Announcing the appointment today, CEO Pete Utting said: “James will be responsible for managing our buying groups, and also supporting our sales agents and the business with all aspects relating to garden centre independent retail channels.

Utting continued “James brings with him a wealth of experience in managing customers and teams, and his previous time here, as Deputy International Sales Director, will enable him to hit the ground running.”

James joins from STV, where he was Senior National Account Manager for the UK and international markets.

James said: “Gardman has been making huge strides in the market-place and it is an honour for me to return to the company to help them to create an even more successful future.”