In This Issue
Glee 2024 – 50th anniversary event moves to September
Thousands of votes pour in for The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre Teams
GTN November 2023 - GIMA Awards Roll of Honour Issue
Stormy October sees modest growth in garden centre sales
Garden centre for sale after 40 years of family ownership
MP gets look at high-tech facilities at Hadlow College
HTA reaction to Autumn Budget
British Garden Centres unveil its Christmas themes
Top economist to share thoughts on inflation with garden centre industry
Spring Fair and Autumn Fair strengthens leadership team
Gardening expert Monty Don awarded Honorary Degree from University of Stirling  
Stars for Europe’s top 5 special care tips for retailers to maximise poinsettia sales in-store
Adventure play attraction reaches final of tourism award
Popcorn Kitchen – grasping the gifting nettle
Spring Fair's Community Team is your path to meeting new buyers
Home at Spring Fair creates the wow-factor
The complete Glee New Product Showcase Directory - GTN Magazine latest issue on-line now
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Get your copy of GTN Xtra
Last chance to reserve space on the British pavilion at Fruit Logistica
Free HR webinar for GCA members
Finalists revealed for APL Awards 2024
IPM Essen joins as Host Sponsor for the AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards
The best of last week's
New Finance Director joins the AMES Companies
Suppliers get influential at The Garden Media Guild Awards
Vitax appoints new North West area sales manager
Southern Trident continues to lead the way in environmental responsibility
Buy your subscription to the GTN Bestsellers printed weekly newsletter
Voting has started for The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre teams
Sponsors line up prizes for the winners of GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards
Situations Vacant
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
 

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

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HTA reaction to Autumn Budget

Fran Barnes, Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) Chief Executive, said: “Today’s Autumn Budget has acknowledged the need to support businesses to invest for the future. We welcome the response to our asks on Business Rates to ease the Spring cliff edge by extending small business and retail reliefs, full-expensing and measures to support the self-employed.

 

However, we cannot ignore that businesses across the UK horticulture industry have been feeling the mounting pressures of inflation, energy costs, skills shortages, regulatory changes, climate change, and fluctuating consumer confidence over many months. With this background, the near 10 per cent minimum wage hike is a new hurdle when businesses are already facing many workforce-related challenges.

 

“Access to a workforce is critical for UK horticulture. We must be able to benefit from the Autumn Statement commitments to increase apprenticeships in order to help us recruit for the evolving breadth of roles in our sector and the changing skills needs of the industry. Horticultural businesses also need to gain from the announced expedited planning processes so that the value of gardens and green spaces can be maximised in planning reform.

 

“When it comes to trade and borders, we are disappointed the Chancellor did not respond to the HTA’s asks on the April 2024 border changes. We need action and support to keep the UK cross-border trade in plants working. In 2022, the UK imported £753m of plants, bulbs and seeds. The trade and economic risks associated with delays and lost loads are hugely concerning.

 

“Green industries, as the Chancellor acknowledges, are key to future growth. We urge the government to back sectors like environmental horticultural, the original green industry, which is ideally placed to deliver even more to achieve UK net-zero, innovation, levelling-up, and green growth ambitions. Our sector contributes £28.8bn to GDP and supports 674,000 jobs across the supply chain, from growers to garden centres and manufacturers to landscapers; we must not be overlooked.”

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