GTN Xtra newshound received a tip off this week that Nicholas Marshall has left Dobbies and that Graeme Jenkins is now running the garden centre group.

In a management re-shuffle in January, Graeme Jenkins became Chief Operating Officer in addition to his then current role of Chief Financial Officer. He replaced Lorrie Robertson, who left the company.

Also in the reshuffle the head of online and horticulture, Marcus Eyles, replaced Andrew West as Purchasing Director,

It was stated by the company at the time that Nicholas Marshall, CEO at the 35-centre chain, would remain as Chief Executive.

But GTN Xtra has it on good authority that Marshall has now followed in the footsteps of Lorrie Robertson and Andrew West, and departed the group.

We’ve been told that Andrew Bracey, Chairman of Midlothian Capital, explained the reasons behind the departures in a talk to Dobbies management.

Nicholas Marshall took over at the top of Dobbies a year ago, on March 7th 2017, and within months of his arrival he had put together a team full of former colleagues.

GTN Xtra tried to contact Chairman Andrew Bracey for a comment but so far we’ve had no response.

Scotts UK have confirmed that Sheila Hill has left the business and Mark Portman has been appointed to replace her in the role of UK General Manager.

Mark has been at Gardman for a short period of time as Group Sales Director.

Prior to that role, he spent more than 7 years at Henkel, where he was General Manager, UK, Ireland & Nordics, .

Previously, he performed a series of increasingly senior Sales roles at Premier Foods where he was for 8 years, before which he was at New Covent Garden Soup.

Karl Kahofer,  CEO, said: "I am delighted to welcome Mark to our company. He brings a wealth of relevant experience, an impressive track record of delivering results and a demonstrated focus on building company culture.

"His category experience with Gardman and his experience of working with our largest UK customers will also stand him in good stead.

"He will make a big difference to our UK business.

"Mark will join us at the latest beginning of April and until then the UK team will continue to report to Ted Linehan on an interim basis."

Pennells Garden Centres have acquired the Four Seasons Garden Centre at Sleaford as of March 1st 2018.

Four Seasons Garden Centre was established by Michael Hix in 2004. Today it has a busy 180 seat restaurant, a strong retail garden and gift shop as well as a thriving farm shop.

Pennells Garden Centres operate garden centres at Lincoln and Cleethorpes.

Richard Pennell commented: “We feel that Four Seasons Garden Centre will complement our existing two centres and has good potential for further development. We will continue to build on the established strengths of the business.”

Michael Hix said: “I would like to pay tribute to the team at the centre who have helped develop the centre to the size it is today. Many thanks too to all customers for their support since we opened and we sincerely hope that continues. I would also like to thank the professional approach taken by my legal team at Langleys and my accountant Streets.”

The unique mix of "The Beast from the East" and Storm Emma wreaked havoc across UK garden centres this week with reports of many store closures, frozen pipes and heroic efforts to keep trading.

Centre closures started on Tuesday in Kent and East Sussex and then spread north across the country during the week causing the second business interruption for snow this winter in many places.  Then the weather even hit the normally snow free West Country at the end of the week.

Neil Gow from Fresh@Burcot Garden Centre in the MIdlands tells us: "We have managed to remain open throughout despite 10ft snow drifts on the road outside.

"Trade has been about 1/5 of what it should have been with fuels, bird food and catering being the winners. The consolation is that at least it was this weekend rather than next when it is Mothers Day! We have a clear car park thanks to the team, who have battled their way through to work each day, motivated to walk up to 3 miles to help keep us open. It must be great to enjoy your work so much!

"Gardman have at last delivered an order to us, 4 weeks late, but most of what we need we have been getting from Stax – another Great Team at their centre at Birmingham!

Please add your comments about the effect of the Big Freeze on your business using the link below or e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk.  We'd particularly like to hear of your hero's who kept services open for customers, how you plan to make up the lost business when the thaw gets underway and any risks you have of flooding when the snow melts away.

Langlands Garden Centre director James Ducker braved the treacherous driving conditions in East Yorkshire this week to deliver food to the Hull Food Bank.

The garden centre had been forced to closed because of the bad weather and the fresh food would have gone to waste.

It brought a host of great comments of Facebook and airtime on local radio.

Julie Hardcastle said: "Excellent company caring for people without food – you are a credit to employers."

And Nola Pears wrote: "Good on ya, Langlands,well done for thinking of others, and well done young man for braving the cold to deliver."

Michala Brooks commented: "So glad you’ve put others before gain in times like this."

Staff at North Walsham Garden Centre took inspiration from the recent Winter Olympics and tried their hand at a spot of curling during this week's wintry weather.

A video of the 'North Walsham garden centre curling championships' was posted on the centre's Facebook page and drew quite a lot of attention, including over 800 views.

And on YouTube the video attracted over 600 views.

Or you can view the video at https://youtu.be/QpouIWRewPw

Meanwhile at Lakeside Plant Centre in Telford they put out a call for volunteers to join their Bobsled team. "2022 here we come," said manager Kevin Turley.

And now we've received this footage of Reindeer giving proper sleigh rides to staff at Richardsons Garden Centre in County Durham:

Watch the Sleigh Ride video here

George Richardson tells GTN Xtra: "In your request for snow related story we had one of our Reindeer pulling staff members around in a proper sleigh. We hire Reindeer to other garden centres and business through our sister company Rent A Reindeer Ltd. www.rentareindeer.co.uk

"Usually our sleighs are on wheels for Santa arrival events but the snow allowed for a bit of fun. Not the best of video’s because as soon as we took phones out of pockets they froze and stopped working it was that cold."

Send us pictures of your garden centre winter sports and we will add them to this story.  E-mail: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

As ‘the Beast from the East’ has caused garden centres to close across the country we’ve been looking back through the GTN Bestsellers data to when we last had a cold March in 2013.

In that year, as you see in the graph above, there was a noticeable dip in sales at the start of March as we expect to see this year with this week’s snow and the freeze predicted to run into next week too. 

Then there was a good week’s trading in the middle of March around Garden Re-Leaf Day followed by more cold weather at the end of the month.

Everyone is now hoping that this very cold start to March is not followed by more bad weather later as in 2013, fingers crossed.  It does however place even more importance on implementing Garden Re-Leaf Day promotional ideas to get people back out to garden centres after the big freeze.

Garden Re-Leaf Day is Friday 16th March, which could be ideal timing at the end of the thaw, so make sure your teams get involved to help make up for lost sales this week and next. 

To find out more about Garden Re-Leaf Day go to: www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/gardenreleaf

One of the great fun-draising ideas is the Garden Re-Leaf Plantathon which always generates loads of local press coverage and extra sales during March. 

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 8)

• Garden Products - down 15%
• Growing Media - down 18%
• Veg-2-Gro - down 14%
• Wild Bird Care - down 9%
• All Plants Index - down 4%
• All Items Index - down 9%

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Garden Re-Leaf Day is fast approaching! With just under three weeks until the garden retail industry comes together to kickstart the season and raise much needed funds for Greenfingers, the event organisers are urging interested parties to sign up now and take part before it’s too late!

Garden businesses across the country have been busy planning their own FUNdraising events for Garden Re-Leaf Day on Friday 16th March, and across the weekend. 

Pictured right: Pictured: Heidi Towse preparing for Garden Re-Leaf Day at Worlds End Garden Centre.

Longacres Garden Centre will be going the extra mile with over 40 people completing a sponsored walk which will start at their Shepperton store with a pit stop at their Chobham branch, before finishing at their Bagshot headquarters – a total distance of 20 miles. A family fun day will also be held in store to welcome back the tireless walkers on Sunday 18th March which will include face painting, food and much more!

A team from Hozelock will also be walking 10km for on Garden Re-Leaf Day through the beautiful surroundings of Sutton Park, a national nature reserve close to their Birmingham site.

Klondyke and Strikes Garden Centres are holding six separate 12-hour Plantathons across England to raise money for Garden Re-Leaf.  Bob Hewitt, along with colleagues David Yardley, David Abbott, Ian McCavish, Eric Snowden and their staff will continuously plant up containers at their Byrkley Park, Houghton Hall, Stokesley, Lady Green, Garforth and Wilmslow stores.

Staff at Hillview Garden Stores will be putting their horticultural skills to the test with a Plantathon across all 11 of their stores.  Each of the Hillview stores will plant 101 spring containers and then the race will be on to see which store can sell them the fastest, with sales going to the charity.

Tates of Sussex will also be organising an exciting fun packed day of activities to kickstart the gardening season at their Paradise Park centre.  There will be a quiz for local gardening clubs, an auction of flower arrangements made by a local floristry group, as well as fundraising through the sale of special green cupcakes in the coffee shop and collecting loose change at the tills.

Meanwhile, Bents Garden and Home in Cheshire is holding a Charity Planting Day, giving lucky children the chance to create their very own planted teacup, with proceeds going to Greenfingers.   Children are also invited to participate in events at Whitehall Garden Centre, Lacock where for a small donation, they can decorate a triangle of bunting, which once completed will be proudly displayed in Julia’s House Children’s Hospice.

Many will be putting their baking skills to the test with Downtown Garden Centre, Grantham holding a cake bake sale and quiz instore with a prize for the winner. Elsewhere the staff at Mr Fothergill’s will be channelling their inner Mary Berry with a cake sale as part of their fundraising events.

Scotsdales Garden Centre will be holding a Ladies Charity Night at their Great Shelford store which promises an evening of fundraising, fizz, tastings and live music, whilst staff at landscaping company AHS Ltd are organising several fundraising events at their head office in Northiam.

If you haven’t registered your event, do not worry – there is still time to do so! As an incentive, if you register your event on the Greenfingers website beforehand, businesses will receive FREE Garden Re-Leaf Day t-shirts, balloons and posters to help promote their events.  Businesses will also benefit from free support from Garden Re-Leaf’s PR team including press release templates and media lists to help with publicity.

Walk or cycle for Garden Re-Leaf

There has been a great response for the popular Garden Re-Leaf Walk and Cycle starting at World’s End Garden Centre and taking in the beautiful Chilterns scenery. Staff from Elho, Poplars Garden Centre, Cadix, Hornby Whitefoot PR, Glee, Woodlodge, Mr Fothergill’s, Briers, Deco-Pak, Taylor’s Bulbs, Hozelock, HTA and Kew Green Hotels have all signed up to take part and there is still time to join them at the start line.

Sponsors and Promotions

Greenfingers is delighted to welcome CSY Systems, The Landscape Show and National Garden Gift Vouchers on board as Garden Re-Leaf sponsors. They join LOFA, SBM Life Sciences and Groundscare Products, who have all committed their generous support for the day.  There are still many exciting sponsorship opportunities available which will provide significant publicity potential as well as positive brand association with the event. 

Garden Innovations is selling charity packs of their best-selling Bottle Top Waterers.  Inspired by the fun and bright colours and positive outlook of Garden Re-Leaf Day, a donation of 37p per charity pack sold will go to Greenfingers.

Greenfingers Head of Fundraising and Communications, Linda Petrons said: “We have been overwhelmed at the support we have received so far and there is still time to sign up and do your bit for Garden Re-Leaf.  Last year’s Garden Re-Leaf Day set the bar extremely high with so many participants and fundraising events. We need your help to surpass the total in 2018 and make the lives better for the families and carers with children who have life-limiting illnesses.”

For fundraising ideas and inspiration, a free information pack has been produced by the Greenfingers team.  To download the pack, register your event or sign up for the walk/cycle, please visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/gardenreleaf.

To enquire about sponsorship, please contact Linda by email linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk or call 01494 674749/07908 221240

Plant sales growth slowed during the two weeks leading up to the big freeze with young plants showing the biggest areas of increases.

• Pelargonium young plants were very popular as this Summer No 1 moved up to No 7.
• Lobelia young plants saw the biggest percentage sales increase to re-enter at No 26.
• Tomato plants show on our chart as a new entry last week as we have decided to include veg plants in our Top 50 through 2018 so that their sales volumes can be compared to other plants more easily. 

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

The success of Smart Garden’s GroZone last season has led to the introduction of several new products into the range, from the entry level Tomato GroZones to the Pro Tunnel GroZone Max. 

All GroZones are produced to a high specification and designed to last, made with high quality materials.

They have a new contemporary look, are quick and easy to assemble and will delight gardeners with important features such as:

• Shelves and support bars which are easy to remove, allowing for extremely flexible growing spaces
• Thicker gauge powder coated steel shelves and plenty of anchor points ensure a sturdy and durable construction
• 150gsm extra density reinforced PE covers with quality webbing and loop ties are used across the entire range
• Curved elliptical roof allows for wider openings and plenty of space inside each greenhouse
• Ease of assembly without any specialised tools

So, be Smart, and ensure you stock up in time for the spring growing season!

To find out more about Smart Garden’s market leading product offering visit www.sgpuk.com

HTA and Greenfingers Charity have cemented their partnership with the announcement of a number of initiatives at the Garden Press Event this week.

HTA presented Greenfingers Charity with a cheque for £1,000 raised over Christmas when consumers made donations of 50p with purchases of National Garden Gift Vouchers. This partnership with the Garden Gifting Schemes is set to continue with exposure of the charity through gifting collateral such as the wallets and information that goes through to garden centre staff.

Also, there will be further collaboration with regard to National Children’s Gardening Week, which is supported by National Garden Gift Vouchers and Gift Card schemes, with some of the downloadable activities suitable for use as fundraisers in-store.

A team of HTA staff have signed up for the Garden Re-Leaf Day Walk on 16 March – please see the donations page at  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gardenreleaf. Greenfingers is the Charity Partner for the APL Awards, also taking part on 16 March, where APL landscape members will be encouraged to do their bit!

HTA Director of Operations Martin Simmons, who has recently become a Greenfingers Ambassador, comments, ‘It is great to build on our existing relationship with Greenfingers Charity with these new initiatives. We are keen to help support and raise awareness of the fantastic work carried out by the charity and by linking in with our gifting schemes we can help reach more members and consumers alike.’

He adds, ‘We know that consumers that purchase National Garden Gift Vouchers are almost twice as likely as average to be loyal to or help out a charity and so this link up should be of great appeal to gardeners.’

Linda Petrons, Head of Fundraising and Communications for Greenfingers, adds ‘We are enormously grateful to the HTA for their commitment to support Greenfingers Charity through the gifting initiative, National Children’s Gardening Week as well as Garden Re-leaf Day.   We very much look forward to seeing this fabulous new partnership continue to raise vital funds to help create more gardens in children’s hospices across the UK and also help to raise the profile of the charity and help us to reach out to lovers of all things gardening.”

To celebrate the fourth year of National Children’s Gardening week and its ‘adoption’ by the HTA, a new look website for National Children’s Gardening Week has been unveiled, along with a suite of free resources for the garden industry to get behind the initiative.

The 2018 National Children’s Gardening Week takes place between 26 May and 3 June – taking on board two weekends. Children love growing plants and being outdoors but can often be impatient for results hence the week taking place at a time of year when results can be more immediate.

The initiative, now in its fourth year, was originally the brainchild of Neil Grant, Managing Director of Ferndale Garden Centre near Sheffield. This year, it has been taken on by the HTA, and is supported by National Garden Gift Voucher and Gift Card Schemes and Greenfingers charity, in order to help spread the word across the industry and the wider media.

Visit the new colourful website at www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk where there is the opportunity for garden centres to upload their own events taking place during the week.

Free resources and content are available for garden centres to download and order and highlights include:

• 6 garden themed cartoon characters
• Table talkers, posters, sticker sheets and brochures
• Character sticker sheets
• Downloadable PDF activities for use instore, including a fundraiser
• Design a robot compost bin competition (with the winning bin to feature on the HTA industry led exhibit ‘The Great Escape’ at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the opportunity for representatives from the winning garden centre to attend the show).

These will be followed with a series of kids gardening and family activities developed by Chris Collins, National Children’s Gardening Week Ambassador, including projects such as: Edible hanging basket, Crazy heads, Pizza Wheel, Make a plant terrarium, Grow a meal, The recycled garden.

Neil Grant comments: "The beauty of National Children’s Gardening Week is that garden centres can join in in any way that suits them.  It is already a busy week for them but by making use of the free resources available they can join in with a much wider campaign – helping to demonstrate the benefits of plants and growing from a young age."

Martin Simmons, HTA Director of Operations, adds: "We are really excited about the new resources that are coming online for National Children’s Gardening Week and by getting garden centres on board we can really make some noise about the importance of engaging children and families in gardening in a fun way."

You can follow the campaign activity on social media using the hashtag #NCGW.

For more information, to download associated content and get involved visit www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk.

• Annual ranking reveals most troublesome pests and diseases in 2017
• Honey fungus ranked number one disease for 22nd year with box suffering three top ten plant health issues
• Fuchsia gall mite and diseases of edible crops expected to take hold in 2018

Honey fungus and box tree caterpillar were the dominant plant health issues in 2017, according to analysis of Royal Horticultural Society gardener enquiries.

Now in its 22nd year, the annual ranking is a guide to new and growing areas of concern for gardeners and includes a number of pests and diseases first identified by the RHS, such as kerria twig and leaf blight that features in the top ten for the first time this year.

In 2017, box tree caterpillar returned to the number one spot after dropping to number seven in 2016. Increasingly common in London and the home counties the caterpillar feeds on the leaves of box from within a protective webbing causing severe defoliation.

In what was a bad year for the plant, it also battled box blight and volutella blight – both of which cause twig and leaf death. While the box tree caterpillar is expected to continue its spread, the issue of blight may be decreased by growing gardener awareness of how to manage it and breeding of resistant varieties.

Honey fungus has retained the disease top spot for the 22nd year running, which can be attributed to its numerous and diverse host range that includes popular garden plants such as the rose, rhododendron and Prunus. RHS research currently underway is intended to help gardeners better manage the disease that attacks and kills the roots of perennial plants before decaying the wood.

Pests and diseases to watch in 2018 include fuchsia gall mite which makes its fourth and highest appearance in the top ten having first been discovered in the UK in 2007. Reported for the first time in South Wales and Cheshire in 2017, the microscopic mites cause the shoots and flowers of fuchsias to distort.

Changing weather conditions, the withdrawal of fungicides and the use of highly susceptible cultivars, is also expected to see a rise in the number of diseases of edible crops such as apple and pear scab that causes dark, scabby markings on fruit and pear rust that causes bright orange spots on leaves.

More information about the top ten pests and diseases is available on the RHS website: www.rhs.org.uk

Gerard Clover, Head of Plant Health at the Royal Horticultural Society, said: “This year’s pest and disease ranking points to the continuing problems inflicted on gardens by old foes like honey fungus but also new and emerging threats like box tree caterpillar, fuchsia gall mite and kerria twig and leaf blight. With new pests and diseases emerging in continental Europe, it has never been more important that people get to grips with what is going on in their gardens.”

To help mitigate the risk posed by pests and diseases, the RHS is adopting six new principles that will guide its activity across gardens, shows and plant centres and hiring three new senior staff who will oversee plant health issues. This includes Xylella fastidiosa which the RHS has labelled a ‘game changer’ for gardeners and the horticultural industry.

More information is available at www.rhs.org.uk/science/plant-health-in-gardens/plant-health-policy

Tong Garden Centre held its third annual Orchid Day where lovers of the tropical species received free advice and health checks for their plants from expert Chris Channon, an award-winning orchid grower and RHS gold medallist for his orchid displays.

Throughout the day, Chris gave general advice, ‘Tropical Orchids for Beginners' talks and re-potting demonstrations in the houseplant area at Tong and hosted a question and answer session.

Visitor Karen Willcock from Burley was enthused: "I learned a lot about orchid growing, repotting and essential orchid care. Chris was very welcoming in examining and ‘first aiding' my plant."

Tong's Plant Buyer Steve Smith said: "The event has proved, once again, to be very successful. Our customers really value Chris's expert advice and how well it was presented. There seems to be a growing trend towards growing orchids - we've seen sales increase by almost 50% year on year - and I'm sure that free advice days like these encourage people to learn more about caring for their orchid. We're really looking forward to next year's event."

 Chris Channon managed Deva Orchids, a successful orchid nursery near Chester, for more than 21 years before he retired from growing and showing orchids in December, 2008.

He is now using his knowledge and experience to support Growth Technology's Orchid Days by informing orchid owners about looking after the exotic plants and offering free advice on any issues they may have.

With a hall brimming with quality plants and awash with colour, the Klondyke Group's annual Plant Show took place at the Hallmark Hotel close to Wilmslow Garden Centre with over 20 suppliers exhibiting at the show.

The show, which was attended by the Group’s 22 Plant and Garden Centre Managers and Horticultural Buying Team, gave the perfect opportunity to plan and select stock for the 2018 season by bringing them together with many of the best from the UK plant supply chain. 

Jon Wilks of Jon Wilks Associates, led a very interactive and highly motivational session on employee engagement, looking at how a shared sense of energy, commitment and purpose leads onto excellent customer service and experience.

The show also saw the launch of Klondyke’s year of ‘Garden Festivals’ marketing campaign which launches in May with their Patio Perfect event.

Klondyke’s Head of Buying Andy Smith organised the show and commented: “Our 2018 event has showcased our ranges to our Plant Managers and set the scene for the season. I would like to thank all of our suppliers who attended and wish them all a great 2018 season."

During the show, Wyevale Nurseries were presented with the Klondyke Group’s award for Supplier of the Year 2017.

Adam Dunnett, Sales and Marketing Director at Wyevale Nurseries, received the award and commented: “We were delighted to be awarded the Plant Supplier of the Year 2017 Award at the recent Klondyke show. In our first three years of supplying the group we have thoroughly enjoyed working with the centres and head office team. It's always great to see plants taking centre stage in a retailer's offering. We are looking forward to continuing to build an even stronger relationship going forward.”

Wilmslow Garden Centre was awarded both the Groups’ Plant Team of the Year and Destination Plant Area of the Year awards for 2017; with Garforth Garden Centre winner of the Plant Area of the Year category.

Pictured: Klondyke’s Chief Executive David Yardley and Adam Dunnett of Wyevale Nurseries.

The snowy weather in London didn’t dampen spirits at the Garden Press Event which took place on 28 February 2018. The 13th year of the event, which is dedicated to showcasing the garden industry to the media, saw the event move to a new venue – the Business Design Centre, which was well received by exhibitors and visitors alike.

Despite the weather, media representing key trade and consumer titles came from across the country to find out the latest information on new products, themes and innovations ahead of the 2018 gardening season. Importantly, the event also puts exhibitors on media’s list of contacts for the year ahead – where a single mention of a product can drive demand.

This year saw over 100 companies exhibit including Westland Horticulture, Suttons, Stiga, Honda, David Austin Roses, Elho, Bulldog Tools, Cadix, Wyevale Nurseries and Hozelock and included 26 new companies for 2018.

Alongside the exhibitors themselves a series of short speaker slots took place in The Briefing Room covering topics such as plant health, National Children’s Gardening Week and the latest trends.

All exhibitors were eligible to put products forward for the New Product Awards – raising an amazing £2,650 for Greenfingers. The winner of the new product award was Bio-Bean for their Coffee Logs product made from coffee grounds with the runner up being Willow Wand.

The accolade for the Best Stand Award went to hedging plant specialists Hopes Grove Nurseries for their innovative display of products including a gin hedgerow featuring all the berries that can be used to flavour the spirit.

Now jointly owned by GIMA and HTA the 2018 event was the last one involving Guy Burtenshaw and Sue O’Neill from Media Events – who have run the event since its inception. At the pre-event dinner there was a presentation to both Guy and Sue from Richard Jackson thanking them by all for their hard work in developing and running this event.

At the event a Greenfingers Charity Gnome was presented to Guy Burtenshaw by Richard Jackson and Peter Seabrook (pictured above).

The Garden Press Event 2019 takes place on Wednesday 27 February at the Business Design Centre in London. For further information about booking at stand please email events@gardenpressevent.co.uk or visit www.gardenpressevent.co.uk

New HTA Chairman Chris Pateman and Matthew Bent were interviewed as part of BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme on Friday last week.

You can download the podcast from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrvlw/episodes/downloads

or listen at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09smh5h

The segment with Chris Pateman is at 09:12 into the programme and the segment about houseplants including the interview with Matthew Bent is at 25:00.

Crest Garden Ltd has announced that David Domoney has become the Brand Ambassador for Kent & Stowe garden tools.

David will be involved in a wide range of consumer and trade activities, including monthly blogs, gardening videos, social media, brochures, public appearances and competitions.

One of the highlights of the year will be a competition to ‘Win a day with David’ where the lucky winner will benefit from David’s vast knowledge and experience in garden design.

Commenting on the new partnership, Natalie Searle, Head of Marketing, said: “We are very excited to be working alongside David, who is a much loved presenter of top TV gardening programmes.

“He simply brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to gardening, that partnering with him is such an amazing opportunity for both the Kent & Stowe brand and importantly getting more people into the garden.

“His involvement with Kent & Stowe will enable us to communicate directly with our target market in a powerful way.”

David said: “I am delighted to be working with Kent & Stowe with their comprehensive range of garden tools for all ages, including a children’s range.

"It’s so important to choose the right garden implement for the right task and I will be working with them to demystify the world of garden tools as well as offering helpful advice for those looking to improve their gardening experience; reducing the effort of gardening by having the best equipment for the job.”

With the Big Freeze on the horizon it was no surprise to see Gardman Frostgard as the highest re-entry in the GTN Garden Products Chart.

Other star performers before everyone was hit by the freeze and the snow were new garden decoration lines, garden lighting, drip feeders and gardeninng gloves.

Highlights were:

• Smart Garden’s Basket Bouquet was the highest new entry at No 18.
• Briers Large Petrol Blue All Seasons Gardeners Gloves re-entered at No 10.
• Premier Decorations Coloured Led Pull Light & Bulb stays at No 1 for the seventh consecutive week.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Onion set sales continued to dominate Veg-2-Gro sales in the two weeks leading up to the Big Freeze while sales of young veg plants and pots of herbs start to sell through in good volumes.

Highlights were:

• Taylors Stuttgarter Onion Sets has taken over the No 1 spot from Red Baron
• KinderGarden Tomato Gardeners Delight, 4 Cell Plugs, has climbed to No 6 after re-entering last week.
• Farplants Parsley Moss Curled in 1 litre pots is the highest re-entry this week at No 9.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Packs of top soil and bark saw the biggest increases last week as sales continued at a good level prior to the snow and cold winds arriving. 

Sales up 20% on last year for the first 8 weeks of the year were a great omen for spring gardening activity but we will all be waiting to see if that momentum can be picked up when the thaw arrives.

Highlights were:

• Westland Top Soil (Value Bag), 35 litres, climbed to No 7 on the back of a 182% sales increase.
• Scotts Levington Bark Bale, 100 litres, was the highest re-entry at No 26.
• Westland Landscape Bark, 100 litres, was the highest chart climber, up 29 places to No 14.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Wild Bird Care sales increased last week as the cold weather started but sales so far this year are down nearly 30%. 

Provided stocks are out there and customers can get into centres to buy we can expect big increases over the next two weeks as gardeners do their bit to feed the birds.

Highlights were:

• Gardman Fat Snax, tub of 50 continue at No 1.
• Westland Peckish Natural Balance Energy Balls, 50 Tub, re-entered at No 50 after a 350% increase.
• Gardman Blue Tit Blend 1.8kg had the biggest percentage increase prior to the very bad weather, up by 425% to re-enter at No 38.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Keukenhof will be opening its gates for the 69th time on March 22. When it closes eight weeks later, some 1 million visitors from across the world will have visited the international flower exhibition.

One hundred bulb growers will supply bulbs to the park and 500 growers participate in the flower shows.

In 2018, Keukenhof will be dedicated to Romance in Flowers. After all, romance and flowers are inextricably linked. The most beautiful spring park in the world with its sea of flowers will put you in a romantic spring mood.

The historic park was designed at the height of the Romantic period (1857) as an ornamental garden for Castle Keukenhof. Since 1950, millions of tulips have flowered in the atmospheric garden around the pond, with its great views and ancient beech trees. Many generations have experienced their moment of joy here.

The flower shows will also be dedicated to the Romantic era. The rose show will be bigger than ever: the red rose, the symbol of true love.

In 2018, Keukenhof will once again have a wonderful tulip mosaic consisting of some 50,000 bulbs.

The Keukenhof season will conclude with Romance in Keukenhof, a festival with classical music in the park between the tulips.

After GTN passed on a number of comments from readers last week, Gardman CEO Pete Utting gave us this statement regarding their progress in solving the delivery issues from their new Daventry warehouse:

"We are improving but we haven't quite fixed it yet. I think the 2 weeks before Easter will see us through the backlog of orders.

"Customers will continue to see sporadic issues for a couple of weeks, but I am very confident we are close to resolving the issues.

"The issue still is as I explained before which is we have been taken by surprise from the perfect operational storm of 

1. A new infrastructure
2. New people
3. New warehouse management system

"It is not any one of these things that have caused the issues, but a combination of all three. Whilst we did very significant planning with lots of experts we have still had issues.

"We will not rest until we have fixed the issue and we are throwing lots of internal and external resources to re-instate our previous very good service.

"Finally - we are not in financial trouble and the management is not changing . I will FIX this issue."

• The in-depth report highlights the key influences and trends shaping the UK’s garden retail market – now worth over £5bn annually
• A survey of more than 15,000 garden-lovers revealed five key trends: Nano-Gardening, Houseplant Mania, Eco-Gardening, Global Gardening and the Social Side of Gardening
• Insight into the new breeds of gardeners and their desires to nurture, entertain, encourage wildlife and grow their own fresh produce
• Sea-change in demands as 67% of Brits now get their gardening knowledge via the internet, and 46% of Brits believe that social media will influence gardening trends in 2018
• Wyevale Garden Centres’ mission to demystify gardening: 69% of under-45s believe they have fewer gardening skills than their parents

Wyevale Garden Centres has launched its 2018 Garden Trends Report, offering an in-depth look at the key influences and insights shaping the UK’s garden retail market – now worth over £5bn annually.

The report has gathered the expertise of Wyevale Garden Centres’ senior horticultural team and over 15,000 garden-lovers from across the UK, combined with data to map out what’s gaining ground and losing face in the garden, and the new breeds of British gardeners taking the industry in exciting directions for 2018.

The past year has been an exhilarating one for the growth of gardening, as new waves of amateur, enthusiastic gardeners join in the horticultural action, many of whom are often lacking in time, space and gardening confidence. 69% of under-45s believe they have fewer gardening skills than their parents, and interestingly only 7% of people who have been gardening for more than 30 years consider themselves experts.

Wyevale Garden Centres has identified a need to demystify gardening and offer easy solutions for all levels of expertise and garden size.

As the largest garden centre retailer in the UK, Wyevale Garden Centres is uniquely placed to feel the pulse of the gardening public and has identified five key trends for 2018:

Nano-Gardening

Changes in home ownership are having knock-on effects on the way we garden. Space-starved gardeners are behind the trend for vertical growing as they add height to their balconies and courtyards with climbers, outdoor shelving and hanging plants. The bijou edible garden is making its way indoors, with 66% of people now growing plants in the kitchen, and many more introducing them throughout their homes.

Houseplant Mania

The trend for bringing the outdoors in is proving more popular than ever as Brits create green, jungle-like atmospheres in their homes. The aesthetically striking, impossible-to-kill cacti and succulents tick all the boxes for trend-led millennials; while the nation’s burgeoning interest in wellness has also filtered through to gardening. Healing houseplants are on the rise at Wyevale Garden Centres, as 68% of people now consider the health and wellbeing properties of a plant before purchasing it.

Eco-Gardening

Today’s environmentally aware consumers are turning towards a gentler, more holistic approach to problems in the garden, with a greater concern for wildlife and a political understanding of the way Grow Your Own can decrease our food’s carbon footprint and air miles. From plot to plate, organic is also on the rise, and 67% of people now consider themselves to be eco-conscious when it comes to gardening. Further, Wyevale Garden Centres found that 82% of Brits would like to attract more wildlife into their gardens, while 37% deem wildlife to be the most appealing garden feature.

Global Gardening

Changes in climate conditions, an increase in travel to exotic locations, and concerns about food provenance post-Brexit are just three issues directly driving changes in the way that Brits garden in 2018. These changes will open up exciting opportunities as exotic, Mediterranean species make their way into Brits’ gardens; however, Wyevale Garden Centres has revealed that only 2% of gardeners in the UK feel that they have the knowledge to adapt to a changing climate.

Social Side

Traditional and experienced gardeners have been met with a new generation learning from an entirely untraditional source: 67% of Brits are getting their gardening knowledge via the internet and social media rather than at their grandfather’s knee. By inviting people in digitally, we are becoming more likely to invite friends into our gardens, using every opportunity to relax, socialise and dine al fresco. There is a growing desire to turn the garden into the ‘fifth room’ of the house, with Wyevale Garden Centres responding to demand with an increased range of outdoor living furniture and accessories for 2018.

The Garden Trends Report offers a comprehensive look at the gardening landscape for 2018 and the years ahead, with Wyevale Garden Centres determined to keep abreast of the trends and continue to provide gardeners with the tools and knowledge they need to achieve more in the garden.

For more information, visit www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk.

Squire’s Garden Centre on Littlewick Road in Woking is now open again with a great new look.

Following a significant extension the stunning new garden centre offers an inspirational plant area, complete with an outdoor canopy to keep you and the plants dry; and a much bigger shop, offering a wider choice of gardening products, gifts and garden furniture.

Visitors on March 4th can take advantage of a massive 20% off any garden furniture suite or BBQ.

The Café Bar has also been extended and completely refurbished giving it a light and airy feel, plus there’s a beautiful outdoor verandah where you can sit and admire the plants. There’s now also a full waiting service, so you can order food and drinks from the comfort of your table.

Plus every Sunday lunchtime in March there’ll be live music from Surrey-based classical guitarist Richard Veitch between 12.30pm-2.30pm.

Sarah Squire, Deputy Chairman at Squire’s commented: “Squire’s in Woking has been completely transformed yet still remains one hundred percent true to our horticultural heritage.

"It’s beautifully designed and landscaped to fit within the surrounding area, and truly retains its sense of place.

"We hope it will be a centre that the community can be really proud of, as a local hub, a place for family and friends to get together in comfortable and relaxed surroundings. We very much look forward to welcoming our customers back, and to meeting new ones.” 

On Friday 16^th March come and have a chat with Sarah and her father Colin in store when they shall be planting containers to raise money for the charity Greenfingers.

Then on Saturday 17^th March gardening guru Charlie Dimmock will officially open Squire’s in Woking. She’ll be at the garden centre all day, so come and meet her and enjoy the following activities.

Loyal customers June & John were first through the doors of Squire’s Woking, which re-opened on 23^rd February.

Inspirational new plant area with canopy at Squire’s Woking.

Squire’s team are looking forward to welcoming old and new customers.

Stylish new shop at Squire’s Woking.

Spot amazing topiary at Squire’s Woking.

Squire’s Garden Centre, Littlewick Road, Woking, GU21 4XR.

T: 01276 858446

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 newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2015 as well as 2016 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 Garden Plants Bestsellers chart for this week are here

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

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

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care 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.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters 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.

Casual Dining - the restaurant, pub and bar event of the year - was making headlines last week, with its biggest event yet securing another record turnout.

200 exhibitors, 31 Keynote speakers and 4,803 unique attendees - are the top line figures from the 2018 show, which bid farewell to its Business Design Centre venue in style over 21-22 February.

Known for being a magnet for top buyers from across the casual dining sector, visitors included thousands of senior executives from all the UK's biggest restaurant, pub and bar groups, plus the best independent operators, hotels, wholesalers, distributors, attractions, and contract caterers.  Notably, nearly one in three visitors cited a corporate spend in excess of £1m (15% reported £10m-plus budgets).

wagamama, Jamie's Italian, JD Wetherspoon, Ei Group, Nando's, New World Trading Co, YO!, Loungers, Marston's, Greene King, and Living Ventures (winner of Casual Dining Group of the Year at the Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2018) were just some of the big-name brands in attendance.

"Casual Dining is the only show on my must attend list," says Ian Neill, chairman of K10 Restaurants and Hush Hache Restaurants.  "It is the only event that has total and relevant focus on the casual dining space and this year's show was a triumph.  ExCeL can only take it to another level."

"Casual Dining is the definitive show in our sector and as always was a hub of new and innovative products.  I look forward to seeing the show grow when it is in its new home in 2019," says Steve Packer, head of supply chain at Pizza Hut Restaurants.

"There's a reason I've been every year and will continue to do so...I love Casual Dining!  Congratulations on making it the essential date in the calendar, looking forward to ExCeL!" says Brian Keeley-Whiting, MD of Whiting & Hammond.

Next stop ExCeL London
Eva Ellis, Casual Dining's event manager, calls the support of the show 'phenomenal'.

"We are absolutely delighted that the show has been such a success," says Ellis.  "There was a fantastic buzz across the show floor from the moment doors open, and it was a very busy, valuable and productive two days for everyone involved.  Casual Dining is the two days a year that multi-site restaurant, pub and bar operators get together, and the support from the industry this year, as always, has been phenomenal.

A big thank you must go to the whole industry for supporting the show right from the very beginning and helping to make Casual Dining the amazing show that it is today.  We look forward to seeing it continue to get even bigger and better at its new home of ExCeL," she says.

With Casual Dining having already reached capacity at the BDC, the new, larger venue of ExCeL London will accommodate even more exhibitors, two Keynote theatres, and enable easier navigation for visitors around one busy show floor.  Plus when the Elizabeth line opens later this year, ExCeL London will become even more accessible.

"The move to ExCeL has generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm from across the casual dining sector," says group event director Chris Brazier.  "It's a testament to the show's continuing success, and demonstrates just how important Casual Dining has become to suppliers and buyers looking to do business here.  It's their unmissable show.

"We've seen unparalleled demand for exhibition space, with a record onsite rebook and many exhibitors asking to take substantially bigger stands next year.  It's all hugely encouraging for the future growth of this vibrant sector and, of course, Casual Dining itself - the only show targeted, focused and dedicated to serving it.

"Huge thanks, as always, must go to all our exhibitors, visitors, media and association partners, who we know are as excited about the move to our new home at ExCeL as we are," he says.

The record onsite rebook saw 76% of exhibitors confirm their participation at the next edition before doors had even closed.

Summing up their exhibiting experience, Nigel Phillips, country manager UK & Ireland at Lamb Weston, says: "Casual Dining 2018 was the best show yet.  We met with top decision makers from pub and restaurant groups, as well as the best up and coming new operators - the chains of tomorrow.  We look forward to exhibiting in its new home of ExCeL in 2019."

"Moving to ExCeL is the right move for the continued growth of the only show dedicated to this vibrant sector," agrees Andy Weir, head of marketing at Reynolds.

Other exhibitors to rebook for 2019 include Rational UK, Nestle Professional, Coca-Cola European Partners, Budweiser Budvar UK, Schweppes, McCain Foodservice, Quorn Foods, Comtrex, Kraft Heinz Foodservice, Panasonic, Moy Park Foodservice, Franklin & Sons, Tevalis, and Carlsberg UK.

"We've had a great time at Casual Dining and met a lot of fantastic customers," says Carlsberg UK's national account manager for casual dining, Matthew Kelly, "It's been very productive for us."

Keynote highlights
Alongside the show's bustling three-floor exhibition, the Casual Dining Keynote Theatre (sponsored by Yumpingo) was a hive of activity throughout.  Powerful Keynotes - led by a stellar line-up of industry leaders, including James Spragg (Casual Dining Group), Jon Knight (Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group), Susan Chappell (Mitchells & Butlers), Zoe Bowley (PizzaExpress), Nick Collins (Loungers) and Mark Smith (Pho), addressed key business opportunities (and challenges) for casual dining operators.

MCA (Simon Stenning), CGA (Graeme Loudon and Jamie Campbell) and Peter Backman Foodservice delivered essential market updates and overviews of the latest trends to watch.  While lively panel sessions featuring Yummy Pub Co, Whiting & Hammond, Glendola Leisure Group, the ALMR, Hubbox, Flat Iron, KuPP, Loungers, Las Iguanas, Young's, All Star Lanes, and Picturehouse Cinemas sparked plenty of insightful debate.

"It's great!  When you come along to Casual Dining and you walk around and see the innovation and passion here, you do feel very proud and excited to work in the industry that we work in," says Susan Chappell, divisional director / exec co, Mitchells & Butlers.

Innovation Challenge Awards - the results
New innovations by Carlsberg UK, Crooked Beverage Co, Double Dutch Drinks, Heineken UK - Blade, and Yumpingo were awarded Gold in the show's prestigious Innovation Challenge Awards, which recognise the best casual dining products and solutions of the year.

Thirteen finalists (chosen by popular visitor vote from 50 entries this year) took turns to pitch their innovations to an expert panel of restaurant and pub buyers - including Alice Elwes (Côte Brasserie), Megan Lewis-Thomas (Casual Dining Group), Chris Knights (Young's & Geronimo Inns), Antony Bennett (Loungers), Glenn Evans (Las Iguanas), Simon Xavier (The Restaurant Group), and Keith Bird (former chief operating officer at GBK).

The results (announced on 22 February) saw five companies receive gold innovation awards, three were awarded silver and three collected bronze.

GOLD AWARDS
- Carlsberg UK: DraughtMaster
- Crooked Beverage Co.: Crooked Beverage Co Alcoholic Soda
- Double Dutch Drinks: Double Dutch Cucumber&Watermelon
- Heineken UK, Blade: Blade, 8 Litre Draught Beer System
- Yumpingo: Yumpingo's Intelligent Digital Bill

SILVER AWARDS
- Karma Cola Co: Sugar Free Karma Cola
- Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Co: Nitro Cold Brew Coffee
- Rational UK: ConnectedCooking 2.0

BRONZE AWARDS
- Adia: Adia Hassle-free Hiring
- Joe Delucci's: Walnut & Dried Fig Gelato
- Kavli Food Solutions: Hot Cheese Board
- Krowd: Krowd - Borderless Dining
- The Tasty Meat Company: Hot Dawgs

Freedom Brewery was also celebrating - having retained its King of Craft crown at Casual Dining for a second year running.  It took the top spot ahead of nine other Craft Beer & Cider Pavilion exhibitors with its Freedom Pils - Pilsner Lager.

Save the date for Casual Dining 2019
"There is only one show that is dedicated to our vibrant sector.  I fully support Casual Dining and I fully support the exciting move to ExCeL for 2019," says long-time show supporter, speaker and visitor Karen Forrester, CEO of TGI Fridays.

Casual Dining will take place at the new venue of ExCeL London on 27-28 February 2019.  For further information, please visit www.casualdiningshow.co.uk