Wyevale Garden Centres’ results published last week suggest that the problems facing parent Terra Firma as it strives to turn the 149-centre business around ahead of a planned sale are even greater that most people feared.
WGC announced losses of £122.4m for 2016 – a garden centre industry record – most of it sustained in the first half of the year, on revenues of £328.3m, up 5.5% on 2015. The losses were mainly due to a £51.3 impairment of fixed assets and a £20m write-off of old stock.
A process of transition is under way, with new leadership, new ERP and EPoS systems, a new supply chain strategy and a shake-up in employee relations, all now backed up with £141.5m of re-financing to oil the works. Sources believe the current year’s performance is more encouraging and CEO Roger Mclaughlan, who took over in spring last year, says he is happy with a pattern of like-for-like growth. WGC’s lack lustre past performance is at odds with the increased profits being reported by other leading garden centres in mixed weather year.
The Garden Centre Association’s barometer of trade in September showed year-to-date growth of 4% for members who submitted figures, despite mixed weather, prompting Gary Carvosso, MD at Coolings Garden Centre, to declare that “overall so far 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for core gardening and catering yet again”.
The most revealing aspect of the annual report is the admission by the CEO that the previous management team’s approach to growth – largely prioritising acquisitions – was “ultimately unsustainable”. As a consequence, WGC now says it will not be going shopping for more centres just yet, although it may re-join the acquisition trail when the business is back on track. That news will disappoint a few key independent garden centres about to post ‘for sale’ notices - but all eyes will be on the WGC measures designed to make a difference on the shop floor where it matters most.
Instead, Mclaughlan, who has visited more than 100 of the group’s centres, spoken to around 2,000 employees and listened to hundreds of customers, is keen to re-focus on getting the core the business right.
He says the customer research programme has given him a great insight into what customers value and expect from a Wyevale Garden Centre. “We have already implemented a number of short term actions to improve our customer experience,” he said. “Our customers are commenting positively on these early changes as reflected by the group achieving its highest net promoter score to date, a critical measure of customer satisfaction.”
 |
|
|
|
Historic exhibition and new branding for Dobbies
Former directors James Barnes (right), Sharon Brown and Johnny Trotter joined current CEO Nicholas Marshall (left) at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh on wednesday last week at the launch of an Exhibition of the history of Dobbies and the unveiling of new branding for 2018...
Former directors James Barnes (right), Sharon Brown and Johnny Trotter joined current CEO Nicholas Marshall (left) at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh on wednesday last week at the launch of an Exhibition of the history of Dobbies and the unveiling of new branding for 2018.
The exhibition includes original records and flower show awards that were rescued from a skip during a previous office refurbishment covers the history of Dobbies from 1865 through to the re-branding that goes live in three stores initially in early 2018.
The exhibition will tour aroound all Dobbies stores during 2018. Could that include a few new stores as Dobbies investors look to expand the group? Watch this space...
See our picture gallery below for a flavour of the new branding.
During the evening event at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Nicholas Marshall spoke of their desire to "make Dobbies the leader in everything we do and plants are centre stage to our renaissance." Adding "we already know that our customers would prefer to buy locally grown, Scottish plants and the weakness of the pound against sterling now gives our nursery men and women, a great opportunity. Scottish nurseries, we want to do business with you." Read the full transcript below.
The Scottish Government Minister for business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, also spoke at the event about the importance of the garden centre and plant trade. "I am delighted Dobbies remains committed to its Scottish roots and Scottish supply chain."
Nicholas Marshall speech at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh 26th September 2017
"Good evening Minister, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh. It is a great honour to be joined this evening by the minister for business, innovation and energy, Paul Wheelhouse.
"We have invited you here this evening to talk briefly (very briefly I promise you) about our plans for the future and to recognise and celebrate Scottish horticulture which in recent years has suffered from intense competition from abroad, notably Europe.
"We are at Edinburgh because it is the birthplace of horticulture in Scotland and dates back to the 17th century. Due to the hard work of generations of brilliant botanists, it is still today one of the world’s greatest botanical Gardens.
"There is another reason why we are here this evening and that is due to an extraordinary coincidence. Exactly 200 years ago two babies were born. One in Scotland and one in England. Both were educated in Scotland. One would found the oldest gardening business in Britain and the other would become a renowned plant hunter and botanist.
"James Dobbie at an early age was interested in growing plants and had some success at the Highland Agricultural Show in1840. He became Chief Constable of Renfrewshire in 1855 but his love of growing plants persisted and in 1865 started a seed business which flourished and enabled him in 1866 to give up his day job as Chief Constable. After James’s death Dobbies moved south to Kent where it continued to flourish. It wasn’t until 1934 that Dobbies moved north again to Edinburgh to where the head office is still located today. It was not until the latter part of the twentieth century that Dobbies became a household name under the stewardship of the Barnes family.
"The other baby born 200 years ago was Joseph Hooker, my great great grandfather. He was educated at Glasgow University where his father was professor of botany. I like to think that he bumped into James Dobbie in Glasgow, possibly at a flower show or more likely, at their age, in a bar. After university Joseph became a plant hunter travelling the globe and getting into all sorts of scrapes in his quest to bring back new plant species to Britain (the forerunner of the gap year).
"Prior to travelling to the Himalayas Joseph was persuaded by his father to apply for the post of Regius Keeper of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden due to the recent death of the incumbent Robert Graham. However much to the dismay of the entire international botanical community (and these are not my words) the chauvinist Edinburgh Town Councillors gave the job to a local boy, John Balfour.
"Now it is well known that my family do not bear grudges which is why we are here this evening, and anyway the prospect of travelling the world was a much more exciting prospect for a young man like Joseph.
"Based on his travels, Joseph wrote a book called Himalayan Journals which he sent to his closest friend to get his advice. His friend wrote back to him to say that he thought the book was excellent and complimented Joseph on his ability as a great botanist, geographer, artist and writer. However his friend continued with a word of warning. “Joseph, old chap, you may be all of the things I have mentioned above but your offer to dedicate the book to me shows your complete lack of commercialism. Joseph, you must find someone really famous to dedicate your book to who will thus help to sell your excellent work” Signed, your affectionate and admiring friend, Charles Darwin.
"Joseph was considered one of the greatest British botanists and for twenty years served as Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew.
"Dobbies has a long history and is a wonderful brand which attracts great loyalty from both customers and staff, an oasis in a world of cynical retailing. I have known and admired Dobbies all through my career, as I am a friend of James Barnes, who as you all know, was responsible for building Dobbies into a national brand. I am delighted to say that James, Sharon Brown and Johnny Trotter all previous directors are here this evening.
"Dobbies spent the last few years owned by Tesco but last summer it was acquired by private individuals including an old friend, Andrew Bracey who asked me in March if I would like to run Dobbies. I didn't need asking twice and jumped at the chance. I am very fortunate to have been joined at Dobbies by a host of old friends. Most of them have worked with me for many, many years and now, together with existing Dobbieites, form a very experienced, cohesive, loyal and vibrant team. There are also representatives here tonight from all our garden centres in Scotland and the north of England. From Inverness and Aberdeen in the north to Ayr and Carlisle in the west and Newcastle in the east.
"We are ambitious and completely aware of what we have to do and will work tirelessly to achieve it. We will cherish Dobbies and polish up the somewhat tarnished image of the last few years. Our ambition is to make Dobbies the leader in everything we do and plants are centre stage to our renaissance.
“Now is the time for British Nurseries to step up to the plate”, so wrote Horticulture Week, and they are right. I realise we live in uncertain times. Brexit is upon us and scare mongers are trying hard to frighten us BUT it is a real opportunity for the horticulture industry and we should grasp the nettle! We already know that our customers would prefer to buy locally grown, Scottish plants and the weakness of the pound against sterling now gives our nursery men and women, a great opportunity.
“Scottish nurseries, we want to do business with you” but we want a fresh approach. Our customers will support you but, in return, they deserve to be offered the best quality, range and value for money. We will work with you to provide what the customer wants. You will then be pushing at an open door. Our gardening market in the U.K. is worth 4 billion. The sky is, therefore, the limit.
"Brexit is an opportunity which should be grasped with both hands. This is the time for all of us to step up to the plate.
"Now, there was another Joseph Hooker, known as Joe, who was born a couple of years earlier than James and Joseph, in America, and a distant cousin of Joseph’s. His story was told to me by Catherine Hooker the internationally renowned dress designer. Joe was, she informed me, responsible for our good family name to be linked to a different trade altogether, but that is another story much too indelicate to be told here.
"General Joe Hooker, fought in the American Civil War and was promoted to command the army. His letter of promotion contains some exhortations which I would like to borrow this evening to encourage our Scottish nurseries to achieve success. You may guess the author from the eloquence of the hand; I quote “ I wish to place you at the head of the army. And yet I think it is best for you to know that there are some things in regard to which I am not quite satisfied, however I do believe you have the skill, confidence and ambition. Beware of rashness, beware of rashness but with energy and sleepless vigilance, go forward and give us victories” Yours very truly, Abraham Lincoln.
"I therefore would like to propose a toast to our nurserymen here tonight “ Dobbies needs you, your country needs you” . Ladies and Gentlemen “To our great Scottish nurseries”. Thank you."
|
|
The corporate reponsibility element of the Wyevale Garden Centres annual report offers an intriguing insight into how it is tackling staff relations as it aims to improve the performance of the business. The report’s use of language will be familiar to anyone who has worked in a large corporate environment. For example, staff are now referred to as colleagues (not unlike John Lewis calling its 84,000 employees ‘partners’ because they own the business). In 2016, the annual report explains, WGC undertook its first ‘colleague engagement’ survey for two years, producing results the group says will be a strong foundation on which to build a better work experience for its 6,169 staff (the year-end count). Management were gratified when 89% of colleagues responded to the survey, which was 10 percentage points up on the previous response rate and nine percentage points above benchmark organisations. The overall ‘satisfaction’ score improved three percentage points to 64% - a figure reported to have gone up significantly further since its findings were acted on.
 Garden centre and head office employees identified three clear areas they felt left room for improvement – ‘Communications’, ‘Development and recognition’ and ‘Tools to do the job’ – and soon became the focus of attention at group level. To ensure all areas of the survey were tackled, WGC appointed more than 160 ‘colleague engagement representatives’ across the business. One topic the survey highlighted related to the business working together as one team – so a competition was held to rename ‘Head Office’ to “something that better reflects that we are One Team, working together to support our Garden Centre colleagues, helping them deliver an exceptional shopping experience to all our customers”. The winning name was Customer Support Centre (CSC), which is the title by which Syon Park HQ is now known. Keeping employees clearly informed of what’s going on in the business was recognised as vitally important so CEO Roger Mclaughlan hosted a series of head office and garden centre listening groups, something he intends to continue. Fortnightly team meetings (known as ‘Huddles’) take place at Syon Park for all head office staff, to share key business objectives, developments and performance are recognise and reward key successes. A new training programme run by Lifetime Training gives employees, primarily garden centre managers, team leaders and department managers the opportunity to obtain nationally recognised professional retail qualifications. In a new performance development annual review process, employees have two conversations a year – the first to agree objectives and the second to review progress after 12 months –“reducing the time spent completing paperwork, enabling colleagues to spend quality time with line managers and more time with customers”. As a result of benchmarking benefits entitlements across the industry, more than 100 head office staff now get an increased holiday allowance. The company says this makes WGC a more competitive employer “and also encourages colleagues to have more work life balance opportunities”.
Garden centre hourly rates of pay have been brought into line with the National Living Wage, but employees who demonstrate the right skills and customer orientated behaviours after six months service are paid above the minimum.
The report suggests the implementation of new ERP and EPOS systems, currently under way, will enable staff to do their jobs in a more efficient way.
Footnote for gender watchers: At the end of the year the overall gender split of the WGC workforce was: Male – 2573 Female – 3596 The Board comprised six men and no women The Senior Leadership Team comprised 17 men and nine women.
|
|
Flannery's Nurseries, long established as one of Ireland's foremost growers of nursery stock, are to expand into the UK. Since it was founded foundation by Sean Flannery in 1979, the business has grown from a 1.5ha container nursery to a 25ha site producing 35-40,000 quality field-grown and container plants a year for retail and landscape markets in Ireland. Famed for their introduction of Sorbus Autumn Spire, the company now believes the time is right to enter the UK market. Rose Flannery, daughter of the founder and current owner of the business, said; “We have always had a close association with the UK and over the years I have made many trips to study the market opportunities and have always been impressed with the professionalism of garden retailers and the huge opportunity presented to nurseries such as ours.” Flannery's have hired the services of Bob Haward (pictured), well-known in the trade through his roles at Notcutts, Gibbs Palmer and Suttons. Bob, who has now set up his own agency, RH Dedicated Sales, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for me and one that blends well with my existing portfolio. I'm really looking forward to growing the market for Flannery’s as it seems to me there is an increasing demand for quality trees and shrubs in the UK.”
|
|
Westland has warned that the increased use of poor quality substitute materials in composts to make up for the current peat shortage could seriously damage the reputation of growing media.
The company says there is often a “silent” increase in the use of materials like green waste when there are shortages of peat, which is still widely used in growing media, despite the programme to phase out its use in horticulture. The Growing Media Association reported last month that many manufacturers had harvested only 60-70% of their budgeted peat volumes because of a wet summer.
Westland, which has invested £30 million in recent years on the manufacturer of ingredients like West+ to reduce its dependence on peat, says supply issues are an industry reality for the coming season, but won’t affect Westland product availability in 2018, although there will be a cost impact. “More importantly, no effect on quality owing to the multi-material and sustainable approach we have taken for many years,” the company says.
Above: A mountain of raw material for Westland's timber-based West+
Westland’s marketing director Keith Nicholson said Westland had a proud record of not using green waste in any of its products, factories or facilities owing to highly inconsistent results for gardeners. A company statement said green waste was a material that needed to be treated extremely carefully as it could be potentially damaging to the reputation of growing media with both gardeners and professionals alike. “It is important that our growing media industry does not take these ‘silent’ short cuts and keeps product consistency at the heart of our valuable market sector.”
|
|
Dobbies Garden Centre in Peterborough took legal action to move travellers after they set up camp in the car park at Hampton on Wednesday.
On Friday, Nicholas Marshall, CEO, Dobbies Garden Centres, said: “We will make representation at County Court today to apply for a possession of property order, under common trespass laws.
“We will upgrade that application to the High Court, which if we are successful will allow us to appoint our own bailiffs.
"It is a great pity that it has to get to this stage, and that the police have been powerless to help rectify the situation on our behalf.
“We want to apologise to our customers and reassure that our staff are doing their utmost to ensure our customers continue to have an enjoyable shopping experience at our Peterborough garden centre.”
|
|
GIMA Buyer Connect declared a great success
The GIMA Buyer Connect event has become one of the most highly-anticipated parts of the annual Glee exhibition’s programme of content. This year the event brought together even more suppliers and retailers, helping to facilitate in excess of 250 unrivalled networking opportunities...
The GIMA Buyer Connect event has become one of the most highly-anticipated parts of the annual Glee exhibition’s programme of content. This year the event brought together even more suppliers and retailers, helping to facilitate in excess of 250 unrivalled networking opportunities.
Taking place on all three days of Glee, within the GIMA Business Lounge, the 2017 Buyer Connect event helped suppliers from across the industry meet with key garden retailers including Wyevale, Wilko, Hillview, Bunnings & Homebase, Great Western Partnerships and Mole Valley Farmers, plus independents including Long Acres, Perrywood and Halls Garden Centre.
Each supplier had a 10-minute speed networking session with a key buyer. Each session provided enough time for the manufacturer to explain the many USPs of its product, with the aim of opening ongoing communications with the retailer, and securing orders for the season ahead.
GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall said: “This year’s Buyer Connect was a great success, and I’d like to extend my thanks to all of those that got involved. As always the event was a key part of our Glee agenda, and I’ve seen a lot of exciting new partnerships be forged. I look forward to seeing how these relationships flourish post-Glee.
“On a wider note, Buyer Connect is a perfect example of the kind of activities that we can support our members with. One of our roles as trade associations is to connect retailers and suppliers, so events such as Buyer Connect have become an even more essential part of our offering in the face of a fast-changing marketplace. We are here to respond to, and support, our members’ needs so we urge any retailer that is interested in our ‘meet the buyer’ events to get in touch.”
The next GIMA Buyer Connect will be taking place at Home Hardware (Oct 17th, Barnstaple – applications now closed) and interest from a number of big name retailers for events in 2018 has already been confirmed. Visit www.gima.org.uk to keep up to date on the latest Buyer Connect developments.
|
|
The Retail Lab @ Glee has been voted a huge success. Here Creative Director, Romeo Sommers gives his verdict on the exhibition's latest feature.
How did the industry react to the Retail Lab @ Glee?
The initial reaction was a combination of excitement and interest. The Retail Lab was new to Glee, and as such a visual feast for the senses, many people were stopped in their tracks before coming onto the area to find out more.
Once the initial surprise passed, people were keen to learn more about how they could recreate the themes and ideas within their own retail environments – which is exactly what we wanted; to inspire! The great thing with the Retail Lab was the fact it was such a tactile feature. People were able to pick up product, walk through the different areas, and really take the time to learn more on their journey through the zones. I believe visitors really enjoyed this aspect!
The other thing visitors enjoyed was the fact that recreating the Retail Lab, or aspects of, is perfectly achievable. The whole area may have been created with the input from a whole team of industry experts, but these experts understand the retail environment and the challenges that can be faced in such an environment, so they were able to create designs and concepts that fit within this.
The Retail Lab is about maximum impact in even the smallest space. It’s about taking fun and inspiring design ideas, and pairing them with products that suit the space available. For instance, one visitor to the Retail Lab came from a small garden centre in central London.
With a small store footprint, they were excited to see how easy it was to design high impact displays in such a reduced space. The Community theme particularly stood out to them, as it best suited their business model, enabling local residents to use the centre as a hub for communal growing when outside space is at a premium.
It was brilliant feedback, that demonstrated how these different ideas can be implemented and translated in a number of exciting and differing ways.
What kind of questions did visitors to the Retail Lab @ Glee have?
The biggest query was one of intrigue, and how retailers could implement the different themes within their own retail stores. The Oxygen Bubble, featuring air purifying plants, was one area that people particularly loved, as it is such a simple yet effective idea that is easy to recreate.
The Greenhouse Cabinet also proved popular as it showcased how ordinary and typical garden retail displays can be reinvented for a more eye-catching retail experience.
I was also inundated with queries relating to houseplants. The last year has seen a resurgence in indoor plant sales, and not just within traditional garden centres.
High street retailers, including fashion stores, have been selling cacti and succulents in unbelievable quantities, with millennials and hipsters snapping them up quickest. The reason for this is simple: these consumers want plants, but plants that work around their lives. They want to be able to travel and not have to worry about watering their plants in their absence.
Cacti and succulents are also popular within wider interior and even fashion trends, making them much for lifestyle driven than traditional indoor plants.
Retailers have a great opportunity here, to reassess their category management and offer something different – from plants that suit modern lives, to those offering health benefits such as the pineapple that aids sleep that was a particular favourite of mine.
Have visitors been receptive to the themes identified in the Retail Lab?
Retailers have been so receptive to the trends, and it’s been great to see them want to get stuck in right away, with each taking a slightly different ‘takeaway’, meaning garden centres can maintain their individuality. The concept of ‘hotspots’ within the retail environment is something I discussed with a lot of our visitors, and I’m sure very soon many garden centre customers will shortly be pleasantly surprised to see so many new ideas being put into fruition.
The Community theme was one that retailers really loved, as it meant that retailers can create ‘fans’ not just customers. Providing a hub for the local community, and creating areas for them to work, play and grow together has been incredibly popular, and retailers are seeing not just the ease of being able to do this, but also the long-term benefits of what it means for product purchases and customer loyalty.
The role of family and pets was also something that Retail Lab visitors spoke to me about a lot. Family and pets is often at the heart of the traditional garden retail customer, so it was so important that we helped to create ideas, concepts and displays that included these two hugely important themes.
Re-Wilding was also an incredibly busy part of the Retail Lab. This was an area of serenity so I think many enjoyed taking a few moments away from the hustle and bustle of Glee, but more than that I believe they were understanding the importance of being able to take a moment to relax, and get back to reconnect with nature. Again, garden centres are already armed with the tools they need to create a similar atmosphere within their own stores, so many were excited to start planning their own decompression areas.
Re-Wilding also threw out some interesting topics particularly relating to recycling and environmental consciousness. In the UK plastic pots have a negative image, but within the Re-Wilding area we were able to show that contemporary designs are much more environmentally friendly, with waste and associated carbon footprints reduced. It certainly formed a real talking point.
What next for the Retail Lab?
The Retail Lab @ Glee is just the beginning of the journey. The trends that the Lab will focus on do not have an expiration date. Instead they will grow and develop over time, which is why the Retail Lab has been designed to follow this journey with them.
Now that Glee is over we’ll be looking to take the concept on the road to provide as many retailers as possible with access to the information, inspiration and education on offer. We’ll also be working hard to bring it back to Glee in 2018! The response has been fantastic, and we have a million more ideas we’d like to implement.
For now, the team and I will be available to the industry, so we ask that if you have any question to get in touch! We’re passionate about the Retail Lab and what it stands for so are keen to work with suppliers and retailers to continue to inspire and create stunning retail settings.
|
|
|
|
|
Retail Lab @ Glee: Interview with WGSN’s Lisa White
As Head and Creative Director of WGSN Lifestyle & Interiors, Lisa White and her team run the only B2B trend forecasting website focused on interiors and product design. Lisa was part of the team Retail Lab, a must-see part of Glee 2017. Here we talk to her about trends and how they can influence the decision of the consumer...
 As Head and Creative Director of WGSN Lifestyle & Interiors, Lisa White and her team run the only B2B trend forecasting website focused on interiors and product design.
Lisa was part of the team Retail Lab, a must-see part of Glee 2017.
Here we talk to her about trends and how they can influence the decision of the consumer.
Can you tell me more about the lifecycle of trends – why do some take hold, whilst some wither and disappear as quickly as they appeared?
I would describe trends as something that is going to be long term, anything less and it’s merely a fad. A trend is where you take a look at how people are living and how society is changing. They start and spread through innovators in fashion, media and influential figures in an industry.
A good example to demonstrate this is the colour ‘green’, this trend has been taking place for almost 20 years. In the beginning green was seen as a wishy-washy colour and people didn't like it as it was perceived to be bad luck. Now we see green everywhere, and people want the colour everywhere in their lives. Yellow was also seen as hard to wear and perceived as too strong a colour, yet has now become a trend as people want warmth and happiness around them.
Looking at the Diffusion Model relating to trends, how do you think the trends in the Retail Lab @ Glee will work on this graph – will the timescale from new product to establish products/concepts be short or more long-term?
The Diffusion Model is when a new idea or new product is accepted by the market and the speed with which the new idea spreads from one person to the next. The trends we have chosen for the Retail Lab are long-term. People want to feel part of a community and the essence of family is extremely important too, something garden centres can capitalise on when putting projects together, Grow-Your-Own is a great example of this.
Even though people can be split around the around the world, there is still a desire to be together and share moments. Wellness is a global trend and focuses on health and well-being which outdoor activities such as gardening can have, whilst Re-Wilding looks at how people want to get back to nature and enjoy the environment around them. The curve on the graph has slow and long but is picking up speed now and will hit a peak over the next 10 years.
How do you translate trends and identify those that you believe will ‘stick’?
Lifestyle trends often starts off as experimental. For example, wellness in food will see people experiment with, and try different things before they come into fashion. People start eating more salads and drinking more smoothies to feel healthier and better in themselves. Then you see the colours from the food and drink coming into the interior and into fashion. When something becomes popular and makes people feel good, they then want to surround ourselves with and it's amazing how one factor in our lives can influence another.
Are all trends translatable for all industries? How have you decided upon those trends that will best work within a garden retail environment?
Trends are translatable for all industries, especially the garden environment. One of the trends for 2018 is ‘Slow Futures’ which will see people want to slow down. They want to take a look at good things from the past and learn to slow down more in the future. In gardening, this trend will be seen with the resurgence of heirloom vegetables, vintage roses and “forgotten” flowers like marigolds, dahlias and zinnias.
There is also an upcoming trend called “Youth Tonic” where we will see Millennials wanting brighter colours in the garden. What is important to know is that for new generations, it is no longer about the experienced gardener but about the gardening experience. People want to enjoy doing everything they used to do inside outside: eating, relaxing, playing and even working in the garden.
What influences the power of trends – economic, lifestyle, environmental? Or are some as simple as colour or material for example?
All of the above! For a real trend to be powerful, it is fed by economics, politics, sustainability and social media. Everything influences trends, it can be as simple how you took the Tube this morning or something your grandmother said to you. We are definitely seeing a trend of going back to nature and the garden becoming more colourful and playful.
How influenced are home colour trends by the fashion industry?
Everything influences everything else and goes back and forth. The catwalks for S/S18 are set to feature a lot of interesting and powerful pastel colours and I expect to see these translated into the home and garden.
Of the trends highlighted in the Retail Lab @ Glee, which one/s are you most excited about?
Wellness, because gardening involves the individual, the family and the community and contributes to physical, mental and even spiritual health!
|
|
Dobbies Christmas Revealed in Botanic Garden
Love, Peace, Joy and Hope are themes that run through Dobbies Christmas range which was revealed to managers from Scotland and the North of England at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh event last week...
Love, Peace, Joy and Hope are themes that run through Dobbies Christmas range which was revealed to managers in Scotland and the North at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh event last week.
Featuring specially designed and produced products, Dobbies Christmas will open in all stores at the end of October after their current Autumn Gardening season.
Several Dobbies managers reported great feedback from customers at their well attended Autumn Gardening club evenings with many commenst along the lines of: "It's so good not to have Christmas out this early."
See our pictures below for a sneak preview of the Dobbies Christmas range which was re-engineered by COO, Lorrie Robertson and Head Of Visual Merchandising & Retail Space Planning, Craig Roman as soon as Nicholas Marshall took up the reigns at Dobbies in March this year.
|
|
Blake Morgan advises on Bloomin Marvellous deal for plant and flower growing group
Blake Morgan's Corporate team has advised Butters Group Limited, one of the UK’s biggest growers and suppliers of plants and flowers, on its sale to Flamingo Horticulture. The Butters Group, headquartered in Spalding, Lincolnshire, turns over £52m a year and has more than 300 staff working across its flower, plant and nursery divisions.
 Blake Morgan's Corporate team has advised Butters Group Limited, one of the UK’s biggest growers and suppliers of plants and flowers, on its sale to Flamingo Horticulture.
The Butters Group, headquartered in Spalding, Lincolnshire, turns over £52m a year and has more than 300 staff working across its flower, plant and nursery divisions.
Butters has operated highly successfully in both the UK retail and home delivery markets, developing strong partnerships with major high street supermarkets and DIY outlets such as Marks & Spencer, J Sainsbury, Waitrose, ASDA, Wilko and B&Q.
Flamingo's MD David Brown said: "We are extremely excited by this acquisition. We believe it is a complementary fit to our existing horticulture business and will allow us to take a step forward in growing the Flamingo horticulture group as a whole."
Commenting on Blake Morgan's involvement, Andy Coaten, who will remain as Managing Director at Butters, said: “Blake Morgan supported the management team with both excellent legal and commercial advice through the sales process and were integral in helping deliver a successful outcome.”
Steve Phillips, Financial Director at Butters, added: "I cannot compliment the Blake Morgan team highly enough for their hard work and professional diligence.Their ability to deal with the “odd curve ball” was exemplary and they kept the management and board on track to deliver a successful outcome for all."
James Hawkeswood (pictured), head of Blake Morgan’s South Coast Corporate team, who led the legal team working on the transaction, said: “This was a great deal for a very successful company whose management team is clearly top-drawer.
“They were a pleasure to work with, and I for one will think of them every time I walk into the supermarket! We wish the enlarged group every success for the future.”
Blake Morgan has an international portfolio of multi-national client companies (public and private), SMEs, owner managed businesses and start-ups with a need for high-quality corporate and M&A support and advice. The corporate team is acknowledged within the legal industry and in the independent legal directories, for providing a first-class level of service across a wide range of transactions including mergers, acquisitions, sales, private equity and joint ventures.
|
|
Castle Gardens flourishes at The Greatest Awards
Receiving recognition for going above and beyond to make a difference within the industry, Sherborne-based Castle Gardens has been presented with a Silver award in The Greatest Plant Retailing Team category at GTN’s Greatest Awards...
Receiving recognition for going above and beyond to make a difference within the industry, Sherborne-based Castle Gardens has been presented with a Silver award in The Greatest Plant Retailing Team category at GTN’s Greatest Awards.
Nicky Cartwright (front centre) from Castle Garden, says; “We really pride ourselves on our knowledge, enthusiasm and friendly service, so to have this recognised at Glee is wonderful. Our team works so hard to make gardening more accessible for all, whether it’s widening the variety of plants available, giving gardening talks or holding events, and awards like this will only spur them on!”
The awards ceremony took place on Tuesday 12 September at the Glee Show, the UK’s largest garden and outdoor living trade show, held at the NEC in Birmingham between Monday 11 and Wednesday 13 September.
Picture caption: The Castle Gardens team with their silver certificate, awarded in The Greatest Plant Retailing Team category at the Glee Awards.
|
|
Christmas opened at Baytree Garden Centre on Thursday evening last week with a fundraising event for South Holland PhaB.
"This year we built our Christmas Displays behind curtains for the first time so that we could have a great reveal on our Christmas opening night," General manager Nigel Wallis told GTN Xtra.
"The response has been fantastic and it's great to see so much being purchased from the displays this evening at the same time as raising money for a great local cause."
Who will be The Greatest Garden Centre Teams of 2017?
Find out who the winners are of GTN's Greatest Garden Care Sales Team, Customer Service Team, Merchandising Team and the overall Greatest Garden Centre teams of 2017 after dinner at the HTA Garden Futures Conference on Wednesday next week...
Find out who the winners are of GTN's Greatest Garden Care Sales Team, Customer Service Team, Merchandising Team and the overall Greatest Garden Centre teams of 2017 after dinner at the HTA Garden Futures Conference on Wednesday next week.
After a summer of visits to garden centres nominated in all of the catering, plant sales, outdoor leisure and garden retailing categories the team of GTN judges have made their final decisions on who should be crowned this years winners.
All will be revealed after dinner on Wednesday 4th October at Heythrop Park, Enstone, Oxfordshire.
The winners come from the following list of finalists across all of the GTN Greatest Awards categories for 2017:
- Altons
- Aylett Nurseries
- Barton Grange
- Baytree
- Bents
- Birkacre
- Blue Diamond Group
- Burston
- Castle Gardens
- Chessington
- Christies Fochabers
- Coolings
- Coolings Green & Pleasant
- Cowells
- Fresh@Burcot
- Fron Goch
- Glyndwr Plant Centre
- Green Pastures
- Hayes Garden World
- Hillmount
- Hillview Studley
- Langlands Leeds
- Mains of Drum
- Millbrook Gravesend
- Notcutts Woodford Park
- Perrywood
- Planters Tamworth
- Poplars
- Scotsdales
- Shackletons
- Squires Badshot Lea
- Squires Chertsey
- Stewarts Christchurch
- Stratford Garden Centre
- Strikes Garforth
- Summerhill
- Webbs Wychbold
- Whitehall Lacock
To book your place at conference and for the dinner click here
|
|
Nicholas Marshall, CEO of Dobbies Garden Centres, has joined the line-up for the HTA Garden Futures Conference, sponsored by Hozelock, which takes place on Wednesday 4 October at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire.
With over 30 years’ experience in the garden centre sector Nicholas founded and built two garden centre chains, Country Gardens PLC and Country Homes and Gardens PLC. He was also CEO of Wyevale Garden Centres for four years, taking it from near administration to a successful sale for £300m.
Nicholas will be interviewed by conference host, journalist and news presenter Cathy Newman who will quiz him on his views on topics such as the future of the industry, the potential impact of Brexit, changing demographics and the consumer and the impact of technology within retail.
Garden retail – the great escape – is the theme for this year’s HTA Garden Futures Conference and Dinner which is aimed at all those from across the garden industry from business owners to directors and managers.
The theme of this year’s one-day strategic event reflects the role of both gardens and garden centres as an escape and focuses on the benefits, positive role and unique opportunities that this provides for the industry. It also tackles key issues impacting the sector such as Xylella fastidiosa.
Also, joining the programme is Rachel Lund from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Rachel heads up the BRC’s Insight and Analytics team and is responsible for all of the BRC’s data gathering and market analysis activities including the Retail Sales and Footfall Monitors.
Josh McBain from the Foresight Factory will present on The Ageless Society demonstrating how the changing demographic provides a huge opportunity for the garden industry with a big focus on experiences rather than material objects.
Jack Stratten from Insider Trends will look at technology in retail, highlighting the way in which developments can help to free up time to spend with customers.
Professor Alistair Griffiths from the RHS will look at the role of gardens, gardening and horticulture, ensuring that humans don’t lose touch with nature and how it can be used to provide preventative natural health and wellbeing care services.
In a session sponsored by Fiskars, botanist, science writer and broadcaster James Wong will be looking at how engaging with your outdoor space could dramatically improve your health and the way in which garden centres can utilise cross-category merchandising to help illustrate the benefit of plants.
In a session titled ‘Give Room to Nature’ Harald Elderenbosch, owner and managing director of Elho, explores how they use consumer and lifestyle trends to help shape their strategy.
Following on from the Retail Lab @ Glee there will be a Retail Lab @ Garden Futures panel session looking at what the future holds for future retail environments and how retailers can use innovative ways of illustrating lifestyle themes.
Ensuring the sector is kept up to date with key issues, there will be a cross industry panel to discuss the threat of Xylella fastidiosa and the mitigating action required to protect the industry. Chaired by HTA Past President Adam Wigglesworth this panel session involves Colin Dale from Notcutts, Andy Smith from Klondyke Group, Jonathan Whitmore from Johnsons of Whixley, Dan Munro from APHA and Boyd Douglas-Davies from Hillview Garden Centres.
The conference is followed by the Garden Futures dinner which includes the presentation of the HTA Pearson Memorial Medal and GTN's Greatest Garden Retailing Team Awards, followed by an after dinner speaker.
Make sure you don’t miss out! Book your place now at www.hta.org.uk/gardenfutures
#HTAFutures
|
|
Journalist and news presenter, Cathy Newman, will host the action-packed day – using her journalistic skills to ask questions and provide comment throughout the day. As well as presenting the news she has also led the broadcaster’s FactCheck Blog separating the truth from the spin in Westminster and appeared as a guest panelist on Have I Got News For You.
 Rachel Lund from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will look at what both a challenging market environment and rapidly shifting consumer behaviour means for the UK’s garden retailers. Through interpreting the data from a number of sources, she will look at how both financial and technological pressures are driving fundamental change in the industry, bringing both obstacles and opportunities. Rachel heads up the BRC’s Insight and Analytics team and is responsible for all of the BRC’s data gathering and market analysis activities including the Retail Sales and Footfall Monitors.
Josh McBain from the Foresight Factory will present on The Ageless Society demonstrating how the changing demographic provides a huge opportunity for the garden industry with a big focus on experiences rather than material objects.
Jack Stratten from Insider Trends will look at technology in retail, highlighting the way in which developments can help to free up time to spend with customers. Tomorrow's leading retailers will behave more like tech companies than retail companies. Jack's presentation will look at how tech is changing retailers' ecosystems, the operational side of businesses and how it can improve the store experience. The retailers who make the most of tech will create businesses that are easier to run, connect with customers in more human ways than ever - and supercharge their profits.
Professor Alistair Griffiths from the RHS will look at the role of gardens, gardening and horticulture, ensuring that humans don’t lose touch with nature and how it can be used to provide preventative natural health and wellbeing care services. In a rapidly urbanising world, gardens, gardening and horticulture had a key role to play in ensuring that humans don’t lose touch with nature. Professor Alistair Griffiths will draw attention to horticulture potential in supporting environmental resilience and in providing preventative natural health and wellbeing care services.
To book your place at Garden Futures click here
|
|
Tom Heap, who presents the investigations on Countryfile, revealing the hidden depths of current rural and environment stories and is also the principal voice of ‘Costing the Earth’ on Radio 4, the nation’s only dedicated environment series will be the after dinner speaker at Garden Futures next week.
After spending his childhood in the small East-Midlands county of Rutland, Tom Heap’s devotion to rural issues saw him work his way up from soundman at Sky News to Rural Affairs correspondent at the BBC.
Tom will enlighten us with tales from his journalistic and broadcasting career which include BBC Radio 4’s Costing the Earth and Panorama. He also led a broadcasting team covering the 50th anniversary of the ascent of Mount Everest, and hosted a series of live broadcasts from base camp. A skilled investigative journalist, Tom has covered many notable topics for Countryfile, including an interview with Princess Anne on the controversial debate over badger culling. He lives with his family in Warwickshire.
To book your place at the Garden Futures dinner click here.
|
|
Cross-category merchandising, lifestyle trends and Xylella fastidiosa will be hot topics
 
James Wong will be looking at how garden centres can utilise cross-category merchandising to help illustrate the benefit of plants, Harald Elderenbosch, owner and managing director of Elho, explores how they use consumer and lifestyle trends to help shape their strategy, plus panel sessions looking at what the future holds for future retail environments and how the threat of Xylella fastidiosa can be mitigated by the industry...
 In a session sponsored by Fiskars, botanist, science writer and broadcaster James Wong will be looking at how engaging with your outdoor space could dramatically improve your health and the way in which garden centres can utilise cross-category merchandising to help illustrate the benefit of plants.
 ‘Give Room to Nature’ presented by Harald Elderenbosch, owner and managing director of Elho, explores how they use consumer and lifestyle trends to help shape their strategy.
Following on from the Retail Lab @ Glee there will be a Retail Lab @ Garden Futures panel session looking at what the future holds for future retail environments and how retailers can use innovative ways of illustrating lifestyle themes.
Ensuring the sector is kept up to date with key issues, there will be a cross industry panel to discuss the threat of Xylella fastidiosa and the mitigating action required to protect the industry. Chaired by HTA Past President Adam Wigglesworth this panel session involves Colin Dale from Notcutts, Andy Smith from Klondyke Group, Jonathan Whitmore from Johnsons of Whixley, Dan Munro from APHA and Boyd Douglas-Davies from Hillview Garden Centres.
To book your place at Garden Futures click here
|
|
|
|
|
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
Chris Buck joins the Elho team
Elho welcomes Chris Buck to their UK sales team as representative for the Midlands. Chris joins Elho with nine years' experience in sales and customer development, previously working with the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company...
Elho welcomes Chris Buck to their UK sales team as representative for the Midlands. Chris joins Elho with nine years' experience in sales and customer development, previously working with the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.
Chris said, "I was attracted to working with Elho as they are the market leader in Europe and have a strong basis for expansion in the UK, achieving double digit growth year on year. The move also offers career progression, with more account responsibility.
"It was great to join the team at Glee last month and show existing and new customers our exciting innovations for 2018. My favourite has to be the Green Basics Grow House Flower Bridge, which won a Glee New Product and Consumer Choice Award. A great start with Elho!"
Chris is working with garden centres to find the right ranges, and most effective merchandising and point of sale to inspire consumers, all based on their individual customer demographics.
David Nicholson, Elho's Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland, says, "We are delighted to welcome Chris to the team and to have him on the Elho stand at Glee 2017. With his strong background in the garden industry, I look forward to working with Chris to widen Elho's reach into the UK market and build on our continuing success of previous years."
|
|
Former HTA PR executive Cassie King has joined Hornby Whitefoot PR as an account director. Cassie has a wealth of experience within the horticultural and garden retail market, having worked for the HTA for the past six years.  She will help the agency’s managing director Kimberley Hornby and PR account manager Robbie Cumming to develop and grow the success of PR strategies a string of brands, including Glee, GIMA, Garden Re-Leaf, Briers, Johnsons Lawn Seed, Deco-Pak and Smart Garden Products, amongst others.
Kimberley Hornby said: “Cassie joins us at a time of significant growth. Her knowledge and fervour for both the industry, and what we do as a business, is infectious and I have no doubt she is the right fit for both us, but more importantly for our clients.” Hornby Whitefoot PR focuses on the garden, home and lifestyle industries, with a particular specialism in the garden retail market. Information: email here or call 01604 373700.
|
|
Planters from Derby go big in Belgium
Eco-friendly self-watering planters made by Derbyshire based manufacturer Amberol have helped towns and cities across Belgium bloom throughout the summer while conserving water...
Eco-friendly self-watering planters made by Derbyshire based manufacturer Amberol have helped towns and cities across Belgium bloom throughout the summer while conserving water. The company’s planters can be found all across Belgium in public spaces, parks and shopping centres, helping to create eye-catching floral displays. Because they only need watering once a week even during the hotter months, councils and horticulturalists in Belgium have saved time and money on upkeep. The containers are made from recyclable polyethylene. Xavier Duhem, sales manager at Sanac, Amberol’s distributor in Belgium, says cities across the country are now opting for self-watering planters. “They realise that not only do they create the very best conditions for growing flowers and edible plants, but they also reduce the need for maintenance and conserve water all at the same time. Our customers have used them to create some truly stunning displays.” The containers can be found from La Roche in the west to La Louvière in the south east and Koksijde by the North Sea. Regions of the Belgian capital, Brussels, most notably Anderlecht and Uccle, have also been brightened up by displays in Smberol products. The self-watering system uses a built-in water reservoir with a series of capillaries to ‘suck up’ the water, which is dispersed via an expander pad. Because the water is stored under the soil, it doesn’t evaporate, whatever the weather conditions. “The most popular products this year include the cup and saucer hanging baskets and the tiered planters which our customers like because they are easy to plant and have a large water reservoir, making them really easy to maintain even when the weather is hot and dry as it has been this year,” adds Xavier. Sanac’s largest customer in Belgium is Bota-Concept, which offers turnkey projects to cities aiming to increase the amount of green space in urban areas. The self-watering tiered fountains and floor standing planters are popular amongst the company’s city council clients, with around 200 self-watering containers supplied this year, including 150 tiered beehive planters. Bertrand Pettiaux from Bota-Concept said: “We plant up the tiered fountains and floor standing planters in our nursery and send them out once they are fully grown. We have had up to 45 degrees in the nursery early this summer and even in these extreme conditions we only watered them once a week.” Information: visit the website.
|
|
Dare to be different! HTA Marketing Forum speakers announced
Never has it been more important to stand out from the crowd. On Wednesday 15 November the HTA are holding a one-day Marketing Forum at Horticulture House, Oxfordshire, aimed at all those involved in marketing and public relations in the garden industry, bringing together experts from both inside and outside the industry...
Never has it been more important to stand out from the crowd. On Wednesday 15 November the HTA are holding a one-day Marketing Forum at Horticulture House, Oxfordshire, aimed at all those involved in marketing and public relations in the garden industry, bringing together experts from both inside and outside the industry.
The over 50s are the keenest gardeners of all and knowing how to communicate with them effectively is crucial to your marketing plans. Kevin Lavery from the Mature Marketing Association joins the line-up of speakers and will explore new ways of marketing specifically towards an older demographic.
Robin Moore of Robin Moore Consulting will look at branding – what it means and what it says about you. Mark Davies, Whistl will discuss the importance of direct mail and reaching valuable customers in your local area. Graham Paskett, Paskett PR will demonstrate the importance of PR and the positive impact it can have on your business.
David Denny, the HTA’s own Marketing and Insights Manager will highlight promotional ideas and activities you can take part in with the National Garden Gift Voucher and National Garden Gift Card schemes.
Other topics being covered during the event include the art of blogging and vlogging, social media advertising, an update on data protection and examples of marketing best practice from across the garden industry.
Places are limited and so book now to secure your spot! For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/marketingforum or call 0333 003 3550 or email events@hta.org.uk
|
|
DJ Turfcare launches new RHS range
DJ Turfcare – one of the UK’s most formidable suppliers of lawn care products – is excited to announce that it is launching its first-ever RHS endorsed range of chemical-free lawn fertiliser products...
 DJ Turfcare – one of the UK’s most formidable suppliers of lawn care products – is excited to announce that it is launching its first-ever RHS endorsed range of chemical-free lawn fertiliser products.
Made up of MO Bacter, Bio-Lime and Recovery, the range – created by Belgian lawn care experts, Viano, and distributed by DJ Turfcare in the UK – marks the first lawn care range of this type to receive endorsement from the Royal Horticulture Society.
The new RHS range will also be supported with newly designed packaging. Featuring a prominent RHS logo, the packaging has been designed to entice consumers at the point of purchase.
David Jenkins, Managing Director at DJ Turfcare, said: “We are incredibly excited to be launching this RHS endorsed range to the market. We have worked hard with our partners, Viano, to create products that deliver time and time again, and to receive recognition from the RHS has made the hard work even more worthwhile. But more importantly, we believe that receiving the RHS endorsement will also be of significant benefit to retailers. The RHS is a highly regarded and recognisable body, and will offer consumers peace of mind and confidence when buying products that are endorsed by them, ultimately boosting sales.”
About the range
DJ Turfcare’s new RHS endorsed range will include three chemical-free lawn fertiliser products - MO Bacter, Bio-Lime and Recovery. Here we find out a little more about the products themselves.
MO Bacter is an organic-based, slow release fertiliser for lawns, which destroys moss as secondary action. It is easily spread, contains no chemicals, is also pet and child-friendly, and is designed to not harm plants and shrubs.
The second product in the range is Bio-Lime, which combats the acidic and sour conditions that can be an ideal environment for moss to thrive, by ‘sweetening’ the soil to raise its pH. Bio-Lime also contains magnesium, which helps the lawn to maintain its colour throughout the cold winter months, making it the ideal year-round lawn treatment.
The final product on offer is Recovery. Recovery has been created for those moments when lawns need sprucing up. An organic fertiliser, containing a number of effective ingredients – including Humifirst, a unique ingredient that creates biological activity and acts as a plant growth stimulant – Recovery is perfect for use before laying turf, seeding or as an autumn lawn feed. The lawn develops hardwearing characteristics after application, making Recovery the top choice for use after drought, areas of high footfall and after the scarification process. Like the other products in the range, Recovery is also pet and child-friendly.
Find out more
To find out more about DJ Turfcare’s RHS endorsed range visit www.djturfcare.co.uk or by call 01483 200976.
|
|
|
|
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
|
|
UK's biggest food-to-go trade show welcomes 6,304 attendees to its new ExCeL London venue.
lunch! celebrated its tenth anniversary in style last week - with its biggest ever edition enjoying a record turnout for another successive year. Over 6,300 food-to-go operators, retailers and caterers packed the aisles at ExCeL London, over 21-22 September, to see and sample the next-wave of NPD from 335 leading exhibitors.
The 7% increase in total attendance included a significant 17% rise in the number of big spenders (buyers with over £5m of purchasing power) at the show.
Among them were key decision makers from well-known brands including Aramark, BaxterStorey, Bidfood, Booker, BP, Brakes, Caff? Nero, Center Parcs, Coffee Republic, Compass Group, Co-op, Costa, EasyJet, EAT., Elior, Gate Gourmet, Greggs, Harrods, Holland & Barrett, itsu, LEON, Lidl, M&S, McDonald's, Merlin Entertainments, Morrisons, National Trust, Nisa, Ocado, P&O Ferries, Pod, Pret, Sainsbury's, Sodexo, SPAR, SSP, Starbucks, Subway, Tesco, Virgin Trains, Waitrose, and WHSmith.
The visitor list also included over 1,800 independent cafés, coffee houses, sandwich shops, bakeries and delis, who travelled from across the UK and Ireland for their 'best lunch! yet'.
The industry's favourite show
It's a testament to lunch!'s continuing success, that it's known throughout the food-to-go sector as the 'go to' show for discovering innovative new ideas and concepts that you won't see anywhere else. It's a strong USP backed by a bank of glowing testimonials, which get better with each passing year.
"lunch! certainly celebrated its 10th birthday in style, it was the biggest and best yet! So many amazing exhibitors, exciting product innovations and passionate people, it's definitely a must in the diary," says independent consultant Hannah Hughes, who has worked with Harris + Hoole and SSP.
"lunch! 2017 was the best yet. It's a really valuable opportunity for our buying, technical and development teams to catch up with existing suppliers but also to check out up and coming brands and products," says Victoria Green, buying manager at Waitrose.
"lunch! is a key date in the diary for the food-to-go and the coffee shop sector. It is great to see so much innovation from such passionate people under one roof and to celebrate the industry we work in," says Hannah McKay, head of food & beverage at Caffè Nero.
"This was my first trip to lunch! and it was brilliant. It was really great to see so many young entrepreneurs driving their brands and businesses forward with true passion and energy for all things food. It was a great opportunity to network with aspiring businesses, as well as well-developed brands. I would highly recommend anyone within the food-to-go sector to visit lunch!" says Joe Langfield, category buying manager at EAT.
"After visiting lunch! for ten years, I still find it the most inspiring event in our industry. It has become the must visit show for me every year," says Adrian Liddiment, head of UK and international operations at Coffee Republic.
It is thanks to this 'incredible' industry support, says the organiser, that lunch! 2017 was a record-breaker in every respect. From its record headline attendance figures, to a record number of exhibitors rebooking onsite, to the record amount of stand space already reserved for 2018.
"We're delighted to have just had our biggest, busiest and best lunch! yet," says group event director Chris Brazier.
"The comments we've received about the incredible atmosphere at our new venue have been overwhelmingly positive - there was such a fantastic 'buzz' across the show floor throughout the two days. We'd like to say a big thank you to all the exhibitors, visitors and partners that supported us this year, and over the last ten years. Here's to an even bigger and better lunch! in 2018, and the next ten years!" he says.
"The new home of ExCeL is the perfect space for this on trend, innovative and brilliant event," agrees Sandy Anderson, senior buyer at Elior. "lunch! is deservedly successful and definitely not one to miss."
A regular show visitor (since 2008), Anderson is one of many thousands of attendees already planning to make a date with lunch! 2018. Many of this year's lunch! exhibitors will also be back at the show in 2018, with a record 66% having already rebooked their stands. They include UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, URBAN eat, Bord Bia, Magrini, Vantastic, Kavis, The Handmade Cake Company, Planday, The Collective, The Exploding Bakery, Hippeas, Jake and Nayns, Little Moons, Born Tasty, Mallow & Marsh, and Overhang Drinks.
"lunch! is by far the best exhibition that we have attended. The professionalism and organisation are unequaled on every level. If we were only ever going to attend one show again, it would be lunch!" says Stephen Wilkinson, MD of Overhang Drinks.
Keynote highlights
Alongside the show's bustling exhibition, the two Keynote Theatres were a hive of activity throughout. Highlights included standing-room only sessions by leading industry operators - Rachel Chatterton (Starbucks), Josh Brown (Harris + Hoole), Neil Littler (Tim Hortons), Louise Pilkington (Compass Group), Will Cole (Pret A Manger), and Kirsty Saddler (LEON).
There were exclusive interview sessions featuring Roger Whiteside (Greggs), Andrew Walker (EAT.), Paul Ettinger (Caffè Nero), and celebrity chef Theo Randall.
Plus, Simon Stenning (MCA), Cyril Lavenant (The NPD Group), Jamie Campbell (CGA), Emma Read (Lucid Perspectives), and Gavin Rothwell (IGD) delivered essential food-to-go market updates and overviews of the latest trends to watch.
Innovation Challenge Awards - results
Designed to promote and celebrate new ideas in the market place, the prestigious Innovation Challenge Awards, attracted nearly 70 entries this year. Fifteen finalists (chosen by popular visitor vote on opening day) took turns to impress the judges in the live pitching session on Friday 22 September.
Those judges included Paul Ettinger (Caffè Nero), Guy Meakin (Pret A Manger), Martin Hambleton (En Route International), Louise Direito (Krispy Crème), Angelina Harrisson (Tossed), Sandy Anderson (Elior), Neville Moon (The NPD Kitchen), freelance innovation and development specialist Hannah Hughes, independent NPD consultant Jane Treasure, chef and restaurant consultant Jay Morjaria, and Alan Tomlins (Small Batch Coffee Roasters); who commented that lunch! was "a unique chance to meet trendsetters and innovators in food-to-go".
They selected four exhibiting companies for prestigious gold awards, six were awarded silver, and five took home the bronze.
Gold:
- The Collective: The Collective Pro-yo Berries
- Jake and Nayns: Jake and Nayns Naanster
- Little Moons Mochi: Black Espresso mochi ice-cream
- Tuk Tuk Chai: Tuk Tuk Chai
Silver:
- Born Tasty: Snackamolé
- Frill the Frozen Smoothie: Refreshing Green Frill
- MiiRO: MiiRO
- Mr Lee's Noodles: Mr Lee's Noodles
- POPS: Premium Popsicles: PIMM'S POPS
- Tri-Star Packaging: Gourmet 24.7T
Bronze:
- Big Al's Foodservice: The Prime Burger
- Karma Cola UK: Sugar Free Karma Cola
- The Little Treats Bakery: Little Chums Shortcake Biscuits
- Nibble Protein Bites: Nibble Protein Bites: SOUR CHERRY with a hint of orange
- Ugly Drinks: Ugly Triple Berry Flavoured Sparkling Water
Save the date for 2018
lunch! will return to ExCeL London on 20-21 September 2018. For further information, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk
Booking for new exhibitors opens at 10am on 17 October. Please contact lunch! sales manager Chrissie Smedley on 01273 645137 or CSmedley@divcom.co.uk
|
|
|
|
