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6 Weeks ‘til Christmas Day... Easy Ways to Boost Festive Sales!
It’s that time of year again so the Stars for Europe team are raring to go with all things Poinsettia; marketing designed to help you sell more.
Just like those dodgy Christmas jumpers, a Poinsettia is part and parcel of the festive season... but with everyone and their dog selling them these days you need to know how to market them. Let Stars for Europe help you maximise those sales with tons of marketing material, techniques and a steady stream of exciting consumer promo.
It’s that time of year again so the Stars for Europe team are raring to go with all things Poinsettia; marketing designed to help you sell more.
Just like those dodgy Christmas jumpers, a Poinsettia is part and parcel of the festive season... but with everyone and their dog selling them these days you need to know how to market them. Let Stars for Europe help you maximise those sales with tons of marketing material, techniques and a steady stream of exciting consumer promo.
 FREE Stuff!
You’ll find tons of free material designed to boost sales at sfe-web.com. From inspiring new videos with step-by-step instructions on everything from store display ideas to plant design tips... why not set up a design station and get your staff doing demos as Christmas approaches? You’ll find all you need to know at sfe-web.com.
There’s also slick customisable POS material to download and use yourself, not to mention a wealth of online add-ons to give a little festive sparkle to your website, including banners, embeddable videos, e-games and more.
Tips to PR your Business
There’s even a whole section dedicated to PR work, so you can get your team trained up on how to promote your business to your local press. From tips on press etiquette and release templates to a free image library so you can share, share, share away on social media. Tender Loving Care
As always, there’s bucket-loads of great advice on how to care for the plants, making sure your Christmas display really dazzles. And keep customers coming back year after year by telling them how to make their Poinsettia last. What’s On The Stars for Europe team are busy with big consumer projects including donating thousands of plants to schools again, in collaboration with The Sun, plus they’ve a STUNNING photography session lined-up set to reach the nation’s shoppers in style. We’ll keep you updated over the coming weeks so keep an eye on your GTN Xtra!
 Now Down to You!
Get in touch if you’ve any Poinsettia news yourself... whether it’s a clipping in the local paper or an extra happy customer thanks to your fab staff giving top notch care tips, we’d love to hear from you and we’ll share it on our consumer social media pages; facebook.com/theChristmasStar, Instagram @TheChristmasStar and Twitter @MyPoinsettia.
For tips, info or advice just email hello@purplespotted.com.
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A scout leader has accused Wyevale Garden Centres of ruining Christmas after his troop was frozen out of running a festive grotto at Blooms Garden Centre.
For the past six years 100 scouts had dressed up as elves and run the popular attraction at the garden centre between Coventry and Rugby.
Last year alone the youngsters raised £7,000 which was ploughed back into organising days out for the group and maintaining their scout hut.
But hopes of returning for a seventh year were dashed after being told that the grotto was being outsourced.
Tony Marsella, leader of the 5th Rugby (Newbold) Scouts said the garden centre had acted like the “Grinch” - the grumpy, anti-Christmas character created by Dr Seuss.
“The kids were really upset, they loved doing it,” he told the Coventry Telegraph.
“The scouts also put in a lot of time actually building the grotto each year with fully qualified builders and electricians and we were fully insured.
“So we simply can not understand why this cruel decision was made so heartlessly.”
People paid £7 to visit the grotto, of which the scouts kept £2.40. Visitors also dropped coins into a donation bucket.
Mr Marsella, 46, said the three scout groups involved had built up a fantastic reputation and that a record 2,100 children visited Santa last year.
The grandad-of-two said the scouts looking forward to donning their elves outfits again when they were informed of the decision last month.
He said: “We were told that they were subcontracting all their grottos to two companies and that it was a head office decision.
“We have had kids who have left scouts and gone on to university and asked if they can do the grotto.
“Ultimately they have got a social responsibilty which they are not ticking any boxes with."
Story Link Children's Christmas Sack Campaign - help spread festive cheer in Coventry
Mr Marsella hopes the scouts can return in the future. This year’s private grotto will cost £8 per person.
A spokesman for Blooms, which is owned by Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “We take our role as a member of the local community very seriously.
“We always host Christmas family events within the garden centre and the involvement of the local scout group is something that we and our customers appreciate and enjoy.
“This year is no different, but instead of running the grotto we have asked the scout group to get involved in different activities.
“We know how important fundraising is to them and we’re keen to make sure we support them as best we can.”
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As GTN's team of experts start their visits for this years The Greatest Christmas Awards, we are excited to announce a new category sponsored by Petface.
The Greatest Christmas Pet Team will be awarded to the garden centre pet team that makes the most of the festive period this year. Judging visits will take place during the next 5 weeks and all you have to do is nominate your team by emailing thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk and we'll do the rest.
See you soon!
Remembrance provides fuel for Wild Bird Care sales
Remembrance Sunday provided a 100% boost in sales of the Gardman Cast Iron Poppy Feeder, making this product the second highest volume sales line for the week when we amalgamate our Garden Products, Growing Media, Christmas and Wild Bird Care weekly Top 50s from garden centre EPoS data...
Remembrance Sunday provided a 100% boost in sales of the Gardman Cast Iron Poppy Feeder, making this product the second highest volume sales line for the week when we amalgamate our Garden Products, Growing Media, Christmas and Wild Bird Care weekly Top 50s from garden centre EPoS data.
If the feeders had been categorised as a garden decoration product rather than a Wild Bird Care line then they would have been the No 1 Bestselling Garden Product for the past three weeks.
Choice Marketing members have raised over £100,000 for charities, including the Royal British Legion, through sales of the feeders, and gained lots of press coverage.
Gardman inform us that the Poppy Feeders will be available again next year.
GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year...
- Garden Products - down 15%
- Christmas Products - up 11%
- Growing Media - down 6%
- All Items Index - down 8%
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
GTN Bestsellers Top 25 Products from the Christmas, Garden Products, Growing Media and Wild Bird Care charts.
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Rosebourne managing director Neville Prest (centre) and latest recruit Val Kempster visited the site of the company's planned new centre in Weyhill, Hampshire, which is due to open in late August 2016.
They were met by Chris Markey, site manager for Barnwood Construction. The Rosebourne pair admitted they were excited to see construction works commencing on the 8.5 acre site. Rosebourne, the company founded by former Blooms garden centres chairman Charles Good, has recruited former Garden & Leisure manager Val Kempster to run the new centre.
She was manager of Garden & Leisure's Endsleigh store near Plymouth, now owned by Wyevale Garden Centres.
As a key member of the Garden & Leisure Christmas and gift buying team, she played a major role in Endsleigh's string of successes in GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards. Her first buying trip when she takes up her post in December is likely to be to festive suppliers Kaemingk.
The new centre, at Weyhill near Andover, will encompass many of the features of the successful Beckworth Emporium food and plant centre model developed by fellow director and former Blooms MD John Kitching at Mears Ashby in Northamptonshire, but with a greater gift and seasonal gardening offer. It is due to open in September 2016. The store, on an 8.5-acre site near Andover, has a bigger footprint than Beckworth Emporium, whose gift offering takes second place to the food hall, plant area and restaurant. The Rosebourne team, under Good’s chairmanship, has Neville Prest, former managing director of Garden & Leisure, as MD and includes Jon Kitching and David Brown of Beckworth Emporium and catering specialist Salim Sajid, former retail operations director at Blooms.
 The designer of the Weyhill centre is Gary Wilburn of architects HPW. Rosebourne is reported to be negotiating for a further site in the Reading area.
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HTA Marketing Forum hailed as a huge success
Over 100 delegates from across the industry came together this week for the HTA Marketing Forum 2015 which took place at Chesford Grange, Warwick. The event, themed ‘tools for success’, brought together keynote speakers, industry experts and practitioners to look at ways in which businesses can maximise their marketing spend, no matter their budget...
Over 100 delegates from across the industry came together this week for the HTA Marketing Forum 2015 which took place at Chesford Grange, Warwick. The event, themed ‘tools for success’, brought together keynote speakers, industry experts and practitioners to look at ways in which businesses can maximise their marketing spend, no matter their budget.
Chair of the HTA Marketing Committee, Caroline Owen from Scotsdales Garden Centre opened the conference, talking about the many ways in which marketing has changed over the years. She spoke about how it’s not only about the adverts that you create, but also how you bring that campaign through into your in-store marketing.
One of the key themes that was carried throughout the day, was the use of music to aid your campaign, and also to create a mood within your store. Caroline Owen brought up the success of the John Lewis Christmas advert, and how in this age of digital marketing, their advert was clocking up over a million views on YouTube in the space of just 12 hours. The choice of their iconic music helps to creative the emotive feeling that they aspire to achieve, but also carries the advert throughout the future year, making people think of the advert whenever they hear the song. This message was also discussed by Laurens Doesborgh of the de Haan Group and Edwin Meijer of Garden Connect, who spoke about using Spotify playlists in different areas of your store to help create inspirational displays for your customers. Ian Stuart from Global Four Counties and Trevor Pfeiffer from Garden Radio also discussed the power of music and sound in relation to radio advertising, and music within your store.
Social media and digital marketing were also key topics that were mentioned throughout the day. The use of social media for loyalty schemes was discussed by Edwin Meijer and Jonathan Bates of Thomond. They spoke about keeping your customers engaged with you and your brand by creating a digital strategy, no matter how simple, and planning your social media activity around other features that you are planning on running in your stores throughout the year. Conor Mee from ProvenMentor also discussed how a phone is no longer just a phone anymore; it is part of everyday life. Talking to your audience in their language and understanding what resonates with them is key to knowing how and where to position your social media activity.
John Ashley spoke about the success that Scotsdales have had using doordrop campaigns as a key marketing tool in their local area. Through using a combination of doordrops and editorial in local publications, they are able to target their key demographic audiences, and make their store an integral part of the local community. Mark Davies of Whistl also spoke about why doordrops are so effective, and how using pen portraits can help you to find the key demographics to fit your promotional campaigns, and make sure that you are not bombarding people with information that is irrelevant to them. For example, you do not want to be sending people in flats information on the latest lawn care.
Boyd Douglas-Davies from Hillview Group and Neil Grant from Ferndale Garden Centre both spoke of the ways in which they are bringing in new audiences to their centres throughout the course of the year. Boyd reported on the new play barn at Hilltop Garden Centres whilst Neil spoke on the success of their summer beach campaign and the wider National Childrens’ Gardening Week initiative which he instigated this year.
Keynote speakers Tim Mason (ex Deputy CEO and Chief Marketing Officer of Tesco) and Gerald Ratner, (former CEO of the Ratner’s Group), both provided lively and entertaining accounts of the highs and lows of their careers – demonstrating the impact of and importance marketing.
Commenting on the event Caroline Owen said, “This first HTA Marketing Forum has been well received and it was good to see retailers, suppliers, growers and landscapers attend – with content applicable to all. The delivery of short bite sized sessions proved popular and enabled delegates to take away plenty of marketing nuggets to implement within their businesses.”
Look out for the full write up from the event in the upcoming issues of HTA News and for news on the HTA Marketing Forum 2016, complete with a new GTN Greatest Awards category in Marketing.
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Garden centres get into the swing of Christmas
Garden centres across the UK are really getting into the swing of Christmas and using social media to promote their festive activities. Here's a few that GTN Xtra noticed this week, including an innovative video from Tong Garden Centre...
Garden centres across the UK are really getting into the swing of Christmas and using social media to promote their festive activities. Here's a few that GTN Xtra noticed this week, including an innovative video from Tong Garden Centre.
Barton Grange tweeted this picture with the message: "Our Cook Shop has really glammed up for Christmas, with a golden stag & lots of fab things for your festive kitchen."
Longacres in Surrey added a really feative feel to their indoor tree display.
Bents are enticing their customers with big and bold Christmas displays.
We also loved this picture posted on Twitter. It's from Cowells Garden Centre.
Send in your Christmas display pictures to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and we'll publish the best.
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Santa will arrive in style in his reindeer-pulled sleigh to delight the crowds at Webbs Garden Centre at West Hagley on Saturday, 28th November.
He is due to arrive at the Kidderminster Road South centre at 10am and crowds are expected to turn out to welcome him at the free event. Visitors will be able to meet the friendly, live reindeer during the rest of the day until 4pm.
Company Chairman Ed Webb said, “It’s such a magical sight to see Father Christmas arrive on a sleigh with his reindeer and heralds the arrival of the festive season at Webbs. These stunning animals are central to the magic of Christmas and this will be a great chance for our customers to see them at close quarters.”
Following his arrival, Father Christmas will head to his Grotto which opens at 11am and where youngsters can meet him and receive a small gift. No pre-booking is required and tickets at £4.50 per child are available to buy in store on the day.
Father Christmas and his reindeer will be meeting visitors every weekend in the festive season from 28th November and on the 21st – 24th December. For more details of dates and times visit www.webbs.co.uk
An added bonus will be the chance to meet Moss, the Snowy Owl from the Falconry Centre in his aviary near the reindeer.
The Falconry Centre at Webbs, West Hagley will be open to visitors to meet over 70 birds of prey from around the world. The experienced team offers daily flying displays, bird handling experiences and educational visits. An admission fee is payable, for more information go to www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk
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Primary school children from Green Oak, Moss Lane and St. Hilary’s schools in Godalming are taking part in Squire’s Garden Centres' “Decorate A Christmas Tree” competition.The children had to design their own “Toy Workshop” themed tree decoration - so think toy soldiers, presents, teddy bears, elves…or even Minions or Lego, anything goes! They then visited Squire’s in Milford this week to hang their decorations on a special tree for their school, which is on display in the garden centre. Come along to Squire’s from now until Friday 27th November and vote for the tree that you think is best decorated. Santa will announce the winning school when he arrives at Squire’s in Milford on a fire engine at 10am on Saturday 28th November! The winning school children will all receive a special goody bag. Santa will also be bringing some of his real reindeer with him, so come along to Squire’s to see Santa’s grand arrival and meet his reindeer. This is a FREE event, no ticket required.
Pictured: Tamsin (Deputy Head Girl) and Evie (Head Girl) from St. Hilary’s School in Godalming decorating their tree at Squire’s.
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As part of The Greatest Christmas Awards, garden centres get the chance to vote for the supplier they feel has been their Greatest Christmas Supplier of the Year.To make you nomination and vote, please send an e-mail today to: thegreatestawards@tgcmc.co.uk with your name, garden centre name and your job title, telling us who is your Greatest Christmas Supplier of the year, what they do that makes them great and what is the thing they do best. The results of The Greatest Christmas Awards will be announced at The Greatest Christmas Awards Party on Sunday January 10th 2016 in the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate. To book your tickets please call The Greatest Christmas Awards on 01733 775700.
Pictured: The current Greatest Christmas Supplier of the Year Premier Decorations receiving their award.
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Tickets are now on sale for GTN’s The Greatest Christmas Awards Party, sponsored by Premier Decorations.
Come and join us for the party of the year in Harrogate on Sunday 10th January 2016. A three course meal with reception drinks and wine is followed by the awards presentations and dancing to a live band. Early Bird ticket prices have been held at last year’s levels: £80 plus VAT per person with discounts for bookings of 3 or more tickets.
It’s the ideal opportunity to combine a buying trip to the Harrogate Christmas & Gift show with a great night out in the company of industry friends and Greatest Award winners.
Call The Greatest Awards team on 01733 775700 or e-mail harry.sinclair@tgcmc.co.uk for Early Bird booking today.
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Your opportunity to join a forward thinking, fast growing business. This is a key “front-line” position, directly connecting and working with the Vivid Arts customer base (and sales-force) to ensure individual customer display and turnover goals are achieved. You will be required to merchandise product and assist in creating customer displays to best display practice guidelines. A creative approach and the ability to “communicate, transfer and implement” successful merchandising initiatives are vital to the role. The ideal candidate will be :- - a highly organised, physically fit individual.
- preferably living on the East / South side of Manchester, ideally within 5 miles of the M60
- conscientious with the natural drive to maintain high standards in their daily work.
- computer literate
- willing and able to occasionally work away from home involving overnight stays
- proficient driver with a clean driving licence
Closing date for applications is Sunday 29th November. Interviews will take place locally in December. Initially, please submit a covering email and your CV to Paul McGuire : paul.mcguire@vividarts.co.uk
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We are a major importer / distributor of outdoor leisure furniture based in Oldbury, West Midlands. Our customers include large department store groups, garden centre groups and national food retailers.We have an immediate vacancy for an experienced Key Account Professional to manage a portfolio of 8 – 10 national accounts. The job will involve some overseas travel, mainly to S. E. Asia and attendance at our Oldbury head office for 2 – 3 days each week. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of managing and developing business with major retail accounts, preferably with Outdoor Living / Gardening products. Consideration will also be given to anybody currently working in a field sales position selling Outdoor / Conservatory furniture. The successful candidate can expect a substantial basic salary, bonus scheme and fully maintained company car. Initially, please email your cv, in complete confidence, to john.chester@a-mir.co.uk
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Plantarea Horticultural Manager (ref:DS7779) Location: Berkshire
Salary: £18,000 - £24,000
Date: 10 Nov
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent 
Our client is a Nationwide group that are continually growing and developing their leading garden centres across England and Wales. They are proud of their heritage in the gardening industry and each and every one of their garden centres has its own identity and for this reason each of the garden centres is separately branded and the staff and customers are loyal to their centre.
They currently employ more than 5,000 people and some of their longest serving employees have been with the Group for more than 40 years. They offer their employees great opportunities to progress and are keen to meet great retailers and plants people who are looking for the next step in their career.
Customer service is of prime importance to everyone who works for them and they believe that better customer service is achieved by education. They have one of the best staff training scheme in the industry. It is based on practical training with experienced staff together with their own in-house E-Learning system which covers every part of the business.
Currently they are seeking an outstanding plants person / horticultural manager to manage their Plantarea.
The role
As Horticultural / Plantarea Manager you will take responsibility for one of the largest departments within the centre. As Horticulture / Plantarea Manager you will look after the day to day merchandising and maintenance of the plant stock as well as motivating the team to provide the highest standard of customer service. The role will also have duty management responsibility across the entire centre.
The candidate
For this role we are seeking a leader with superb retail experience to head this busy department. The plantarea is the focus point of any garden centre and your standards for customer service, merchandising and the little details that make a department special will make you stand out. Plant knowledge is essential but we are open minded about the level of academic qualification. Experience within a garden centre is desirable as is supervisory skills.
Apply here
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Contracts Manager Leeds Area (ref:DS7802) Location: West Yorkshire
Salary: £28,000 - £35,000
Date: 10 Nov
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent
Our client is a leading Grounds Maintenance Company based in East Anglia who carry out a wide range of commercial contracts throughout the UK. They are currently seeking to recruit a Grounds Maintenance Contracts Manager for the North to oversee commercial contracts throughout this Region.
The role
Responsibilities will include
- Overseeing the implementation of contracts to strict deadlines and budgets
- Assisting in development and bidding for new works
- Liaison with clients
- Implementation and management of health & safety and quality procedures
- Supervision of Teams
- Maintaining contract files
- Reporting to the Regional Manager and Operations Director
The candidate
The ideal candidate will currently be employed in a similar role or be seeking to take their next step into a more senior management role.
The successful candidate should hold a relevant horticultural or landscape qualification
A full driving license is essential.
They should also have significant experience in managing commercial contacts and be able to give superb customer service to clients.
Ideal candidate should be based in the Leeds, Bradford or Manchester Area.
Salary range: £28-32,000 - dependent on experience
Apply here
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Garden Centre Sundries Shop Manager (ref:DS7775)
Location: Northamptonshire
Salary: £20,000 - £24,000
Date: 10 Nov
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent
Our client is a Nationwide group that are continually growing and developing their leading garden centres across England and Wales. They are proud of their heritage in the gardening industry and each and every one of their garden centres has its own identity and for this reason each of the garden centres is separately branded and the staff and customers are loyal to their centre.
They currently employ more than 5,000 people and some of their longest serving employees have been with the Group for more than 40 years. They offer their employees great opportunities to progress and are keen to meet great retailers and plants people who are looking for the next step in their career.
Customer service is of prime importance to everyone who works for them and they believe that better customer service is achieved by education. They have one of the best staff training scheme in the industry. It is based on practical training with experienced staff together with their own in-house E-Learning system which covers every part of the business.
Currently they are seeking an outstanding garden sundries retail manager to manage their Shop area
The role
As Garden Sundries Retail Manager you will be part of an exciting chapter and you will join a cutting edge Garden Sundries Department. The ideal candidate will have a background in garden centre retail with excellent garden sundries product knowledge from seeds to clothing. They will manage seasonal changes and have the ability to present and merchandise their department to the highest standard.
The candidate
Team leadership skills are essential as is the ability to communicate well with customers delivering excellent standards of customer care. Working in a busy retail team environment means you will have to have a hands-on approach to all duties within this department.
If you are passionate about Garden Sundries and would enjoy sharing this enthusiasm with our client's customers, we would love to hear from you.
Apply here
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Garden Centre Homewares and Gifts Manager (ref:DS7776)
Location: North East England
Salary: £15,000 - £20,000
Date: 10 Nov
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent
Our client is a Nationwide group that are continually growing and developing their leading garden centres across England and Wales. They are proud of their heritage in the gardening industry and each and every one of their garden centres has its own identity and for this reason each of the garden centres is separately branded and the staff and customers are loyal to their centre.
They currently employ more than 5,000 people and some of their longest serving employees have been with the Group for more than 40 years. They offer their employees great opportunities to progress and are keen to meet great retailers and plants people who are looking for the next step in their career.
Customer service is of prime importance to everyone who works for them and they believe that better customer service is achieved by education. They have one of the best staff training scheme in the industry. It is based on practical training with experienced staff together with their own in-house E-Learning system which covers every part of the business.
Currently they are seeking an outstanding garden sundries retail manager to manage their Shop area
The role
As Home Interiors and Giftware Retail Manager based Newcastle Area this is an exciting opportunity to join a cutting edge Garden Centre Department. The ideal candidate will have a background in garden centre retail with excellent garden gifting and homeware product knowledge.. They will manage seasonal changes and have the ability to present and merchandise their department to the highest standard.
The candidate
Team leadership skills are essential as is the ability to communicate well with customers delivering excellent standards of customer care. Working in a busy retail team environment means you will have to have a hands-on approach to all duties within this department.
If you are passionate about Garden Gifts and Homewares and would enjoy sharing this enthusiasm with our client's customers, we would love to hear from you.
Apply here
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 A gardener with a lifelong passion for sunflowers has won £1,000 following a nationwide hunt for the UK’s tallest specimen.Seed and plant specialist Thompson & Morgan announced the biggest ever cash prize for a tallest sunflower competition back in spring, in a bid to see the world record brought to UK shores. The bumper prize attracted entrants from around the UK, from gardeners young and old. There were some stand out specimens sitting between 12-14ft (3.7-4.3m), but the clear winner – at a staggering 24ft (7.2m) – was grown by Richard Hope. The Wigan gardener is well-known on the giant veg growing circuit, having held previous world records for the biggest swede, heaviest leek and longest parsnip. Grown against a sunny wall of his house, his giant plants reach the apex of the roof three storeys up! Sadly, his giant entry was shy of the world record by 4ft 8in (1.4m), but Mr Hope still has his sights on beating the 8.75m (28ft 8in) sunflower grown by Hans-Peter Schiffer of Kaarst-Vorst, Germany in 2013. For the past 35 years Mr Hope has been hand pollinating his plants, saving seeds from the tallest and sowing them the following year, over time building a superior sunflower strain. Most impressive is that he grows his plants in make shift containers rather than in the soil, with no specialist feeding formula. “I use salmon boxes with large bottomless pots set over them, similar to tomato ring culture method. It gives the plants about two and half feet of compost to grow in,” he says. “There are no real tricks to feeding my plants either, I use whatever I happen have in the shed.” You might assume Richard starts his plants off early indoors under heat and lights to get such results, but there is no such trickery. “I sow my seeds in the first week of April every year. Along with height, my seed strain has evolved a really long season of growth, so the plants keep on climbing right through to October.” In fact, due to mild autumn weather, Mr Hope’s plants piled on a further 1ft (30cm) in between entering in early October and verification at the end of the month. Despite there being no world record breaker, the gardening experts at Thompson & Morgan were more than impressed with the winning entry, and the runners up. Horticultural Director Paul Hansord said: “We’ve not had much sunshine this year, but sunflowers have certainly done well in UK gardens. We were excited to see entries of 12,13, 14ft coming in – impressive heights by any means. When Mr Hope’s entry hit our inbox we couldn’t believe it. We sent our closest area sales manager to verify things, who quickly called to say we should get the company cheque book ready!” Thompson & Morgan is upping the stakes for 2016 and will again be offering £1,000 for the tallest UK sunflower, but if it breaks the world record the prize money will be upped to £2,000. And if a gardener breaks the record using the mail order specialist’s incredibloom® fertiliser, the prize pot will be doubled again to a staggering £4,000. Mr Hansord added: “We’re so confident of the plant-boosting abilities of our fertiliser range that we’re willing to heavily reward anyone who can grow a world record sunflower with it in 2016.” Thompson and Morgan offers 37 different sunflower varieties, from giants like ‘Tall Timbers’ F1 to multiflowering types like ‘Helios Flame’ F1, and dwarf varieties including 2ft (60cm) tall ‘Little Dorrit’ F1.
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Smart Garden Products have made the headlines in this week’s GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart with a couple of high performing items.
- The Smart Solar Metal Duck (pictured above) is the highest new entry at No 12.
- The Smart Garden Products Window Lantern with LED Candle has risen to No 2 in the chart after seeing sales increase by 100% on the previous week.
- Woodlodge Small Pot Feet take over the top spot.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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There’s clear evidence in this week’s GTN Bestsellers Christmas Products chart that shoppers are getting into the feative spirit and are busy buying items for their Christmas trees.
Some of the star performers this week include:
- Kaemingk Plain Baubles in a variety of colours are the three highest new entries, headed by Christmas Red at No 4.
- The highest climber is the American Paper Optics Christmas Glasses Snowman, jumping 25 places to No 22.
- Premier Decorations Frosted Cone/Apple Pick is the hgihest re-entry at No 8.
- History & Heraldry Personalised Christmas Bauble retains the top spot.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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Farmyard manure and plant protection bark have shown up strongly in this week’s Growing Media chart, which reveals that overall sales are slowing down.
Star performers this week include:
- Westland Gro-Sure Farmyard Manure (50 itres) has moved up to No 2 spot after a 50% increase in sales from the previous week.
- The highest re-entry accolade also goes to Westland and the company’s Plant Protection Bark (90 litres) returns to the Top 50 at No 28.
- Westland have the highest climber in John Innes No 3 Mature Plants (35 litres), jumping 19 places to No 25.
- The highest new entry is Arthur Bowers John Innes Ericaceous (25 litres) at No 41.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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A retail expert will be flying in from Germany to speak at the 2016 Garden Centre Association’s annual conference in January and he says the future for garden centres is bright.
The General Secretary of both the DIY-Retail Association (EDRA) and the Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN), John Herbert will be at the GCA’s golden jubilee event from January 24 until 27, 2016.
John explained: “I will be presenting on topics based on my lifetime experience in retailing and my presentation to delegates will be entitled: ‘The huge difference –
dedicated employees’.
“I will go through why some retailers are successful and others are not. How inspirational leadership can make the difference and where the family-owned business has a huge advantage over other retail conglomerates.
“I speak from personal experience having enjoyed managing a family business, Knauber, which was voted one of the best stores in the world by a USA leading trade magazine and then having worked in the world’s fourth largest retailer, Home Depot EXPO Design Centre, as President, West Coast USA.”
John will also give an insight into the future of retailing based on his knowledge of the sector during the past 11 years.
“I’ve been visiting retailers all over the world for more than a decade, on average 35 times a year, and moderating annually a global congress with 750 delegates from more than 50 countries.
“I will touch on how the Internet will continue to effect shopping habits and what the stores of the future look like…and its not all for the best. But in my opinion there are huge advantages for garden centres going forward”
The GCA’s annual conference will be held at The Grand Hotel in Brighton from January 24 until 27, 2016. More than 300 delegates are expected to attend the event.
Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “We’re really looking forward to hearing what John has to say. He has a wealth of knowledge having started his retail career as a trainee in retailing in York, shortly before his 15th birthday, almost 60 years ago.
“He joined the Army in 1962 and in 1965 joined NAAFI Germany as a trainee store manager, leaving as District Manager in 1975. During this time, John was awarded the Queen’s Commission. John joined German Hypermarkets and in 1977 was appointed Director of Sainsburys/BHS first SavaCentre Hypermarket in Washington, which at the time was on the first of its kind in the UK.”
In 1983, he joined Knauber as CEO a small retail German company. In 2000, John was appointed Divisional President of the Home Depot EXPO for the West Coast USA.
By 2002 he was the Managing Director of the BHB, the German DIY Retail Association, and just two years later he took over the recently formed European DIY Retail Association EDRA, which became an independent Association in 2009.
He later founded the Global Home improvement Network, which became an independent association in 2015.
Iain added: “Today, John is the General Secretary of both the EDRA and GHIN with 127 of the largest home improvement retail companies from around the world as members operating in 99 countries with over 22,000 stores and members sales in excess of $250 billion.”
To book a place at the conference and hear John speak on January 25, 2016, visit the members’ area on the GCA website via www.gca.org.uk.
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Notcutts, the UK’s largest family owned garden centre group, has today announced profit for the 12 months to February 2015 of £7.4m vs £1.3m prior year.
A significant part of the increase was due to profit on property disposals, however operating profits increased by 256% to £1.1m (last year £0.3m) representing a return to growth for the garden centre operations and a strong return on investment for the redevelopments in Wheatcroft (Nottingham) and Tunbridge Wells. Trading performance for the first six months of the current year continues the upward trend showing a year on year increase of 11%.
The company strategy is to invest over £30m over the next five years in redeveloping its garden centres to provide a differentiated customer experience. Exciting changes have recently been unveiled at Woodford Park in Cheshire with a glittering new Christmas wonderland; an inspiring gift department and friendly new pet centre to surprise and delight customers.
Nicky Dulieu, Chairman at Notcutts said: “We are clearly pleased with our financial performance for last year and the continued improvements this year, which demonstrates the success of our customer service and improved product offerings as well as the investments already made. Our newly developed centres have proved really popular with our customers and this has reinforced our strategy to redevelop our garden centres over the next 5 years.”
Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman, said: “This is an important time for Notcutts and the family remain committed to our growth strategy of investment in the core estate. We also continue to look for the right businesses for acquisition to enhance our portfolio of premium garden centres. I am looking forward to ensuring my father, Charles Notcutt’s vision of creating a business to inspire gardeners for many generations to come, is fulfilled.”
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 Scotts Miracle-Gro’s UK marketing director Paula Parker has left the business following the latest round of restructuring by general manager Sheila Hill.
A process of re-aligning the UK operation with the structure used by its US parent has been ongoing since Hill’s predecessor, Martin Breddy, left last February. Four brand managers with marketing responsibility now report directly to Hill – a move she claims will make the company more responsive to customer and consumer needs. She applauded Parker’s achievements over seven years with Scotts. The current in-post brand managers are Fatima Isorce (plant food and growing media), Karen Doyle (controls) and Doug Hamilton (bird food). A lawncare brand manager has still to be appointed. Parker told GTN Xtra this week that her exit from Scotts had been amicable and that she would be announcing details of her own new business shortly.
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Gardman announce appointment of new CEO
As revealed in a special edition of GTN Xtra on Thursday, the Gardman Group has announced the appointment of Pete Utting as Chief Executive. He joins from Whitworths Ltd...
As revealed in a special edition of GTN Xtra on Thursday, the Gardman Group has announced the appointment of Pete Utting as Chief Executive. He joins from Whitworths Ltd.
He joins from baking and snacking products supplier Whitworths Ltd, which, like Gardman, is a private equity-backed supplier into independent and multiple retail channels and which he has led as CEO for the past seven years. During his tenure at Whitworths, he transformed the financial and operational performance of the business through a growth strategy that saw sales increase by 90% to £175m. Previously he held main board roles in a number of fast moving consumer goods businesses, including sales director at United Biscuits. He also spent nine years at Coca Cola in a variety of sales and marketing roles. Gardman’s chairman, Jonathan Halford, said: “Pete’s past retail success, invaluable brand experience and his strong understanding of multi-channel distribution challenges make this an exciting appointment. These are all key factors we shall need in order for Gardman to achieve its ambitious growth plans. Pete and I will be working closely together to drive the business forward.” Utting started a six-week induction programme at the company this week and takes over full executive responsibility on 1 January 2016. Jonathan Halford, who has run Gardman day-to-day since Utting’s predecessor left earlier in the year, will then resume his role as group non-executive chairman.
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Outdoor categories performed well in October
Customers at garden centres across the country were buying furniture and outdoor plants during October and early indictations of Christmas sales are good according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) results...
Customers at garden centres across the country were buying furniture and outdoor plants during October and early indictations of Christmas sales are good according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) results.
There was a 26.82% rise in sales of furniture and barbecues compared to 2014 and outdoor plants were up 17.59%. Clothing was also a good seller at 9.20% up.
Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, explained: “As the festive season approaches, the early indications show Christmas sales are looking positive and there is the potential for a good season ahead. While the headline 10% increase may not be as high as other categories such as furniture and barbecues, the average sales value for the Christmas category is seven times greater and the value of the increase is three times as great.
“It’s interesting to see sales of furniture and barbecues up at this time of the year. Because of the season we expect people to be purchasing items such as fire pits, outdoor heating and lighting and cosier seating so they can still enjoy their gardens before the very bitter weather sets in.
“Strong outdoor plant figures show people have potentially been busy preparing their plots with plants ideal for colder weather and that produce some much needed winter colour such as shrubs and evergreens.
“Clothing has been one of the top selling categories for the past few months, which is proving how garden centres are becoming real destinations with an increasingly diverse product range.”
For the month of October the overall garden centre performance was up by 11% with a Year to Date change of 7.5%.
Sales in catering were 14.48% up compared to the same month in 2014 while Food Hall and Farm Shop sales were 11.51% up. Sales in gifts were up 9.74%.
The BoT results are the only official GCA trading figures to be released.
The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.
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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.
As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2013 as well as 2014 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 up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales. To subscribe call 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.
Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here
Highlights of the GTN Christmas Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here
Highlights of the GTN Growing 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.
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Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters delivered via the post for only £145.00.
GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £120m.
Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.
For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.
Buy your subscription today and start receiveing the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.
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All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
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With visitor registration now open, Casual Dining – the UK’s multi-award winning trade event – has announced its initial Keynote line-up for 2016.
Returning to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on 24-25 February next year, the show’s extensive Keynote programme will feature an exclusive interview with Luke Johnson, chairman of private equity firm Risk Capital Partners. Johnson, one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs, is well-known for his involvement in growing the Pizza Express, Giraffe, Strada, and Patisserie Valerie brands. He’ll be discussing his experiences in the UK casual dining sector – and its future prospects with Propel’s managing director Paul Charity.
Steve Richards, CEO of Casual Dining Group (owner of the Café Rouge, Las Iguanas and Bella Italia brands), Simon Kossoff, chief executive of Italian restaurant and food shop chain Carluccio’s (in interview with Peter Martin, vice president of CGA Peach), and Anthony Pender, chairman of The British Institute of Innkeeping and MD of Yummy Pub Co, are among the other big name speakers also confirmed today.
Pender, who has previously called Casual Dining a “welcome change to the trade show calendar”, will head up a panel session featuring a host of well-known pub operators, including Brian Whiting, managing director of Whiting & Hammond. As in previous years, Horizons’ Peter Backman is back to report on the latest trends and developments in the ‘thriving’ casual dining market, now said to be worth over £7bn.
Casual Dining 2016 sells out in record time
One of the fastest growing parts of the UK’s eating out market, casual dining is a lifestyle trend that shows no sign of abating. If anything, as a dining experience, it’s only increasing in popularity. And it’s still got plenty of room for expansion – with 16 new pub and casual restaurant openings per week, according to the latest findings in a M&C Allegra Foodservice report, commissioned by Estrella Damm in July.
It is this strong market performance, combined with glowing testimonials and a strong onsite rebook, that has helped the show sell out of all available exhibition space over four months early. The 2016 edition will now feature 170 exhibiting companies (up from 150 last year and 117 when it launched in 2014).
New additions to the exhibitor line-up include The FoodFellas, Jascots, Kerry Foodservice, Morgenrot Group, Kent Frozen Foods, General Mills, Twinings, JJ Food Service, Hepworth Brewery, and Ascentia Foodservice Equipment. Whilst returning brands include Coca-Cola Enterprises, Reynolds, Lamb Weston, Unox UK, Rational UK, DiSotto Foods, Britvic Soft Drinks, McCain Foodservice (GB), Fresh Direct, Nisbets, Thistly Cross Cider, Electrolux Professional, Nestle Professional, Alan Nuttall, Sacla’ UK, and Bar & Restaurant Foods.
They’ll be joined by over 4,000 key buyers and decision makers from many of the country’s biggest casual dining pub groups and restaurant chains, hotels, contract caterers, and independent operators. Gourmet Burger Kitchen, wagamama, Greene King, Punch Taverns, Fuller’s, Carluccio's, Bella Italia, Café Rouge, YO! Sushi, Jamie’s Italian, Pizza Hut Restaurants, Pizza Express, Elior UK, BaxterStorey, Compass Group, Whitbread, Holiday Inn, Hilton are just some of the big name brands to feature on the show’s visitor list so far.
Brilliant, lively, informative, refreshing and relevant is just some of the feedback from the 2015 event, with Paul Pavli, operations director at Punch Taverns, calling it “a must attend event”.
“Bringing the latest thinking and innovation from our dynamic industry together with all the key players in one event certainly gets my vote!” says Karen Forrester, CEO of TGI Fridays.
“For food driven pubs in the ‘casual’ pitch there is no better show,” says Bruce Brunning, chairman of family-run pub group Brunning Host.
“Casual Dining is a great addition to the industry calendar, it’s a really worthwhile visit,” says Andrew Walker, MD – business development and investment at Casual Dining Group.
Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards – deadline for entries approaching
Operators in the multiple and independent casual dining sector are invited to nominate themselves for the inaugural Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards via www.cdawards.co.uk. The deadline for entries is 27 November 2015, with the results to be announced at a dedicated award ceremony on the evening of 24 February 2016 at The Grange St. Paul’s Hotel in London, following the first day of Casual Dining.
Register today
Casual Dining returns to the Business Design Centre, Islington, London, on 24-25 February 2016. For more information, and to register for a free trade ticket, visit www.casualdiningshow.co.uk
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