Car crashes through Aylsham Garden Centre in Norfolk
A garden centre has reopened after a car crashed through it, causing damage estimated at about £50,000...
A garden centre has reopened after a car crashed through it, causing damage estimated at about £50,000.
The Subaru Forester crashed into Aylsham Garden Centre in Norfolk.
Business owner Susan Woodley said: "It ploughed through everything –watering cans, grass seed, feed and shelving."
Lorna Hudson, 66, from Drabblegate, Aylsham, has been charged with drink-driving and is due to appear before Norwich magistrates on June 20.
Nobody was injured in the crash at the garden centre in Norwich Road, Aylsham.
Mrs Woodley said: "We heard a huge bang. My lad watched the car come all the way through the store and end up hitting the brick wall next to the greenhouse.
"We were very lucky. If anyone had been in the building at the time it could have been a different story."
She said a staff member's car was also written off in the crash, and estimated the total cost of the damage at £50,000.
The crash also cut off the garden centre's telephone lines, meaning customers were unable to pay using credit and debit cards.
"We could have done without this at one of our busiest times, after all the bad weather we've had this past year," said Mrs Woodley.
She said staff had worked hard over last weekend to clear up and reopen the garden centre.
"We're all exhausted. I can't praise the staff enough - they have been brilliant."
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Garden centre sales volumes rise…but what about turnover?
GTN Bestsellers can reveal May sales volumes were up 34% on last year, making it the busiest May since GTN started analysing garden centre Epos data in 2009...
GTN Bestsellers can reveal May sales volumes were up 34% on last year, making it the busiest May since GTN started analysing garden centre Epos data in 2009.
However, feedback from retailers and suppliers indicates that turnovers may not be moving in the same direction. The answer will become more apparent when figures for May from the GCA and HTA become available later in the month.
In the meantime, the GTN Bestsellers data clearly shows an improvement in gardening sales on last year, albeit not yet back up to the levels of 2011. The GTN Veg-2-Gro chart shows a 109% increase on the same week last year and is dominated by veg plant sales.
Although we are not able to produce a general plants sales chart currently we can see from the Epos data that plant sales are moving into hyperdrive with bedding having a superb sell through after the disaster of last summer.
With year-to-date veg sales volumes now running at 6% up on last year we can definitely say Grow Your Own is still an area of potential growth – provided the weather is on ours, and our customers’, side.
Garden product sales volumes are also heading in the right direction. With all this growing going on, it’s no surprise to see feed, weed and pest products selling in high volumes. Garden lighting is also high on the agenda – see garden products chart story– which is great news if you’re looking for indicators of people wanting to beautify and enjoy time in their gardens as well as just grow plants in them.
How was May for you? Up on volume and turnover, or has the unit cost of items you've been selling dropped either by design due to your promotions or just that customers are spending less and buying lower priced items in the current economic climate?
Let us know how you’re faring by emailing trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year:
- Garden Products – up 10%
- Veg-2-Gro – up 109%
- Growing Media – up 25%
- All items index – up 45%
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Fears that Highgate Garden Centre will close down
The owners of Highgate Garden Centre say no decision has been made about the site’s future, but it could close down this year...
The owners of Highgate Garden Centre say no decision has been made about the site’s future, but it could close down this year...
Capital Gardens, which runs the centre, sold the freehold to the land on which it is located – known as Highgate Bowl – in September last year. It has emerged the land, which has often been targeted by developers, had been bought for £2million by a company called Omved International Limited, based in the British Virgin Islands. According to the Land Registry, the price paid was £2,062,000. Rumours have since circulated that the centre will be closing in July. But managing director of Capital Gardens, Colin Campbell-Preston, said: “No decision has been made to close the centre, but if it were to close it would be in July or December because that’s when our seasons end.“The new owners of the land do not want it to close and we do not want it to close, but it’s a question of economics.” He said mounting debts and the high value of the land meant it made sense to sell the freehold. He also said strict planning regulations made it difficult to develop and grow the centre, which employs 10 people. “The sale of the land moves the goalposts and makes it more likely it will close,” Mr Campbell-Preston conceded. “Are we happy about it? No, we’re not.” He said money from the sale would be reinvested in the company’s other garden centres located around London. In 2011, Haringey Council turned down a planning application from R&D Properties to build on the 11-acre plot, citing a failure to provide evidence that the site was not feasible as a business. Campaigners opposed to the land being used for new houses have raised concerns that it could be built on in future. Stuart Bull, of the Highgate Neighbourhood Forum, said: “We have to presume a planning application will go in. It’s a valuable open space – you could say it’s an ecological corridor that links Hampstead Heath, Waterlow Park and the whole of the bowl. It would be sad to see yet another application just for carving up that space for the benefit of the few as opposed to keeping it open for the whole of London.”
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Veg plant sales hit new heights
This week’s GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart shows encouraging signs of activity and clear evidence that veg plant sales have increased considerably. In fact, volumes are more than double what they were during the same week last year...
This week’s GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart shows encouraging signs of activity and clear evidence that veg plant sales have increased considerably. In fact, volumes are more than double what they were during the same week last year.
Sales are headed by tomatoes with 18 items in the Top 50 – no wonder that Tomorite is top of the Garden Product chart. But it also begs the question: Why aren’t tomato grow bags higher placed in the Growing Media chart?
Gardeners Kitchen tomato plants dominate the top of the chart with Tumbling Yellow taking over from Patio Tomato Totem at No 1.
The next biggest veg plant grouping is beans and peas with eight lines, closely followed by cucumbers with seven. Gardeners Kitchen Cucumber La Diva is a new entry at No 16 while their Runner Bean White Lady is the highest re-entry at No 17.
Strawberries are making a move with the highest new entry being Hawkesmill Cambridge Favourite (9cm) at No 12.
See the full GTN Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 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.
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Special mixed pack ornamental fish offer from Prestopets
Specialist suppliers of ornamental fish Prestopets are offering their customers a special mixed pack deal on Goldfish, Sarasa Comets and Shubunkins...
Specialist suppliers of ornamental fish Prestopets are offering their customers a special mixed pack deal on Goldfish, Sarasa Comets and Shubunkins.
The fish are produced solely for Prestopets in Europe on a "non intensive" farm facility.
"The original parent fish came from Japan and are selected by us," said Norman Agass, of Prestopets.
Since the original breeding programme got started in 1995 we have successfully imported 100,000s of these fish. Many of our customers prefer NOVA as their first choice but we always offer alternatives because of our capacity to provide such a wide range of options for our valued clients.
"We work only with the pet, garden and aquatic industries and do not have a retail operation."
Prestopets have been specialist suppliers of ornamental fish to the aquatic industry for over 35 years, providing coldwater, tropical and marine fish as well as water lilies and aquatic plants...
The company receives regular shipments from Singapore, Israel, Colombia, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Europe, Africa, Indonesia, Philippines, and hand selected UK fish farms.
To find out more about the mixed pack offer click here
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Garden lighting and hanging baskets are the big movers
With the arrival of more settled weather and warmer evenings, gardeners are at last being able to sit outside for longer. Consequently, garden lighting sales have had a good week with seven products in the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart...
With the arrival of more settled weather and warmer evenings, gardeners are at last being able to sit outside for longer. Consequently, garden lighting sales have had a good week with seven products in the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart.
The highest placed lighting product is Gardman Ice Orb, which has risen to No 2 spot behind Scotts Levington Tomorite at the top. Gardman have also seen sales increases of their Marker Light (No 10) and Solar Rock Spotlight (No 12).
Smart Solar Butterfly/Dragonfly Silhouette Stake Light (pictured above) is the highest re-entry at No 22, while the same company have seen their Flutterby Butterfly become the highest climber, moving up 31 places to No 18.
There are eight hanging basket lines in the Top 50, and planteria sales staff have told GTN Xtra that a lot of bedding plants are being bought with hanging baskets and containers in mind. Gardman, again, have the highest placed item – their 30 cm Coco Liner is at No 8. They also have the highest new entry with their Multi Liner (0.7m x 0.75m).
Plant supports have also been in demand with both 1.8m and 2.4m canes selling well. Bosmere Sweet Pea and Bean Rings have increased sales.
The battle with slugs has shifted up a gear with four products in the chart all seeing sales rises.
See the full GTN Garden Products Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 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.
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Mr Fothergill's win GIMA Golf Day
A team from Mr Fothergill's beat off the challenge of 16 other industry teams to take the main honours at the GIMA Golf Day at Staverton Park Golf Club near Daventry, presented to them by MP Tim Yeo...
A team from Mr Fothergill's beat off the challenge of 16 other industry teams to take the main honours at the GIMA Golf Day at Staverton Park Golf Club near Daventry.
Richard Keegan, Paul Howard, Kevin Chugg and Chris Owens showed their skills on the course to push a team from Haws (Steve Riley, Graham Blocksidge, Paul Whitnall, Cliff Bowers) into second place and Fiskars (Mark Nicholls, Tom Wiltshire, Henry Corbett, Simons Brookes) into third. The GIMA team of Andy Bestwick, Tim Yeo, Mike Klodzinski and Dave Peters came fourth.
Despite some very serious golf, the 17 teams consisting of suppliers and garden centre guests, completed the course amid much laughter and banter. Team DLF Trilfolium picked up the bogey prize for coming last.
Refreshment stops on the course were sponsored and manned by Sinclair Horticulture and Maryanne Stokes and the Garden Trade News team were on hand to snap shots of unsuspecting golfers taking their swings. Pictured is Martin Davies from Raglan Garden Centre enjoying the hospitality.
The fun day culminated in a presentation dinner and a charity auction conducted by the only MP with a single figure golf handicap, Tim Yeo.
The charities benefiting from the event are Greenfingers, who create magical gardens for children’s hospices, and Gardening Leave, who work with services personnel that have invisible wounds from conflict.
GIMA would like to thank everyone who came along and supported the event.
Winners were:
Beat The Pro (Sponsored by Whitefoot Forward PR): Spencer Goodall, James Walker, Kevin Howlett, Andy Bunker, Paul Taylor, Robin Walters, James Godber, Richard Newton, Mark Nicholls, Henry Corbett, Simon Brookes, Phil Kimberley, David White, Brian Archibald, Alison Novell, Steve Walker, Andy Bestwick, Paul Facey, Adrian Hillman.
Nearest the pin (Sponsors Gardman, Scotts Flower Magic, Whitefoot Forward and Norfolk Leisure): Alison Novell, Dave Peters, Richard Newton, Richard Keegan.
Longest drive (Sponsors Luxform, Elho): James Coles, Chris Owen.
Straightest drive (Sponsor Sutton Seeds): Kevin Howlett.
View the picture gallery below to see all the teams, the action, the sponsors and the presentations.
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Westland rising stars battle it out to win the title
 The four GCA Westland Rising Stars finalists have successfully completed their second workshop as part of the competition...
The four GCA Westland Rising Stars finalists have successfully completed their second workshop as part of the competition.
George Bishop, Will Michieli (pictured), Charlotte Prentice and Matthew Schindler experienced a guided tour of the Westland Packaging Unit at Alconbury in Cambridgeshire and visited Notcutts Peterborough Garden Centre.
Ian Boardman, who facilitated the Rising Stars workshop, said: “The four stars have been working incredibly hard. During the workshop they had to present what they have achieved since the previous workshop, I was very impressed by their drive and determination.
“They had really got stuck in and learned a lot about planning, hot spots, promotions, aisles and gondola ends. They are very aware that the business is all about people and how important it is to make sure all the team are involved, even across departments.
“During the visit to Notcutts the stars had to critically review merchandising in a real situation and note the issues that managers have to overcome. The manager there, Andrew Coverdale, was very helpful and gave lots of practical hints and tips.”
The GCA Rising Stars programme is sponsored by Westland Horticulture. The stars are nominated by their garden centres and the final four were selected by a GCA panel.
Ian said: “The stars are a great group and they are working really hard. I’m looking forward to their next workshop, which will take place in September. May the best star win!”
All four stars will attend the GCA conference, which takes place from January 26 until 29, 2014. The venue is to be announced. The overall winner will be announced at the conference.
George is Assistant Manager at Squires Woking Garden Centre in Surrey, Will is Plant Advisor at Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre in Somerset, Charlotte is Senior Sales at Squires Long Ditton Garden Centre in Surrey and Matthew is Lifestyle Manager at Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre in West Yorkshire.
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Quinton Edwards have announced the sale of Stephen H. Smith Garden Centre, Bolton, Lancashire to Summerseat Garden Centre.
Simon Quinton Smith from Quinton Edwards who acted on behalf of Stephen H. Smith in the sale, said: "This modern, purpose built, edge of town garden centre has substantial potential and we are sure it will go from strength to strength under the new ownership. We wish Summerseat Garden Centre every success for the future."
Chris Smith from Stephen H. Smith Garden Centre said he was delighted with the way Quinton Edwards handled the sale of his business and was very impressed with their knowledge and professionalism.
Top cat Socks is 'boss' at Bournville Garden Centre
Meet the four-legged member of staff at a Birmingham plant shop – a pet cat called Socks who thinks she's the boss...
Meet the four-legged member of staff at a Birmingham plant shop – a pet cat called Socks who thinks she's the boss...
The black and white moggie has taken up residence at Bournville Garden Centre, where her favourite spot is sitting at the till.
Manager Steve Palmer said the moggy has been living at the site for seven years. And regulars have got used to her showing up for fuss among the flowers.
“She likes being at the till and does make herself at home,” said Steve.
“We have to work around her. She lies across the counter and you have to stack stuff around her but she sits there nonchalantly. She absolutely thinks she’s the boss!
“She can be a bit of a problem sometimes because there are people who don’t like cats.
“She likes to walk across the keyboards and she’s been known to cause havoc.
“She goes out for a roam around the plants and stands up on her back legs to be stroked.
“Some of the regular customers who know her bring in titbits for her. And kids always seek her out. She’s got a cat bed in the back store. Generally speaking she curls up there and waits for us to come back.”
And Socks is a fan of the plants too. Steve added: “I guess like all cats she likes the catnip but we try to discourage her from that because we don’t want it damaged.”
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Nature’s Feast, one of the UK’s leading and most established brands in the wild bird care market, has unveiled a new look for the 2013/2014 season.
The brand has been replaced with a new stand-out design, which not only aims to clearly demonstrate and reflect the quality of Nature’s Feast, but also effectively engage with customers at point of purchase.
Due to be rolled out across the UK & Ireland from August, the new identity, which is targeted at bird feeding enthusiasts, is underpinned with the revamped strapline, ‘Get to know the birds in your garden’. The Nature’s Feast’s range, includes award-winning seeds, treats and feeders to help consumers attract a wider variety of wild birds into their garden.
“Since the Nature’s Feast brand launched in 2005 it has continued to go from strength to strength with our customers recognising Nature’s Feast as a knowledgeable and leading brand in the wild bird care sector," said Westland Horticulture director Keith Nicholson.
“Our decision to refresh the brand’s look and feel has been undertaken with a great deal of care following extensive consumer research. This insight is at the heart of the rebrand and new packaging which aims to not only grow the Nature’s Feast brand, but the wild bird food market as a whole.”
Westland’s continued investment in the Nature’s Feast brand has also seen the introduction of a new range of seed blends to help drive sales across the pet care market. The range follows a clear hierarchy of feed choices to make it as easy as possible to select the perfect blend and upgrade between mixes.
The concise on-pack messaging clearly communicates that the higher the number of seeds in the blend, the more species it will attract.
The packaging also includes different energy ratings, which increase depending on the number of oil seeds contained in each pack:
- Everyday 4 Seed Blend (Energy rate 5) – great value everyday bird food to keep garden birds fed all year round.
- Supreme 8 Seed Blend (Energy rate 6.5) – made from a broader range of seeds to attract a wider range of birds.
- High Energy, No Mess 12 Seed Blend (Energy rate 8) – the ultimate wild bird food. Includes more oil seeds and has husks removed.
As part of Nature’s Feast’s commitment to the responsible sourcing of ingredients, and to meet customers’ high expectations, the brand has pledged to support farmers operating in an environmentally friendly way.
Where possible, Nature’s Feast sources as many raw ingredients from UK farmers who are signed up to the Environmental Stewardship (ES) Scheme, which is delivered by Natural England on behalf of the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).
 To support the launch of Nature’s Feast, Westland has revamped its in-store merchandising to further optimise sales and drive growth. The brand will also benefit from an extensive PR and advertising campaign.
As Europe’s premier wild bird food manufacturer, Westland is also home to the Peckish brand, which, like Nature’s Feast, has been specifically designed for pet care retailers to achieve their maximum sales potential.
With two distinct personalities, the Peckish and Nature’s Feast brands are clearly positioned at different consumer audiences. Peckish, which is set to benefit from a £1 million TV investment for the 2013/14 season, will continue to drive sector participation amongst those who are either entering the market or buying products sporadically. Nature’s Feast on the other hand, appeals to a narrower range of people who purchase a wider variety of the brand’s products more frequently.
“Whether your customer is an absolute novice, or a committed bird lover, Westland can help you deliver the perfect bird feeding solution every time, no matter what their requirements are,” added Keith.
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The Old Railway Line recognise long service
Seven members of staff at The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, Powys, are celebrating after clocking up more than 86 years of dedicated service to the business between them.
Seven members of staff at a Powys garden centre are celebrating after clocking up more than 86 years of dedicated service to the business between them.
The longest serving members at The Old Railway Line Garden Centre are Mark Harding, Garden Care Supervisor and Huw Lewis, General Manager (pictured above).
Katie Cleary, Shop Manager at The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, which is located at Three Cocks near Hay-on-Wye, said: “Mark has clocked up 18 and a half years and Huw has completed 16.
“Kate Dewan, Plant Area Supervisor, is another of our long servers and has notched up 12 years of service. Steph Dewan, who deals with our admin and HR and Emma Williams, Restaurant Manageress, have each been with us for 11 years and Garden Centre Assistants, Nick Smith and Jill Fawke, who have both served nine years.
“We would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of our long serving members. Their dedication is greatly appreciated and their experience is invaluable to us and our customers.
“We look forward to working with them for many more years to come.”
The award-winning, independent family-run garden centre was established in 1990 by owners, Mark and Christina Cleary.
For further information, please call The Old Railway Line Garden Centre visit www.oldrailwaylinenursery.co.uk
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The Horticultural Trades Association has appointed Raoul Curtis-Machin as its new Head of Horticulture.
His appointment comes following the departure of Tim Briercliffe who has left the HTA to become Secretary General of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).
Raoul has been selected for the role from a very strong shortlist. Raoul has most recently worked for the National Trust as a Garden and Parks Adviser, advising on strategic garden development re-designing the training programmes for the 400+ gardeners. Most recently Raoul became a Commercial Development Consultant with the National Trust, advising them on large commercial projects, creating a new gardening brand and developing a new range of genuine peat-free plants.
He has also been gardening and countryside correspondent for many Scottish publications and has appeared on Scottish national television as a gardening pundit. He also co-wrote the book Garden Plants for Scotland, published by Frances Lincoln, which was Times Gardening Book of the Year, and shortlisted for a Garden Media Guild award.
Raoul will take up his new role in August. His earlier career included positions as a Head Gardener, owner of his own garden design and construction business, Estate Manager and Lecturer in Garden Design.
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Double peak for growing media
The week starting with the Bank Holiday Monday proved to be the second peak of the year for growing media sales – up 20% on last week and 25% higher than the same week last year...
The week starting with the Bank Holiday Monday proved to be the second peak of the year for growing media sales – up 20% on last week and 25% higher than the same week last year.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that the Bank Holiday was a week later in 2012 because of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.
Top soil saw the biggest percentage increase in sales with the top performers being Westland’s Value Bag (35 litres) at No 4, and Sinclair’s 20 litres, the latter jumping 14 places – the highest climber – to No 27.
Ericacious compost saw good sales increase, presumably as a result of good rhododendron and azalea sales (they’re looking good in planterias just now).
See the full GTN Growing Media Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 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.
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HIPPOBAGs to feature on garden TV show
Striking yellow HIPPOBAGs, from HIPPO, are being used to provide the waste clearance service for the second series of ITV’s garden makeover show Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh...
Striking yellow HIPPOBAGs, from HIPPO, are being used to provide the waste clearance service for the second series of ITV’s garden makeover show Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh.
Filming has already started in the eight locations around the country.
HIPPO was selected for use on the programme because it offers a nationwide network for efficient collection, 90% waste recycling and on site space saving.
“The HIPPO service for Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh has been fantastic,” commented David Dodd, Managing Director of landscaping company The Outdoor Room, which surveys, designs and builds the gardens in the series.
“HIPPOBAGs are pre-booked and turn up exactly when we want them. The different size bags suit our needs perfectly depending on what needs to be cleared. They are clean and efficient and their recycling policy is superb. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for most domestic landscaping projects.”
David Dodd is also South Thames Regional Chairman of the British Association of Landscape Industries.
For the building and gardening trades HIPPO not only offers cost savings over the use of skips. The flexible material takes more waste than the equivalent sized skip, saving money too, typically between 15% and 30%. HIPPOBAG also saves on labour time because there is no need to arrange for skip permits or wait for collection. When a bag is full just take another empty bag and fill that. The bags come in three different sizes to suit all kinds of jobs.
Using HIPPO means that a contractor will automatically satisfy the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. HIPPO will send 90% of waste for recycling and will provide an audit trail for compliance purposes in line with ISO 14001.
HIPPO will also collect plasterboard, providing a dedicated nationwide plasterboard disposal and 100% recycling service that satisfies the government’s Plasterboard Sustainability Action Plan.
“HIPPOBAGs are just the most visible part of what we do,” commented HIPPO’s Managing Director Gareth Lloyd Jones.
“We are able to provide all building and gardening trade sectors with a one-stop shop for all waste removal. 90% is recycled under fully accredited and audited controls – and that means we take care of all the legal requirements. It’s that attention to detail that led to the work for Love Your Garden.”
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