Trelawney Garden Centre at Wadebridge will become the Blue Diamond Group’s 16th outlet next week, following a deal with the owners that also includes a second unbuilt destination centre the Cornish company has had on the drawing board for around 10 years.

Blue Diamond are to take a 25-year lease on the £4.6 million turnover Wadebridge site, where the business was founded 44 years ago by Frank Danning and has been run by his son David in partnership with David Symonds for the past 40 years.

Guernsey-based Blue Diamond have also agreed to take a similar lease on the site at Probus, near Truro, for which a new planning application will be submitted following the expiry of the original permission based on ground-breaking designs by Malcolm Scott Consultants (see drawings, left). The targeted opening date is now spring 2016.

Trelawney’s other garden centre, at Trelawney@Ashford near Barnstaple, is to be sold to a separate buyer, with an annoucement expected within a week or so.

“We are confident that the business and all our loyal staff at Wadebridge will be in very good hands under Blue Diamond,” David Danning told GTN Xtra today. “We run it as a family business and I think Blue Diamond will be keen to see run it along the same lines.”

The sale was disclosed to staff earlier today. “It was a tough meeting,” Danning said.

Although the Probus project must go through the planning process with new plans by Blue Diamond, it is believed to have the support of local planning officials in an area where a destination centre would benefit tourism.

Danning, a former chairman of the Garden Centre Association, and Symonds are to stay on to help Blue Diamond develop the Probus site. Danning says he may eventually take a role within the Blue Diamond buying operation, while Symonds will take temporary “retirement” until the Probus project gets under way. The pair will retain ownership of the land and buildings on both lease sites.

The acquisition takes Blue Diamond’s combined annual turnover to more than £80 million. 

Right: the two Davids receiving a GCA Centre of Excellence Award.

Greenfingers Trustee and CEO of The HTA, Carol Paris is looking for “Santa’s Helpers” to join her in the 2014 Santa Run to raise money for Greenfingers.

Keen runner Carol told GTN Xtra “What a great idea to link into the Santa theme that will be generating so much business for garden centres, but this time to raise money for our industry charity.”

Already, Bob Hewitt - Klondyke Garden Centres, Adam Wigglesworth - Ayletts Garden Centre, Pat Adams - GCA and Chris Ramsden - Suttons Seeds have signed up to run with Carol, but more helpers are still required.

The Santa Run 2014 takes place at Victoria Park in London on Sunday 7^th December and Carol is looking for at least 9 other members of the garden industry to join her in the Greenfingers Santa Run team.  The run has options of 5k or 10k.

If you’d like to run with Carol and be a part of the Greenfingers Santa Run Team, please contact Carol via: carol.paris@the-hta.org.uk

More details about the Santa Run can be found at:  http://www.doitforcharity.com/difc-santa-run-2014.aspx

According to the Santa Run website:  No previous experience is required for this event and with a bit of training the 5km or 10km distances should easily be within your capabilities. The spirit of the event is 'taking part' not 'winning' so you can run, jog or walk - you decide!

Analysis of the total sales volumes for growing media products appearing in the weekly GTN Bestsellers Top 50 chart shows that the last six weeks have seen the most core gardening activity over the past six years.  

Sales volumes this September and October to date are 28% up on the same period last year and even 15% up on 2011 Autumn sales, the last year we all remember as being a great gardening season prior to 2014.

Undoubtedly the weather has been a great contributor to this record sales performance, but isn’t it reassuring to know that when the weather is in on our side, really core gardening activity is still a favourite pastime – with all the related purchases?

Growing media sales are our best indicator of core gardening activity and we can see from the Epos data supplied to GTN Bestsellers that plant and bulb sales are also running at high levels.

What we now need is a dose of colder weather to get everyone into the Christmas spirit and then we can see overall sales volumes drive on to the peak of the year at the end of November.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year...

• Garden Products – down 22%
• Xmas Products  – down 10%
• Growing Media – up 1%
• All items index – down 10%

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

Davids Nurseries near Worcester has become the Home & Garden Group’s fifth outlet.

The deal, for an undisclosed sum, was completed on 1 October following the decision by owners David and Sarah Beauchamp last year to retire.

Home & Garden Group, who also operate centres at Kettering, Bedford, Oakham and Uttoxeter, announced earlier this year that they were on the acquisition trail, targeting a total of up to 10 centres with strong core gardening offers.

The group’s parent company is Bedfordshire grower Chessum Roses.

Home & Garden have installed Eddie Reid as manager at Worcester. “We are not changing much at the moment apart from putting in a couple of concessions,” he told GTN Xtra.

The existing staff are staying on, including veteran gardening expert Reg Moule, well known as a speaker, broadcaster and demonstrator.

Davids are past winners of the small garden centre category in GTN’s Greatest Awards (pictured below receiving their award).

An opportunity for an experienced Plantarea Manager to join our business has arisen. You will be responsible for the overall sales and success of the outside plants department. This position requires excellent plant knowledge, along with good plant purchasing skills and the ability to maintain stock to high standards of retailing.

You will be a manager who is confident to lead and inspire a team of staff to achieve high standards. Good horticultural knowledge and excellent management qualities are essential. Excellent package available to the successful candidate. The role involves weekend work.

CV’s can be submitted in the strictest confidence to aileen@brechincastlecentre.co.uk

My client is a large independent garden centre with an award winning pedigree.

This vacancy will be working alongside the centre management team and will have direct responsibility for the product range of this department. I am looking for an ambitious individual who wants to have a sense of ownership over the retail area. 

Retail experience is a must and garden centre retail experience is preferred.

Applicants must have experience of staff management, with a minimum of 1-2 years experience, and be able to lead and inspire a team of up to 13 staff.

They must also have proven buying experience and an ability to successfully negotiate with suppliers.

They must operate with good standards of merchandising and presentation, coupled with an element of creativity. 

Please call 01780 480530 and speak to Gillian Muir or apply with your CV, quoting reference #6609 to info@morepeople.co.uk

The ideal candidate will have 3 years experience at management level, able to manage, motivate and develop a team of staff. 

Excellent cross department experience would be beneficial as there will be multiple areas covered by this role. 

Man management skills along with proven retail skills are key and experience of managing people must be evidenced in your experience. Delivery of training and staff appraisals will be required.

Although not essential, it is desirable that the appointed person will have a good understanding of garden centre retailing, will be a good team leader who is able to prioritise tasks in line with seasonal changes and deliver excellent customer sales and service.

Excellent package available to the successful candidate. The role involves weekend work.

CV’s can be submitted in the strictest confidence to aileen@brechincastlecentre.co.uk

Our Client is grower of quality Nursery Stock destined for the major multiples and garden centre chains. They are currently seeking a driven and experienced Nursery Site Manager who can assist in the culture of quality stock. 

The ideal person will possess:

Knowledge and training within a horticultural discipline preferably from a commercial production background 

Excellent record of managing and supervising staff

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including good IT skills

A strong team builder and player with initiative, drive and enthusiasm who can progress within the company. 

Please call 01780 480530 and speak to Gillian Muir or apply with your CV quoting reference #6666 to info@morepeople.co.uk

I am currently looking for an experienced garden centre management candidate to join the team of a large independent garden centre. 

This position will sit underneath the centre manager alongside another assistant manager and will be part of the senior leadership team of the site. 

Excellent cross department experience would be beneficial as there will be multiple areas covered by this role. IT and Horticultural experience would be ideal. 

Man management skills are key and experience managing teams must be evidenced in your experience.

Please call 01780 480530 and speak to Gillian Muir or apply with your CV, quoting reference #6658 to info@morepeople.co.uk

Our client is an exciting e-commerce business who source and supply a range wonderful garden products and plants to a discerning mail-order audience across the UK.

They wish to appoint a dynamic E-commerce Manager- Ideally a person with some plant knowledge and good e-commerce experience to run their e-mail marketing, social media and to provide horticultural content to our website.

Someone with fabulous communication skills, real entrepreneurial characteristics, creative flare, drive and with plenty of get up and go!  

Please call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910 or apply with your CV quoting reference 6653 to info@morepeople.co.uk

Twelve regional winners of the annual Ruxley Rose planteria comp-etition were announced by the Garden Centre Association this week.

GCA chief executive Iain Wylie congratulated the winners on the high standard of their outdoor plant areas this year.

The twelve will now be judged nationally by Roger Crookes and the top two announced at the GCA conference in January, are:

South Thames area:

Destinaton garden centre (DGC) – Coolings, Kent;  Garden centre (GC) Newbridge Nurseries, West Sussex

Wales and the West:

DGC –  Trelawney@Wadebridge, Cornwall; GC –  The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, Powys

North Thames:

DGC – Perrywood Garden Centre, Essex; GC – Meadow Croft Garden Centre, Essex

Midlands:

DGC – Planters at Tamworth, Staffordshire ; GC – St Peters Garden Centre, Worcestershire

North East:

DGC – Armitages Pennine, West Yorkshire; GC – Cowell’s Garden Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (pictured, in 2011)

North West:

DGC – Bents Garden & Home, Cheshire; GC – Fron Goch Garden Centre, Caernarfon.

The Ruxley Rose competition is regarded as one of the industry’s most prestigious awards. Each centre is inspected twice, in spring and early autumn, with 50 per cent of the overall mark applied on each visit.

Scotts Evergreen Autumn (360 sqm bag) has risen to the top of the GTN Bestsellers Garden products chart, overtaking graden lighting and orchid drip feeders. 

It just goes to prove that gardeners are still eager to be active outdoors.

• Arthur Bowers earns the distinction of highest climber with Organic Chicken Manure Pellets and the highest new entry with Garotta compost maker.
• Lighting products are still selling well, however, and Gardman Solar Black Nickel Glass Marker Light is the highest re-entry.

History & Heraldry hold on to the top three spots in the GTN Bestsellers Christmas Products chart, headed by the popular Spinning Tree Decoration. 

• But LED canvas prints are still the big sellers with Premier Winter Snowy Canal Scene the highest new entry.
• Premier’s Fibre Optic Canvas Santa Scene is the hgihest climber, jumping 26 places.
• Halligan Raby Personalised Christmas Door Hanger is the highest re-entry.

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 2012 as well as 2013 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 upto 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 last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Christmas Products Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for last 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.