Eureka! Solar Lightbulb takes major GIMA Award
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Culminating in a sell-out event, the GIMA Awards 2016 – held at Celtic Manor – were once again the pinnacle of the garden retail industry’s event calendar. Bringing together manufacturers, retailers, members of the press and industry figures, the event celebrated the great and good, with 16 winners taking home the accolade of GIMA award winners.
GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall, commented: “I would like to be the first to extend my congratulations to all of the winners. This year saw a record number of entries to the awards, making the judges work even harder as the calibre of product on offer was outstanding. However, with some real stand-out entries, and some tough deliberation, the judges were unanimous in their final decisions – all of which are highly deserving of their awards. My sincerest congratulations to all our winners. They have all demonstrated exceptional qualities, from cutting edge design to inspirational retail support.
This year, the GIMA judging panel was made up of Simon Bourne of Perrywood Garden Centre, Liz Brennan from Dobbies, Decco’s Chris Gladwin, Caroline Linger from Wyevale, Scott McCabe from Polhill Garden Centre, Choice Marketing’s Michelle de Lavis Trafford, Julian Winfield from Haskins and GCA Chair, Simon Wright of Stax Trade Centres, and finally Neil Pope, editor of Garden Trade News.
“My thanks also have to go to the panel of dedicated judges who gave up their valuable time to take part in this year’s judging process. Their combined expertise and market knowledge has been invaluable throughout the judging process, and has helped to create one of the strongest list of winners.
“Finally, I extend my thanks to all those that have entered the awards in 2016, as well as our sponsors, without whom we would not be able to put on an event of this scale.”
GIMA AWARDS 2016 – THE WINNERS
GIMA Sword of Excellence
Winner: Smart Garden Products - Eureka! Solar Lightbulb
What the judges said: “The one product you want to take away and put in your garden centre”, “The strongest product in the room”, and “One of the best new products this year.”
GCA Supplier of the Year
Winner: Taylors Bulbs
Finalists: Decco, Scotts Miracle Gro Company, Westland Horticulture
What the judges said: “The team always strive hard to give the service we expect," and
"Simply put, they deliver a good quality product, with a fair price, and deliver on time.”
Gardenex Export Achievement Award
Winner: Hozelock - Hozelock Easy Drip Range
What the judges said: “Hozelock’s new Easy drip range was designed to drive international growth by developing an automatic watering system that was easy to understand, buy and ultimately use. They have grown their international irrigation business significantly in France through DIY retailers such as Mr Bricolarge and Garden Centres such as Jardiland and Truffaut. Similar successes have also been achieved across Italy, Spain, Benelux, Scandinavia, Germany and Russia.”
PetQuip Export Achievement Award.
Winner: Symply Pet Products - Canagan Range of Cat & Dog Food
What the judges said: “The Canagan brand of dog and cat foods was launched in the UK in 2012. Following the launch, export markets were targeted at Interzoo Germany and Zoomark Italy initially. This was followed by the Far East, Scandinavia and most of Europe. The brand ethos, product performance and rapid growth has gained Canagan a reputation as one of the leading grain free pet food brands in Europe. Canagan now enjoys distribution in 30 countries including Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan.”
GIMA AWARDS 2016 - PRODUCT AWARDS
Garden Care
Winner: Neudorff UK - CleanLawn 20 kg
Finalists: Scotts Miracle-Gro - Miracle-Gro Orchid Mist; Scotts Miracle-Gro - Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Concentrate
About the winner: “Unlike existing 'all-in-one' lawn products, CleanLawn does not require children and pets to be excluded from the treated area after application and does not require a spreader to be applied without the risk of scorching. In addition, raking out dead moss and thatch is not necessary as these waste materials are 'eaten' by microorganisms, leaving you more time to enjoy your lush, green lawn.”
Growing, Planting Equipment and Sundries
Winner: Hozelock - Cloud Controller
Finalists: Briers - William Morris Collection; FITT SpA - YOYO the self-extending and retracting hose; Hozelock - Hozelock Easy Drip
About the winner: “The app and technology is unique and owned by Hozelock, and is the first app operated automated watering controller to be launched in the UK. No other product is available within the UK at mass-market price level. Gardeners can control their garden watering wherever they are, with time saving, water saving and plant health benefits.”
Garden Tools, Machinery and Implements
Winner: Crest Garden: Kent & Stowe - Kent & Stowe Lawn Edge Trimmer
Finalists: EP Barrus (Wolf & Wilkinson Sword) - Ultralight Hedge Shear; Burgon & Ball - Groundbreaker Spade; Spear & Jackson - Dual Compound Telescopic Bypass Loppers
About the winner: “The lawn edger uses body weight for easy entry into the ground. The comfortable foot plate allows a ‘walk and cut’ rocking motion above the blade, meaning edging has finally become a quick and painless task, while always producing a clean perfect edge.”
Outdoor Leisure
Winner: Zest 4 Leisure - Bahama Round Table and Two Stool Set
Finalists: Zest 4 Leisure - Harriett Table and Two Bench Set; Fallen Fruits - Flower Outdoor Pouffe
About the winner: “The Bahama round high table and matching round stools is new to the market because of its height which makes it ideal when having a BBQ and offers an opportunity for outdoor informal entertaining. It is made from FSC pressure treated timber that can stand the test of time.”
Plants, Seeds and Bulbs
Winner: Hawkesmill Nurseries - 'Herbs for....' collection
Finalists: Hawkesmill Nurseries - Geum 'Scarlet Tempest'; Scotts Miracle-Gro - Miracle-Gro Gro-ables
About the winner: “New concept and new retro feel with an innovative twist, providing the combination of gardening and the outdoor leisure buzz words of the moment; barbecue, cocktails and tea. The herbs are easy to grow and the perfect selection for each theme.”
Garden Landscaping
Winner: Kelkay - Granite Cobble Mat Sets Quarter Circle
Finalists: Zest 4 Leisure - Brighton Corner Arbour; Forest Garden - Vale Timber Greenhouse - 6' x 4'; Forest Garden - Basil Multiplay Playhouse
About the winner: “These Granite Cobble Mats are a great alternative to normal concrete paving, they are hard wearing and can transform cracked and uneven surfaces. Great to add a feature point to patios or laid as decorative paths.”
Garden Clothing & Gifts
Winner: Briers - Advanced Gloves
Finalists: Burgon & Ball - Poc-kit gardener's utility belt; Town and Country - The Collection
About the winner: “Designed to bring together innovative combinations of features, materials, coatings and manufacturing techniques for garden work wear that is cutting-edge. Creating quality gloves adapted for specific tasks, in formats not previously available in the garden centre market. Ultimately driving innovation forward within this sector with cutting-edge, affordably-priced designs.”
Pet Care, Aquatics and Wild Bird Care Products
JOINT Winners: Gardman - Poppy Feeder Dish & Burgon & Ball - Creaturewares
Finalists: Westland Horticulture - Peckish Easy Feeder; Petface - Loktop Squirrel Proof Seed Feeder
About the winners: Praise for Gardman: “Great for instore promotions and supporting great charities such as the Royal British Legion and Poppy Scotland.”
Comments on Burgon & Ball: “Carrying a riveted metal Burgon & Ball badge, Creaturewares tins for the first time use the element of brand to increase the perceived value of the product. The combination of high quality construction and attractive, humorous design brings real innovation to pet food storage.”
Garden Lighting, Water Features & Ornamentation
Winner: Smart Garden Products – Eureka! Solar Lightbulb
Finalists: Smart Garden Products - Snowdrop Solar Flower; Smart Garden Products - Bluebell Solar Flower
About the winner: “New innovative product to the market this year, taking a steer from the current trend for retro design: the good old fashioned light bulb. Solar means there are no messy wires, instant lighting and they can be hung anywhere in the garden and are easy to move around. Supplied in an attractive merchandiser.”
GIMA AWARDS 2016 – MARKETING AWARDS
Best Point of Sale Material
Winner: Crest Garden: Flopro - Flopro Gun Display Stand
Finalists: Sherwin Williams (Ronseal) - Ronseal Fencelife Plus+; Smart Garden Products - Eureka! Solar Lightbulb; Smart Garden Products - Super Bright Display; Smart Garden Products - Water Features
About the winner: “There is currently no other watering brand displaying their products in this way, bringing product off the back wall and adding drama to the watering category. The stand is space conscious measuring 42cm (w) x 85cm (l), made entirely of cardboard it's particularly easy to manoeuvre around the store.”
Best Consumer Product Packaging
Winner: Hozelock - Hozelock Easy Drip Range
Finalists: Kelkay - RHS Horticultural Grits & Sands; Crest Garden: Flopro - Flopro packaging
About the winner: “The packaging format is new to the automated watering market, innovatively demonstrating the application and benefits of the product and eliminating confusion in the consumer selection process. Including kits encourages gardeners to trial automatic watering and return to add and extend projects at a later time, further expanding the market.”
Best Marketing Communication Award
Winner: Ronseal - Ronseal Fencecare Campaign / Channel 4 Takeover
Finalists: Crest Garden: Flopro - Flopro 'No Leaks' campaign; Westland Horticulture - Not Sure, Gro-Sure campaign
About the winner: “Ronseal - Channel 4 Takeover: Literally took over a three-minute advert break during the hit show Gogglebox, where you were watching a fence being painted with its Fencelife product for the whole duration. 3.4 million people watched paint dry for three minutes. Ronseal wanted to get people talking about the ad and they certainly achieved it, with 558,136 engagements on Twitter and #Ronsealadbreak trending number one on the night.”
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