The GIMA Awards 2022 has been another sell-out event, as the garden retail sector comes together to celebrate the innovation, people and products that have helped our industry thrive throughout 2022. On Thursday evening, the winners were announced, with Westland taking home a record-breaking eight awards!
GIMA AWARDS 2022 – THE WINNERS
One of the most coveted accolades is the GIMA Sword of Excellence, and this year it was Westland who walked away with the honour for its Boost All Purpose Plant Food. The judges said: “Boost All Purpose Plant Food shows a company at the very top of its game. The development and marketing behind this product have delivered an all-round winner for the market.”
Elsewhere, the team from Meadow View Stone was celebrating having been awarded the GCA Supplier of the Year Award for the second year running. Talking about why Meadow View deserved the title once again, the GCA said: “Meadow View Stone offer exceptional customer service, even in times of high pressure, transport issues, supply shortages and last minutes changes to orders. We deal with a lot of suppliers and can honestly say we receive the best service from the team at Meadow View.” Whilst not named a winner, Smart Garden Products was awarded finalist status in having delivered another incredible year of service and innovation.
The 2022 Gardenex Export Achievement Award was presented to Westland, with Mr Fothergill’s Seeds and Spear & Jackson enjoying finalist status. Talking about Westland, Gardenex said: “The Kent & Stowe range has seen considerable growth in export markets, despite Covid and Brexit. Sales have increased exponentially when compared to 2019 and 2020 and is showing no signs of slowing. Entering into partnerships and distributorships and investing significantly in infrastructure and personnel to assist with the growth, Westland continues to reap the benefits and expand into new markets with their traditional British designed quality tools.
Sustainability was also high on the agenda, with not one but two companies walking away with this year’s Sustainability Award. The judges remarked: “It’s great that we have such a strong selection of sustainable products to choose from, so much so that we decided to award joint winners”. Those winners are Woolcool –the brand behind Hortiwool, and Willsow, with its plantable children’s books.
A ‘Sustainability Champion’ was also selected within each category (where relevant), celebrating the different ways sustainable solutions are being brought to market.
GIMA AWARDS 202 - PRODUCT AWARDS
Garden Care
Winner: Westland – Boost All Purpose Plant Food
Finalists: Woolcool – Hortiwool Felt Garden Pads, Hozelock – EasyMix 2-in-1 Composter, Evergreen Garden Care – Nourish & Protect range.
Category Sustainability Champion: Woolcool – Hortiwool Felt Garden Pads
About the winner: Boost All Purpose Plant Food produces four more times more flowers and an abundance of fruit and veg compared to watering alone. Benefitting from Westland’s PlantSense™ Technology – ‘Boost’ is suitable for feeding all plants, fruits and veg and peat and peat free composts
What the judges said: “'Exactly the product we needed! Clever branding and very commercial.”
Growing, Planting Equipment and Sundries
Winner: Westland – Visiroot Propagation range
Finalists: Elho – ‘Stack & Grow’ pots, Wildlife World – Plastic-Free Gardening Natural Rubber Seed Trays, Woolcool – Hortiwool Felt Garden Pads
Category Sustainability Champion: Wildlife World – Plastic-Free Gardening Natural Rubber Seed Trays
About the winner: Visiroot Trays are made from rPET, which is durable enough for use season after season, and can be recycled through all UK kerbside collections. The material also makes it easy to check root growth and monitor plant health and moisture levels with transparent green rPET material. Half-sized, multi-cell trays are easy to handle and suit the hobby gardener in a small greenhouse, whilst the unique moisture bridge cells, allow for even watering and distribution of nutrients preventing plants in cells from getting neglected.
What the judges said: “'Excellent reuse of plastic bottles” and “great overhaul of this product.”
Garden Tools, Machinery and Implements
Winner: Westland – Eversharp
Finalists: EP Barrus – Anti Clog Leaf Rakes, Rollins Bulldog Tools – Bulldog /V&A Pedigree Garden Tool collaboration, Husqvarna UK – Gardena EcoLine handtools range
Category Sustainability Champion: Husqvarna UK – Gardena EcoLine handtools range
About the winner: Eversharp is penned as the hardest sharpest blade, that never blunts. Westland has enriched the range with delights for consumers, including ambidextrous, adjustable hand sizer, built-in string, and wire-cutters.
What the judges said: “Made in the UK, from durable long-lasting, high-quality materials.”
Outdoor Leisure
Winner: Garden Village – Waddington Garden Bar
Finalists: Smart Garden Products – Outside In Designs: Neptune Giant Alfresco Rug, Forest Garden - Firenze Corner Arbour, Zest – Zest Cherry Blossom Bench, Leisuregrow – Casa Mia Tempo Chiminea
Category Sustainability Champion: Smart Garden Products – Outside In Designs: Neptune Giant Alfresco Rug
About the winner: Perfect for entertaining, the 'Waddington Garden Bar' has three adjustable shelves included as standard, with plenty of use-able space. It has also been pressure treated to increase durability and protect against rot to enable it to be used in your garden for many years to come.
What the judges said: “Well made, on-trend and simple.”
Plants, Seeds and Bulbs
Winner: Westland – Nature’s Haven 1.2kg
Finalists: Westland – Lawn Meadow Wildflower & Seed Mix, Westland – Lawn Revive Lawn Thickener
Category Sustainability Champion: Westland – Lawn Meadow Wildflower & Seed Mix
About the winner: Offering more seeds per metre than any other wildflower seed mix, this is the leading native wildflower easy sow mix on the market today. Supported by new 100% recycled box packaging.
What the judges said: “A good seller and popular range, plus it provides a great way to get more bees into your garden.”
Garden Landscaping
Winner: Treadstone Products – Pot & Trough Trellis
Finalists: Primeur – Eco Garden Maryland Border, Deco-Pak - EcoStone Rubber Chippings, Altico – Altico Aggregate Project Bags
Category Sustainability Champion: Primeur – Eco Garden Maryland Border
About the winner: The pot trellis is uniquely designed with a curved profile to follow the lines of circular pots, whilst the trough trellis mirrors the tapered design of most garden troughs. It also features textured paint to help plants grip to the trellis.
What the judges said: “Sturdy design suited to any garden situation and supported by a great price point.”
Garden Clothing & Gifts
Winner: Willsow – The Plantable Children's Book
Finalists: Treadstone Products – ClipGlove Pruner Glove, Rollins Bulldog Tools – Bulldog /V&A Pedigree Garden Tool collaboration, Treadstone Products – ClipGlove "Handy Bags & more..."
Category Sustainability Champion: Willsow – The Plantable Children's Book
About the winner: The world’s first plantable children’s book. Never before have you been able to read the story, plant the pages and grow/meet the main character! Each book is embedded with roughly 500 non-gmo vegetable or herb seeds (in the cover pages), which means they can be torn off and planted to grow the main character of each book. So far, the range features five different books, with each story benefitting from a deeper message, whilst also promoting sustainability.
What the judges said: “Sustainable materials, plantable covers and encouraging young gardeners - Perfect!”
Pet Care, Aquatics and Wild Bird Care Products
Winner: Wildlife World – Artisan Natural Bee Skeps
Finalists: Wildlife World – The Bali Island Range, Artisan Hanging Bird Table, Bee Hotel and Bird Nestbox, Wildlife World – 'Water is Life' Bath and Drinker, Westland - Gardman Homegrown Harvest Seed Mix
Category Sustainability Champion: Wildlife World – Artisan Natural Bee Skeps
About the winners: These Fair-Trade Artisan Natural Bee Skeps are a fusion between the traditional European bee skeps and the skilled handmade style of artisans from Bangladesh. The range supports the artisan workers in Southern Bangladesh who make them—funding the survival of many women and their families in rural communities living in poverty.
What the judges said: “Great value for a beautiful, practical and sustainable product.”
Garden Lighting, Water Features & Ornamentation
Winner: The Solar Centre – Madison Drop Bulbs
Finalist: Woodlodge – Honey & Wild Tree Art, Smart Garden Products – Smart Solar Firefly Opal Lantern, Leisuregrow – Colour Changeable Table & Floor Lamps
Category Sustainability Champion: The Solar Centre – Madison Drop Bulbs
About the winner: These lights go back to basics, utilising a 3W solar panel and a high-capacity li-ion replaceable battery to keep the lights shining year-round.
What the judges said: “A quality, durable and on-trend product that is built to last.”
Decorative Pots & Planters
Winner: Primeur – Tierra Verde Recycled Rubber Flamenco Planter
Finalist: Elho – Vibia Campana Flower Twin, Elho – Greensense Aqua Care, Capi Europe BV – Waste Rib NL Collection
Category Sustainability Champion: Capi Europe BV – Waste Rib NL Collection
About the winner: A large new modern planter, offering a new silhouette to the range, adding choice and design options to suit indoor and outdoor spaces. Made from 100% recycled rubber tyres, which have been diverted from landfill. Recycled rubber is not only an eco-friendly choice, it also offers the customer superior durability and protection from extreme weather conditions, with no fading, no cracking or rotting. This is also beneficial to retailers, as the planters will not break on display.
What the judges said: “Great price for a large container, with clear eco credentials.”
GIMA AWARDS 2022 – MARKETING AWARDS
Best Point of Sale Material
Winner: Westland – Boost All Purpose Plant Feed Gondola POS
Finalists: WHM Pet Group – Wild Bird Eco-Refill Pick 'N' Mix Wooden Cart, Treadstone Products – ClipGlove Pruner Display Stand, Elho – Display Street Concept
Category Sustainability Champion: WHM Pet Group – Wild Bird Eco-Refill Pick 'N' Mix Wooden Cart
About the winner: Feeding your plants is more important than ever in our new world of peat-free growing. This POS was designed to showcase ‘Boost’ and give consumers the garden they want. To educate, to entice, to excite and ultimately give them 4 x more blooms. It is deliberately eye-catching, modern, fresh but, most importantly, educational, and informative, so consumers can make an informed choice.
What the judges said: “Eye catching and brings the product to life. It’s also clearly linked to the TV advertising.”
Best Sustainable Product Packaging
Winner: Smart Garden Products – Useful Garden Sundries and Accessories
Finalists: Evergreen Garden Care – Bring Back to store Compost Recycling scheme, WHM Pet Group – 100% Recycled, Recyclable & Biodegradable Wild Bird Packaging range, Evergreen Garden Care – Refill stations
Category Sustainability Champions: Evergreen Garden Care – Bring Back to store Compost Recycling scheme
About the winner: The Useful range provides consumers with an easy eco-choice when topping up on garden sundries and accessories – without compromising on the robustness of the packaging or the quality of the product within. A comprehensive collection of practical products and handy items.
What the judges said: “The first range to make the move to cardboard in the sundries market, in doing so they have made the product look new and interesting.”
Best Marketing Communication & Social Media Award
Winner: Westland – Boost All Purpose Plant Feed Marketing Campaign
Finalists: Westland – 'Peckish guide to Tits' & 'Check your Balls’ social media campaign, Evergreen Garden Care – Miracle-Gro: Friends over the Fence campaign, Evergreen Garden Care – Miracle-Gro: Keep Growing Campaign
About the winner: Designed to be a beautiful film that celebrates gardening and shows it in a new and exciting light to the viewer. Appealing to everyone, from your professional gardener to your student with a window box who fancies giving it a go for the first time, content was specifically designed to have an eye-catching and entertaining style, whilst visually stunning to entice the viewer and make them sit up and take notice.
What the judges said: “Possibly the most memorable TV ad since the launch of Miracle Gro.”
This year, the GIMA Awards winners were carefully selected by a panel of industry experts, made up of Will Blake, St Peter’s Garden Centre; David Danning, Blue Diamond Group; Kate Eckley, The Old Railway Line; Neil Grant, Ferndale Garden Centre; Sarah Hayden, John Lewis & Partners; Trevor Pfeiffer, Garden Trade News; Victoria Redshaw, Scarlet Opus, and finally, Chris Moorhouse from Wickes. As always, thanks to the high calibre and breadth of innovation on display, the judging day – which took place in July – was rife with debate and discussion, as the judges waxed lyrical about the merit of the entries. However, they finally whittled the selection down and each of the deserving winners took to the stage earlier tonight, alongside this year’s celebrity host, Rory Bremner.
GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall said of the event: “What a night we have had! 17 awards and 10 incredible companies currently celebrating their win on the dancefloor! Every year, our judging panel and I are in awe of the level of innovation and development that is brought to market; and 2022 certainly hasn’t disappointed! Congratulations to all our winners, and a thank you to everyone that entered, attended, judged or sponsored the 2022 GIMA Awards. Your support is greatly appreciated.”
