In This Issue
Blue Diamond re-launch Springfields
Andy McIndoe leaves Hillier Nurseries for pastures new
GCA and Westland name six Rising Stars finalists
Christmas Tree Growers make their choice for Downing Street
October proves to be a great month for sales
Want to make more of your marketing budget?
Wanted - more Greenfingers runners for Santa Run
GCA members’ marketeers to compete for Worrall Cup
Johnsons Lawn Seed parent adopts new name and logo
Vote for your Greatest Christmas Supplier of the Year
Shop Manager - Multiple Locations Available
Wholesale Nursery - Sales Assistant - Hampshire
Planteria Manager - Group Centre - Somerset
Junior Sales Manager - Office Sales Manager - Wholesale Nursery
Vivid Arts and Tom Chamber settle design rights dispute
Fenland centre invites customers to 'pick your own pumpkin' for Halloween
Containers are this week’s top sellers
Former Notcutts team to work on Skylark Nurseries expansion
Farmyard manure makes the highest jump in the chart
Novelty items show up in the Christmas chart
Industry aims for container gardening exhibit at Chelsea
Fiskars announce £3k garden makeover winner
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Ukulele playing Gemma’s cake mezze is just the job
Situations Vacant
Shop Manager - Multiple Locations Available
Salary: £20,000-£21,000
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Wholesale Nursery - Sales Assistant - Hampshire
Salary: £23000 to £25,000
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Planteria Manager - Group Centre - Somerset
Salary: £20,000-£21,000
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Junior Sales Manager - Office Sales Manager - Wholesale Nursery
Salary: £16,000 - £18,000
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Contact us with your news.  Email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk, or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700

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Blue Diamond re-launch Springfields
GTN Xtra picture exclusive


Blue Diamond have re-developed their Springfields centre in Spalding.  Managing Director Alan Roper is aiming to increase turnover from £2.4m to £4m at the site which used to be the Outlet store for the group.

"We were running it as an outlet and it had very low investment," Alan Roper told GTN, "for many years it worked well for us because when you grow quickly it is helpful to have somewhere for clearance stock to go.  But now we’ve got a full time stock manager for the group, who is really on top of it, we’re at that point where we don’t need to send stuff out to an outlet store.

"With 2 million people coming to the Festival Gardens Shopping Centre this is a great opportunity for us."

The re-development at Spalding is the first in a series of centre updates.  Next year Trentham, Jersey, Derby and Brambridge will benefit from the new retailing style as developed by Alan Roper at Redfields.

Gardening at Springfields has been moved to an extended covered outside planteria to make room for The Noshery Co restaurant which doubles the size of the catering at the centre.  

"I looked at the total retail spend on this shopping centre, which has a Frankie and Bennys, pub and Costa so there is spare capacity.  The garden centre restaurant has always been popular, generating over £750k turnover per year.  I’m going to double that to £1.5m by doing what were doing.

"Having the extra covered planteria space enables us to try different things with plants and sundries being together.  We styled the walling and shelf backs with rough sawn timber and the same with the pallets. Then we've added some household furniture.  The thing about this space is if you took modern garden centre fittings and supplier fittings and put it into a small space it would look like you’ve taken a garden centre and tried to cram it, so here it’s got to be a bit boutiquy and quirky to give it that feel."

See the GTN Xtra picture exclusive below to see the re-development in progress and how it was looking on Friday evening as the team prepared for a busy half term week.

Look out for the November issue of GTN to read an indepth interview with Alan Roper talking about his enjoyment of the creative process in re-developing sites and his ambitions for further growth.
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Springfields during redevelopment Oct 15 - GTN01.jpg
Springfields during redevelopment Oct 15 - GTN01.jpg
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