Blue Diamond MD, Alan Roper, said there will be 2 more Blue Diamond Garden Centres by Easter, taking the group to 44 centres and well on track to hit a turnover projection of £330m this year during his "Greatest Showman" introduction to the Blue Diamond Awards 2023.
Alan told GTN Xtra: "We have 2 acquisitions in process. Heads are agreed and we are aiming to get them both completed by Easter."
Commenting on the 1920's themed event, with around 700 attendees from across the garden centre group and key suppliers, which was held at the Athena in Leicester, a restored art-deco cinema, Alan said: It's hard to believe its a work function, the friendship in the room is tremendous. I've spent 24 years building this culture. It was hard at the beginning but it is the glue and it becomes infectious. So many of the team love the job, they like the people they work with and it comes through on a night like this; the sense of belonging and camaraderie.
As Alan announced the Garden Centre of the Year Awards he said: "None of these awards are easy, but you look at the quality, the sense of team, of course the figures and those centres that made the grade on all of those factors with profitability being very important meant the quality this year was so high."
Blue Diamond Awards 2023 – Full results
Garden Centres of the Year
OAK Garden Centre of the Year: Grosvenor
Nominees:
- Cardiff
- Derby
- East Bridgford
- Endsleigh
- Grosvenor
- Newbridge
- Sanders
- St Peters
ACORN Garden Centre of the Year: Brambridge Park
Nominees:
- Brambridge
- Coton Orchard
- Evesham
- Harlow
- Lower Morden
- Nailsworth
- Trelawney
Restaurants of the Year
OAK Restaurant of the Year: Cardiff Restaurant
Nominees:
- Cardiff
- Derby
- Endsleigh
- Grosvenor
- Springfields
ACORN Restaurant of the Year: Nailsworth Waterside Cafe
Nominees:
- Brambridge
- Hereford
- Lower Morden
- Nailsworth
- Worcester
Kipling of the Year: Bicester
Nominees:
Pastry Chef of the Year: Paula Cummings - Springfields
Nominees:
- Donna Kerr & Emma Cliff – Derby
- Ellie Leathwood – Fryers
- Kinga Wachowska – Sanders
- Paula Cummings - Springfields
- Trixie Hutchings – Fermoys
Head Chef of the Year: Dom Steffanelli - Grosvenor
Nominees:
- Adam Gellender – Brambridge
- Andrew Mellor – Chatsworth
- Andy Williams – Trelawney
- Dom Stefanelli – Grosvenor
Barista of the Year: Viegas Felisberto - Bicester
Nominees:
- Celeste Crook – Redfields
- Laura Thornley – Chatsworth
- Nick Margery = Lower Morden
- Viegas Felisberto – Bicester
Food Retailer of the Year: ACORN Jo Nicholls – Cardiff, OAK Michelle Richardson - Trentham and Jane Glanville - Endsleigh
Nominees:
- Bridgemere
- Cadbury
- Cardiff
- East Bridgford
- Endsleigh
- Fermoys
- Lower Morden
- Sanders
- Trentham
Furniture & Outdoor Leisure Award: ACORN Dennis Ridson - Trelawney, OAK Jacinta Butler - Derby
Nominees:
- 3 Shires
- Bridgemere
- Chatsworth
- Derby
- East Bridgford
- Grosvenor
- Hereford
- Lower Morden
- Matloock
- Sanders
- St Peters
- Trelawney
- Trentham
Christmas Award: ACORN Amy Roberts - Fryers, OAK Malcom Baines - Newbridge
Nominees:
- 3 Shires
- Bridgemere
- Derby
- Fermoys
- Fryers
- Harlow
- Le Friquet
- Lower Morden
- Melbicks
- Newbridge
- Wilton
Wild Animal Award: ACORN Daniel Underhill - Nailsworth, OAK Sophie Dawson – Le Friquet
Nominees:
- Canterbury
- Cardiff
- Le Friquet
- Nailsworth
- Rake
- Trelawney
Growing Media, Features & Containers Award: ACORN Philip Hayes - Trelawney, OAK Andy Gontier – Le Friquet
Nominees:
- Fermoys
- Harlow
- Le Friquet
- Lower Morden
- Nailsworth
- St Peters
- Trelawney
Seeds and Bulbs Award: ACORN Daniel Underhill - Nailsworth, OAK David Roberts – Percy Throwers
Nominees:
- 3 Shires
- Canterbury
- Derby
- Evesham
- Nailsworth
- Percy Throwers
- Sanders
- Springfields
- Trentham
Garden Care and Décor Award: ACORN Patrick Hurley - Harlow, OAK Zoe Gillyett – St Peters
Nominees:
- Cadbury
- Canterbury
- Harlow
- Le Friquet
- Lower Morden
- Nailsworth
- St Peters
- Trelawney
- Weybridge
Indoor Plants Award: ACORN Lisa Ceaser - Weybridge, OAK Tom Watkins -Cardiff
Nominees:
- Canterbury
- Cardiff
- Coton Orchard
- Fermoys
- Matlock
- Percy Throwers
- Tunbridge Wells
- Weybridge
Hardy Plants Award: ACORN Dee Stuart McDonald – Tunbridge Wells, OAK Kevin Flemming - Bridgemere
Nominees:
- Bridgemere
- Cardiff
- Harlow
- Lower Morden
- Nailsworth
- Newbridge
- Orchard Park
- Rake
- Tunbridge Wells
Seasonal Plants Award: ACORN Jonathan Feasey - Harlow, OAK Kyle Bartram - Bicester
Nominees:
- Bicester
- Grosvenor
- Harlow
- Lower Morden
- Matlock
- Orchard Park
- Rake
- Redfields
- Tunbridge Wells
- Wilton
- Worcester
The Fashion Award: ACORN Matt Evans - Cardiff, OAK Lyndsay Smith - Brambridge
Nominees:
- 3 Shires
- Bicester
- Brambridge
- Cardiff
- Chatsworth
- Coton Orchard
- East Bridgford
- Endsleigh
- Evesham
- Grosvenor
- Hereford
- Lower Morden
- Melbicks
- Newbridge
- Springfields
- Trelawney
- Trentham
- Weybridge
- Worcester
Customer Engagement Award: ACORN Canterbury, OAK Cadbury
Nominees:
- 3 Shires
- Cadbury
- Canterbury
- Lower Morden
- Sanders
- Trelawney
The Home Award: ACORN Laura Ross – Coton Orchard, OAK Vicki Gisbourne - Evesham
Nominees:
- Coton Orchard
- Evesham
- Fermoys
- Harlow
- Redfields
- Springfields
The Stock Management Award: Sanders
Nominees:
- East Bridgford
- Grosvenor
- Harlow
- Sanders
See GTN Xtra's full photo gallery from The Blue Diamond Awards 2023 below:
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