29^th December, with family and friends present.

Paul has been a larger-than-life character in the UK horticulture industry, often present at many trade functions usually sporting his trademark waistcoats and bow ties. In particular he was significantly involved with the GCA and in 2022 held the office of Vice President of the IGCA.

Earlier this year Paul had the foresight to set up Coolings Nurseries Ltd (now four centres) as an Employee Ownership Trust under the stewardship of Chairman Gary Carvosso and the Board of Trustees. Gary said “this is a devastating blow, Paul gave so much to Coolings and the Industry. Both have benefited from Paul’s insight and involvement”.

The Family have set up a special email address for Paul and hope that friends and colleagues from the industry will use this to send thoughts, memories and tales involving Paul, along with any messages of support for the family at this difficult time. pauls.message.log@gmail.com

Funeral details are to follow.

Comment from GTN:  Larger than life and a true force for good within the garden industry we can not belive Paul has gone.  What a shock it was to hear the news.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Carol, the family and Paul's close friends along with all involved at Coolings Nurseries Ltd.

Tong Garden Centre welcomed TV doctor, Dr Amir Khan, and a camera crew to the store

After enjoying lunch at The Mazzanine, the team took to the shop floor to ask customers questions about their local GP. 

The segment is scheduled to air on ITV on January 12 at 8.30pm.

Overall, garden centre sales in November 2022 were down -11% on November 2021 as the economic situation continues to plague consumers’ minds and the festive season may be adding to financial pressures, according to the HTA market update

Within this figure, garden/gardening sales were down -22% on November 2021 and non-garden/gardening sales were down -7% on the same period. 

Meanwhile overall sales in comparison to November 2019, a more ‘normal’ period, were up +17% although the volume of sales were on par indicating the uplift was likely driven by inflationary price increases. Within this, garden/gardening sales were up +17% and non-garden/gardening sales were up +17%. 

Well-respected garden centre manager Gavin Cooper died suddenly on Wednesday, 7 December.

Gavin Cooper was garden centre manager at Orchard Park and before moving to a similar role at Prior Park Garden Centre in Bath.

Gavin was also an HTA council member for several years. 

Catering was the bestselling department at garden centres across the country for the second month in a row during November, according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade report.

Sales were up 14.74% compared to the same month last year (2021). Another good performing category was food sales via food hall and farm shops, which was up 2.84%.

GCA Chairman, Tammy Woodhouse, explains: “For the second month in a row, we’ve enjoyed positive catering sales, but once again, this is compared to the same month in 2021, when we were all living under the strain of Covid still, so may have been unable to get out and about as much as we usually would.

“November was a much warmer month than usual this year, which meant footfall was positive, however sales in traditional categories are down compared to 2021. Warmer weather may potentially have put people off thinking about Christmas as they enjoyed more time out in their gardens

“Hard landscaping sales were down -31.42%. Clothing sales were up 0.76%.”

Houseplant sales were down -6.85%, outdoor plant sales were down -19.5% and seed and bulb sales were down -8.12%.

Sales in garden sundries were down -16.51%, furniture and barbecue sales down -32.49% and pets and aquatic sales were down -9.95%.

Tammy added: “Gift sales were down -11.72% and Christmas sales were also down -14.43%, however we expect this be all change once the December figures come in.”

Overall sales for the month were down -6.89% with a year-to-date variance of -3.65%.

The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.

Look out, look out, there’s jumpers about! Each year, the designated jumper-wearer gets to nominate future victims, er, we mean jumper wearers! This year, it will be up to Abigail Stocker to decide 2023’s Jumper Wearer, but who’s not willing to take the risk and will buy themselves immunity instead?

Is your name on the list and you wish it wasn’t? Worry not, five immunity passes are available to purchase until Thursday 22nd December at 4pm. Three of these GUARANTEE your immunity for £250- the other two are opened to sealed bids, with the highest bidders buying their way off the list. If you don’t fancy taking part in this rather itchy FUNdraiser, now’s your chance to secure your dignity.

There’s still time to show your support for Abigail’s jumperphon, please visit her dedicated JustGiving page https://justgiving.com/page/abigail-stocker-most-jumperful to donate. Or you can text JUMPERFUL followed by your donation amount to 70460 to give that amount. Texts will cost the donation amount plus your standard network rate message.

Members of the Garden Centre Association are being invited to put their marketing campaigns to the test as part of the organisation’s annual Worrall Cup competition.

The Association will be awarding a cup to the garden centre with the best marketing initiative during its annual conference at the Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Lancashire (January 22 until 25, 2023).

Tammy Woodhouse, GCA Chairman, says: “Our member garden centres are a creative bunch and we run our Worrall Cup competition annually to decide who has the most flair and creativity when it comes to their marketing campaigns and initiatives.

“Our judges are always astounded by the amount of effort that goes into the campaigns and always look for those that are inspirational to other members too.

“If any of our members think they’ve got what it takes to win the cup, they should submit their entries before the deadline of Thursday, January 12, 2023.

“The entries will be judged by an independent panel with marketing expertise. As this award is not influenced by our annual inspections, all entries have an equal chance of winning in January when the judging panel meets to assess the merits of each submission and decide the winner.”

Members are asked to submit an entry by completing a short form, which can be downloaded via the member section of the GCA website or requested by email from info@gca.org.uk.

The submission of supporting material, such as photographs, print examples and web-links is encouraged. An additional sheet of written detail is acceptable along with the entry form, if required. Entries can be sent electronically via info@gca.org.uk.

Tammy added: “The winner will be announced during our Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony at our conference on the evening of Tuesday, January 24. The event takes place at the Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa in Blackburn, Lancashire from January 22 until 25, 2023 and places can be booked via www.gca.org.uk.”

The conference pages on the website will be updated with speaker announcements and full listings as the programme develops and exact timings are confirmed. There is also a dedicated email for any queries members, and those wishing to book for the event, may have: conference@gca.org.uk.

“As always our conference will provide attendees with pertinent information on key aspects of the garden centre industry to assist members in achieving their business goals.

“The information shared will focus on a wide range of topics, including merchandising, marketing and management. There will also be plenty of opportunities for delegates to network and socialise.”

Pictured: 2020 Worrall Cup winners, Squires Garden Centres.

Dobbies has begun the recruitment drive for its new store in Antrim. The retailer is inviting applications for the vital General Manager role, to lead the flagship store, which will be one of Dobbies’ biggest to-date.  

Located at The Junction Retail and Leisure Park, as part of a £10m investment into the shopping destination, the new Dobbies is expected to welcome more than 800k customers each year. The 110,000 sq ft store will create in the region of 150 new and part-time roles, making it one of the biggest employers at The Junction.  

Antrim will be Dobbies’ second store in Northern Ireland, following the success of its Lisburn store, and is due to open in Autumn 2023. It will stock plants, houseplants and gardening products; seasonal items; pet range; cookshop, home décor, gifts and toys. There will also be a foodhall, soft play and 400 seater restaurant. 

The new General Manager must have a passion for bringing projects to life, exceptional retail management expertise, and a proven track record of leading and motivating a large team. They will be commercially aware, have strong operational experience and the ability to be adaptive within an agile working environment.  

Graeme Jenkins, CEO at Dobbies said: “This is a hugely important project for us and we’re looking for an experienced retail leader who can thrive from the challenge of working with our team to develop the new store. They will share our commitment to quality and value, so that our Antrim store can exceed the expectations of our customers.” 

For the full job description and to apply visit: Dobbies Careers | Work for Dobbies 

Bee ecologist and founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust Dave Goulson will share his expertise on sustainability at the Garden Centre Association’s annual conference in Blackburn on January 22-25, 2023.

The Professor of Biology at University of Sussex will speak about the importance of ecology and the impact insects and bees have on the environment on Tuesday, January 24.

Tammy Woodhouse, GCA Chairman, explains: “It’s great news that Dave Goulson will be joining us at our conference on Tuesday. As an industry, and as individuals, we’re fully invested in our role to protect the planet and are aware of how sustainability and ecology impact on us across all levels of our lives.

“We know he’ll be a real inspiration to our members, helping them to think more about the issues we’re facing and how we can change behaviours to combat loss of species and climate change and how all this contributes to shaping the future of members’ businesses too.

“He has published more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects, as well as seven books, including the Sunday Times’ bestsellers ‘A Sting in the Tale’ in 2013, ‘The Garden Jungle’ in 2019 and ‘Silent Earth’, which was released earlier this year in August.”

Dave founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006, a charity that highlights the importance of conserving all UK bumblebees and helps educate and raise awareness and understanding of the social, environmental and economic benefits they provide for our planet. Since its inception it has grown to 12,000 members.

In 2015, he was named number eight in BBC Wildlife Magazine’s list of the top 50 most influential people in conservation and has been recognised for his ongoing research. In each year from 2018-2022 he was named as a ‘Highly Cited Researcher’ by Thompson ISI.

Dave is also President of Pesticide Free Scotland and an Ambassador for the UK Wildlife Trusts.

Tammy adds: “Sustainability and our environment have never been more crucial, so we’re delighted that Dave will be building on our members’ awareness of the subject in January with his expertise and insights.”

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.

The GCA’s annual conference will be held at the Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa in Blackburn, Lancashire from January 22 until 25, 2023 and places can be booked via www.gca.org.uk.

The conference pages on the website will be updated with speaker announcements and full listings as the programme develops and exact timings are confirmed. There is also a dedicated email for any queries members, and those wishing to book for the event, may have: conference@gca.org.uk.

Dave Goulson will be speaking to attendees on Tuesday, January 24.

For further information, please visit www.gca.org.uk.

EP Barrus has donated a selection of Wilkinson Sword and WOLF-Garten tools to the Volunteer Gardening Team at St Michael’s Hospice in Hereford.

St Michael’s Hospice provides care and support to patients and families as they adjust to life with terminal illnesses. The garden offers a peaceful spot for patients, relatives, and staff to sit and reflect while taking in the stunning scenery.

This is all made possible by the dedicated volunteer gardeners who work throughout the year, ensuring the grounds stay beautiful and tranquil. The donated selection of spades, forks, and loppers will help the volunteers keep the grounds in top condition for everyone to enjoy.

Sharon Marks, Facilities Coordinator at St Michael’s Hospice, thanked EP Barrus, saying: “These tools will assist the Volunteer Gardening Team in their latest project of renewing the flowerbeds adjacent to the patient’s rooms and also around our pond area.

“By making this donation, you have shown great support towards the work we do.”

Phil Noble, Divisional Sales Manager at EP Barrus said: “We are so glad to have this opportunity to give something back to the community.”

“It’s great to see these hard-wearing, long-lasting tools used for such a great cause. I’m sure they will assist with many valuable projects over the years.”

Since its launch, Perennial’s Naked Gardening Gardeners calendar has seen an impressive reaction from supporters, with the charity proudly announcing a second print run due to exceptional interest.

The stars of the calendar recently featured on a podcast published by HortWeek which gave a greater insight into the Grubby Gardeners and exclusive behind the scenes details from the calendar shoot! Fellow Grubby Gardener’s, Gareth Wilson, and Paul Greenyer shared their experiences of featuring on the calendar and what a great time they both had shooting it. They also shared the importance of the calendar and what it means to them as they have both faced hardship and received incredible support from Perennial. Paul opened up about how he “contacted them and they were fantastic, they were great. They managed to take a bit of pressure off me for a few things”.

The Grubby Gardeners are a group of volunteers who formed in 2014 to bare all for the charity and, while the calendar is all a bit of light-hearted fun – there is a meaningful message behind it. The aim of the calendar is to not only raise money for the charity, but to also highlight the incredible work that Perennial does for those involved in the horticultural industry.

“Perennial was there for me in my hour of need and may well have saved my life. It sounds dramatic, but their calm guidance at a time when my life was in turmoil massively helped me.” - Peter, Landscaper

All profits from the sale will help Perennial to reach and support many more people in the wonderful horticultural industry, which is becoming increasingly important during the current economic climate. The calendar is always popular with people looking for a charity option, and it makes a great stocking filler too!

To find out more about the calendar and the work that Perennial does, please visit www.perennial.org.uk

The calendars retail at £10, and all profits go towards the charity.

Calendars can be purchased from the Perennial website https://shop.perennial.org.uk/products/the-perennial-naked-gardeners-calendar-2023

Perrywood Garden Centre in Tiptree gifted charity Abberton Rural Training seasonal planted baskets as a small thank you to each of the 20 volunteers who kindly give up their time to support this important charity.

Abberton Rural Training is an educational charity providing practical and skills training alongside therapeutic support and mentoring to the residents of Essex and surrounding areas.

With a passion to giving back to the community, for the last seven years Perrywood have organised a Christmas Cheer campaign to spread a little seasonal joy in the community. Last year they asked their team to nominate and deliver a planter to an individual who, for one reason or another, deserves some Christmas cheer.

Louise Smith, Communications Manager at Perrywood comments:” Our Christmas Cheer campaign is always a fantastic way to end the year. We really admire the hard work the volunteers put into supporting Abberton Rural Training and it's lovely to be able to gift them all a planter to give them a little something back for their valued time.”

Burpee Europe has been at the forefront of plant breeding research and seed sales since it was established in the UK in May 2012.   With the main focus on the breeding and development of new varieties of vegetables, fruit and flowers for the home gardener market, the team have seen a steady rise in seed sales.  

Due to the ever-expanding growth of Burpee Europe, the team will be moving into their new premises next month, ready for a fresh start in their new home for 2023.

The new premises in Pocklington will be substantially bigger than before and enable the team to store many more seeds and complete orders quickly and efficiently. 

Simon Crawford, Director of Sales and Marketing of Burpee Europe states "We are very excited to be moving into our new premises next month.  The larger size and state-of-the-art unit will enable us to forge forward with aplomb next year and service our customers with our ever-expanding range of seed varieties with ease and efficiency"

The passion at Burpee Europe has always been to develop new tasty, disease-resistant vegetables and fruit, as well as stunning blooms, to be grown by gardeners around the world.  The mission of the team is not only to encourage the cultivation of gardens by individuals and communities but also to communicate the benefits, both physical and mental, of gardening.

Burpee Europe does not sell direct to the consumer, but their seeds are sold via top UK seed companies.

The Horticultural Trades Association, who represents members from across the entire horticultural sector supply chain in Scotland, has welcomed the publication of Scotland’s draft Biodiversity strategy and has pointed to the impact trees and plants will have in achieving targets.

The HTA engaged with the Biodiversity Strategy earlier in the year on behalf of its 83 Scottish member businesses, including  garden centres, tree and plant growers and landscapers. They called for a Government focus on Scottish and UK grown trees and plants for procurement and green space investment, as well as a greener focus on house planning and development.  

The strategy, which runs to 2045, states:

“Towns and cities will include nature-rich environments close to all communities, contributing to Nature Networks and measurable increases in urban biodiversity.

“Multi-functional urban nature-based solutions will enable people and biodiversity to adapt to our changing climate by cooling the urban environment and managing extreme rainfall events, with blue and green infrastructure designed and managed to benefit biodiversity, provide habitats and allow wildlife to move through urban areas.”

Jennifer Pheasey, Public Affairs Director for the HTA, commented: “It is really positive that our sector, increasingly being recognised as ‘Environmental Horticulture’, is featured in Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy. We believe we offer exciting, natural and green solutions to many of our climate change and loss challenges. Trees and plants are at the heart of biodiversity. Scotland’s urban towns and cities of the future can utilise environmental horticulture to mitigate air pollution, reduce extreme temperatures and providing habitats. This in turn brings about health and economic benefits.”

Festive displays at Tong Garden Centre in Bradford have been named the best in the North East of England by the GCA for the sixth time.

Tong was judged on the range, merchandising, marketing, presentation and displays of Christmas lines including trees, decorations, tableware, candles, giftware and food during the Garden Centre Association's recent inspection for its annual Christmas Competition.

Winners are selected for their ability to demonstrate a real ‘wow factor' by highlighting their product range with innovative and inspirational displays that create excitement and a festive ambience. The judges singled out the centre's ‘value for money' for special commendation and awarded an unprecedented 20/20 for the Tong Lane centre's product range.

Tong's Commercial Director Sharon McNair said: "Congratulations to everyone - it's a great result and very well deserved. Christmas at Tong really is a massive team effort and every department within the centre has contributed to this amazing result.

"Winning this award for the sixth time is testament to the team's skill and ongoing commitment to giving our customers one of the most memorable Christmas experiences in Yorkshire."

GCA judge, Phil McGann, said: "Tong Garden Centre is a super busy centre emphasising value for money accompanied by great creativity. A big building to create atmosphere but staff are super, displays great and food hall good. Christmas is well represented throughout the centre. A delight to visit - thanks."

Established in 1966, the GCA champions professionalism in garden centre retailing. Every year, its members throughout the UK and Northern Ireland must undergo a comprehensive annual inspection to ensure they continue to meet the stringent criteria set out by the association and therefore maintain membership.

Tong Garden Centre occupies a 19-acre site in Tong village. It is one of Yorkshire's biggest independent garden centres with 125,000 square feet of retail space and parking for up to 700 cars. Next year, Tong's sister site at Tingley will be eligible to join the competition.

Spring Fair ,which returns to the NEC Birmingham NEC from 5-8 February 2023, has announced a new partnership with Theo Paphitis’s #SBS Small Business Sunday initiative providing winners with an even more dynamic and inspirational offering.

Following a successful four-year partnership with Autumn Fair which has supported around 40 start-up businesses so far, Spring Fair will now host the #SBS winners offering them a free stand worth thousands of pounds within the dedicated #SBS Village situated in a key position within Hall 4.

TV dragon and #SBS Small Business Sunday creator Theo Paphitis said: “Exhibiting at Autumn Fair, in the #SBS Village, has meant the world to our #SBS winners since 2018, helping many of them on a fantastic growth path for their business models.  I am delighted that we have extended the partnership to Spring Fair, where this year’s Exhibition winners will have an even more valuable opportunity in the early part of 2023. This is an exciting development for #SBS, one of the UK’s leading small business initiatives, and I am looking forward to visiting the show and meeting all our brilliant and deserving winners.”

Twelve new winners and two past winners who had been unable to exhibit previously, will present their designs, including beauty and wellbeing brand Glamavan with their biodegradable and sustainable glitters; botanical cast fragrance diffusers from The Fox Glove Tree; indulgent bath and body care by Awesome Botanicals; and organic and cruelty-free skincare and candles by Okiki. Gift sector winners include thoughtful sign language gifts from Give Gifts; Glosters Pottery with their range of ceramics created by the sea in Porthmadog, North Wales; wallpaper, prints and luxurious limited edition cushions with the wow factor by Sally Brown; an innovative new dry wash shampoo from TingTang; beauty gifts from Wolf & Griffin; Kitsch Republic with their range of fun homewares and gifts, mosaic kits from China Petals; and Chocolate Moments, the business behind the UK’s first bar of chocolate combined with crunchy crisps offering a unique combination which gives you the best of both sweet and savoury worlds.

Visitors will also be treated to the unique handmade toys from The Wonky Woolins; and inspirational creative, physical, musical, literacy, numeracy, social and scientific learning activity packs from Busy Brain Activity Packs.

Nicola Meadows, Portfolio Director, Spring Fair says, “We are very excited to be welcoming Theo and the #SBS Village to Spring Fair. It is an enormously successful initiative, and we are delighted to be able to offer so many inspirational winners a free exhibition stand giving them unparalleled exposure and growth opportunity for their businesses as they launch into the marketplace. Our shared values and vision with #SBS and Theo enable us to provide an incredible opportunity for start-up businesses. Taking centre stage in the #SBS Village, the winners across gift, beauty and toy sectors, will gain access to thousands of buyers ready to order products.”

As the largest and most accessible “shop for shops”, Spring Fair is the UK’s trusted platform for discovery and innovation, putting the most sought-after products, bright new finds, and industry-leading creative thinkers, under one easy-to-navigate roof whilst giving retailers unparalleled cross-buying opportunities.

Spring Fair encompasses 14 sectors within four destinations across 8 halls – Home which includes Living & Décor, Housewares, Everyday, and The Summerhouse, Gift including Christmas, Floral and Seasonal Decorations, and Moda fashion featuring its own Catwalk as well as Jewellery & Watch, Womenswear, Fashion Accessories, and Footwear, and the newly launched responsible sourcing show Source Home & Gift - all offering thousands of much loved and established favourites alongside an array of sustainable and new brands showing for the first time. The show creates a compelling and unmissable platform for buyers to touch, feel, and experience the latest products, trends and innovations.

As the buyers one-stop marketplace for everything new and on-trend for 2023, Spring Fair is the leading home, gift and fashion buying showcase. It runs from 5th - 8th February 2023 at NEC Birmingham. For further information please visit www.springfair.com  

Dobbies is hosting two free workshops in January to encourage customers of all ages, across the country, to make a positive start to 2023.

Dobbies’ first Grow How session of the year takes place on Saturday 7 January at 10:30am and will give customers a guide on how to incorporate houseplants into their home. Dobbies’ experts will showcase the different air purifying houseplants available to buy, how to use them in your indoor spaces, all the benefits associated with having houseplants, and care tips on how to look after them. Incorporating houseplants into your home will help brighten your indoor space, in addition to having a positive effect on your overall wellbeing as we enter the new year. 

The Little Seedlings Club is great for kids aged 4-10 and takes place on the morning of Sunday 8 January with free bookable sessions. This January, attendees will learn how to have a wonderful new year in the garden, discovering the history of new year, traditions and resolutions, the luck and prosperity associated with eating black-eyed peas-beans, alongside plants to grow in January, seeds to sow and how to prepare your garden for the year ahead.

Dobbies’ Partnership and Events Manager, Sarah Murray, said: “January is a great time to make plans and learn a new skill or hobby. We’re always looking to help sow some passion and encourage our customers to try something new.

“Houseplants are a great way to enhance your space and improve your mood - not only will your home feel refreshed, but so will you. We’re looking forward to our houseplant Grow How event being a popular one. For our Little Seedlings, our workshop on making a positive start in the garden aims to be both motivational and inspiring for young gardening fans.

“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our sessions throughout 2022 and are excited to kick off the year with these two, free workshops to help customers start as they mean to go on.”

Sustainability is at the core of Dobbies’ workshops and its horticultural experts will be showcasing the fantastic range of environmentally-friendly products available to purchase in-store.

The January Grow How session is not operating at Dobbies’ Thornbury store and the Little Seedlings Club workshop is currently unavailable at its Beaconsfield, Hungerford, Keston or Thornbury stores.

For more information about both events and how you can participate, visit dobbies.com/events.

 A specialist communications business is looking for a full-time Creative Copywriter to work as part of their content team. This role will be focused on creative, updating and researching new written content around the topics of gardening and nature. The successful candidate may also work on ad-hoc projects as requested.

The role is based in a beautiful rural location near Alcester (B49), so having your own transport is a must. You will be part of a small creative team who love to laugh and are dedicated to creating fun, useful and engaging content. The company works on high-profile events and with leading organisations in the gardening industry, so this is a fantastic opportunity to gain industry experience.

Key deliverables:

• Curating and updating, where requested, existing written content
• Proofreading and/or sub-editing content
• Researching, writing and editing specialist gardening content to spec
• Sourcing relevant images to accompany content
• Compiling visual assets to accompany content
• Uploading content into templates in WordPress
• Ensure compliance with the law (e.g., copyright and data protection)

Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate for this role will be an enthusiastic individual who is eager to learn and be an asset to the team in any way they can. Your eagle-eye will mean you have high attention to detail, so you’ll have spotted the intentional typo in the previous sentence. A proactive approach and can-do attitude are important, and you will be someone who draws satisfaction from organisation and producing high-quality work. If this is you, read on to see the qualifications we require for this role.

Qualifications:

• Have excellent writing and grammar skills – samples of your work may be requested
• Have excellent admin and timekeeping skills
• Able to create fun, interesting, user-friendly and blog articles
• Able to work well as an individual and as part of a team
• Comfortable working to tight deadlines and in a fast-paced environment
• Able to problem solve and adapt approach to business need
• Experience:
• It is desirable for the successful candidate to have experience of writing blogs/content.
• It is desirable for the successful candidate to have experience with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign
• It is desirable for the successful candidate to have experience in software including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel & PowerPoint), WordPress, Outlook & CRM / Email marketing systems.
• An interest or previous experience in horticulture would be advantageous.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £18,000-£20,000 per year

Experience:

• Microsoft Office: 3 years (Required)
• Adobe Indesign: 1 year (Preferred)
• WordPress: 2 years (Required)
• CRM: 2 years (Preferred)
• Adobe Photoshop: 1 year (Required)
• Copywriting: 2 years (Required)

Location: Alcester, Warwickshire (Preferred)

Licence: Driving License (Required)

Language: English (Required)

If you're interested in applying for this position click on the following link https://uk.indeed.com/job/copywriter-2157558a51567ffd?_ga=2.131926863.1980875204.1670840274-965464175.1670840274

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As AMES UK gets ready for another busy year in 2023, it has been confirmed that its garden centre team has been updated to offer even more value and support to its retail customers.

Alan Jones, Craig Keyworth and Darren Boorman have now taken the helm, together driving forwards future growth for the Kelkay, La Hacienda and Apta brands within UK garden centres.

All three will be well known faces within the marketplace having worked within the organisation for many years under the leadership of Scott McCabe. With Scott moving onto a new role at British Garden Centres, now was the perfect time for Alan, Craig and Darren to come to the fore and further develop AMES UK’s relationships with its garden centre customers.

Together the new garden centre team, along with Rob Parker who has assumed the role of Sales Director, will support with all aspects of ordering, range reviews, customer service support and will also work alongside the merchandising teams to ensure that throughout the season any AMES UK display will be looking its best to drive profitability throughout the season.

Find out more

Further details about AMES UK can be found at https://ames-uk.com/

Managing director Richard Hanwell has joined the main board of MorePeople and in doing so has become a shareholder. Founder Guy Moreton and CEO Andrew Fitzmaurice make up the remaining shareholding.

Andrew comments: “Richard has been great over the past 24 months and has really helped drive the business to move forwards with its plans. We’ve made some amazing strides this year and having Richard as a shareholder is a massive statement of our commitment to our growth plans. Becoming a shareholder is a great achievement and is just reward for a career spent recruiting and managing teams in the food sector. We have a robust plan in place and we’re extremely confident in our ability to deliver – especially with Richard working closely with us. Here’s to 2023 and beyond!”

Guy added: “On behalf of Andy and myself, I am delighted to welcome Richard to the Main Board and congratulate him on becoming a shareholder of our fabulous company. Since joining our business two years ago Rich has worked tirelessly to drive performance and has had a tremendous impact on our growth and helped nearly double our team. The new shareholding reflects his achievements and his commitment to MorePeople and we know he will continue to help us develop in the years to come. Well done, Rich.”

More People is ending a successful 2022 with-best ever weeks, months and quarters, settled into our fantastic new office, with another nine new faces to the team and with more lined up to start in 2023!

Famous for Tubtrugs, the first two-handled, super-strong flexible tub, Red Gorilla has joined BHETA.  

Founded over 35 years ago, to produce the ultra-flexible ‘use it for everything’ product, the company has gone on to supply the garden, DIY, construction and equine markets with a host of related items.

Based in Barwell, Leicestershire, Red Gorilla now supplies trade outlets across six continents with buckets, brooms and shovels as well as its original, iconic Tubtrug®.

Keeley Vernon, BHETA’s sector manager for DIY and garden said, “Red Gorilla is a standout brand with a great product range and the BHETA team is delighted that the company is on board.”

For more information about BHETA and the retailer networking, market data, lobbying and business support opportunities it offers, contact Keeley Vernon on 07398 840418 or view the website at www.bheta.co.uk.

On 7 & 8 February 2023 GROEN-Direkt will once again be opening its doors for its Spring Fair: the leading international kick-off of the new garden plant season.

GROEN-Direkt is looking forward to bringing garden plant traders and buyers together and organising a unique trading platform: Meet & Trade at the Spring Fair! The fair hall in which GROEN-Direkt will be presenting more than 5,000 unique sample batches will simultaneously host the first spring edition of PLANTARIUM | GROEN-Direkt featuring at least 150 growers’ stands, Visitors’ Favourites and a trend presentation, enabling visitors to view the most complete range of garden plants in Europe all under the same roof while finding plenty of inspiration for the coming spring.

NEW in 2023: continuous range on view
In addition to its weekly updated ranges and the ranges physically on view at its 30 annual fairs, GROEN-Direkt will in 2023 also be introducing a ‘continuous’ range of plants.

Parts of the ranges presented at the seasonal fairs will be included in the fair ranges for a longer time to strengthen and broaden the weekly ranges. This ‘continuous’ range will remain on view both physically at the fairs and in the webshop for weeks longer, making the broad range of thousands of sample batches ‘continuously on view’ in 2023. "So it will be ‘what you see is what you get’ as usual, but now for a longer period of time," explains GROEN-Direkt’s Hans Cok.

TREND in 2023: buying at precisely the right time

Instead of having to look far ahead and order batches on a long-term basis for the future, today’s buyers want to be able to respond more quickly to what the market has to offer and what their customers want on the short term. With its weekly updated ranges, GROEN-Direkt offers them the perfect purchasing channel – the possibility of buying precisely the garden plants they want at precisely the right time, to enable them to respond promptly to the latest trends.

Most complete range ever
The hall in which the Spring Fair will take place will simultaneously host PLANTARIUM | GROEN-Direkt, where at least 150 growers will personally tell visitors all about their own ranges at their stands. This fair will also feature dozens of Visitors’ Favourites and a trend presentation. So all in all, plenty of inspiration during the two days of the Spring Fair!

GROEN-Direkt’s 2023 Spring Fair

• Dates        :           Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 February 2023
• Times         :           7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Venue       :           Noorwegenlaan 37, 2391 PW Hazerswoude, the Netherlands (ICT site)
• Webshop  :           the entire range can also be ordered via the webshop

For all the dates and times of the standard and seasonal fairs in 2023 see the full annual fair calendar here.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a significant increase in the number of seasonal worker visas that will be available to the horticulture industry for 2023.

This will rise to 45,000 from 30,000 this year (the new figure could rise by a further 10,000 if necessary next year) and includes an early allocation for daffodil growers. 

The Horticultural Trades Association, which has been campaigning for an increase in the available workforce to meet demand in the industry, approves of what it calls a ‘step-change’ decision in the Government’s policy.

Jennifer Pheasey, HTA’s Director of Public Affairs, commented: “Defra has listened to the industry’s calls and we welcome the understanding that certain sectors – daffodil growers for example – require access to labour far earlier in the season than others. However, due to disruptions in the arrival times for 2022 scheme workers that were beyond operators’ control, there is still no clarity on whether Defra and the Home Office will allow workers to return in 2023 before the six-month no-return rule currently allows. What HTA members need is the ability to fulfil demand for their tree and plant products; without the required workforce they cannot do this. Seasonal workers are very much part of this workforce.”

The HTA has previously called for longer-term certainty for seasonal workers in horticulture. This will allow growers to evaluate labour needs more accurately over time, stabilise workforce pressures, and incentivise investment in automation technology.

At the policy announcement meeting, the HTA highlighted to Defra the recent independent Automation in Horticulture Review which recommended long-term Seasonal Worker Scheme access planning for businesses. The review stated

‘A long-term Seasonal Worker Scheme would help to stabilise workforce pressures in the sector, helping growers to better evaluate their labour needs over time and incentivising long-term capital investments in automation technology. While a new Seasonal Workers Visa Route has been announced for 2022 to 2024, the length of any future schemes should ideally match the period preceding the feasible mass-adoption of automation technology.’

Defra has stated that recommendations will be published on automation in the industry in March.

In response to the announcement, Minister of State for Farming Mark Spencer said:

“Seasonal labour has long been part of the UK’s rural economy, and while it is right that we offer long term support to increase the use of domestic labour, we also need to support businesses on the back of what has been a challenging year for food producers.

“That’s why we’ve listened to the UK’s horticulture sector, and today’s announcement will provide our growers with the labour they need to bring in the harvest and continue to put their produce on our tables.”

Alongside expanding the number of visas available, the government will be appointing new scheme operators to help with the efficient operation of the visa route and help safeguard worker welfare.

The total sales volume of the Top 50 bestselling Christmas Products in the GTN Bestsellers weekly Epos data now sits at 7% up on 2021 levels despite overall garden centre sales volumes being 3% down for the year as at the end of Week 48, ending 4^th December.

It has been a roller coaster ride over the past six weeks for the Christmas Top 50 Bestsellers sales volume, with weeks alternating between up and down year on year.  Week 43 saw the biggest variance, up by 42% and week 45 the biggest year on year deficit at minus 8%. 

Compared to 2019 Top 50 Christmas sales volumes, all but one of the last 6 weeks has been up, with only week 44 being down, by 6%.  So far the Top 50 Christmas Bestsellers are running at 9% up in volume sales compared to 2019.

When we look at overall garden centre sales volumes the past 6 weeks show a different story with only Weeks 43 and 48 exceeding last years volume sales figures.  The last 6 weeks total sales all products are 4% down on last year but 12% up on 2019 figures.

The GTN Bestsellers six-year trend analysis of garden centre sales activity shows that while sales this autumn and winter have been behind 2021 and 2020 levels trading volumes have been ahead of 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Plant sales over the past six weeks have not only been lower than 2022 volumes but apart from Week 47 have also been behind 2021 and 2019 volumes too.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week in 2021: week 48.

• Garden Products Top 50 – down 3%
• Growing Media Top 50 – down 23%
• Wild Bird & Wildlife Care Top 50 – down 8%
• Christmas – down 13%

GTN Bestsellers All Sales volumes compared to the same week in 2021: week 48

• All Plants with Barcode index – down 6%
• All Items with Barcode index – up 1%

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week in 2019: week 48.

• Garden Products Top 50 – down 35%
• Growing Media Top 50 – up 16%
• Wild Bird & Wildlife Care Top 50 – down 34%
• Christmas Top 50 – up 6%

GTN Bestsellers All Sales volumes compared to the same week in 2019: week 48

• All Plants with Barcode index – down 4%
• All Items with Barcode index – up 11%

Brimsmore Gardens (GC - above)) and Garsons Garden Centre Esher (DGC - below) have been announced as the national winners of the 2022 Garden Association’s annual Christmas competition.

The garden centres were judged to have the best festive displays in the country by the organisation and will receive their awards at its annual conference in January 2023.

Phil McCann, who judged the displays, said: “I’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of the members who entered the Christmas display competition and ‘congratulations’ to Brimsmore Gardens, who were winners in the Garden Centre Category and Garsons Garden Centre, Esher, who took the top spot in the Destination Garden Centre category.

“The standard was incredible with superb displays, exquisite detailing and fantastic retail practices.

“I am very much looking forward to presenting the ideas and images from my visits at the annual conference in Blackburn in January.”

Second place in the GC category was Perrywood, Sudbury and third place was Parkers Garden World.

In the DGC category, Barton Grange Garden Centre and Bents Garden & Home came joint second and in third place was Gates Garden Centre.

Tammy Woodhouse, GCA Chairman, said: “I’d like to say an additional thank you to everyone who created some truly joyous and memorable displays.

“The entrants were judged on general ambience, creativity, stock range, flow and tidiness, and customer service was also taken into consideration.”

Adam Wallis, Manager of Brimsmore Gardens, said: “We are over the moon to have won first prize in the GCA’s annual Christmas Competition, having come so close in previous years.

“As with everything we do at Brimsmore Gardens, we are always looking to innovate and improve, so this award is a reflection of the team’s unwavering commitment to these principles.

“Sustainability has been central to our thoughts year-on-year and we’re very proud to have made such huge strides in making Christmas as kind on the planet as possible. We’ll take a moment to toast the team’s efforts, creativity, and resourcefulness, then it’s back to work as we look forward to welcoming many more visitors into the displays before Christmas.”

The winners will be given their awards during the GCA’s annual conference on Monday, January 23 at the Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa in Blackburn, Lancashire. The conference runs from January 22 until 25, 2023. Places can be booked via www.gca.org.uk.

Ian Richardson, Garsons Chairman, said: “What a wonderful achievement and acknowledgement of our team’s time and effort put into preparing and building our famous Garsons Christmas displays and range of products. Our talented staff work throughout the year preparing for the festive season, offering a unique and inspiring Christmas experience to our loyal customers.”

Hogewoning is known for many years for his wide variety for products made of natural materials like wreaths and garlands made with cones in different styles and colours.

Daan Hogewoning said: “We have evergreen natural looking Christmas product which we renew every year.  Customers know that and the market is still looking out for this natural-country looking trend, which never disappeared from the market.

“Hogewoning has the ability to present this kind of products every year in a good balance for price and quality.

“This year we will surprise our customers with new articles in this field, which we are showing at the next trade fair Harrogate Christmas & Gifts on 15-18 January.

“Hogewoning has a good webshop where you will find a wide choice of products which we pre-sell.

“Because we have now our own company in the UK we are able to give good service to the garden centre trade in the UK.  

“Transport and duty are included in our prices.’

Browse the webshop by clicking here or the button (above left).

For further enquiries email daan@hogewoning.com

Notcutts has been celebrating the official opening of its new-look Brampton Garden Centre at a community event. Since acquiring the garden centre from Frosts in August 2022, Notcutts has refreshed the look, introduced new gardening, homeware and gift ranges, and is ready for customers to enjoy their first Notcutts Christmas experience.

The open event was hosted by Caroline Notcutt, Vice-Chairman and Great-Granddaughter of Notcutts’ founder Roger Crompton Notcutt. Notcutts reached their 125th anniversary this year and welcomed the local community to this celebratory event.

Notcutts Brampton Garden Centre, on Buckden Road in Brampton village, offers a wide leisure and shopping experience including homeware, furniture and garden accessories alongside a variety of plants and gardening supplies. In the restaurant, customers can enjoy seasonal hot and cold lunches, snacks and afternoon teas, including a special menu of festive dishes for Christmas time.

Caroline Notcutt said: “We are proud to have acquired Brampton Garden Centre in our 125th anniversary year.  Since the summer, we have been working hard to bring the best of Notcutts, our family values and our passion for home and gardening to the local community. We hope customers have been enjoying their new-look garden centre and experiencing their first Notcutts Christmas with us.”

Joanne Hawkins-McDowell, General Manager, Notcutts Brampton, said: “Thank you to all our guests who joined our special opening event. We are delighted to be part of the long-established Notcutts family business.”

Notcutts Brampton Garden Centre, on Buckden Road near Huntingdon, is one of 19 Notcutts Garden Centres nationwide. For more information, call 01480 453048 or visit www.notcutts.co.uk.

Pictured: Caroline Notcutt (centre) cuts the ribbon to the new Notcutts Brampton Garden Centre alongside General Manager Joanne Hawkins-McDowell (centre left), CEO Nick Burrows (centre right) and the local Brampton community. (Credit: Gregg Brown Photography / Copyright: Notcutts Ltd).

Alton Garden Centre had to close its Digby’s Restaurant after firefighters battled a blaze at the store on the night of Wednesday, December 7. The restaurant has since re-opened, serving a menu of hot drinks and light snacks, and the rest of the centre continued to be fully operational.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service were called to Altons Garden Centre in Wickford, Essex, at 9.29pm on Wednesday. The fire took hold in the roof of the building and some of the store was left smoke-damaged.

The fire had been extinguished by midnight thanks to the 15 fire engines and approximately 40 fire fighters who attended. One firefighter remained at the scene into the morning to dampen down and check for hotspots.

Garden centre managing director Derek Bunker told BBC news: "It could have been a lot worse.

"Fifty per cent of the shop is completely untouched but there is smoke damage elsewhere."

He said the restaurant had to be shut for a while as there was a lot of damage there.

"It hurts but in business these things happen."

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway with one possible line of inquiry being that it may have started in a dishwasher in the kitchen area.

Andy Bunker told GTN Xtra: "Thank goodness for the steel fire dorrs and shutters, they did their job.  Huge thanks to the fire brigade and the 15 fire engines that came to the site after our security guard raised the alarm.  Even more thanks to all of our staff and our local suppliers for turning things around so quickly, we had the centre back open by 11:00am on the 8th December."

The team at British Garden Centres has welcomed Scott McCabe as their Group Buying Director. Scott, with a wealth of industry experience, joined BGC on Thursday (December 1). 

BGC, with 62 garden centres, is the UKs largest family-owned group. The appointment of Scott fits with the company's aims to build long lasting partnerships with its current and future suppliers. The new role will see Scott supporting the existing buying team - many have been with the family for many years and helped deliver the rapid growth the company has enjoyed since it purchased a number of the Wyevale and Hillview centres. 

Welcoming Scott, joint MD Charles Stubbs said, "I have known Scott for many years and know that his skills and experience will complement the team we have developed in recent years. Building stronger relationships with suppliers is Scott's number one priority as we aim to be the industry's very best customer."

Scott, well-known to the industry from his roles as both a retailer and supplier, took the opportunity to reflect on his career to date "The garden industry has been a wonderful place to grow my career. Customers, many who have become friends, have been fantastic and I thank each and every one of them for their support through the years. The team at Ames have been brilliant over the last few years, particularly during the post-lockdown boom in all garden related activity, their support has been immense." Commenting on his return to retail, "I, along with the rest of the trade, have enjoyed watching the team at BGC take the business from a regional business to national player in the last few years. Joining, as they embark on the next stage of their journey, is very exciting and I'm looking forward to working with the award-winning Buying Team"

The BGC Buying Team has been declared GLEE Group Buying Team of the Year for the last 2 years - a fitting recognition of the work the team undertook to take the business from a turnover of £30m+ in 2018 to over £160m in 2021.

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 2018 as well as 2019 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 07973 504214, e-mail karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

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@pottingshedpress.co.uk or call 07973504214.

Buy your subscription today and start receiving the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.