Three weeks into November and the volume sales data for GTN Bestsellers indictates we are heading for a record month. So far November total volume sales are running 13% ahead of last year with Christmas, Garden Products and Growing Media sectors all performing well.

With Christmas grottos opening now garden centre owners will be hoping their seasonal footfall continues to grow. 

At Brookside Garden Centre in Kent, where they have not created their award winning grotto this year, they were concerned that would have a negative effect. So far the reverse seems to be the case. With elements of the grotto added into displays, sales have been a third higher than last year already.

How are you converting grotto footfall into sales, or do you feel it’s best to concentrate on great Christmas product displays to drive sales?   Email trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk with your comments.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 46)
Garden Products - up 39%
Growing Media - up 11%
Wild Bird Care - up 17%
Christmas - up 24%
All Plants Index - down 5%
All Items Index - up 13%

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

The UK’s current love for indoor plants shows no sign of diminishing according to the Garden Centre Association as new research claims most flatsharers own at least one houseplant each.

In the GCA’s Barometer of Trade for October (2019) houseplants were recorded among the bestsellers by member garden centres for the third consecutive month, with sales up 13.47% on last year.

Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive explained: “The UK’s current love of houseplants seems to be growing, particularly amongst renters, as new research from the company Spare Room has revealed recently. According to the organisation, 76% of those sharing flats now own at least one houseplant each. There has also been an increase in the number of houseplants being featured on Instagram feeds, with millions of posts tagged #houseplant.

“They appear to have become popular among millennials, who said in the research that they buy houseplants to have something to nurture, love and care for. Houseplants are also being featured in more and more lifestyle magazines as desirable household accessories. It’s trendy to have a cactus or a succulent and to have cyclamen on your table for Christmas.

“But it wasn’t just houseplants that recorded good sales in October, clothing was up 13.88% too. Sales of outdoor plants, however, were down -16.68% as the weather continues to be erratic for this time of year. Garden sundries sales were also down -12.41%. But it was a better month for seed and bulb sales at 3.16% up.”

Gift sales were up 4.74% for the month showing a strong tendency for customers to be getting ready for Christmas earlier this year. Christmas sales were up 4.06% too for the month in comparison to last October.

Iain added: “Furniture and barbecue sales were understandably down -20.37%.

“Pets and aquatics sales were up 6.57% and hard landscaping sales were down -29.38%. Food hall and farm shop sales were up 3.23% and catering was up 4.87%.”

Overall sales for the month were down -1.69% with a year to date change of 5.74%.

Tim Goold, Partner at Henry Street Garden Centre in Berkshire, said: “Christmas sales had a very good start, as did wild bird care and houseplants, following the trends with a good mix of both foliage and flowering.

“We are also reaping the benefits of investing in new catering facilities. Our new restaurant opened in June 2018, going from 250 covers to 400 and still showing good year on year growth.”

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.

The BoT reports allow members to compare their trading positions with other centres.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Carol Klein with Roy Lancaster (photo credit Jayne Lloyd)

Eliminating plastics from our gardens, the social prescribing of gardening and the leafy love affair of millennials and their houseplants, were just some of the varied subjects being championed by gardening’s greatest influencers, at this year’s horticultural ‘Oscars’, the Garden Media Guild Awards.

The awards is one of the biggest events of the horticultural calendar for those who tweet, write, blog, photograph and broadcast about one of the nation’s favourite pastimes. 

Held at the Savoy, Thursday’s (21 November) event was attended by over 350 of gardening’s great and good.  The event has 15 sponsors including Westland as headline sponsor. 

The 18 award categories attract entries from the UK’s leading gardening trend-setters from the new, blossoming stars of social media, through to the evergreen, celebrated garden writers and broadcasters.

This year’s award winners included Sally Chandler who won Social Media Influencer of the Year for Beth’s Chatto’s Plants & Gardens website. Sally has created a celebration of the life of one of the UK’s greatest gardeners and has used excerpts from Chatto’s Notebook to compare the garden then and now, with beautiful up-to-date images illustrating the plantswoman's inspiring words.  

The winner of Practical Journalist of the Year was won by gardening national treasure Alan Titchmarsh for his articles for Gardeners’ World Magazine, including those on creating plants for free and advice on how to grow super spuds!

The prestigious Life-Time Achievement Award was this year presented to a doyenne of gardening - presenter and plant guru, Carol Klein whose natural, down-to-earth approach has made her a popular and trusted figure amongst the British public over the last 30 years.

The inaugural Beth Chatto Environmental Award was scooped by Sally Nex for her writing on plastic-free gardening in The Garden magazine. 

Co-Chair of the Garden Media Guild Award Constance Craig Smith said: “It’s fantastic that so many of this year’s winning entries highlight the force for good that gardening can bring and across such a diverse range of platforms, from social media, vlogs and blogs to TV programmes and long-standing print magazines. The entire world of gardening media is in a wonderful position to highlight the increasing social, environmental and health benefits gardening, plants and being engaged with nature, can offer to everyone whatever their age.”

The 2019 winners are:

• Blog or Vlog of the Year, sponsored by Mr Fothergill’s - Alison Levey, Blackberry Garden
• Website of the Year, sponsored by Honda - National Garden Scheme
• Social Media Influencer of the Year, sponsored by Stihl - Sally Chandler, Beth Chatto's Plants and Gardens website
• Alan Titchmarsh New Talent Award, sponsored by Hayloft Plants - Tom Brown for writing and broadcasting (head gardener at West Dean, formerly at Parham)
• Radio Broadcast/Podcast of the Year, sponsored by Evergreen - Sarah Wilson, Roots and All podcast
• Roy Lancaster TV Broadcast of the Year, sponsored by the Horticultural Trades Association - Great British Gardens, Channel 5
• Peter Seabrook Practical Book of the Year, sponsored by the Garden Press Event- New Vegetable Garden Techniques, Joyce Russell
• Garden Book of the Year - Kiftsgate Court Gardens, Vanessa Berridge
• Features Photographer of the Year - Jason Ingram
• Gordon Rae Photographer of the Year, sponsored by Candide - Jason Ingram
• News Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Briggs & Stratton - Marc Rosenberg
• Practical Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Thompson & Morgan - Alan Titchmarsh
• Beth Chatto Environmental Award, sponsored by Beth Chatto Education Trust - Sally Nex
• Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Viking Cruises- James Alexander-Sinclair
• Dr David Hessayon Garden Columnist of the Year, sponsored by Vitax - Marian Boswall
• Garden Publication of the Year, sponsored by Westland Horticulture - Garden Design Journal
• Cover of the Year, sponsored by Cobra - The Galanthophiles
• Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Westland Horticulture – Carol Klein

More information at www.gardenmediaguild.co.uk/awards

The latest trend in real Christmas trees is a special slim version, which is perfect for smaller living rooms. Recent innovations have culminated in the ‘Slim Shape’ tree, which is particularly well suited to modern, compact rooms.

“These trees are carefully pruned while growing so that the final tree you buy is narrower, but still dense, full and nicely branched.” explained specialist tree grower Christopher Hood. “The result is a beautiful space-saving tree which is ideal for smaller homes.”

This year Squire’s Garden Centres expect the ‘Slim Shape’ Nordmann Fir to be very popular, as customers have been increasingly searching for trees that are not too wide for their homes.

Squire’s Chairman Sarah Squire added, “It’s easy to choose your perfect Christmas tree at Squire’s as they are all displayed by size and type. We also give customers expert care advice, free netting, a free carry to car service, and home delivery is available too. Or if you’re after an artificial tree then we have a huge selection to choose from, including pre-lit, snowy and slim options.”

With sustainability as the underlying theme of the day the key messages to come from the quality line up of speakers at the Cultivating Retail Conference held on Tuesday in Nottingham included:

• The garden industry is well placed to offer solutions that help mitigate the impact of climate change and shape the implementation of the Government’s 25-year environment plan.
• The actions of individuals and businesses can make a real difference.
• Sustainability is no longer just a ‘nice to have’ but an essential and integral component of modern business.
• The industry needs to provide a unified approach to address the positive challenges and opportunities that sustainability presents.

The conference, supported by gold partner Evergreen Garden Care, brought together two hundred representatives from across the industry. With movements such as Extinction Rebellion rising to the fore and each political party vying for the green vote these changing times show environmental concerns have become mainstream. Consumers expect more from businesses and expect them to operate in a sustainable manner.

In conversation with HTA President Boyd Douglas-Davies, Dr David Bek, Sustainability Economist from Coventry University, spoke about the positives that the industry brings in terms of producing plant material and products that store and convert carbon. “With a changing climate, there is a real opportunity to adapt and challenge our approach to gardening embracing the more chaotic style of nature creating a new normal. The horticulture industry needs to be bold, innovative and nimble and connect with consumers to make a substantive impact on biodiversity and climate change”, said Dr Bek.

This was echoed by former CEO of Tesco, Sir Terry Leahy, who said that “sustainability brings new business opportunities for the garden industry to respond to. With changing weather patterns, increasing emphasis on biosecurity and provenance, garden centres are better placed and more relevant than many high street retail outlets to meet consumer demand as they provide the solutions for many of these issues.”

Bringing synergies from the takeaway sector, Graham Corfield, Chief Operating Officer for Just Eat, highlighted that “whilst sustainability is a big planet issue, individuals and communities can make a real difference as all actions add up to help change consumer behaviour.”

Addressing the audience, HTA Chairman James Barnes commented that “it has never been so important to come together as an industry to present a unified approach to demonstrate how we can provide solutions to help mitigate the impact of climate change.”

He added,  “The HTA has an opportunity and responsibility to help further the industry’s commitment to develop in an environmentally sustainable manner. Our planned environmental sustainability roadmap will enable us to be the central point of policy information for the industry on key topics including water, growing media, plastics, and energy.”

GIMA and the HTA would like to thank the event sponsors for their support of Cultivating Retail this year.

Gold Partner: Evergreen Garden Care

Silver Partner: Hozelock

Dinner Partner: Corby + Fellas

Partners: Anglia Car Charging, B2B SG Systems, Bord Na Mona, Dura-ID, Easigrass, Easitill, Eight Days A Week Print Solutions, Frobisher’s, GLEE, HTA Utilities, Ideal Lights, MorePeople, Smart Garden Products and Swan Retail.

This year the HTA has awarded the Pearson Memorial Medal to industry pioneer John Ravenscroft in recognition of his outstanding services to horticulture. HTA President Boyd Douglas-Davies presented the award at the Cultivating Retail Conference dinner.

Commenting on the award Boyd Douglas-Davies said, “A horticultural legend it is a real privilege to present the Pearson Medal to John Ravenscroft. A true plantsperson, a pioneer in nursery production and garden retailing John has made a huge contribution to the garden industry.”

Boyd adds, “The development of young people was a key area of focus for John and he was always very generous in sharing his knowledge and expertise with horticultural students. As a result today there are many ex-employees of Bridgemere in the industry who have gone on to enjoy success in other nurseries and garden centres.”

Growing has been John’s passion for over 70 years. After 10 years honing his skills in various nursery roles John and his wife Elizabeth founded and ran Britain’s largest, and arguably most famous nursery and garden centre – Bridgemere Garden World. Famous for its display gardens Bridgemere Garden World has inspired millions of amateur gardeners over the years. One of the first garden centres to exhibit at shows many of these gardens have been recreated at Bridgemere.

After selling Bridgemere in 2006 John went onto to start Cherry Tree Arboretum. This collection now includes around 300 magnolias plus unusual varieties of Acers, Betulas, Cornus, Euonymous, Prunus and Sorbus. In 2018 John sold the stock and business of Cherry Tree Arboretum to Frank P Matthews, who carry on his good work today. Not one to be idle John continues to propagate trees from softwood cuttings today.

The Pearson Medal was presented at the Cultivating Retail Conference dinner in Nottingham on 19 November. Following the dinner, the audience heard from the UK’s first Olympic ski jumper Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards who entertained with the tale of his exploits. The dinner raised an amazing £4,000 for the Greenfingers charity.

As part of the leading rose breeder’s ongoing commitment to reducing its plastic consumption and impact on the environment, David Austin Roses has announced that its range of bare root roses now comes in plastic-free packaging.

Without the need for a pot, these dormant plants have until now been packaged in an inner carrier made of plastic, accompanied by paperwork protected in a separate plastic covering.

Designed to lock in vital natural moisture and prevent dehydration during delivery and storage, these carriers provide vital protection in transit.

“Removing these carriers in their entirety wasn’t an option but we knew a plastic-free solution was out there. We wanted something that was recyclable at the very least but had to keep our plants safe and hydrated till planted. After extensive research we were able to come up with a carrier made from potato starch, which is 100% biodegradable and perfect for the compost heap or the food waste bin. We’ve also refreshed the design of the outer brown bag, giving it a new look while keeping it fully recyclable,”explains Richard Austin, Head of Marketing.

Gardening enthusiasts will already know the many benefits of these eco-friendly beauties: great for mass planting, they are physically lighter to handle, easier to store and can prove a cost-effective way to overhaul any garden.

From the simplicity of planting three bare root roses of the same variety together to craft a larger rose bush, to a complete border transformation by mass planting in one colour to create a modern colour-block effect, bare roots offer an even more sustainable way to create high visual and sensory impact in any outdoor space.

Richard adds:“For those who love being outdoors come rain or shine, there’s something particularly special about planting bare roots; though their wiry stems are arguably less than attractive at first, there’s an added sense of anticipation in seeing the fruits of your autumn or winter labours the following summer –a feeling not dissimilar to breeding a new rose. Knowing that your beautiful roses have made as little impact on the environment as possible, to my mind, makes bare root planting an even more sustainable way to transform gardens and outdoor spaces summer after summer.”

All David Austin rose varieties are available in bare root and can be ordered year-round for delivery between November and April.

For more information about our range of bare root roses, visit https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/delivery-type/bare-root

For information on how to plant bare root, visit https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/advice-and-inspiration/how-to-plant-a-bare-root-shrub-rose/

Greenfingers Charity, the only UK charity that designs and builds gardens in children’s hospices, has designated much needed funds to extend and update the Remembrance Garden at Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People in the East Midlands.

Rainbows Hospice provides vital care and support to families impacted by life-limiting conditions and offers end of life care, symptom management, short breaks and respite care, as well as psychological and bereavement support, outreach and sibling support.  Sadly, the number of bereaved families that Rainbows supports continues to grow, and as such the Remembrance Garden needs to expand in order to provide much needed ongoing support for newly bereaved families.

The hospice’s Remembrance Garden is a very special and unique place where a lifetime of memories can be held.  It also provides families with a place to reflect and connect with the memories of their children, and as such, demands the deepest care and respect. 

Greenfingers Charity has commissioned VaRa Garden Design to re-design the Remembrance Garden, working within the brief set by hospice staff to create “a garden which will reflect the beauty of each child whose memory is held in this space.”

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications at Greenfingers Charity, said: “The team at VaRa Garden Design have sensitively created a plan which will ensure that the existing beauty of the garden can be extended. The new design includes additional seating areas for places of quiet reflection, complemented by year-round planting.  New trees will provide additional privacy, whilst a new water feature will add a sense of calm.  New pathways will help visitors journey around the space.”

A local metal company, Caltef Designs, will be designing and installing a bespoke memorial tree where newly bereaved families will be offered the opportunity to attach a personalised glass memorial leaf.  This stunning tree will provide a beautiful focal point in the centre of the garden, providing an ongoing heart to this special place.

Rainbows’  Psychological and Bereavement Lead, David Hamilton, works with families that have already lost a child, and has offered reassurance that existing plaques will not be moved, and all work will be done so respectfully.

The project is currently out to tender and will be built in spring 2020 thanks to support from many friends of Greenfingers Charity.

Tong Garden Centre is continuing its fund-raising drive for Bradford Stories and the National Literacy Trust with an initiative that encourages children to write a letter. 

The centre's Christmas Letterbox Appeal encourages children to write their Christmas list and send it to Santa with a special stamp that is being sold to raise funds for the centre's charity of the year.

Of the initiative, Tong's Head of Marketing, Jo Dales said: "The special Santa stamps cost just £2 and you'll be making a difference by helping to improve literacy levels in Bradford as all of the proceeds will go to Bradford Stories, an initiative of the National Literacy Trust."

"This fun festive fundraiser fits perfectly with our purpose of encouraging more children to read and write and we're very grateful to the team at Tong for their ongoing support," said Helen Verity from the National Literacy Trust.

The stamps are available from the reception desk in Grass Hoppers at the Tong Lane centre and children have until 14^th December to post their letters.

Bradford Stories is an initiative from the National Literacy Trust and Bradford Council to improve literacy levels in the city by promoting reading, writing, speaking and listening. 

In addition to supporting Bradford Stories with writing and reading related activities, the team at Tong aims to raise £10,000 for Bradford Stories. Over £6,500 has already been raised through a series of events including an audience with author Milly Johnson, collecting tins and a sponsored Tour de Yorkshire cycle ride. In addition,10% of the takings from the Christmas donkey rides will be donated to the cause.

Tong Garden Centre occupies a 14 acre site in Tong village. It is one of Yorkshire's biggest garden centres with 110,000 square feet of retail space and parking for up to 700 cars.

Photo: L-R - Molly Jones, Susie Jarrett, Caroline Ellis and Helen Verity from the National Literacy Trust.

A Despatch and Stock Controller at one of the UK’s leading commercial nurseries in Hereford took part in a sleep out and helped raise £1,599.89 for a homeless charity.

Sara Bowie, who works at Wyevale Nurseries, participated in the annual fundraiser in Bristol with eight of her friends in aid of 1625 Independent People (1625ip).

The 55-year-old, who lives in Norton Canon but grew up in Bristol, explained: “1625ip is a Bristol based charity that has been supporting homeless 16-25-year-olds for more than 30 years. It works with around 2,000 young people in the South West every year.

“This was my second time in taking part in the sleep out. It took place at the Lloyds Amphitheatre on Explore Lane in Bristol. It was a really cold night and it did rain too. Now having spent two nights sleeping rough it has giving me the smallest taste of what it’s like for someone who has to sleep out in the cold.

“1625ip gives young people options, options to learn skills, find somewhere to live, help with mental health issues, soft skills and job opportunities. 

“I am delighted that I managed to raise a staggering £1,599.89 for 1625ip. A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who sponsored me. All the money raised goes to help this great charity and our wish to eradicate homelessness from our streets.”

Sara got to know about the charity and its work as her friend, Jo Lea-Jones, is the Finance Director at the organisation. Sara was part of The Pink Ladies sleep out team with eight of her friends and in total they managed to raise £7,838.87.

Sara added: “£10 provides an hour of mental health support, £20 pays for a young person to attend a life skills session and £50 funds a start-up kit to help them on their way to living independently. We need to break the circle of homelessness and help these vulnerable young people.”

1625ip provides essential services to young people and partners with agencies across the South West so together they can change lives. 

The charity provides a broad range of care for young people from securing homes, teaching life-skills, offering advice, helping access training and job opportunities. Its aim is to help young people to live happily and independently. 

To sponsor Sara, please visit http://bit.ly/32CgiUX. 

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Pots, lights, houseplant feeds and garden decoration items continue to sell at unprecedented levels compared with previous years. 

Maybe some of this is a merging of the boundaries between Christmas and Garden Decoration, but as both areas are growing fast it can only be seen as good news and increased cash through the tills.

Highlights of the week were:

• Fito All Plants Drip Feeder was the highest climber in the chart last week, up 18 places to No 8.
• DCUK Dinky Ducklings are the highest new entry to the GTN Chart, in at No 13.
• Apta Verona Standard Pot 13cm saw the biggest week on week percentage sales growth to be a re-entry at No 40.

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

Christmas sales continue to grow faster than last year, according to the GTN Bestsellers Christmas Products chart. 

For six out of the eight weeks that we’ve been monitoring Christmas sales this season sales have been up on last year. 

With the cumulative sales volumes now sitting at almost 15% up we are on course for a record November for Christmas sales and provided there isn’t any snow between now and the big day – that is Christmas Day rather than Election Day – we could very likely be reporting a record Christmas overall for UK garden centres.

Highlights of the week were:

• Chocolates for Christmas continue to be very popular.  Fosters Treat Co Chocolate Gold Coin Net is the highest re-entry at No 7.
• Playwrite’s Christmas Magic Elf Door is the highest new entry of the week, in at No 17.
• Widdop Gingerbread Cookie Hand Soap is another new entry at No 23 to make two Christmas soaps in the Top 50.

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

Serious gardeners buying peat free composts at high levels continues again with Westland’s New Horizon 60 litres almost selling as many units as Jack’s Magic 60 litres. 

With a major ad campaign planned for next year, word of mouth from these serious gardeners buying and using peat free now could mean sales really start to grow in 2020.

Highlights of the week were:

• Bark and ground cover lines sold well last week with Westland Landscape Bark,100 litres, climbing 27 places to No 9.
• Alongside the continued growth of houseplant sales, Growth Technology Citrus Focus Repotting Mix is a new entry to the GTN chart at No 47.
• And for the first time ever a terrarium specific product makes it into the chart – Fallen Fruits Terrarium Soil enters at No 50.

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

Winter flowering plants made a significant sales move last week as temperatures dropped and gardeners start to look forward to Spring type colours in the garden to cheer them through winter.

• Planted Narcissus were a re-entry last week, with sales shooting up rapidly to be at No 24.
• Crocus were also a re-entry at No 39.
• At the top of the chart, Primula sales grew to leapfrog Pansy sales and be the second bestselling plant of the week behind Cyclamen.
• All Plants volume sales change: Week on week DOWN 13.4%.  Year to date vs 2018 DOWN 6.6%, vs  2017 UP 0.7%.

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

If you've ever wondered how some garden centres manage to get coverage of their spring and summer ranges into the national press and glossy magazines during the period they are on sale the reason is that they hold press launches in London six months prior to the actual season.

That's why Dobbies held their second Spring Summer preview last week in Marylebone, London.  On a drab, damp November day, journalists were treated to a warming summer display of the Dobbies outdoor themes for 2020: Rustic Farmhouse, Urban Coastal, Moroccan Mood and Colour Pop.

Throughout the themes was the underlying trend of the Fifth Room: Houseplants featured large in each of the room sets to illustrate the perfect solutions to blending exterior and interior spaces.

See GTN Xtra's photo gallery from the preview below and read more in the next issue of Garden Trade News.

Almost 18 months on from the start of the Wyevale Garden Centres "Sale of the Century", Sprowston Garden Centre in Norwich, which was the last to trade under the Wyevale Garden Centres banner, has now transferred to the ownership of British Garden Centres.

Anthony Jones, Wyevale Garden Centres COO, led the Wyevale team at the centre as they prepared for the final garden centre transfer along with Charles Stubbs, Managing Director of British Garden Centres with his signage, IT and operations team.

As Charles Stubbs took control of his 49th garden centre he told GTN Xtra: "It feels fantastic, I'm very proud and very excited."  Anthony Jones, who leaves Wyevale Garden Centres at the end of this month said: "It’s sad now this is the last centre to transfer, but I’m proud that we got so many positive outcomes along the way. 95% of the centres are still in the industry and 97% of our colleagues have kept their jobs."

All of the centre staff, led by manager Paul Marlow, are transferring to British Garden Centres and they are now busy unpacking new stock and creating their Christmas displays.

See GTN Xtra's photos of Sprowston, the last Wyevale Garden Centre, and the start of the transformation to British Garden Centres below.

Out of 145 garden centres put up for sale by Wyevale Garden Centres owners Terra Firma at the end of May 2018, 131 have been sold as trading garden centres.  Sprowston is one of 37 bought by British Garden Centres.  Dobbies also bought 37 of the Wyevale sites and Blue Diamond purchased 16 centres including the very first Wyevale Garden Centre in Hereford where Henry Williamson started the business in 1932.  A total of 31 different purchasers acquired trading garden centres as part of the process which was made up of 57 seperate transactions including those sites sold for development.

Wyevale Garden Centres:  1932-2019.

Search the GTN Xtra Archive via this link to see all of GTN Xtra' coverage of "The Sale of the Century."

Leading outdoor living provider, Kettler has opened the doors to its brand new £2 million state-of-the-art facility in Redditch, reflecting the company’s market leading presence and demonstrating its long-term vision for sustained growth. 

The extra high facility, which is centrally located adjacent to its current warehouse, will treble the company’s current onsite capacity. The new facility has 120 tonnes of steelwork and three miles of racking that will accommodate 5,500 pallets, which will significantly improve its stockholding and efficiency. The brand new distribution centre is also primely positioned for Kettler’s national network of retailers.

Kettler Managing Director, Paul Bevington, said: “We are delighted to launch this state-of-the-art facility and mark another major milestone in Kettler’s journey. The new distribution centre means that we can now store all our stock and operate from one single location, which will ensure we can continue to promptly and efficiently respond to customer demand and to prepare for more innovation in an ever-changing marketplace as we look ahead to 2020.”

For more information on Kettler visit: https://www.kettler.co.uk/

Pictured: Paul Bevington, Managing Director & John Newburn, Operations Manager at Kettler.

A Class Act!....well that was the response to its new packaging worn by model Alice, at this year's GLEE trade show, but is only one of many reasons why Durston Garden Products, continues to celebrate its ongoing success and longevity.

The aim of the futuristic outfit was to demonstrate to retailers two things. One, that in addition to having a 150 year history, Durstons is a modern forward-thinking company which is very much in-vogue, and that’s why it was shortlisted at this years GIMA Awards for its new packaging. Secondly, and a subject very close to Durston’s heart, is their approach to the environment which has earned them a reputation within the trade for being one of the first manufacturers to lead the way in promoting 100% recyclable bags.

Durstons is so much more than a compost supplier it is a business with a conscience, and one which works fluidly with its customers to ensure it meets their everyday needs; whilst at the same time safe-guarding its reputation and customer service along the way;  a business which attributes its success to a variety of factors.

“For example, the sheer fact that we are based here in the UK," says company spokesman Dan Durston, “means we have a distinct advantage over many of our competitors.

"With Brexit still looming large, and continuing to offer nothing but uncertainty, we are finding more and more compost stockists switching to the Durstons brand simply because they are being let down by their current suppliers.

"Companies, which often engage in long, complicated supply-chain deliveries from overseas; and which often results in them not always reaching there delivery destination on time. In contrast, Durstons’ offer a unique delivery package which means that wherever our customers are in the UK, Durstons can, and will deliver its products within 5 days from receipt of order, yes you heard that right.

"Just 5 days from receipt of order. This is seen as a huge advantage to garden centres.  And, if you add to this the changing weather patterns we are all now having to deal with, and the shift in seasons too,  it means products which have traditionally only been required in the summer months are now almost being requested all-year-round.

"Equally, Durstons has the ability to offer mixed-pallet loads which means retailers no longer have to stock-pile pallets and pallets of the same composts, but instead can have a much more varied choice and in much smaller quantities.”

So, as another year draws to a close, Durstons look back once again with a sense of pride at its achievements, and in particular it reflects specifically to an incident at GLEE when asking one of its visitors to sum-up their Durston experience in one word, to which the response was: “Ok, maybe not one word, not even two words, but three:  ‘A Class Act’.”

With a newly refurbished showroom and a fresh 2020 product range, there's a feeling of new beginnings for rattan and cane furniture experts Daro.

The business opened its doors this autumn for their annual Preview Show. Now in its 6th year, the Show aims to take the stress out of planning successful product ranges by inviting retailers to view a broad selection, in one sitting. Visitors to the show benefitted from an exclusive sneak preview of the 2020 indoor and outdoor collections and specialist support on creating a best-selling range.

James Brown, Director, said: "The Preview Show is an opportunity for customers to spend focussed time on planning their product ranges for the next year. Most buyers and business owners are bogged down in daily tasks, making it difficult to make crucial decisions and plan the coming year's collections.

"Customers tell us that time away from the office and experiencing how products look and feel first-hand is the best way to plan a successful product offering."

It's not too late to order your indoor and outdoor furniture displays for next year. If you could benefit from a relaxed setting and friendly advice, please get in touch.

The Daro team will be exhibiting at the January Furniture Show from Sunday 19th January until Wednesday 22nd January 2020 at the NEC. You can find the team in Hall 5, stand number B543.

If you'd like to know more about the 2020 collections or to become a stockist please contact Daro on +44 (0) 1604 758 989 or email sales@daro-cane.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 Christmas Products 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.