The jury in the trial of Cumbria gadren centre boss Thomas Hayes, accused of lying in an attempt to avoid a drink-driving conviction, has been dramatically discharged for a second time.

The Garden Centre Group has announced the appointment of Steve Masters as Estates Director, effective from Monday (27 January).

Steve joins from Gap Inc. where he has worked most recently as Vice President International Real Estate, Store Development and Strategic Alliances.

Prior to that, Steve worked at ASDA Wal-Mart as Director of Retail Development, and has previously undertaken a number of senior roles across other well-known retailers including Thresher Group, Polo Ralph Lauren, The Walt Disney Company and Burton Group, in each case, having had responsibility for managing and developing a broad portfolio of retail sites.

Kevin Bradshaw, CEO of The Garden Centre Group, said: “Steve has an excellent track record and will be a great addition to The Garden Centre Group as we continue to expand our estate and invest in our existing centres.

"I believe we start 2014 with a very experienced and capable senior leadership team and I am excited about our ambitious plans for the year ahead.”

There are 139 garden centres in The Garden Centre Group, including Blooms Garden Centres, Country Gardens and Wyevale Garden Centres, all of which are located throughout the country.

Last week, GTN Xtra exclsuively reported that TGCG's centres were now closing at 5pm instead of 6pm, which caused dismay through the industry. If you missed the story read it by clicking here.

GIMA, the garden industry trade association who brought the unique Innovators Zone and the Buyer Connect concepts to Glee, has seen eight new members join its ranks in recent weeks...

The new members are:

• Zest4Leisure, manufacturers of timber fencing, trellis and other products for the garden
• Greenhouse Sensation, who have an innovative range of propagation products and an ever extending range of other products to help gardeners achieve success
• WCF Ltd,  who are leading packaging and supply chain managers, specialising in seed potatoes, plants and bulbs
• FCL Global Forwarding, a multi-modal logistics provider specialising in moving products for customers by sea, air, road or rail
• Textice Ltd, suppliers of some innovative plant support products including spirals and pot hangers.Textice also have the unique BIG moss product that is proving popular with many garden retailers and gardeners 
• Kontrol UK Ltd, who sell humidity control products to the DIY and garden retailers along with a range of air care and pest control products, including the Waspinator which GIMA helped bring to the market place with David Domoney
• Popadome, who launched at the Glee Innovators Zone in 2013 and have recorded some successful sales with Dobbies Garden Centres amongst other contacts made at the show with their unique Fruit and Vegetable protection system
• Woodstream Europe Ltd, who have a 150-year heritage of manufacturing and supplying under well known brand names products as varied as pest control, bird foods and garden décor products.   

GIMA Director Neil Gow says these companies recognise the value of membership of the association and the benefits it can bring to their business in a variety of ways.

He continued: "FCL Global Forwarding is perhaps the most exciting for our existing members. It just underlines the diverse way GIMA seeks to help its members.

"FCL Global Forwarding is a multi-modal logistics provider specialising in moving products for customers by sea, air, road or rail.

"By combining some competitive pricing and a personalised service, they offer a truly unique proposition. I feel members have the opportunity to get a better price and a better service than they perhaps get from their current shipping company.”        

Full details of these members, all the GIMA member companies and their services are available on the GIMA website – www.gima.org.uk or by contacting neilgow@gima.org.uk

This time last year we had snow on the ground and we published a one-off Winter Products Bestsellers chart. This year, while being wet, it has been unseasonally warm with sales, particularly of garden products and in restaurants, are benefitting big time. 

As you’ll see from the GTN Bestsellers year-on-year and year-to-date variances in this issue, we’re off to a great start to 2014.  But how ready are you for what lies next? How fast are you getting the centre turned round from ‘Christmas shop’ back to garden centre and how are you inspiring your customers to spend money during the winter months?

The team at Perrywood Garden Centre in Essex are well prepared. When GTN visited them last Sunday (January 19) we were greeted by immaculate, bright and inspiring Spring and Summer colour themes for home and garden (see pictures).

They may not have all of their garden furniture out on display, but there was plenty of stock for customers to browse and the planteria was full of plants.

If you’re ready for the new season already, send us pictures of your entrance displays and we’ll share them with other GTN Bestsellers readers. Email images to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year:

• Garden Products – up 153%
• Veg 2 Gro – up 80%
• Growing Media – up 224%
• All items index – up 87%

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business.  Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Deco-Pak has confirmed that the company has recently completed the acquisition of the Living Stone national sales team, following the announcement that Living Stone had gone into administration.

The Living Stone sales team join Deco-Pak with a wealth of knowledge and experience of the gardening industry, helping to further enhance the company’s market-leading offering.  The expansion of the team will also see Deco-Pak’s national coverage strengthened as the additional team members join the existing field sales representatives on the road.

Joining the Deco-Pak ‘family’ will be Neville and Karen Murphy, Chris and Allan Gage, David Stone, Richard Barrow, Michael Nottage, Steve Wilkie, Gary Martin and Michael Brydon.

The new collaboration coincides with Deco-Pak’s wider business development plans, which includes the company’s move into new premises.  Made up of 14 acres, and including two acres of indoor storage and an executive suite of offices, the new site fits with Deco-Pak’s long-term development goals. 

Craig Hall, Marketing Director for Deco-Pak, said: “The acquisition of the Living Stone team marks an exciting time for Deco-Pak, and highlights our ongoing business development plans.  We’re delighted to welcome the team on board, and have no doubt that their combined knowledge and expertise of our industry will enhance our already successful customer service offering and company as a whole.”

To find out more about Deco-Pak and its market-leading product offering including aggregates, paving, decorative accents, and the newly launched Garden Bazaar range of bird houses and feeders, please log onto www.deco-pak.co.uk or call (01422) 204 394.

A new garden centre, nestled within the grounds of Galgorm Castle and Golf Club, Ballymena, County Antrim, has created 60 new jobs for residents in the surrounding area...

Creative Gardens, which was set up over 30 years ago by Diana Gass, with two existing garden centre locations in Donaghadee and Bushmills.

The Gass family will be opening the new 32,000 sq ft garden centre and cafe at Galgorm in the coming weeks, where it will employ 60 full and part time staff, with roles including horticultural experts, chefs, bakers and part time students.

Recruitment for the new positions took place over the Christmas period and in to early New Year, and staff are now set for the official opening of the centre, which will take place on February 14.

Philip Gass, company director, said: “It is a very exciting time for Creative Gardens, and we are absolutely delighted to be opening a centre in the Galgorm area. Christopher Brooke, who is an owner at Galgorm Castle Estates, approached us about three years ago, and we jumped at the chance to open a centre within the beautiful grounds that the Estate has to offer.

“This is a significant and exciting move in our plan to expand our existing business, and we are really looking forward to welcoming all members of the local community through our doors once we open this February.”

Creative Gardens specialise in all year round, colourful plants for both the experienced gardener and beginner alike. Plants are complemented by a huge range of garden accessories, giftware and interiors, with a highlight of the Creative Gardens calendar being their annual Christmas shop.

In addition to the main shop at Creative Gardens, the new centre at Galgorm will also include one of the business’s popular cafes, offering the best in home style cooking and baking.

Mr Gass, who works alongside family members Oliver and Jenny, and mother Diana, added: “We pride ourselves in the fact that we are a local, family run company, who employ local people and source local products where at all possible. We are looking forward to a very bright future here, and will do our best to enhance the already wonderful atmosphere at Galgorm.”

After a challenging 2013, Sinclair will focus on consumer marketing, continuing modernisation and improved efficiencies to turn the company's fortunes around in 2014, says new CEO Peter Rush.

Announcing preliminary result for the year ending last September, Rush said the development of the company's new Ellesmere Port manufacturing facility would be speeded up as Sinclair looked top reduce its reliance on peat, and boost production of peat-free and reduced peat growing media. All production of the wood-based SuperFyba ingredient is now based at the new plant.

Sinclair made a pre-tax loss of £1.2m (compared to a modest profit of £0.5m for 2012), on reduced revenue of £46.5m (down 3%) - as a result, said Rush, the board were recommending a full-year dividend of 3p (4.5p in 2012).

Poor weather leading to reduced sales, resistance to price increases from professional growers, a poor 2012 peat harvest and SuperFyba production difficulties (since solve) had all impacted on revenue.

Rush estimated that, following a better harvest last year and increased investment in their Scottish peat bogs, peat stocks were now sufficient for the next two seasons.

Another blow during the year was the withdrawal, at short notice, by their previously supportive bank of expected additional borrowing, creating cash-flow problems and forcing the company to raise £8.2m from alternative investors. 

During 2014, Rush said, the business will become more consumer focussed by investing in and re-positioning its brands as well as a programme of new product development, based on consumer-driven innovation.

Hollywood star Jude Law and Dr Who actor David Tennant have joined the growing list of household-name celebrities to support Garden Re-Leaf Day’s popular Gardening Quiz, by recording a round of questions.  The brain-teasing audio quiz is available as a customer event opportunity to any garden centre taking part in the annual fund-raising day in March.

The two stars join Skyfall’s ‘Miss Moneypenny’, actress Naomie Harris – currently on cinema screens as Winnie Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom – in presenting a section of the questions.  EastEnders cast members Danny Dyer (new Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter) and Patsy Palmer (fiery market trader Bianca Butcher) have also lent their familiar voices to the quiz, in addition to a round recorded by impressionist Alistair McGowan – in the vocal style of celebrities John Humphrys, David Mitchell, Matt Baker, Dara Ó Briain and Stephen Fry.

David Tennant, Naomie Harris and Alistair McGowan have agreed to support Garden Re-Leaf Day’s popular Gardening Quiz.

The quiz – which includes both general knowledge and gardening rounds – can be ordered by all retailers, suppliers and other organisations participating in Garden Re-Leaf Day; with funds raised going towards its chosen charity, Greenfingers. The production of the quiz and accompanying CDs are being provided by Garden Radio, as part of its support for Garden Re-Leaf Day.

The quiz is also a ready-made opportunity to boost customer footfall, as Garden Re-Leaf Day’s founder and Hillview Garden Centre CEO Boyd Douglas-Davies explains: “We’re enormously grateful that so many mainstream stars have supported this year’s Garden Re-Leaf Day quiz – it will be more popular than ever!  It’s a simple way for retailers both to take part in Garden Re-Leaf, and attract scores of customers in-store at the start of the spring gardening season.  You can make the event even more effective by running other sales promotions, refreshments and fund-raisers alongside. The organiser’s pack costs just £100 and is available by calling 01993 871456 or emailing pat@gca.org.uk”

Garden centres and suppliers across the UK are expected to take part in the third annual Garden Re-Leaf Day, held on Friday 14 March 2014 and across the weekend. Participants – who can run any number of nationally-coordinated or local fund-raising initiatives – are being urged to register their involvement as soon as possible by emailing the organising team at info@gardenreleaf.co.uk with an overview of your planned activities.  Your location and events will then be added to the Garden Re-Leaf Day website: www.gardenreleaf.co.uk.

As in its first two years, Garden Re-Leaf Day’s nominated charity in 2014 is Greenfingers; the nationwide charity dedicated to building gardens in children’s hospices around the UK. Since 2012 Garden Re-Leaf Day participants have raised more than £116,000 for the cause; enabling several life-enhancing hospice gardens to be created.    

In December it was announced that garden centres taking part in Garden Re-Leaf Day can also win a ‘money-can’t buy’, footfall-boosting visit to their garden centre by popular ITV gardener David Domoney on Sunday 16 March 2014 (the Sunday immediately after Garden Re-Leaf Day). David is offering a series of 30-minute expert talks on that date to the garden centre that wins Garden Re-Leaf Day’s new, free to enter ‘Gardening Date with David’ competition – which has a closing date of Friday 7 February 2014.

Any garden retailer registering their participation in Garden Re-Leaf Day by 7 February is eligible to enter. To register for Garden Re-Leaf Day and enter the ‘Gardening Date with David’ competition, email info@gardenreleaf.co.uk by 7 February with your garden centre details, also stating in 200 words or less, how you would make the most of David’s visit on 16 March as part of Garden Re-Leaf Day.  The best idea wins him.

TV presenter and gardening journalist Richard Jackson, an active supporter of both Greenfingers and Garden Re-Leaf Day, confirmed: “The quiz and David Domoney competition are both fantastic, easy ways of taking part in Garden Re-Leaf Day this year; benefiting both your business and the Greenfingers charity. Everyone wins, so let’s make this a record-breaking year!”

Garden centres have just a few days left to win a footfall-boosting, on-site appearance by ITV gardener David Domoney during Garden Re-Leaf weekend.  

In support of Garden Re-Leaf Day, David is offering a series of free, 30-minute expert talks on Sunday 16th March to the garden centre that wins the ‘Gardening Date with David’ competition – which has a closing date of Friday 7^th February..

Any garden retailer registering their participation in Garden Re-Leaf Day by 7th February can enter. Once registered at www.gardenreleaf.co.uk, simply enter the competition by emailing info@gardenreleaf.co.uk, including your full contact details and saying, in 200 words or less, how you would make the most of David’s visit on 16th March as part of your Garden Re-Leaf Day events.  The best idea wins his visit.

Carol Paris, HTA Chief Executive, commented:  “I think it’s fabulous that David has offered his time to a retailer as part of Garden Re-Leaf.  When I was at The Garden & Leisure Group, David came to give a talk at one of our centres for Garden Re-Leaf that was extremely well received, drove a lot of footfall and was good for business.  His enthusiasm about gardening really comes across, and we had some great feedback from the day.”

The competition winner will be notified by 12th February, allowing time to publicise David’s visit to customers. 

The winner can also liaise with David to choose the topic of the talks.  Organisers request that the winning retailer makes David’s visit a ticketed event, with proceeds going towards Garden Re-Leaf Day’s nominated charity for 2014, the Greenfingers ‘Rosy Cheeks’ appeal – the nationwide charity dedicated to building gardens in children’s hospices around the UK.

Expert ITV gardener David is currently on our screens co-presenting ITV’s prime time gardening show, Love Your Garden, and is one of the most decorated garden designers in the UK having won 27 Royal Horticultural Society medals.  He is an active supporter of Garden Re-Leaf Day, and is launching his second Cultivation Street campaign – a national, joint community gardens initiative with the HTA – during Garden Re-Leaf weekend. 

Garden Re-Leaf Day’s founder and Hillview Garden Centre CEO Boyd Douglas-Davies added: “Our thanks go to David for donating his time for free for this fantastic competition.  We’re also reminding all garden retailers to register their participation in Garden Re-Leaf Day now, and start planning their activities.  It’s the epitome of a fun, fund-raising day, combined with real retail benefits.”

Garden Re-Leaf Day, the garden industry’s annual, season-starting charity fund-raising day, takes place on Friday 14th March and across the weekend, raising money for charity whilst launching the garden retailing season. Hundreds of retailers nationwide are expected to run fund-raisers and customer activities as part of the event.  

Many suppliers are also offering special Garden Re-Leaf Day product and plant promotions to help retailers raise further funds through sales.  Since 2012 Garden Re-Leaf Day participants have raised more than £116,000 for the cause; enabling several life-enhancing hospice gardens to be created.  

Get involved

• Visit www.gardenreleaf.co.uk and follow @GardenReLeaf on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates
• To enter the free, ‘Gardening Date with David’ competition email info@gardenreleaf.co.uk by 7th February
• To run the Garden Re-Leaf Day ‘Celebrity Gardening Quiz’ at your site, order an organiser’s pack (£100) from 0118 930 8918 or email pat@gca.org.uk

There isn’t any snow this week so it’s a very different picture to this time last year. Then it was snow shovels and houseplant-related products making the headlines, this year it’s novelty solar garden lights and outdoor gardening products dominating the GTN Bestsellers Top 20.

Five solar light items feature in the Top 10 with Smart Solar Happy Chicks being the highest new entry at No 7, and joining the Bright Eye Baby Penguin (No 1) and Polar Bear (No 6) in the chart.

High volume sales of Brintons Mould Magic and Deck and Fence Magic show that custoimers are getting on with garden tidying tasks before any bad weather arrives.

And sales of strawbery planters, herb planting bags, Gro Char soil improver and kneeler pads mean you should be pushing your early-bird gardening sales as the keener gardeners are itching to get on with things. The highest climber is Gardman Strawberry Planter (green), moving up 30 places to No 16.

As you’d expect in January, sales of gardening gloves are pouring through the tills. 

This week there are 10 glove lines in the chart.  Highest placed are twin packs of Gardman Ladies Work gloves.

Six of the 10 bestselling glove lines this week are from Gardman. This time last year Town & Country had five lines in the Top 50 compared to one from Gardman.

See the full GTN Garden Products Bestsellers Chart here.  Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business.  Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Plans for a new housing development on land owned by Frosts Garden Centre have been submitted to Wavendon Parish Council.

The proposal, for 53 ‘high quality, low density houses’, would be located in Wain Close, Wavendon, currently the base of Frosts Landscape Construction.

The 14.5 acre site is used for storage and maintenance facilities, but Frosts say it has outgrown the facility and plans to re-locate to more modern industrial premises in Milton Keynes. The proposed housing development would help fund the relocation.

Frosts Garden Centre is run as a separate business and is not affected by the plans.

Ken White, managing director at Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd, said: “Several of the buildings at Wain Close are no longer fit for purpose.

“We are also taking on more staff, and the number of staff cars and heavy commercial vehicles will increase considerably, which makes Wain Close unsuitable, particularly because it is within a residential area.”

He added: “This is one of the company’s biggest investment plans since it was established 40 years ago.

“We have built a strong reputation and trusted brand while remaining a family focused and run company. Our proposals have been carefully considered in every aspect to take into account all sensitivities and we feel we have produced a workable solution.”

Frosts started its business in 1946 with the garden centre in Woburn Sands, while the landscape business has been running since 1974.

Recent projects have included the Olympic Park and athletes’ village for the 2012 London Olympics, and the Jubilee Gardens beside the London Eye.

Mr White added: “Our 40th year seems a pertinent time to announce plans for exciting growth and expansion and further promote the Frosts name as a growing company from Milton Keynes.”

David Hopkins, chairman of Wavendon Parish Council, said: “This is a purely speculative proposal and has no basis in planning terms. This site is deemed open countryside and is not in the core strategy for the future development of Milton Keynes.

“Wavendon is already doing its bit. It currently has 380 homes with future plans to build another 3,000 at three sites, including Glebe Farm and Eagle Farm.

“There are also plans to build 200 homes on the Nampak site in Woburn Sands.”

Frosts intend to submit a formal planning application to Milton Keynes Council in the spring.

The proposed plans for Wain Close can be viewed by visiting www.wainclosewavendon.co.uk

The Growing Media chart is showing some big sales increases on the same week last year – again, the reason being there is no snow on the ground, unlike 2013.

Seed composts are selling through as keen gardeners start sowing seeds indoors ready for the season to come. The highest re-entry in the chart is Scotts Levington John Innes Seed.

Expect Manure and soil conditioner sales to pick up if the warmer weather continues – customers will want to get food into their plots before they start planting in earnest.

Some of the best sales volume increases are the following:

• Scotts Levington Multipurpose Compost with John Innes (55 litres) returns to the Top 50.
• Westland Decorative Mini Bark (50 litres) is another product re-entering the chart.
• Arthur Bowers John Innes No 3 (20 litres) moves up 21 places after seeing 100% increase in sales.

See the full GTN Growing Media Bestsellers Chart here.  Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business.  Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Whilst the GTN Garden product chart shows customers to be more active than usual outdoors for the time of year, sales of seeds, onion sets and seed potatoes are still in sluggish mode according to the Epos data provided for the Veg 2 Gro chart.

Sales are up on last week and year to date but almost 50% down on the first three weeks of 2012 and 2011.  Let’s hope it’s possibly because veg plots are too wet to work on them just yet and not an indicator of lower sales to come.

At the top of the Veg 2 Gro chart are Stuttgarter Giant Onion Sets fromTaylors Bulbs, infact at numbers 1 and 3 with two different pack sizes.

Arran Pilot is the biggest selling seed potatoe by pack volumes.

Beetroot Rainbow Beet from T&M is outselling Beetroot Boltardy – that’s a first in the GTN Bestellers veg charts – watch this space ...

See the full GTN Veg 2 Gro Bestsellers Chart here.  Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business.  Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

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

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra printed newsletter and on the GTN website www.gardentradenews.co.uk.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2012 as well as 2013 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 upto date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, or subscribe on-line here

or e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

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

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

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

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