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Sales rise as Indian Summer gets the nation growing
The Indian Summer definitely got the nation back out into their gardens last week, and not just for entertaining. Growing Media sales (up by 35%), plant sales (up 17%), and lawn care and slug control lines also saw high sales increases...
The Indian Summer definitely got the nation back out into their gardens last week, and not just for entertaining. Growing Media sales (up by 35%), plant sales (up 17%), and lawn care and slug control lines also saw high sales increases.
With continued good weather this weekend we could be on for a record September which would make up some of the year to date shortfall in the nick of time before Christmas sales
get going.
And so off to Glee. The GTN Bestsellers team will be at Glee for the duration. You can find us in the Glee Daily News office in Hall 20 or at the Glee New Products Showcase in Hall 17. See you there!
GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year...
- Garden Products - up 14%
- Veg-2-Gro - up 25%
- Growing Media - up 71%
- All Items Index - up 16%
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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Around 15 head office jobs are likely to go at Wyevale Garden Centres in re-structuring designed to put more staff back into consumer-facing roles. Rumours circulating the industry this week suggested 30 redundancies were expected but a company spokesman said the likely number would be “about half that”, with the rest re-deployed The move was about "delivering the best service for customers and investing in staff to give customers better service, quality and choice". The regional operations directors – Chris Brannigan in the north and Elizabeth Oddy in the south – are not affected but will lead 11 area managers, split geographically to allow the area management team to spend more time in garden centres. The position of Retail Operations Director on the Board, currently held by Colin Hughes, will not change. A Wyevale Garden Centre spokesperson said: “Our aim is to maintain our position as the UK's leading, customer-focused garden centre retailer. As part of our ongoing plans to strengthen the business we have realigned our teams to place an even greater focus on customers and garden centres. As a result, overall head office head count will reduce, but there will be a shift to focusing more on customer-facing roles to reflect our strategic priorities. Where possible, we will maximise the opportunities for redeployment elsewhere in the business.” A member of WGC’s corporate PR team added: “It’s never a good thing when people’s jobs are impacted but in terms of getting the business into the right shape and more people on the ground to deal with customers, it has to be the thing to do.”
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Glee 2016 is officially sold out!
As the garden retail industry makes final preparations for attending or visiting Glee 2016 next week (Monday 12th – Wednesday 14th September, NEC Birmingham), the show’s organisers, i2i Events, has confirmed that the exhibition is now officially sold out!
As the garden retail industry makes final preparations for attending or visiting Glee 2016 next week (Monday 12th – Wednesday 14th September, NEC Birmingham), the show’s organisers, i2i Events, has confirmed that the exhibition is now officially sold out!
Fully booked wall to wall, there is not a single exhibition stand left, meaning Glee 2016 is now full to capacity. This is the first time that the show has sold out in its entirety for several years, and is testament to the changes that have been made to the show to create a revitalised and exciting platform for the garden industry to meet, launch new products and build better business.
This year’s show is set to welcome over 550 exhibitors, including 100 international brands plus 220 lapsed or new brands. Together these companies will create the most exciting showcase for the garden and outdoor living sector. Nowhere else in the UK can you see such an unrivalled selection of bestselling products, latest innovation, inspirational merchandising displays and future trends under one roof.
Glee’s Event Director Matthew Mein said: “I am so pleased to be able to confirm that Glee 2016 is now officially sold out! The industry has positively responded to the changes that have been taking place at Glee, and this sell-out year is proof of this. We’ve no doubt that our exhibitors will have an amazing show. All year they have been working closely with Glee’s team to build their profile and to make the most of their presence at the show. I am sure this will translate into some really exciting content once the doors open on Glee in just three days’ time.
“I strongly urge any garden retail buyer who hasn’t planned a trip to Glee to reconsider. This year’s Glee isn’t just about numbers; it’s about offering the strongest showcase of brands that are coming to the show ready and eager to do business. We’ve already heard of hundreds of exciting new products that are set to revolutionise gardening in 2017, as well as being set to drive profits for retailers. As Glee continues to grow and develop, we believe that it offers even more benefits for retailers than ever before, and we hope they will all join us next week to find out more!”
To register for your visitor entry pass click here
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The team from GTN are proud once again to be the official media partners for Glee producing the Glee Planner, the Glee Show Catalogue and the Glee Daily News.
We're already produced the Glee Planner which is posted to all pre-registered Glee visitors and and in the process of producing the Glee Show Catalogue which is available for FREE as visitors enter the halls at the NEC and now we've published the first issue of this years Glee Daily News.
From now until the end of September the Glee Daily News, in its unique e-mail format, will keep visitors up to date with what they can see at the show and gives exhibitiors the most up to date e-mail vehicle for ensuring buyers know about their new products and other Glee activities.
Here's the schedule for the Glee Daily News 2016:- Mid August Preview - 17th August
- Late August Preview - 31st August
- Full Show Preview - 7th September
- Build up preview - Live from the Show - 11th September
- Live from the Show Day 1 - 12th September
- Live from the Show Day 2 - 13th September
- Live from the Show Day3 - 14th September
- Omnibus Issue - 27th September
To make sure you get your own copy of Glee Daily News sign up here
For advertorial and advertisng opportunties please contact Ben Greenwood, Alan Burdon or Mandy Davies at The Garden Communication & Media Co Ltd, 01733 775700, owners and publishers of Garden Trade News, Garden Radio and The Greatest Awards.
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Budget garden and home retailer Value House is to close its Weymouth store later this year, blaming falling sales and a difficult location. About 50 people will lose their jobs. Value House runs two other stores in Devon – at Barnstaple and Bideford, where its head office is located. The group used to run Newton Abbot garden centre Fermoys, which it sold to Blue Diamond three years ago. A spokesman said the shop’s location and the condition of the building were the reasons for closure, according to a Dorset Echo report. A statement said: “The store's remote location from a retail point of view and condition of the building are far from ideal in terms of modern retailing and it has been difficult to maintain the required sales levels in the last few years “The location is not a natural destination for retailing and does not have the normal advantages of being on a prominent active road frontage. This means we have had to undertake extensive advertising and promotion in an effort to retain footfall. “The building has also proved challenging, not being purpose built for retailing, and it has been difficult at times to draw customers to all departments within the store. “We are proud to have created a successful and popular shop in what had been a largely derelict building, but the last few years have proved difficult with increased competition locally and an apparent flow of shoppers towards Dorchester, where retail investment has been much more significant. “We have been seeking alternative sites in the Weymouth area, thereby protecting our workforce and preserving the brand value we have developed, but this has not been achievable. “We have now come to the end of our lease and, although our landlords have offered us reduced terms to extend for a further 12 months, we have reluctantly decided that our business cannot survive here.” They added: “We would like to thank our staff, suppliers, tenants and customers for their tremendous support over the past ten years. “We believe we have provided great value across a wide range of products and some exceptional bargains for canny shoppers. This will continue over the coming weeks as we run down our stock levels, so customers should find plenty of great deals. Stock will no longer be replenished, of course, so it will truly be a case of ‘when it's gone, it's gone.’” Landlords Abbey Manor submitted a planning application in April to build 37 homes on the site. A decision is still awaited
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Scotland and N.Ireland winners unveiled by GCA
The Garden Centre Association revealed its Scottish and Northern Irish regional winners at a presentation recently at Creative Gardens Galgorm Castle...
The team from Simpsons Garden Centre won Best Destination Garden Centre in Scotland.
The Garden Centre Association revealed its Scottish and Northern Irish regional winners at a presentation recently at Creative Gardens Galgorm Castle.
Simpsons Garden Centre (pictured above) was awarded Best Garden Centre in the Destination Garden Centre category (DGC) and Garden Wise – Dumfries won in the Garden Centre category (GC) in Scotland. Creative Gardens Donaghadee scooped Best Garden Centre (GC) in Northern Ireland.
Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “We had a fantastic evening at the presentation of the Scottish and Northern Irish area awards and we would like to say a huge thank you to Creative Gardens Galgorm Castle for being the hosts for the evening.
“Each garden centre was inspected earlier in the year and GCA Inspector Roger Crookes presented his findings, highlighting best practice and new ideas as well as revealing the area winners in the two categories: Destination Garden Centre (DGC) and Garden Centre (GC) for each of the areas.”
The top scoring centres overall, nationally, in both the Destination Garden Centre and Garden Centre categories will be re-inspected before the titles of Garden Centre of the Year and Destination Garden Centre of the Year are announced at the GCA annual conference taking place in January 2017.
The full results for the Scotland and Northern Ireland GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories.
Scotland:
- Best Garden Centre: Simpsons Garden Centre (DGC) and Garden Wise – Dumfries (GC)
- Best Creativity and Innovation: Simpsons Garden Centre
- Most Improved: Caulders Garden Centre Erskine
- Best Customer Service: Simpsons Garden Centre
- Garden Products Retailer: Raemoir Garden Centre (DGC) and Garden Wise – Dumfries (GC)
- Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Simpsons Garden Centre (DGC) and Raemoir Garden Centre (DGC) and Mains of Drum (GC) and Glendoick Garden Centre (GC)
- Best Outdoor Living: Raemoir Garden Centre (DGC) and Gouldings Garden Centre (GC)
- Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: Raemoir Garden Centre (DGC) and Glendoick Garden Centre (GC)
- Best Environment and Community: Garden Wise – Dumfries.
Gouldings Garden Centre won the Best Outdoor Living award for Scotland.
Northern Ireland:
- Best Garden Centre: Creative Gardens Donaghadee (GC)
- Best Creativity and Innovation: Creative Gardens Donaghadee (GC)
- Most Improved: Creative Gardens Galgorm Castle (GC)
- Best Customer Service: Creative Gardens Donaghadee (GC)
- Garden Products Retailer: Creative Gardens Donaghadee (GC)
- Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Creative Gardens Galgorm Castle (GC)
- Best Outdoor Living: Creative Gardens Donaghadee (GC)
- Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: Creative Gardens Donaghadee (GC)
- Best Environment and Community: Creative Gardens Donaghadee (GC).
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GCA steps up search for new inspectors
The GCA is stepping up its hunt for three new inspectors to help its members retain the very highest of standards in service and expertise. GCA Chief Executive, Iain Wylie said: “We wish to continue the good work carried out by our team of inspectors,"
The GCA is stepping up its hunt for three new inspectors to help its members retain the very highest of standards in service and expertise.
The search has started in earnest this month following the announcement recently that Alyson Haywood, Andy Campbell and Ian Boardman were standing down from their roles this year.
GCA Chief Executive, Iain Wylie said: “We’re now very keen to hear from anyone who would like to work with us and shares our vision, and that of our member garden centres, with regards providing the very best in customer service and care, as well as offering top quality advice and plants and products.
“We’re beginning the task to look for replacements now and have already received a number of expressions of interest. We will be contacting them shortly but we would still love to speak to anyone else interested in the posts from all areas of the industry. Anyone wishing to find out more about the role, should contact me via email at the GCA so they can ensure we get full details sent out to them.
“We wish to continue the good work carried out by our team of inspectors, helping to ensure consistency and raising standards throughout our membership. We view this very much as an opportunity to ensure that we have a capable team of inspectors who have insight into the market and new retailing ideas to help our members develop and face the challenges of the future in a positive way.”
The main purpose of the role of inspector is to visit member’s sites to assess standards and give feedback.
Iain added: “Our ideal candidates will need to visit member centres during the spring inspection window and be able to give objective and honest feedback on what they find.
“They will need to produce reports and provide ideas for improving standards. They will also be required to make presentations at our annual conference and regional meetings. It is a very interesting and unique role for anyone in the industry and we hope to hear from lots of potential candidates.”
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Alton, Chessington and Fosseway Garden Centres collected their Greatest Outdoor Leisure Sales Team awards at spoga+gafa yesterday.on Monday.
After a summer of visits to garden centres meeting nominated teams GTN MD Trevor Pfeiffer and HTA CEO Carol Paris announced and presented the second Greatest Outdoor Leisure Sales Team Awards during the UK exhibitors and visitors reception held in the Gardenex area of spoga+gafa. Jack Whitely of Glencrest Seatex, sponsor of the overall Outdoor Leisure Sales Team awards presented Chessington Garden Centre with their award earlier in the day and the team from Alton Garden Centre received their Greatest BBQ Sales Team award on the Weber stand just before the World Launch of the new range that was also revealed on Monday evening. GTN’s Greatest Outdoor Leisure Sales Team Awards, sponsored by Glencrest Seatex The Greatest BBQ Sales Team
- Gold Award – Alton Garden Centre
- Silver Award – Hillmount Garden Centre
The Greatest Inspiration for Outdoor Living Team - The Love the Plot You’ve Got Award
- Gold Award – Fosseway Garden Centre
The Greatest Outdoor Leisure Suppliers of the Year
- Gold Award – Bramblecrest
- Silver Award – Kadai by Wilstone House
The Greatest Outdoor Leisure Sales Teams, sponsored by Glencrest Seatex
- Gold Award London and South East – Chessington Garden Centre
- Gold Award South West – Whitehall Lacock Garden Centre
- Gold Award Midlands – Van Hage Peterborough
- Gold Award North of England - Bents
Watch out for a Greatest Awards Special after Glee when we will publish judges comments and pictures from our experts visits.
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Bramblecrest and Kadai, Wilstone House received the Gold and Silver Outdoor Leisure Supplier of the Year Awards at spoga+gafa on Monday.
The result of the votes from all of the garden centre teams nominated and visited by GTN’s team of experts for The Greatest Outdoor Leisure Sales Team Awards resulted in a win for garden furniture supplier Bramblecrest, with the team from Wilstone House who supply Kadai collecting silver.
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With the schools back and Christmas knocking at the door, Highfield Garden World in Gloucestershire offers GTN Xtra readers an assessment of the all-important May-August sales period. MD Tim Greenway reports that year-on-year turnover was 28% up 28%* across the whole business, including the planteria, restaurant, furniture, pets, gifts, fashion, sundries and farm shop. The biggest winners were plants (up 48%*) and outdoor/indoor furniture (up 24%*).”  But as ever, Tim says, the weather was the biggest influencer. “A cold spring delayed both consumer demand and plant availability, but when the sun started shining in May, we were flooded with plants in peak condition, as well as plenty of customers wanting to buy them. So during early summer we made hay in the planteria.
“Come July, when temperatures rose and we had some really hot days, sales dipped across the store. As everyone in retail knows, when it’s hot people are much more likely to stay at home in the cool. Whereas on a cool, drizzly, summer’s day we can be pretty sure of a busy day with high footfall and, in particular, a packed restaurant.” The trend: hot products and chillaxing Tim pinpoints some products that proved particularly popular this summer. “In the planteria we've had some good success with both specimen plants and ready-made planters - purchases that customers can pick up, take home and pop into position for instant good looks. I call it ‘instant gardening’, but whatever you call it, it's on the increase! “Another successful move for us has been focussing more on lifestyle garden furniture and accessories. For example, we sold lots of stylish, low level chairs, sofas and tables in materials such as all-weather wicker. We're finding that people want to spend time relaxing rather than working in their gardens, and that many now see the garden as an outside room - an extension of the house. The lifestyle furniture instantly gives them the informal look they want and provides the perfect spot for chillaxing alone or with friends, probably with a glass of fizz and a plate of nibbles to hand! Many customers have gone one step further this year and bought a fire pit or chimenea to help extend the summer nights.” *gross figures
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The first of eight hour-long Gardeners' World TV programmes on BBC2 on 2 September pulled in 2.42 million viewers – marginally fewer than the previous week’s standard 30-minute show. The programme’s latest revamp under former Great British Bake Off producer Paulo Proto is designed to widen the programme’s appeal by introducing new presenters (including designer Adam Frost, pictured) and a new format, although there was little radically different in the first episode. Bake Off regularly attracted an audience of 15 million. The new format has received a mixed reaction from critics and gardeners to date. The forum on the BBC Gardeners World website suggests that the hardest to please will be the programme’s traditional demographic. For the time being, the one-hour series appears to be an experiment, with no clues from the BBC about whether it will be retained. GTN Xtra welcomes its readers’ views on the subject…
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See GTN Xtra's picture gallery from the worlds biggest garden trade show
  
GTN Xtra has just returned from spoga+gafa and after walking miles, it really does live up to it's biggest garden trade show in the world reputation, we bring you our photo gallery to give you a flavour of what was on offer.
GTN joined the HTA Study Tour to the show that also includes visits to German garden retailers today.
Our picture gallery includes the EFSA Concept Store where they were making european reatailers consider providing many more garden solutions to their customers rather than just selling products. "How many gardens have you sold this week?" The massive array of BBQ's in Hall 7 featured many wood burning ovens and grills and the Heston Blumenthal Hub BBQ concept from everdone was a big crowd puller. (The soft toy hamster on a rotisserie on another stand was also proving a big photo opportunity.)
Garden Decoration was a big and bright as ever at the show with pots and pots and pots filling Halls 10.1 and Hall 9.1. Elho had one of the neatest pots on display - a development from their popular balcony hang over planters a clever designer has developed the doorstopper pot. Fill it with colourful plants and you can easily wheel it into position to hold outside doors open during the summer - very clever.
The halls and halls of furniture had plenty of weave but also a noticeable future trend of more upholstered garden furniture, even somewith built in LED lighting... Resin also seemed to be having a renaissance in Europe.
Exporting UK companies were well represented in the Gardenex area of Hall 9 and elsewhere around the show. All that GTN Xtra spoke to reported good levels oninterest, orders and new leads from the show.
Hozelock launched a host of new lines at spoga+gafa including their new Pico pressure washer which should prove an extra sales opportunity for garden centres.
Weber also chose spoga+gafa for their World launch for 2017. Unfortunately they were keeping it all under wraps and wouldn't let any trade press take photos ofthe new models. Jay Bunker from Alton Garden Centre, winner of GTN's Greatest BBQ Sales Team Award told us after the VIP only evening event "they have completly changed the Genesis and Spirit ranges, with new colours, new specifications and new price points." I guess we will have to wait until Glee next week to see for ourselves.
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Derbyshire garden centre Garden King is donating an additional £1 per unit sold to The Royal British Legion from a promotional display on Gardman poppy bird feeders...
Garden King has joined a national campaign to help raise £200,000 for serving members and veterans of the UK Armed Forces and their families. The Newhall centre is fully stocked with the official Gardman/Royal British Legion Poppy Bird Feeder, which is already proving popular with customers. Gardman is donating 50p for every one sold. The centre’s poppies are retailing at £8 each or five for £35. The hand-painted poppy-shaped bird feeder is an attractive garden ornament that can be used all year round but makes a fitting Remembrance Day tribute.
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Former Homebase and Gardman director Tim Stainton has formed a new company to develop retail brands and strategies. One of the first projects for the company, Future Retail Thinking, is the relaunch at Glee of Strata Products, including its Sankey brand. Sankey manufactures compost bins, water butts, watering cans and other plastic garden products. Future Thinking Retail will also showcase mobile catering units from food service provider the Compass Group. Stainton was managing director at Gardman until 2013, when he moved to Homebase, where his last role before the takeover by Australian group Wesfarmers was as commercial proposition and new business director.
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The team from GTN are proud once again to be the official media partners for Glee producing the Glee Planner, the Glee Show Catalogue and the Glee Daily News.
We're already produced the Glee Planner which is posted to all pre-registered Glee visitors and and in the process of producing the Glee Show Catalogue which is available for FREE as visitors enter the halls at the NEC and now we've published the first issue of this years Glee Daily News.
From now until the end of September the Glee Daily News, in its unique e-mail format, will keep visitors up to date with what they can see at the show and gives exhibitiors the most up to date e-mail vehicle for ensuring buyers know about their new products and other Glee activities.
Here's the schedule for the Glee Daily News 2016:- Mid August Preview - 17th August
- Late August Preview - 31st August
- Full Show Preview - 7th September
- Build up preview - Live from the Show - 11th September
- Live from the Show Day 1 - 12th September
- Live from the Show Day 2 - 13th September
- Live from the Show Day3 - 14th September
- Omnibus Issue - 27th September
To make sure you get your own copy of Glee Daily News sign up here
For advertorial and advertisng opportunties please contact Ben Greenwood, Alan Burdon or Mandy Davies at The Garden Communication & Media Co Ltd, 01733 775700, owners and publishers of Garden Trade News, Garden Radio and The Greatest Awards.
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An exciting opportunity exists for an enthusiastic leader who has a real passion for Food and Drink to join Bristol's Largest Independent Garden Centre as our Restaurant Manager.
The Ideal candidate will have a passion for cooking, possess excellent people management skills, Great Communication Skills and be able to lead and organise your team whilst maintaining excellent customer service sales and service.
The role requires a good motivator, who is happy working weekends within our fantastic new restaurant.
In return, we provide a competitive salary, a friendly working environment, sociable retail hours, staff discount scheme and subsidised social events.
To apply please submit an application form with your current CV and covering letter explaining why you would be an excellent recruit for this role, including examples of how you could be an asset to our business to Andy Hart, Almondsbury Garden Centre, Over Lane, Bristol, BS32 4BP.
For more information, please email enquiries@almondsbury.co.uk to request an Application Form. Visit http://www.almondsbury.co.uk/careers-almondsbury
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Garden Sundries Manager | West Sussex (ref:DS8643)
Location: West Sussex
Salary: £20,000 - £25,000
Date: 09 Sep
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent
Opening at the end of September 2016, this independent client will be opening a brand new restaurant, food hall and garden centre. They will be setting a new benchmark by combining local produce and a table service restaurant with an exciting plant and gift offering and will be distinct from virtually all competitors thanks to its focus on four key areas:
- Table service restaurant
- Fresh and locally sourced produce
- High quality plants
- Quality and unique gifts
They will sell a comprehensive range of products to assist customers in enjoying and maintaining their garden e.g. compost, chemicals, tools, seeds, gloves, wellingtons, watering equipment, and wild birdcare.
Responsible to: Store Manager
The Garden Sundries Manager will be an integral part of the store's leadership team, and day to day the role will involve the leadership and motivation of your team to provide the highest standard of customer service and merchandising, as well as supporting with the effective sourcing and selection of products.
You will be passionate about service you deliver, with a keen eye for detail, and the creativity and passion to really enthuse your team. A commercial, creative thinker, you'll lead the team towards great sales and profit, whilst creating an engaging and inspiring environment, both for your team to work in and for your customers to shop. You will have the strength to deliver all KPIs and objectives set and a natural passion to hit your goals. You will be a hands on leader with a real passion and enthusiasm for gardening products and delivering a memorable customer service experience.
To be considered for our Garden Sundries Manager role, you must come from a retail management background (ideally garden centre) and be able to demonstrate extensive garden sundries product knowledge.
To apply for this role click here
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Garden Centre Plantarea Manager (ref:DS8642)
Location: West Sussex
Salary: £20,000 - £25,000
Date: 09 Sep
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent
Our West Sussex based client will be opening a brand new restaurant, food hall and garden centre modelled on Beckworth Emporium. It will be setting a new benchmark by combining local produce and a table service restaurant with an exciting plant and gift offering. They will be distinct from virtually all competitors thanks to its focus on four key areas: - Table service restaurant
- Fresh and locally sourced produce
- High quality plants
- Quality and unique gifts
They aim to stock a full range of high quality plants from bedding to shrubs and trees. Their expert team will ensure that customers can always buy high quality seasonal plants. They will also have an impressive selection of pots and containers including terracotta, stone and glazed pots. These will be available to buy for customers to plant themselves while there will also be an extensive range of pre-planted pots and containers to choose from. In addition, there will be a comprehensive range of composts, chemicals, tools and other garden sundries.
The Plant Manager will be an integral part of the store's leadership team, and day to day the role will involve the leadership and motivation of your team to provide the highest standard of customer service and merchandising, as well as supporting with the effective sourcing and selection of products.
You will be passionate about the service you deliver, with a keen eye for detail, and the creativity and passion to really enthuse your team. A commercial, creative thinker, you'll lead the team towards great sales and profit, whilst creating an engaging and inspiring environment, both for your team to work in and for your customers to shop. You will have the strength to deliver all KPIs and objectives set and a natural passion to hit your goals. You will be a hands on leader with a real passion and enthusiasm for plants and delivering a memorable customer service experience.
To be considered for our Plantarea Manager role, you must come from a retail management background (ideally garden centre) and be able to demonstrate extensive plant knowledge.
To apply for this role click here
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Garden Centre Seasonal Manager, Christmas & Furniture (ref:DS8665)
Location: Essex
Salary: £20,000 - £25,000
Date: 09 Sep
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent
Part of a prestigious group who have just acquired this Essex based garden centre, the centre has a strong customer base and offering to its customers. The new owners are looking to vitalise and develop the site and are currently seeking a new key member of staff to join their indoor team as Seasonal Indoor Department Head.
This position is a normal garden centre working week 40 hrs, alternate weekends with a day off in the week and with responsibility for the seasonal indoor departments this will include Christmas, Furniture & Outdoor Living.
The role will focus on building a strong team that will creatively merchandise, inspire and generate great customer experience.
For this role they are seeking a high calibre individual with excellent team management skills, a quality retail background and ideally knowledge of the gardening, outdoor living and seasonal Christmas sectors.
- Salary £20,000 - £25,000 based on previous experience.
- 28 Days holiday
- 20% staff discount
- Immediate start
To apply for this role click here
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Seasonal Plant Area Manager (ref:DS8568)
Location: Surrey
Salary: £28,000 - £30,000
Date: 09 Sep
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent
Based on the border of Hampshire and Surrey, in a highly affluent area our client are proud of their strong tradition in plant and gardening sales and offer their customers a unique retail experience in an aspirational environment which makes them a true destination centre.
Over half a million people visit the garden centre every year for quality horticultural, lifestyle and food products and to make the most of our expertise. They are now looking to add to their award winning team.
The Role
We are seeking a motivated and experienced individual to manage the Seasonal Plant Area who can drive sales and maintain high retail standards, whilst at the same time provide a level of service that exceeds customer expectations. The successful candidate will have responsibility for overseeing the seasonal plants section ensuring that the highest standards of plants quality, visual appearance and maintenance are consistently applied.
40 Hours per week, Full Time/Permanent Position
The Candidate
The ideal candidate will:
- Have experience of working in Garden Centres, ideally within a high volume, large format centre or retail store, although they are open to talking to candidates from any horticultural background.
- Be able to recognise and act on sales opportunities.
- Have excellent knowledge of plants, plant care and maintenance.
- Be meticulous to the detail in terms of product placement, standards, presentation, visual elevation and overall look and feel.
- Have an ability to manage and develop a team.
Our client looks to promote and reward success and, as this is a flagship centre, for the right candidate the role comes with potential to progress and be involved with the plant buying for the entire group.
To apply for this role click here
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with all the news direct to your e-mail inbox. The best news service every weekend and all the breaking news as it happens.
Subscribe for free using this link: http://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/gtnxtra/7rulj2yio7x?a=6&p=49514304&t=20355005
Garden lighting sales continue to dominate in the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 Garden Products chart.
The highlights were:
- Smart Solar Flare Stake Light was the highest climber, jumping 38 places to No 12.
- Gardman Solar Stainless Steel Glass Marker Light was the highest re-entry at No 18.
- Smart Solar Eureka! Lightbulb Lantern stays at the top.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
Veg-2-Gro sales see pleasing uplift
The GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart showed signs of encouraging sales of young plants and seeds. Volumes were 25.1% higher than the same week in 2015 and 48.4% up on 2014 figures...
The GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart showed signs of encouraging sales of young plants and seeds. Volumes were 25.1% higher than the same week in 2015 and 48.4% up on 2014 figures.
Highlights this week:
- Farplants Coriander 9cm was the highest re-entry at No 8.
- Quantil Leek Strips was the highest climber, moving up 29 places to No 11.
- Taylors Autumn Planting Seed Potatoes Charlotte moved up to the top spot.
- Suttons Chilli Pepper de Cayenne was the highest new entry at No 41.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
Growing media sales continue to surprise
Gardeners are still making the most of the good weather with compost sales continuing to do brilliantly well. Volumes were 35.2% higher than the previous week, and 70.7% up on the same period last year and 74.5% up on 2014...
Gardeners are still making the most of the good weather with compost sales continuing to do brilliantly well. Volumes were 35.2% higher than the previous week, and 70.7% up on the same period last year and 74.5% up on 2014.
This week’s highlights were:
- Westland Plant Protection Bark (90 litres) was the highest climber, rising 25 places to No 18.
- The highest re-entry was Westland Bulb Planting Compost (20 litres) at No 3.
- Bord na Mona Growise Multipurpose Compost (20 litres) also had a good sales week to re-enter the Top 50 chart.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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 Charlie Lacey is to take over as chief operating officer at DIY and garden wholesaler Decco when John Findlay retires next March.
Lacey will transfer from Norbain Security, another business in the Newbury Investments group, in October to begin the hand-over Findlay, who has been COO for the past 10 of his 20 years with Decco, is to continue as a consultant to look at acquisition opportunities for the construction and industrial supplies division. Lacey joined Decco as a graduate trainee in 1991 and worked his way up to group supplier relations manager before taking his most recent role at Norbain as sales and marketing director.
Huge increase in plant sales
Plant sales increased by 17% last week as the UK came back from holiday and got gardening to make the most of the Indian Summer...
Plant sales increased by 17% last week as the UK came back from holiday and got gardening to make the most of the Indian Summer.
Mini Cyclamen continue to be the plant of choice when it comes to instant colour for pots and borders.
- Phlox made the biggest jump up the GTN Plants Chart moving 24 places to No 23.
- Abelia saw the biggest percentage sales increase to enter the Top 50 at No 30.
- Viola sales increased by 177% to reach No 3.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
Four Oaks Trade Show up for sale
It has been announced at the Four Oaks Trade Show taking place this week that the event has been put up for sale. The show is now in its 46th year...
It has been announced at the Four Oaks Trade Show taking place this week that the event has been put up for sale.
Iimothy Lea & Griffiths Commercial are the selling agents and are present at the show on stand E188.
An announcement to exhibitors reads:
“Richard Harding realised when he bought the business in 2002 that Pat Coutts (event director) was essential to the future of Four Oaks and she then became the owner of 20% of the Trade Show. Richard has decided that as he will be 73 years old next year, he must make sure that Pat can benefit from her shareholding and this can only be achieved by an outright sale of Four Oaks.
“Pat of course wishes to continue in her role as the Event Director after a change in ownership and the aim is to achieve a seamless sale to protect the future of the Trade Show which will take place in 2017 on September 5-6th.
“Exhibitors are assured of continuity. The 2017 website will be live by Thursday morning and Priority Re-Bookings can be made on line or by the fax back form attached. The exhibitor information with floorplans is also attached and the rates for 2017 are unchanged.
“Thank you for your continued support. We hope you have a successful show and look forward to seeing you at Four Oaks 2017.”
Four Oaks is a commercial horticultural show now in its 46th year. The venue is a 23 acre nursery site in Cheshire UK, close to the Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope. The exhibition covers an area of 17,000m² under glass with additional outdoor areas.
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Grange plans to stop manufacturing production at Telford
Leading UK timber fencing company Grange is proposing to restructure its production model, including the closure of manufacturing at the company’s site in Telford. The company’s new production facility opens this autumn in Grudziadz, Poland, although Telford will remain as Grange’s UK headquarters, focusing on sales, marketing and distribution.
Following significant investment from its Polish parent company Stelmet S.A., leading UK timber fencing company Grange is proposing to restructure its production model. This proposal includes the closure of manufacturing at the company’s site in Telford as the company’s new production facility opens this autumn in Grudziadz, Poland. Telford will remain as Grange’s UK headquarters, focusing on sales, marketing and distribution.
The new Polish site will enable further commitment to quality, product development and consistency of materials as Grange continues to focus on product differentiation.
In the last eighteen months since Stelmet acquired Grange, Polish manufactured products have proved successful. It is intended that the proposed changes will increase Grange’s production capacity for products such as the Ultimate Panel, as well as the remaining core products in their catalogue currently produced in the UK.
Grange’s planned new distribution site in the South East of England, announced in June, will also enable improved distribution across the UK. This will also aim to shorten lead times, enable further improvements in customer service and create a stronger distribution network working in tandem with the Shropshire distribution site. Overall the suggested plan will ensure a considerable increase in supply chain capacity, complementing Grange’s market leading manufacturing capability.
Commenting on the latest developments, Managing Director of Grange, Neil Taylor said, “Since the relaunch of the Grange brand in 2015 and its refocus on new product development, the company has experienced significant growth. Grange is now increasing both its production capacity and its supply chain efficiency in order to ensure it can continue to grow with its customers – old and new.
“We are pursuing market leadership and the Grange team is committed to continuous improvement, offering consistent products, a quality service, speedy efficient distribution and a real opportunity for growth.”
Retailers interested in working with Grange should contact the company on 01952 588 088 or email sales@grangefen.co.uk.
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It's been a busy first five years for Hillview Garden Centres who celebrate their fifth annivarsary this month now with over 300 staff and turnover on target to break £13m next year.
GTN Xtra caught up with CEO Boyd Douglas-Davies who joined The Hillview Group, an independent merchant bank, to create a group of Garden Centres in 2011. "We acquired Studley Garden Centre from Hilliers the Friday before Glee 2011. Hilltop followed in summer 2012 and then in 2014 we added Little Heath Garden Centre and the 6 Garden Store sites. Scotland Nurseries in Derbyshire made it 10 in June this year." " We've introduced new categories to stores such as Pet Products, Christmas, Interior Living, increased footfall through on site events such as Ice rinks, Circus, Motor Shows and free Santa grottos at all stores." "The launch of the Seasons Reward Card in 2015 has been very well received with 55,000 members already signed up and receiving regular emails and 5 direct mail reward leaflets per annum. Membership is anticipated to break the 100,000 mark sometime during 2017. EPOS from Corby & Fellas was rolled out across the group in summer '15 and is the backbone to the reward card scheme."
"Ecommerce team was established early '15 and full website www.gardenstoreonline.co.uk launched November of that year."
"Investments in the stores has shown great results. The introduction of the Soft Play Barn at Hilltop has been a great success, 44,500 children have visited since it opened in Oct '14. A further two Soft Play Barns will be opened this year. Hilltop had a £400k refurbishment that has worked very well and elements of that are now being applied to the rest of the group."
"Investment in existing stores will see over £1m invested in store improvements with planning applications underway for 4 of the sites. Work is currently taking place at 5 of the stores with the others due for work prior to next Spring. "Hillview operate 8 catering units within the stores and this will rise to 10 this year when the Pizza Bar Cafes open within the Soft Play Barns."
"We are very pleased that Hilltop was recognised as GCA Most Improved store in the country at conference this year so received the Dick Allen trophy." Boyd ended by adding that the Hillview Group are actively looking to acquire further stores and any centre wishing to contact should e-mail: Boyd.Ddavies@hillview-group.com
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Hillview Garden Centres Ltd issued a brief statement on Friday evening regarding staff changes: “Marcus Eyles and Neil Stevens formerly owners and Directors of The Garden Store Ltd left Hillview Garden Centres on 31st August 2016 to pursue new interests. The company wish to thank them both for their contribution to the business and for the work they have done to establish Garden Store as a recognised gardening brand in the Midlands. We wish them well in the future.”
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Garden centre buildings specialist Smiemans has unveiled a new corporate identity.  “Smiemans is constantly changing, which is reflected in our projects in many different market segments,” the Netherlands-based supplier said in a news release. “Our trusted name, with a new corporate identity allows us to respond even better to this diversity.
“In line with our EdenParks brand, our current and future customers will recognize us even better! Whether it is an extension of an existing garden centre or a botanical greenhouse, with this new look we are ready for new challenges.” <http://www.smiemansprojecten.nl/en/>
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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 2014 as well as 2015 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 Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers chart for this week are here
Highlights of the GTN Garden Media Bestsellers 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.
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Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters delivered via the post 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 receiveing the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.
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All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
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The new Blake’s Food Hall at St Peter’s Garden Centre,Worcester, was officially opened at a launch party last week, with a Checketts butcher’s shop among its key attractions. Special offers and free tasters of meat, cheese, wine and beer have been on the menu over the special launch week-end. The Checketts name has been associated with Worcestershire since 1902 when Thomas Green Checketts opened his butchers shop in Wyre Piddle. In 1925 the business moved to the current premises in Ombersley, where it continues to grow and diversify under fourth generation father-and-son team Phil and David Checketts. Checketts is committed to sourcing local, fresh and seasonal fare with great traceability across their butcher’s, deli, fishmongers and Coffee Shop, with an emphasis on quality produce. All of the meat in the centre’s Potting Shed Restaurant is also supplied by Checketts.
Pictured: David Checketts (left) with St Peter's director Will Blake at the opening.
Check out more pictures from the opening party below.
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Food-to-go industry prepares for lunch! 2016
With visitor pre-registrations tracking well ahead, and over 350 companies preparing to exhibit, this month’s lunch! trade show, taking place on 21-22 September at the Business Design Centre in London, is set for its biggest food-to-go showcase yet...
With visitor pre-registrations tracking well ahead, and over 350 companies preparing to exhibit, this month’s lunch! trade show, taking place on 21-22 September at the Business Design Centre in London, is set for its biggest food-to-go showcase yet.
Food-to-go has never been more popular. £16.1bn is the value IGD retail analysts say the UK’s food to go market is set to reach by the end of 2016, with sales up nearly 7% from 2015. In their most recent survey, around 70% of shoppers had purchased their lunch ‘to go’ in the preceding month, whilst almost a third (28%) had ‘bought something on-the-go for breakfast’.
Such numbers make it a hugely competitive marketplace. To keep customers interested, operators have to identify key trends and keep their menus ahead of the curve. Innovative sourcing at lunch! is one proven way to do just that. It’s been helping to launch new products to market since 2008. From supermarket meal deals to travel catering, from attraction cafés to local sandwich shops, lunch! and its eclectic mix of exhibitors have been influencing ‘on the go’ menus across the UK for years.
“lunch! continues to truly amaze and inspire a generation of food-to-go buyers,” says Martin Hambleton, head of procurement at Enroute International.
“lunch! is a key event for our buying team. The quality of suppliers makes it the destination show for our industry,” says Helen Higgins, head of food at EAT.
“lunch! is a fantastic show and great way to discover new innovations. I would recommend it to anyone in this sector,” says Andy Crowle, product research manager at Tesco.
It’s thanks to glowing testimonials like these that lunch!’s current visitor list reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the industry. Representatives from Abel & Cole, ABM Catering, Aldi, Alexandra Palace, Alpha LSG, AMT Coffee, Aramark, Barburrito, BaxterStorey, Bidvest 3663, Bill’s Restaurants, Boots, Bourne Leisure Group, British Airways, Caffe Nero Group, Caterleisure Group, CH&CO, Chilango, Coffee#1, Compass Group, Costa, Costco Wholesale, Costcutter, Crussh, Debenhams, EAT., Eden Project, En Route International, Etihad Airways, Gategroup, Glendola Leisure, Greencore, Greggs, Harrods, IKEA, ISS, itsu, John Lewis, KFC, Krispy Kreme, LEON, Le Pain Quotidien, Lidl UK, M&S, McColl's Retail Group, Merlin Entertainments, Morrisons, Ocado, P&O Ferries, Paul UK, Pod Food, Pret A Manger, Rail Gourmet, Roadchef, Sainsbury’s, Sodexo, Spar UK, SSP, Starbucks, Superdrug, Supplair UK, Tesco, Virgin Trains, Waitrose, and WHSmith Travel, plus hundreds of independent and multiple cafés, coffee shops, tea rooms, bakeries, delis, and sandwich shops, are among them.
Innovation Challenge Gallery & Awards 2016
New show features for 2016 include the launch of the Innovation Challenge Gallery. Located on the Upper Feature Level, it’s a good vantage point for visitors to see what’s new. Designed to promote the best food-to-go innovations over the last twelve months – it boasts a record 64 entries this year.
Visiting buyers get their chance to decide this year’s awards shortlist by casting a vote for their favourite innovations on the show’s opening day. Finalists will then go on to live pitch their products (in 90 seconds or less) to this year’s judges, including top buyers from Tossed, Costa Coffee, En Route International, and Elior UK (pitches start at 11.45am in Keynote Theatre 1 on Thursday 22 September, with the results at 2.45pm).
Companies hoping their products will come away with a coveted ‘Gold Award’ include:
· Ape Snacks: Ape Crunchy Coconut Bites
· Bam Life: Bam
· Barracudos: Barracudos
· BioglanSuperfoods: Raw Bites Cacao + Coffee + Coconut
· Booja-Booja: Booja-Booja Dairy Free Ice Cream
· ButterflyCup: ButterflyCup
· Champion & Reeves: Champion & Reeves Dessert Nougat
· The Collective: The Collective Blueberry Yoghurt
· Cone Bakes: Cone Bakes
· Dragonfly Foods: Dragonfly Tofupot – Moroccan Tagine
· Europastry: Cheesecake Roulet
· Excelsior Technologies: Snack & Go
· eXpresso PLUS: LavAzza Eleganza
· EZDO (UK): BAKEHELLAS Feta Twist with Sesame
· EZDO (UK): THE PERLA COMPANY ™ Vegan Slices
· Florette UK & Ireland: Florette Tasty & Balanced
· Freaks of Nature: Freaks of Nature
· Gococo Drinks / Nudie Snacks: GoBirch Water
· Gococo Drinks / Nudie Snacks: Nudie Snacks Coconut Chips
· HIPPEAS: HIPPEAS
· Huggg: Huggg
· Huskara: Huskara
· I Love Snacks: I Love Snacks Almonds
· I Love Snacks: I Love Snacks Mango
· I Love Snacks: I Love Snacks Olives
· Joe & Seph's Popcorn: Marmite Popcorn
· Karma Cola UK: Karma Cola
· Kind Snacks: Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond
· Kind Snacks: Madagascan Vanilla Almond
· The London Tea Company: Winter Wondermint
· MiiRO: MiiRO Chocolate Coated Ice Lolly
· MOJU: MOJU Boosters
· Mr Lee's Noodles: Hong Kong Street Beef
· Nashville Food Group: Nashville Fruit Co Honey Sticks
· Nina Bakery: Nina Breadstick
· Nina Bakery: Nina Sub
· Nutmeg and Hive: Nutmeg and Hive Super Yogurt
· NutriPot: NutriPot
· PACK'D: PACK'D Energy Smoothie
· Perkier Foods: Perkier Coconut & Chia Quinoa Bar
· Pocket Enterprises: Pokito Cup
· PRESS: Impact Health Tonics
· R H Hall Foodservice Solutions: New Covent Garden Soup Server
· RAP: HandRap Range
· Rejuvenation Water: Rejuvenation Water
· Roberts Bakery: Bakery Thins
· Salty Dog Brands: Gruntled Pork Crackling
· SFD: Seared and Stone Baked Burger Bun
· Silvina's Nature: Crowns
· Simplee Aloe Drinks: Simplee Aloe with Superberries
· Taim Taim (Hamim Vetaim): Falafel Vegan Croutons
· Taim Taim (Hamim Vetaim): Green Lentil Vegan Croutons
· Taim Taim (Hamim Vetaim): Quinoa & Cranberry Vegan Croutons
· Tao Family: Tao Pure Infusion
· Taste of India: Chana Dhal by Taste of India
· The Tofurky Company: Tofurky Lightly Seasoned Chick'n
· The Tofurky Company: Tofurky Smoked Ham Deli Slices
· The Tofurky Company: Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon
· Tri-Star Packaging Supplies: PortaTray™
· Twinings: Twinings Bollywood Chai Latte
· Up & Go: UP&GO
· Upwards: Gluten Free Calzone
· Whitworths Shots: Cayenne Chilli Flaxseed Crisps
· ZENDO Calm + Focus: ZENDO Calm + Focus
lunch! returns to Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on Wednesday and Thursday, 21-22 September 2016. To register for a free trade pass, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk and quote priority code LUN10 (direct link: https://registration.n200.com/survey/28ctrj7rl4tbl?actioncode=LUN10).
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