Primeur won the Sword of Excellence at the GIMA Awards last night with their Tierra Verde Recycled Rubber Planters. Other winners on a spectacular night of celebration at Celtic Manor in Wales included: Smart Garden Products, Hozelock, Gardena,  EP Barrus, Chesneys, Farplants, Forest Garden, Treadstone, RSW International, Vitax and Westland…

GIMA Sword of Excellence
Winner: Primeur Ltd (Tierra Verde Recycled Rubber Planters)

GCA Supplier of The Year
Winner: Smart Garden ProductsFinalists: Meadow View Stone, Woodlodge Products

Gardenex Export Achievement
Winner: Smart Garden Products
Finalists: Tildenet Gardenware, Trimetals

Garden Care
Winner: Hozelock (Hozelock Pure BioMix)

Finalists: Vitax (Vitax Acer Feed), Block Blitz Ltd (Block Blitz Shield)

Growing, Planting Equipment and Sundries
Winner: GARDENA (GARDENA Metal Hose Trolley)
Finalists: GARDENA (GARDENA Textile Hose Range – Liano), The Juliana Group (Juliana City Greenhouse), Itip Handles Ltd (Itip Handles)

Decorative Pots & Planters
Winner: Primeur Ltd (Tierra Verde Recycled Rubber Planters)
Finalists: Apta (RHS Interiors Pot Covers), Woodlodge Products (RHS Interiors Pot Covers)

Garden Tools, Machinery and Implements
Winner: EP Barrus (Wilkinson Sword Ultralight Digging Spade)
Finalists: Darlac (Heavy Duty Geared Lopper), Burgon & Ball (Corona Convertible Branch and Stem Pruner), GARDENA (Corona Convertible Branch and Stem Pruner)

Outdoor Leisure
Winner: Chesneys Ltd (Chesneys Heat & Grill)
Finalists: La Hacienda (Santana Black Metal Firebasket and Icarus Oxidised Firepit), Zest 4 Leisure (Noah’s Arbour)

Plants, Seeds and Bulbs
Winner: Farplants (Spiraea Walberton’s Plumtastic)
Finalists: Suttons (Suttons Pollinators...and Predators Retail Seed stand), Mr Fothergill’s (Children in Need Range)

Garden Landscaping
Winner: Forest Garden (Victorian Walkaround Greenhouse)
Finalists: BJA Trading Ltd (Fence Mate DuraPost Fence System), The Juliana Group (The Halls Qube Greenhouse)

Gardening Clothing and Gifts
Winner: Treadstone Products (ClipGlove)
Finalists: E P Barrus (Mastergrip Gloves), Fallen Fruits Ltd (Terrarium Set)

Pet Care, Aquatics and Wild Bird Care
Winners: RSW International Ltd (Smart Choice Dog Ball Launcher (The Stomper)
Finalists: Marriages Specialist Foods (Heavy Duty Feeders), Smart Garden Products (Peacock Glass Birdbath)

Garden Lighting, Water Features and Ornamentation
Winner: Smart Garden Products (Bug Lights)
Finalists: Smart Garden Products (Firefly Balloon and Oak Leaf)

Best Point of Sale Material
Winner: Treadstone Products (ClipGlove Merchandising Stand)
Finalists: Smart Garden Products (Solar Cool Flame Hard Wired Stand), Woodlodge Products (Consumer Engagement Boards)

Best Consumer Packaging
Winner: Vitax (Plant Guard)
Finalists: Burgon & Ball (RHS Gifts for Gardeners ‘British Bloom’ boxed tool gift sets), Durston Garden Products (Multi-purpose Compost with John Innes)

Best Marketing Communication Campaign
Winner: Westland  (New Horizon Launch Campaign)
Finalists: Westland (Peckish - Love Every Bird Campaign), elho (‘The Beauty of Waste’ TV campaign)

Smart Garden Products were voted GCA Supplier of the Year at the GIMA Awards.

What the judges said…

Smart are a pleasure to deal with. Meaningful innovation, quick to respond, accurate deliveries and paperwork, flexible approach and nice people.

Finalists: Meadow View Stone, Woodlodge Products

Here's our picture special from last night's glitzy GIMA Awards evening, hosted by TV  celebrity Vernon Kay. Pictures taken by Steve Burden and Trevor Pfeiffer.

A cheque for £8,000 was presented to Greenfingers Charity at the GIMA Awards. The money was raised at the GIMA Golf & Activity Day in June.

After all that rain we wanted the sunshine, but not the heat. Sales for the last week dropped by 4% and that meant June overall sales volumes, as measured by the GTN Bestsellers Epos data, were down by 12% on June 2018. 

Given the great June we had last year the comparison against 2017 and a nine-year average maybe more telling:  Up by 0.4% vs 2017 and up by 4.6% vs our June nine-year average.

Now that we should have worked all of the spring/early summer seasonality out of the year the half year position for total sales volumes gives a clear indication of the market:  Up 1.9% vs 2018, up by 0.4%. 

How many other retail businesses will be reporting that strong a performance? Garden centres continue to perform well! Long may that continue. See you at SOLEX.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 26)
Garden Products - down 8%
Growing Media - down 4%
Wild Bird Care - down 3%
Veg-2-Gro - up 6%
All Plants Index - down 24%
All Items Index - up 1%

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

After last year’s brilliant May and June for plant sales everyone said we should wait until the end of June 2019 to make real year-on-year comparisons. And the results are in:  Year to date plant sales volumes are down by 6% on 2018 but up by 2% on 2017.

So, what would you rather have a mad May and June after a poor March and April or a poor May and June after a good March and April?  Answers to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk please.

• Orchid sales increased by 75% at the end of June to move 20 places up the chart to No 23.
• Bellis continued to be very popular this year. An 80% increase moves them up to No 19
• Penstemon were the highest re-entry into the GTN Top 50 at No 28.

All Plants volume sales change: Week on week DOWN 8.5%.  Year to date vs 2018 DOWN 6.0%, vs  2017 UP 1.9%..

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

It was great to see everyone at the GIMA Awards last night, thank you to the GIMA team for an excellent event!

We'll be updating this newsletter with all the other news from the week over the weekend and then next week the GTN team move on to Solex at the NEC, where we will be publishing the SOLEX SUN during the show. 

We look forward to seeing you there.

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The wet June that ended just too hot meant the GTN Bestsellers Garden Product Top 50 sales volumes were the lowest of the last six years, continuing the overall downward Top 50 trend.

Highlights of the week were:

• Smart Solar’s Bonanaza Firefly Balloon was the highest chart climber, moving up 31 places.
• And the Smart Solar Flutterby Butterfly was the highest chart re-entry at No 29.

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

Despite June growing media sales being 17% down on last year at the end of the half year overall growing media sales are up by 8% year on year and up 5% on 2017.

That is great news for core gardening activity that flies in the face of our garden product sales analysis where sales are down year on year again.

Could it be that the growth of container gardening lends itself well to small bags of growing media sales and that other products are not appealing to this new market just yet?

Highlights of the week were:

• Westland GroSure Easy Container, 25 litres, is the highest chart climber at the end of June, up 14 places to No 21.
• Westland Gro Sure Smart Cover, 100 litres, re-entered at No 50 after an 87% sales increase.
• Evergreen Garden Care Levington Multipurpose + John Innes, 56 litres, continues at the top of the GTN Chart with Westland Jack’s Magic All Purpose Compost, 60 litres, moving up 2 to No 2.

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

Wild Bird Care sales held their own in June with one very good week at the start of the month and then three weeks that were not so good. At the half year Wild Bird Care is up 7.5% on 2018. 

Highlights of the week were:

• Gardman Fat Snax, tub of 50 were the No 1 Bestseller again.
• Tom Chambers Sunflower Hearts 2.5kg move up five places to No 3.
• Gardman Decorative Squirrel Proof Seed Feeder is a new entry at No 30.

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

At the half year Veg-2-Gro cumulative sales are up by 48% and the June increase in sales of 4% helped keep momentum going in the right direction, as opposed to all plant sales. Veg-2-Gro really has performed well as a sector in 2019.

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

Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2017 as well as 2018 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Garden Plants Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro chart for this week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £120m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.

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