New category The Greatest Christmas Sizzle, introduced to acknowledge the efforts of garden centres selling barbecues to customers for cooking their Christmas turkey, was won by Armitages Pennine.

"We've found that an increasing number of our customers are cooking their Christmas dinners on their barbecues," said Will Armitage, of Armitages Pennine. "We saw this as an opportunity and have reacted accordingly. This award is recognition of the work we have put into this area.

"Our Christmas display extended to barbecues and we produced gift hampers for barbecue fans. The gift hampers included Weber accessories, barbecue sauces from the food hall and beers. They were received really well by our customers."

Gold winner: Armitages Pennine

Silver winners: Cadbury Garden & Leisure and Garden Pride

The finalists: Armitages Pennine, Ayletts, Cadbury Garden & Leisure, Fermoys, Garden Pride



Cadbury Garden & Leisure (above) and Garden Pride (below) were silver winners.

Snowdonia (small centre), Bents (large centre), and Melbicks Garden & Leisure (group centre) picked up the gold awards in the Greatest Christmas Houseplant Team category.

Matthew Bent, of Bents, said: "This award is the icing on the cake after all the hard work put in by everyone back at the store.

"We get good customer feedback at Bents and we take notice of what people have to say because we are always trying to be better. Doing things well in the run up to Christmas is important and a lot of planning goes into our displays.

"We want our customers to enjoy their Christmas shopping and for The Greatest Christmas Award judges to recognise that fact is a tremendous feeling." 

Pictured below are Snowdonia, Bents and Melbicks Garden & Leisure receiving their awards.







Gold winners: Snowdonia (small centre), Bents (large centre), Melbicks Garden & Leisure (group centre)

Silver winners: Burcot (small centre), Scotsdales (large centre)

Judges' Special Award: Poplars

Finalists: Ayletts, Barton Grange, Bents, Bicester Ave, Burcot, Castle Gardens, Chessington, Endsleigh Garden & Leisure, Ferndale, Frosts, Ladygreen, Melbicks Garden & Leisure, Moulton College, Perrywood, Poplars, RHS Wisley, Scotsdales, Snowdonia, World’s End

Van Hage Gt Amwell (above) have been voted The Greatest Garden Centre Festive Catering Team with Bents picking up the silver award...

Gold winner: Van Hage Gt Amwell

Silver winner: Bents

Judges' Special Awards: Ayletts and Chessington

Finalists: Ayletts, Barton Grange, Bents, Chessington, Endsleigh Garden & Leisure, St Johns, Van Hage Gt Amwell



Bents were silver winners in the The Greatest Garden Centre Festive Catering Team category.



Chessington (above) picked up the Judges' Special Award.

There was strong competition in The Greatest Christmas Grotto Team category with four garden centres picking up gold awards – Brookside (small centre), Ruxley Manor and Chessington (joint winners, large centre), and Bridgemere (group centre).

Alison Shead, of Brookside, said: "We put so much effort in our grotto, so to win this award is fabulous.

"We wanted Christmas in our store to be special for everyone, from children to our older customers, and everyone seems to have appreciated our efforts. It has been a really magic experience.

"Kids have been really happy in the grotto but we've also made great efforts to allow the elderly and special needs people access as well. And, of course, we had a marriage proposal in the grotto on Christmas Eve.

"Being a winner at these awards makes all the planning and hard work well worthwhile. But above all, we have helped lots of children and adults to be happy at Christmas...that's the most important thing."

Pictured below are: Brookside, Ruxley Manor and Chessington, and Bridgemere.







Gold winners: Brookside (small centre), Ruxley Manor and Chessington (joint winners, large centre), Bridgemere (group centre)

Silver winners: Chaplins and Hetland (joint winners, small centre category), Houghton Hall (large centre)

Judges' Special Awards: Gouldings and Snowdonia

Finalists: Baytree, Bridgemere, Brookside, Caerphilly, Chaplins, Chessington, Endsleigh Garden & Leisure, Gouldings, Hetland, Highfield, Houghton Hall, Ladygreen, Moulton College, Ruxley Manor, Silica Lodge, Snowdonia, Walkers, Wheatcroft, Whitehall Lacock, World’s End

The Greatest Christmas Display award was strongly contested again this year with four garden centres picking up main awards – Jacksons Boutique (small centre), Fairways and All-in-One (joint winners, mid-sized centre), Bents (destination centre), Heighley Gate (group centre)...

Over 100 centres were visited by our panel of seven judges, who were looking not just for imaginative, attractive and sales boosting displays, but as always in these awards, for great teamwork.

Pictured below are: Jacksons Boutique, Bents and Heighley Gate.

Gold winners: Jacksons Boutique (small centre), Fairways and All-in-One (joint winners, mid-sized centre), Bents (destination centre), Heighley Gate (group centre) 

Silver winners: Perrywood (mid-sized centre), Barton Grange (destination centre), Grosvenor (group centre)

Judges' Special Awards: Coletta & Tyson (The Greatest Christmas POS Signage), Garden Pride (The Greatest Christmas Entrance), Moulton College (The Greatest Christmas Displays using Danish Trollies), Poplars (The Greatest Christmas Humour), Winnersh (The Greatest Christmas Displays with Floods) 

Finalists: All in One, Astbury Meadow, Barton Grange, Baytree, Bents, Birkacre, Brigg, Castle Gardens, Chessington, Coletta & Tyson, Eastfield, Endsleigh Garden & Leisure, Fairways, Ferndale, Garden Pride, Grosvenor, Heighley Gate, Highfield, Houghton Hall, Jackson’s Boutique, Lady Green, Langlands Shiptonthorpe, Melbick Garden & Leisure, Moulton College, Perrywood, Planters, Poplars, Spring, Squires Shepperton, Trelawney Wadebridge, Van Hage Peterborough, Wheatcroft, Whitehall Lacock, Winnersh

Brookside (small centre) and Endsleigh Garden & Leisure (large centre) struck gold in The Greatest Garden Centre Team at Christmas category, as voted for by the public.

"This was the last award to be presented but it was well worth the wait," said Valerie Kempster, of Endsleigh Garden & Leisure.

"And what makes it even more special is the fact that it's the customers who voted for us. It's just fabulous. The whole team will be delighted when I call them.

"Customers say our Christmas display is better than what they see in Harrods, better than anything in America. We try to give it the wow factor and this award is proof that we're achieving our goal. We try to give our centre some theatre at Christmas and it makes customers want to visit us as a destination.

"There's no doubt that our sales at Christmas have helped the centre pull back the revenues after the awful summer weather. It was a good second half of the year, and now winning this award is the best start to a new year."

Pictured below are Brookside and Endsleigh Garden & Leisure.





Gold winners: Brookside (small centre), Endsleigh Garden & Leisure (large centre)

Although you are now in full Christmas mode, reaping the benefits of wise product choices made earlier in the year, you are probably also taking note of buying trends and planning ahead for the 2013 festive season.

A not-to-be-missed date for your diary is Harrogate Christmas & Gift (13-16 January 2013) - a fantastic opportunity to see exciting new product launches months before the crowds arrive at trade fairs in the spring.

Harrogate is one of the fastest growing shows in its sector, catering not only for Christmas (with probably the greatest selection of trees, lights and festive decorations in the UK) but novelties and gifts for every occasion from Hallowe’en and Mother's Day right through to furniture, ornaments, flowers and giftware for the home and garden.

In fact, Harrogate Christmas & Gift has seen a steady increase in all gift and homeware ranges, attracting discerning buyers from large department stores, novelty and souvenir shops, traditional gift stores, as well as DIY stores, garden centres, museums, country estates, castles and farm shops. Be sure to join them in 2013!

Premier Decorations are leading designers and importers of Christmas lighting, trees and decorations; garden lighting and outdoor living products; and Hallowe'en products and party decorations. Garden centres voted them Greatest Christmas Supplier of the Year in 2010 and 2011. Their products regularly feature in the GTN Bestsellers Christmas Top 50.

www.premierdec.com

SOLEX AT THE NEC is LOFA’s summer outdoor and indoor leisure event, now an established fixture in the trade show calendar, bringing together the world’s leading garden and leisure furniture and barbecue brands under one roof. The show moves from Telford to the NEC, Birmingham, next year (8-10 July 2013).

www.lofa.co.uk/solex

Vision Commercial Kitchens have helped many UK garden centres to launch, enhance or re-fit their catering operations, offering everything from an initial expert consultation to a full installation. They pride themselves on helping garden centres make the right decision for their businesses. The kitchens at the fabulous catering operation at the award-winning Barton Grange Garden Centre at Brock - the Riverside and Willows restaurants - were supplied by Vision. 

www.visionforgardencentres.co.uk

The sponsors of this category are Snowtime, leading suppliers of Christmas lights, fibre optics, illuminated décor, artificial trees and floral products. In 1995 they pioneered the supply of fibre-optic Christmas trees to the UK market. 

Snowtime have the UK’s broadest and most comprehensive range of high-quality artificial trees. The hottest Christmas product in many years is their range of Thomas Kinkade-designed fibre optic tapestries, which are licensed to Snowtime and were introduced two years ago (example below). Many retailers had sold out by the end of September. There are some cheap copies on the market but it's the signed originals that are selling.

www.transcon.co.uk/products/snowtime

The Arena ice rink installation at Van Hage, Great Amwell in 2011

The Arena Group has a 250-year history supplying specialist infrastructure to live sporting, music and public events. In 2012 clients included The Open, Wimbledon Championships, X Factor, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the event of the year, The London 2012 Olympic Games.