Councillors have dashed Notcutts' plans for an enlarged store on a new out-of-town shopping centre at Newnham Court in Maidstone. The development would also have included a Waitrose supermarket, Debenhams department store, along with 17 other stores and several restaurants.

The proposal put forward by Land Securities would have seen an £85 million investment on the site, near J7 of the M20.

Local council members were fearful of the effect on the town centre and critical of the adverse impact on the adjacent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the local road network. They rejected it by eight votes to three.

Cllr Malcolm Greer, who had already firmly committed himself in favour of the proposal in advance, spoke for the application but had to abstain from voting.

Officers recommended refusal of the scheme saying the applicants had not followed the government's "sequential test", which required them to consider all available town centre sites first.

It was not in accord with the council's own development plan, which sought new retail development in the town centre in the vicinity of Maidstone East Station.

Andrew Staff, COO, Notcutts said: 'We understand and respect the council's decision not to go ahead with the Newnham Court planning proposals.

"At some stage, we would love to expand our presence in Maidstone, but in the meantime we are confident that we can continue to cater for the gardening and home needs of our customers in the area.

"Close by our Tunbridge Wells development has been extremely successful, creating new jobs and opportunities in the area, so we look forward to re-visiting the plans for Maidstone when the time is right."



However, Lester Hampson of Land Securities said he was bitterly disappointed at the decision.

He added the FTSE 100 company was not ruling out appealing the decision to central government.

“This is a lost opportunity for Maidstone. Our scheme would have created more than 1,500 new jobs for the county town but councillors have turned their backs on that. That is a great shame.

“We will now take time to consider our options before making any final decisions on the redevelopment of Newnham Court Shopping Village.”

Karcher are set to launch a full watering range for UK garden centres next year.

This week GTN Xtra joined several garden centre buyers and principals at a preview event where the watering range was revealed together with interesting merchandising ideas and an indication of the type of consumer media support they will put behind the launch.

The range of "german engineered" watering products was well received by the garden centre teams, interested to see new competition in this market sector.  Whilst the range of products, manufactured in germany and italy, are new to the UK they are widely available across Europe, so a key learning for the Karcher team was any feedback about how some of the lines might need adapting for British gardening consumers.

"We are serious about this market and will take all of your comments on board to ensure the range delivers real value to garden centres," Karcher Sales Director Nigel Scott told the group.

The merchandising concepts revealed a different approach to traditional watering POS displays with products grouped together in terms of consumer usage and plenty of good user advice to aid purchasing decision making. "This display, with additional bays for Karcher pressure washers and the Karcher Window Vac range would be a welcome addition to our garden centres," commented Paul Cooling, Chairman of Coolings Garden Centres.

  

The success of the Window Vac gives a steer as to the likely media support for the new watering range, which will include at least £1 million on TV.  Over two years following on from launch activity on shopping TV channels, Karcher have generated sales of £80 million just for Window Vac, with product packages selling between £59.99 and £89.99.  Not bad for a market that didn't even exist three years ago.

As with the pressure washer range and Window Vac, the watering range will be distributed by Handy Distribution, with in-store merchandising support direct from Karcher.

Danny Adamson, who has joined Karcher to help them with the launch into garden watering told GTN Xtra: "As a result of these days meeting garden centre people, the whole Karcher team are so excited about the opportunity.  We are looking forward to meeting everyone at Glee."

www.karcher.co.uk

www.handydistribution.co.uk

For stocking Window Vac during the current TV campaign, contact:

Bpattle@handydistribution.co.uk

As we near the half year with sales riding high after a better than average spring weatherwise, it's good to see and hear all the work that’s going on to grow business further in the coming years. This week the GTN team has heard three examples of how the industry is far from resting on its laurels.

At the start of the week we learned how The Garden Centre Group are actively broadening the appeal of their centres while ensuring excellence of horticulture is at the forefront of their business.

Then David Arnold presented the results from the Garden Industry Marketing Board’s research to the Choice Marketing conference. “We will be using that information in our marketing plans for next year,” chairman Sam Bosworth told the group at the end of the conference.

And GTN were also invited to a preview of the new watering range being prepared by Karcher for garden centres in the UK. They bring a consumer view to the watering market rather than a horticultural one, and as a result will have some different concepts that can be displayed in store.

The outdoor room concept has been talked about for over 20 years – at last it seems to becoming mainstream. This can only be good for garden centre retailing if we understand how best to talk to the potential new customers.

Read more about TGCG’s vision, the GIMB research and Karcher’s new range in GTN and GTN Xtra over the coming weeks.

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

• Garden Products – down 14%
• Veg 2 Gro – down 48%
• Growing Media – down 43%
• All items index – down 27%

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

Choice Marketing, which buys centrally and runs marketing promotions for 33 UK independent garden centres, has pulled out of its contract with Solus for supplies of the its Chapelwood wild birdcare products.

The group has switched to Gardman and Westland for wild bird foods and to Gardman and Tom Chambers for bird feeders and other wild bird accessories.

The decision was announced at the Choice group’s two-day marketing conference at Daventry earlier this week. The event was attended  by the CEOs of both Gardman and Westland.

Michelle de Lavis-Trafford told GTN Xtra, "we had over 100 people attend our annual conference, a mixture of Choice Members and our key suppliers.  The conference started off on the Tuesday with a members’ only session discussing industry issues and where Choice Marketing is heading in 2015 & beyond.  The afternoon then featured a mini-trade show with our key suppliers exhibiting to Choice Members.  A great afternoon followed with plenty of chat and networking. 

Ben Cryer from Decco said "it was a very successful afternoon and proved a good opportunity to meet all the members again”.  Tim from Ronseal said “we thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the members and being able to talk in a relaxed environment, certainly builds on existing relationships”.

The conference also included a poresentation from David Arnold about the GIMB’s initiative for 2015 and concluded with a session on Visual Merchandising from Karl McKeever as seen on BBC TV in the Fixer with Alex Polizzi.

For over 12 years now Choice Marketing has had an annual get together with its members that has grown over the years and the 2014 event was the biggest to date.  Choice is preparing to welcome some new members into the Group very shortly and 2 potential new members attended the event. 

Choice Marketing Chairman Sam Bosworth said "feedback from the members has been brilliant and Choice is in a strong and united position as a Group."

Doff Portland, a leading manufacturer of insecticides, weed killers and garden care products, has reported a steep rise in sales figures, following its brand overhaul in autumn 2013.

The garden care company has increased its order numbers and sales by over 50% since its rebrand six months ago.

As part of the rebrand, 150 items across Doff Portland’s entire product portfolio – which has continued to be manufactured in the firm’s Nottingham factory – were updated and now feature a new-look logo.

Innovative design and stand-out features were a key focus for the development of the Doff Portland brand, while the use of icons and strap lines helped bring the designs up-to-date. The new branding is extremely crisp and bright, enabling it to stand out against competitive items. Each product was carefully designed with the packaging style and artwork design at the forefront.

Matt Jones, managing director at Doff Portland, said: “The increased sales figures and order numbers are testament to the success of the new direction and rebrand of Doff Portland. We have had an outstanding response from our retail customers so far and look forward to the next six months of trading.

“The rebrand was a significant milestone for the company, taking what we’ve learned during Doff Portland’s 65 years of heritage and updating it for today’s market. It has also solidified our presence within the garden care category, enabling our stockists to increase their customers’ spend.”

Ron Harker, owner of Tong Garden Centre in Bradford, said: “Pest control and garden care is one of our leading categories within our garden centre. We have stocked Doff Portland products since 2000 and have always championed the brand as a market leader in the category.

“The new ranges and pack designs have garnered a fantastic response from our customers and we’ve witnessed a noticeable increase in sales since bringing the items in store.

“The ranges are easily merchandised and have real shelf appeal, something that we have benefited from greatly. We’d highly recommend Doff Portland to any garden centre looking to update its pest control and garden care offerings.”

The improved business figures follow on from Doff Portland’s acquisition by DIY, garden and household item supplier, 151 Products, in December 2012. 151 Products’ firm understanding of the retail sector and established trade relationships has enabled it to sustain Doff Portland’s longstanding heritage in the competitive market.

Doff Portland and 151 Products plan to expand on the success of the rebrand and are set to launch numerous advances in design, packaging and product innovation over the next two years, to further position the brand as a market leader.

Garden Centre Association members will find out who has come out top in its annual inspections this year at various regional award meetings taking place next month.

Garden centres are encouraged to attend the event in their area and to bring as many of their team members along as possible.

Will Armitage, Chairman of the GCA, said: “The inspector will present the findings from the area, highlighting best practice and new ideas, as well as announcing all the category winners.”

The North West/North East region award meeting will be at the Royal Horticultural Society's garden Harlow Carr near Harrogate on Tuesday, July 15 and the inspector attending is Liz Hutson.

Andy Campbell will be the inspector presiding over the Wales & West region’s award meeting on Thursday, July 17 at HillierGarden Centre, Bath. The Midlands region will meet at Klondyke’s Byrkley Park Garden Centre at Burton Upon Trent on Monday, July 21 with Andy Campbell.

Meanwhile, the North Thames region will meet at Van Hage Great Amwell on Tuesday, July 22 with inspector Ian Boardman presiding over the event. On Wednesday, July 23 Roger Crookes will be presenting his findings to the South Thames region at Chessington Garden Centre Details of the Scotland and Northern Ireland events are still to be confirmed.

Will added: “Our round of annual inspections started in March and ran until June. Many GCA members have said that the unique annual inspections and constructive feedback sessions are one of the biggest benefits of membership. It is a fantastic motivational and management tool and really keeps staff on their toes, making sure they are always doing their absolute best.

“Garden centres receive no advance warning about when their inspection will take place and they do not have the option to turn away the inspector. It is all about making sure they are offering a consistently excellent service and improving their customer service standards, which is what all GCA garden centres must do to remain members.”

Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, explained: “The results of the inspections form the basis for many GCA awards, including Destination Garden Centre of the Year, Garden Centre of the Year, Area Winners, Highly Commended and Most Improved Garden Centre. The top 10 centres will receive a Garden Centre of Excellence Award and all centres scoring 75% or above receive the Highly Commended certificate.

“We’d like to wish everyone the best of luck. GCA garden centres have such high standards and we are looking forward to seeing the ideas people have come up with this year to further improve these.”

For further information, call 0118 930 8918. Alternatively, visit www.gca.org.uk, log on to www.facebook.com/pages/Garden-Centre-Association orfollow the organisation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GC_Association.

One of the leading names in outdoor furniture is set to launch its new identity when it takes its biggest ever presence at Solex 2014 (Stand 445) in July.

Bellagio UK will unveil its ‘Supremo’ brand to industry buyers for the first time at the exhibition, marking the introduction of new ranges designed specifically for the UK marketplace.

The emphasis will be on encouraging consumers to use the company’s inspirational products to create environments where you can enjoy ‘your time’ in style and comfort…blended to your pace of life.

There has been significant investment in the development of the brand story, marketing material, online advertising campaigns and new software to improve customer service.

“We’ve been talking to the market for 18 months about the future and recognised the need to move away from the old name and create a new brand that combines style with substance, providing attractive, high quality outdoor furniture,” explained Julian Windsor, Managing Director.

“Supremo will be the umbrella brand for the company’s range of products and paves the way for the launch of a number of consumer facing brands under the strapline ‘the essence of style’.

Based out of its head office and distribution centre in Telford, Supremo will offer buyers over 60 different configurations of outdoor furniture including chairs, tables, hammocks, loungers, parasols and accessories.

For enquiries, please contact Julian Windsor on 01952 671100, visit www.supremouk.com or follow @supremouk on twitter.

Blooms of Bressingham Plants have launched a series of unique initiatives to explore the potential of social and digital media in attracting a new generation of consumers.

They have dubbed it ‘The Rozanne Experiment’. Many garden centre plant buyers will be familiar with Geranium ‘Rozanne’, which has become a central character in the campaign now under way. ‘Rozanne’ has been given her own Facebook page, with which consumers are invited to interact as if she had a human persona. Blooms say they are alfready intrigued by the nature of the responses, which are providing insights that could eventually create new ways forward for garden indusry marketeers.

The experiment is a response to what Blooms describe as a fundamental shift in the way consumers engage with brands. “Deep down we have a feeling that our old, traditional approach to advertising may not be the answer for our Industry moving forward,” they say. “Do we know how to reach the new, empowered consumer?”

The grower has teamed up with WindFarm Marketing, a hybrid marketing agency, to launch social-digital marketing initiatives designed to reach the new consumer.

“This could be an important learning exercise for us and our many friends in the Industry,” they continue. “If we’re able to crack the code on how we’ll introduce gardening and garden plants to a new group of young consumers, we’ll have taken one giant step forward for the future of our Industry.

Sales and marketing consultant David Arnold says the creation of a personality around a flower variety is inspired. “It allows social media users to directly interact with Rozanne as if she were a real person, creating opportunities to establish close relationships between consumers and the brand,” he adds. “The experiment offers growers and retailers the chance to build volume sales, not only on Rozanne but also on the entire Blooms of Bressingham plant range, through the heightened consumer awareness it brings and by making it part of their own marketing activity plans, especially among consumers in the younger sector.”

Blooms are inviting the industry’s involvment in the following ways:

1. Visit The Rozanne Experiment to learn more by clicking here

2. Subscribe to their Marketing Insights & Updates by clicking here

3. Follow Geranium Rozanne on Facebook by clicking here

4. Forward this information to others.

Sisters Doreen Pettitt and Susan Hawes have recently clocked up 25 years working for Suffolk seedsmen Mr Fothergill's. The pair began working for two years as seasonal 'temps' in the mail order despatch department before deciding to take full time, permanent work.

Since then they have been responsible for picking and packing retail seed packets for supply to field and national accounts, both as initial collections and replenishment orders. In their time, it is estimated they will each have directly handled more than 14,500,000 packets of seed for the UK, plus several tens of millions of packets for the company's export customers.

To mark their 25 years' service, Doreen and Susan were presented with gifts from the company by logistics operations manager James Nutt. “Sue and Doreen set the benchmark for quality of work and dedication – as is proven with 25 years’ service under their belts,” he sasid. “They are a pleasure to work with and are valued members of the Mr Fothergill's Seeds Ltd family.”

International and UK retailers who want to expand their knowledge of the garden market, experience retail best practice and gather product inspiration and innovation are urged to secure their place on Glee’s new educational feature – the Pre-Event Study Tour. 

This new initiative has been designed to demonstrate retail best practice showcasing products throughout the heart of central England.  

Taking place from Friday until Monday, September 12-15, and including unrivalled access to i2i Event’s annual Glee exhibition (September 14-16, NEC Birmingham), the study tour will be a must-attend event for a wide range of retailers, from the traditional to mail order and online businesses.

Combining trips to market leading garden retail outlets including multiple chain operators, ‘shed’ outlets such as DIY and garden retailers, plus the award-winning Planters Garden Centre and the independent, family run Pacific Nurseries, delegates will also have money-can’t-buy access to a leading business development expert.

Neil Gow, Glee’s special project manager, said: “Delegates taking part in the pre-Glee tour will gain valuable insights into a cross section of UK garden retailers and the products and services they offer from catering to composts. Spaces are limited so we urge interested parties from both the UK and abroad to book their place now to avoid missing out.”

In addition to the programme of tours and educational workshops, delegates will also be able to access over 500 exhibitors, launching thousands of new products and innovations at Glee.  Access to the show will be available to all those taking part, including a hosted tour on day one (Sunday, September 14), which will help delegates get to grips with Glee’s new-for-2014 layout as well as optimise its educational and inspirational content.  A second day of access to Glee will round off the tour.

i2i’s Matthew Mein, Glee event manager, said: “This is the first year that we have run the Pre-Event Study Tour and we’ve no doubt it’ll pay dividends for those that attend.  The programme has been designed to pack in as much as possible, combining visits to top local retailers with evening workshops and networking opportunities, and even more excitingly, access to Glee. 

"Together this will arm all delegates with a wealth of valuable information – from market insight and retail best practice, to product inspiration, innovative thinking and profit boosting opportunities – all things that will help them to develop their business ahead of the 2015 season.  I look forward to welcoming the tour to Glee later this year.”

The Glee pre-event Study Tour schedule:

Day 1: Friday 12^th Sept 2014

• Meet at Birmingham International Airport
• Hosted tour of a variety of British garden retail outlets
• Overnight accommodation within the 4* The Manor at Meriden hotel
• After-dinner presentation from UK Garden Retail Market

Day 2: Saturday 13^th Sept 2014

• After a hearty English breakfast depart for a full day tour of a variety of garden retail outlets in the region
• Return to hotel for dinner and evening presentation entitled ‘How to buy and from whom’

Day 3: Sunday 14^th Sept 2014

• Travel to day one of Glee 2014, including a hosted tour of the show, and later free time to enjoy the show
• Enjoy an evening of networking with industry colleagues at the Glee Garden Party
• Return to hotel for evening of relaxation, review and further networking

Day 4: Monday 15^th Sept 2014

• Enjoy another day at Glee 2014

Delegates have the opportunity to book further nights’ accommodation at the preferential rate at the hotel for those who want to spend longer at Glee and have further meetings with potential suppliers.

Each place on the Pre-Event Study Tour costs just £480 (+VAT) including accommodation.  To book your place please contact Neil Gow directly, either by emailing neil.gow@i2ieventsgroup.com or by telephone on +44 (0) 7812 031281.

Find out more

  Glee - organised by i2i Events Group - is the UK’s leading garden trade buying event, and the only one to bring the whole industry together under one roof.  Built on the themes of ‘Discover, Network, Grow’, Glee 2014 will be the 40^th successful year for the show.  In 2014 Glee enters a new era as it moves to a new location within the NEC’s Halls 17 – 20; creating a host of fresh indoor and outdoor exhibiting, feature and visitor opportunities that meet the buying and selling needs of the modern garden retail industry. 

  Further details about Glee 2014, including a wealth of additional brands confirming their support for the show, will be announced soon.  For exhibiting information, call 0203 033 2160, and to find out the latest show news log onto www.gleebirmingham.com. 

My client is a medium sized garden centre group who is currently looking for a new garden centre manager in their flagship store.

Candidates must have general management experience before and will have shown success managing multi million pound garden retail sites.

The centre is on a large site with a well established customer base and a excellent restaurant.

Applicants must be hands on managers and be ready to step into a busy and challenging role.

We are currently recruiting for an experienced retail manager to join a established retail site.

The role will cover the day to day running of the farm shop, including the management of staff and the strategic implementation of the shops retail plan.

Applicants will ideally be in a similar position currently or have had experience in a farm shop or country store.

Applications from other areas of retail will be considered but a interest in food and specialist food retail will be beneficial.

As J & E Importers re-structure, an exciting new opportunity has arisen for an experienced National Account Manager to join the team. The role will involve working from Head Office, out in the field and from home as required in developing and implementing a sales strategy for a group of products marketed primarily for large volume resellers. 

The ideal candidate will have good working experience in a similar role and knowledge in the Home, Garden and Pet environment and seeking a new challenge within this expanding industry. 

The successful candidate needs to be hardworking, energetic, enthusiastic and committed for this exciting and rewarding position.

This role provides an excellent opportunity within a growing company offering a range of recognised products across multiple markets.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience: applicants should possess the following:-

An understanding and background within the Home, Garden & Pet industry would be considered advantageous, but not absolute for the right calibre person.

Excellent communication skills and a warm outgoing personality

The ability to excite, engage the customer and explore the full potential.

The knowledge and ability to be able to deal with container sales as well as palletised options

Strong influencing skills are required, as well as a diplomatic manner and a positive pro-active outlook.

To nurture and develop customer relations

To establish new accounts and to develop a clear strategy and action plan to grow sales and profitability within our existing portfolio of accounts as well as new.

Regular concise, clear and logical reporting on a regular basis is a pre-requisite for this position.

Must be able to produce/substantiate a proven track record of sales within a similar position/role

The package includes a Company car, laptop, mobile phone, 28 days holiday including bank holidays and staff product discount

Please email vince.green@greenjem.co.uk for further information or to forward your current CV

Our client is a well established young plant supplier who supply the professional growing market with a large variety of plants. They are currently seeing a driven sales orientated individual who has both superb plant knowledge and an aptitude for sales or a professional sales person who has sold into the growing sector.

The SUCCESSFUL Candidate will be responsible for:-

• Managing key grower account
• Developing new business and managing existing accounts
• Provide technical advice to customers
• Represent the company at trade shows and exhibitions

For this role our client is ideally seeking:-

• A proven background in territory sales to the grower sector or an outstanding individual from the growing or retail sectors who has the drive to become a top sales person
• Be a target driven individual who has the ability to hit sales target and achieve growth within their sector
• A strong relationship builder who has excellent customer skills and can ensure customer satisfaction   

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

Our client is a vibrant plant supplier who source a wide range of Italian nursery stock and topiary which they supply direct to garden centres and also via their cash & carry. They are currently seeking a driven sales orientated individual who can assist the director in the administration of the sales department
 
The SUCCESSFUL Candidate will be responsible for:-

• Assisting with the Management of existing accounts, calling to take orders, process them and advise on availability
• Helping to developing new business and managing existing accounts
• Provide technical advice to customers and also dealing with their queries and complaints

 For this role our client is seeking:-

• A proven background in plant sales or plantarea management experience
• Be a target driven individual who has the ability to hit sales target and achieve growth within their sector
• A strong relationship builder who has excellent customer skills and can ensure customer satisfaction

Established for over 25 years, J & E Importers have built a strong global reputation in the manufacture, export, import, supply and distribution of a range of quality, value-based products, whilst delivering high customer service satisfaction at all times.

This is an outstanding opportunity to work within a large, successful organisation, currently undergoing a team building and re-structure programme

The responsibilities of the Area Sales Manager will include:

• Managing schedule of appointments on an ongoing basis
• Developing relationships with existing and new customers
• Visiting potential customers in the area to generate more sales

We are looking for an enthusiastic and energetic salesperson who is:

• Seeking a career in a customer-focused sales environment
• Driven and determined
• Well-presented
• Motivated
• Focussed, hungry and ambitious to ensure success in this role
• A quick learner with industry experience
• Energetic with a can-do attitude
• From a field or internal sales background
• Able to demonstrate success in previous sales roles

Although a field based role, the successful candidate will need to live or be based in close proximity to the South Eastern area

There are excellent opportunities for career progression within the company and the group.

Benefits also include a bonus, company car, mobile phone and 28 days paid holiday entitlement.

Please email vince.green@greenjem.co.uk for further information or to forward your current CV

www.jandeimporters.com

SOLEX are to provide free buses from local hotels for visitors to GTN’s Greatest Awards, to be held on the evening of Monday 7th July at the National Motorcycle Museum (near the NEC) during the SOLEX trade show.

Details of routes have now been confirmed. Pick-ups will be available from the following hotels:

• Crowne Plaza
• Metropole
• Premier Inn
• Holiday Inn Express
• Manor Park
• Arden
• IBIS
• Novotel

The Greatest Awards are in association with SOLEX and sponsored by Weber, LG Outdoor, Brother and National Garden Gift Vouchers.

                

         

To book your tickets for The Greatest Awards Party, call 01733 775700.

The biggest movers in this week’s GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart are lighting products as gardeners finally get an opportunity to appreciate their plots during the warmer evenings.

• Smart Solar Flutterby Butterfly is the highest re-entry at No 10.
• One place behind is another returning product to the chart – Gardman Bottle Candle Lantern.
• Gardman Ice Orb Solar Light retains the top spot.
• The highest climber this week is Woodlodge Small Pot Feet, moving up 30 places to No 18.
• Mulberry Studios Potting Shed Plaque is another good performer, returning to the Top 50 at No 44.

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

Suttons Chilli Fiesta plants are the biggest winners in this week’s Veg-2-Gro chart with five new entries, headed by Habanero Big Sun.

Other varieties include Jalapeno, Piri-Piri, Cherry Bomb, and Paper Lantern.

• Gardeners Kitchen Runner Bean Enorma holds on to the top spot.
• Quantil Lettuce Lollo Rosso is the highest climber, moving up 35 places to No 15.
• The highest re-entry is Quantil Lettuce Pandeero at No 8.

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

The Garden Centre Group has brought the 'green of the garden centre' inside its newly launched Garden Kitchen restaurant concept at Brighton Garden Centre.

With a freshly remodelled space, customers can now enjoy a new, lighter summer menu with ingredients from the garden, as well as pick-up items such as hand-made sandwiches and fresh boxed salads for lunch on the spot or a spur-of-the-moment picnic. 

Jason Danciger, Food & Beverage Director for The Garden Centre Group, said: “This light refurbishment is part of a 360-degree design refresh which aims to bring the joy of the garden to the plate and improve the experience in the restaurant, one of many initiatives we are taking to improve our vibrant hospitality offering.

"Our customers and team alike enjoy the improved atmosphere of the restaurant and the resulting footfall into our restaurant has been excellent.” 

He added: "We refreshed the space to allow for better flow for customers, embracing the design features of a garden centre and adjusting the scale of the space to bring more focus to the ‘theatre of food’.

"These changes improve the customer journey through the restaurant and bring the garden environment into the restaurant.

GTN Food Xtra asked Jason whether there had been any changes in catering personnel at Brighton, and he replied: "Our people are our most important asset and we are proud that the same very capable team are running the restaurant."

The Garden Kitchen is a new concept which seeks to link dining experience more strongly with the unique character and architecture of the garden centre, while improving layout to increase the efficiency and overall atmosphere of the space for customers. 

Jason also told GTN Xtra that a restaurant refresh was due to take place at Syon Park in the next few weeks and that they would be refurbishing the restaurant at Huntingdon Garden & Leisure in the Autumn.  Huntingdon Garden & Leisure already has a Costa Coffee in store.



The 'green of the garden centre' has been brought inside the restaurant (above).

Below: The serving and seating areas at Brighton BEFORE the refurbishment...

Gem Cambark Chunky Chip Bark (70 litres) and Arthur Bowers Bark Chips (60 litres) have both seen good sales during a period when overall growing media volumes are down on the previous week’s levels.

Other good performances include:

• Growise Multipurpose with John Innes (56 litres) has re-entered the chart.
• Arthur Bowers Coarse Grit (5kg) and Arthur Bowers John Innes No 3 (20 litres) have both seen increases in sales.

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

Garden centres across the country are joining forces with TV Gardener David Domoney and the Horticultural Trade Association to encourage communities to team up with their neighbours and spruce up their front gardens.

Over 250 garden centres, including groups Dobbies, Klondyke and Haskins plus a host of independents have already signed up and are encouraging local residents to join in and get gardening.

The Cultivation Street campaign, launched in association with the HTA and the Sunday People newspaper, aims to promote gardening among communities and bring together neighbours young and old to make their street a nicer place to live. The HTA has put up a prize fund of £20,000 of National Garden Gift Vouchers to support the campaign. The top prize for ‘Britain’s best street’ is £10,000, and there are 16 regional and special recognition awards to be won too.

Grosvenor Garden Centre is a strong supporter “We have the leaflets in our coffee shop & posters & leaflets by the tills, it’s a great way to encourage our local communities to get growing.  It makes perfect scene- more gardeners more customers.”

Mike Parker, General Manager at Bents Garden & Home says:  “Spending just a little time outside each day, whether tending to plants or just enjoying green space, can help improve our mood so we’re big fans of any type of gardening.  The Cultivation Street Campaign is a great initiative, promoting community and neighbourly gardening and inspiring people to get outdoors.  At Bents we are in the process of creating some new community allotments which we believe will be a great way of encouraging our local community to get even more involved in gardening.”

Andy Bunker, Partner at Alton Garden Centre says “I think Cultivation Street is a great idea as it appeals to a wide audience with gardens both large and small. We need gardening to have more exposure and with David at the helm we have a great ambassador.”

Campaign founder David Domoney said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from garden centres up and down the country. It’s great to see them using the campaign as a way to engage with their local communities and promote gardening to more people. The purpose of the campaign is to bring people together through gardening, and to encourage people who are new to gardening to get outside and have a go.”

But he added: “We need even more garden centres to join in and help us make a difference. It’s a great way for them to build stronger relationships with their local community. Garden centres are the best place for people to get advice and recommendations.”

Cultivation Street is about bringing back a sense of pride to the streets of Britain & is squarely behind forming relationships with communities & local garden centres, Rather than other competitions which solely promote shopping channels. The campaign hopes to benefit garden centres as well as their customers by getting neighbours together and encouraging more people to take up gardening.

The campaign also aims to reward different gardening achievements, and includes categories to reward school and community gardens, as well as poppy displays to celebrate the centenary of the First World War.

It’s extremely easy for garden centres to get involved. They can apply to the HTA to receive a free POS and marketing pack with a totem display, posters, leaflets and stands. It’s a fantastic way to engage with their local community and schools and encourage neighbours to join forces and get gardening and growing together.

If you are a garden centre here is what to do:

1) Contact Tony Stacey at the HTA tony.stacey@the-hta.org.uk he will send you leaflets & posters all free of charge

2) Set up posters, place leaflet boxes in café, tills or other locations.

3) Nominate a member of your staff to champion the project send off the leaflets to local schools in your area, garden clubs, community projects, housing associations etc.

Johnsons' newly introduced range of Microgreens for the 2014/15 season looks set to strike a chord with those whose modern lifestyles leave little time for vegetable growing.

They perhaps have little or no garden and yet would like to be part of the ongoing 'grow your own' revolution, which is tempting a new generation to appreciate the value and satisfaction of producing at least some of our own food.

Microgreens - the closest thing yet to 'instant' vegetables - are becoming popular thanks to celebrity chefs, and it is easy for consumers to produce their own delicious 'mini-crops' in as little as two weeks on the kitchen windowsill, according to Johnsons.  The tiny plants have the essence of the mature plants without the more extensive care and maintenance required to grow them.

Best described as ultra-baby leaf vegetables, these seedlings add a fresh and punchy flavour 'bombshell' to just about any savoury dish from sandwiches to steaks, stir-fries to soups, or used simply as an attractive and tasty garnish.  "Microgreens are packed full of nutrients, and because they are harvested younger they have an even more intense taste", says Johnsons Helen Clayton.  "They are such a quick, easy and nutritious way of adding great flavours to cooking".

Johnsons offer Microgreens in two formats.  A high quality, reusable growing tray and three packets of seeds to get home chefs started is merchandised in a display box, each containing 12 trays.  In addition there is a mini-range of eight Microgreen varieties such as beetroot, basil and rocket, merchandised on a small stand for consumers to buy separately.  They are ideal for year-round sales and suitable for many positions in-store.

To find out more about Johnsons Microgreens and its other innovative ranges, log on at www.johnsons-trade.com or telephone 01638 554111.

A landscape designer, writer and ex-director of the Victoria & Albert Museum will be the guest speaker next month during an open day at one of the UK’s leading commercial nurseries.

Sir Roy Strong will be at Wyevale Nurseries in Hereford on July 2 to meet landscapers, amenities experts and plant buyers from garden centres that have been invited to the event.

Adam Dunnett, Sales and Marketing Director at Wyevale Nurseries, explained: “We are delighted that Sir Roy will be our guest speaker for our open day. He has had a varied career and we think his talk will be very interesting.”

Sir Roy joined the National Portrait Gallery in 1959 and became its Director in 1967. In 1973 he became Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, a post which he resigned in 1987 to pursue a freelance career in the media and as a writer and consultant.

He was knighted in 1983. Over the years he has written extensively on the country’s history and culture, as well as on garden design. His more recent books include The Laskett, The Story of a Garden, Coronation, A Little History of the English Country Church and Visions of England.

Adam added: “We are hoping the event will be entertaining and inspirational for those that attend. We will start the open day with a tour of the nursery. People will be able to see how we care for the broad range of products that we grow. There will also be a hog roast lunch provided by a local butcher. We will end the day with a little fun in the form of an archery competition. 

“The day is open to all including our current customers, landscape architects, garden designers, landscape contractors as well as retailers and plant Cash & Carry businesses. It is going to be in a very informal setting within our despatch barn and if the weather is settled most of the day will be spent outside.

“We pride ourselves on the high quality of our plants and the incredible range we offer. We thought it would be a great idea to invite people to come and see it for themselves.”

The open day will take place on Wednesday, July 2 from 10am until 4pm.

If people would like to attend they can email Luke Powell at Wyevale Nurseries via luke@wyevale-nurseries.co.uk or call 01432 845206 by 5pm on Friday, June 20.

Wyevale Nurseries is one of the largest family-run wholesale nurseries in the UK. It was established in 1928 by Harry Williamson, a horticulturist and entrepreneur. It became the company it is today under the leadership of his son, Peter, who sadly passed away in 2011.

The Williamsons’ saw the opportunity to sell their product to an undeveloped retail market, creating one of the first garden centres, followed by a chain. In 1987, the retail side needed to expand and the 19 garden centres were sold as a PLC.

The family then turned its focus to Wyevale Nurseries Ltd. It continues to be a family-run business with ownership and joint chairmanship currently being held by the third generation, Heather and Simeon Williamson, with plans for the fourth generation to takeover in the future.

Wyevale Nurseries has a significant product range and is regularly introducing new plants. It offers a large variety of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants to garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners.

For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, which is based in Hereford, call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk.

Bolsius is launching a new concept in home fragrance. ‘Creations’ comprises a range of scented wax melts for use in burners that allows the user to create and personalise a fragrance to suit their home and to suit their mood.  

The company already has an expansive fragrance candle range under its Bolsius Aromatic concept, but in Creations it has provided consumers with the opportunity to create bespoke and individual room scents personal to them. Just 20 core range wax melts and 3 seasonal additions will provide simply thousands of differing fragrance combinations.

A minimum of three melts is required for each burning to create a scent. Each wax melt breaks into six parts, so a fragrance can be fine-tuned by adding or subtracting melt sections, in order to create the perfect fragrance recipe for any occasion. There’s no mess; when the candle is extinguished and the wax has hardened, it comes away easily from the burner thanks to a cleaning agent within the wax. It can be re-melted at a later date if required.

Merchandising for Creations comes in the form of a pick and mix display (approx 1m2) which is available on loan to the retailer, free of charge. The consumer selects from three box sizes; 8 melts from around (£3.49), 14 melts (£4.99) and 28 melts (£8.99), then chooses a selection of melts. Two styles of ceramic burners are available, one open top from around (£7.99) and one with a lid (£9.99), both are available in three colourways.

For further details or to become a stockist of Bolsius candles and fragrances contact the UK sales team on 0800 169 5126, visit www.bolsius.com or contact our distributors Junction 18 Customer Services team on 0870 442 0731. 

Over-50s womenswear retailer Bonmarche is to put down roots in more garden centres after a trial run showed the sites delivered encouraging sales.

The Grange Moor-based business, which runs 268 stores, tested concessions in three garden centres last year and plans to open 15 to 20 concessions in the next year, many of which will also be in garden centres.

Bonmarche said pre-tax profits jumped 66% to £8 million in the year to March 29 while like-for-like sales rose 10.4% as it also benefited from a store refitting programme.

The results are the first since Bonmarche floated on the stock market last November and represent a turnaround for the business which was sold in 2012 as part of the collapsed Peacock group to private equity business Sun European Partners.

The firm, which is chaired by the former Tesco deputy chief executive Tim Mason, carried out its garden centres trials at Lechlade, Bicester and Andover.

Bonmarche chief executive Beth Butterwick said that gardening was the fourth most popular activity among its customers and shoppers at these concessions tended to be “slightly more affluent.”

In the new financial year it plans to add five stores to its estate.

The business said sales from its website leapt 84% last year, and it is working on mobile and tablet capabilities this year.

Ms Butterwick said: “2014 was the first full year of implementing our new business plan and we have made good progress in each of our key strategic areas: product, multi-channel, stores and our service proposition.”

The group added it would relaunch its Ann Harvey plus-size range of clothing in July.

The group turned in strong profits despite incurring £3.3 million of exceptional costs, compared to £1.3 million a year ago, roughly half of which were related to its stock market flotation.

Despite a commonly-held view that wild birds only need help finding food during winter months, the RSPB is urging people to put out food this summer too.

Food shortages can occur at any time of year and this can be a major problem for garden birds especially, which are currently trying to find food to feed hungry chicks. Cool and wet conditions such as those experienced in many parts of the UK recently, can make it very difficult for birds to find their staple insect food and in particular caterpillars.

Richard James, a wildlife advisor at the RSPB said “Now is the height of the birds breeding season so there are many busy parents looking for food to feed their hungry offspring. The chilly, damp weather means that insects can be harder to find so the adult birds could benefit from a helping hand.”

“Birds need to find food for their young brood quickly and don’t want to be away from them for too long, so having a supply of seeds, mealworms and suitable kitchen leftovers can really help them out.”

The RSPB actually sells a third more bird food in June than it does in December. The charity believes the food may be eaten more quickly than in other months because birds see it as a convenience and, just like some busy mums and dads, opt for the easier option to keep their children happy.

So don’t miss out on sales this summer and make RSPB wild bird care part of your range. 

Picture credit: Mike Richards (rspb-images.com)

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 this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this 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.