Grange win again at GIMA Golf Day
Grange Fencing were the winners of the GIMA Charity Golf Day last week which raised money for Greenfingers and St Richards Hospice...
Full results and picture gallery
Grange Fencing were the winners of the GIMA Charity Golf Day last week which raised money for Greenfingers and St Richards Hospice.
The total of money raised from the event will be revealed at the GIMA Awards in July. Here are the full results from the GIMA 2017 Golf Day:
1. Beat the Pro - Winning a 4 ball voucher at Telford Golf and Country Club. Steve Harper James Mitchell James Parr Steve Ainscough Simon Neat Jerry Walker Phil Swainston Raoul Curtis Machin 2. On course prizes - Winning champagne and sleeve of golf balls. Nearest Pin 3rd Hole - Pete Bunker Nearest Pin 11th Hole - Chris Owen Nearest Pin 16th Hole - Andy Bestwick Nearest Pin in 2, 8th Hole - James Mitchell Longest Drive 14th Hole - Dave Kearsley Straightest Drive 18th Hole - Derek Bunker
3. Overall Team Competition. 1st. 89 points Grange Fencing - winning Trophy, Golf Bag, Umbrella, Champagne, Sleeve of golf balls. 2nd 87 Smart Garden A - winning Shoe Bag, Cap, Sleeve of golf balls 3rd 82 Mr Fothergills- winning St Andrews Tumbler and Flask, Sleeve of golf balls 4th 82 Growise B 5th 81 Woodlodge 6th 78 Westland 7th 78 GIMA 8th 78 Zest 4 Leisure 9th 77 Vitax 10th 76 Growise A 11th 75 HTA 12th 73 Cadix 13th 69 Forest Garden 14th 64 Gardman 15th 58 I2I 16th 57 Smart Garden B 17th 40 Bathgate Silica - winning Ball retriever, sleeve of golf balls. 
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See gallery of pictures
The first ever GIMA Cricket and Laser Clay Shooting event took place last week at Lilleshall Cricket Club, running aloingside the GIMA Golf Day.
The event raised money for Greenfingers and St Richards Hospice, the total raised will be announced at the GIMA Awards in July. Watch this space for the results, in the meantime enjoy our gallery of pictures.
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The third Bunnings Warehouse store in the UK and Ireland opened its doors to customers on Friday (June 9) in Hemel Hempstead, Buckinghamshire.
The new store, on the site of the former Homebase at Apsley Mills Retail Park, continues the momentum of establishing the Bunnings Warehouse format in the UK’s £38billion-a-year home improvement and garden market.
The Hemel Hempstead store is over 64,000 square feet and employs 111 people – including 53 in newly created full and part-time roles.
It also stocks more than 27,000 different home improvement and garden lines, including paint mixing services from Johnstone’s Trade, Crown and Dulux and a new tool shop offering world-leading brands such as Ryobi and DeWalt.
The company, part of Australia’s Wesfarmers Group, plans to invest up to £500million rolling out Bunnings Warehouse stores across the UK and Ireland over the next three to five years.
To celebrate the opening, Olympic gymnast champion and Hemel local Max Whitlock MBE hosted a welcome breakfast for team members.
Max said: “It’s great that Bunnings has chosen Hemel Hempstead as the location for its third store in the UK. Hemel is where it all began for me so I’m delighted to be back opening the store. I’m sure it will be a huge success.”
The new store’s Complex Manager, Darren Reid, added: “Our team members have worked really hard to get the store ready for opening and are looking forward to sharing their expertise and enthusiasm with customers in Hemel. We’re ready to welcome people to the new store!”
And the fun doesn’t stop there. The new store will also be hosting two grand opening weekend events with a raft of free family activities on 17/18 and 24/25 June. Customers can enjoy face-painting, balloon modelling and even join Peppa Pig & George for a Story Time session.
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Bunnings, Homebase’s Australian owners, made it clear in a strategy briefing last week, that the further roll-out of the Bunnings brand in the UK is entirely dependent on the success of its pilot stores. The company has re-branded three Homebase outlets to date – two in St Albans, both reported to be trading well, and one in Hemel Hempstead, – and plans seven more by the end of this year. The next one is due to open at Milton Keynes later this month, with Folkestone and Sittingbourne in the pipeline. But the MD of parent company Wesfarmers, Richard Goyder, said Bunnings had experienced “significant disruption across all areas of the business” since it acquiring the 255-store Homebase chain in January 2016, with May trading failing to make up for losses caused by lousy weather in previous months. He expected losses to continue through the rest of the year and the first half of 2018. April, May and June were important trading months, particularly thanks to gardening, and profitability would be below expectations. He also said a staffing issue could limit the roll-out of new stores after this year’s pilots. Under-investment in people by Homebase’s previous owners meant changes had taken longer. Goyder said the further roll-out would go ahead if the pilots showed return on capital, good customer numbers, good sales, good margins and correct operating costs. Successful pilots were an “absolute precursor to further investment”. Accordiong to the Sydney Morning Herald, Bunnings UK and Ireland losses in the first half of the financial year were $48 million, with no guarantee from the MD of a profitable second half. Analysts understood that the repositioning of the kitchen and bathroom offers had dragged back sales and profits.
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GTN Bestsellers has witneesed the first week since Easter which shows that total garden centre sales volumes have beaten last year.
After the excellent run up to Easter brought seven out of eight weeks where sales were significantly up year on year, as our line chart shows below, it has taken until last week for that to be repeated.
Of course the weather is the dominant factor – it was warmer and wetter so gardens got growing and our sales charts show that.
The star performers were again the plants. Volumes were up by 8% year on year.
Making the most of merchandising plants that are looking great and extending sales through June into July could be crucial as the weather continues to frustrate.
Veg growing and growing media sales are still riding high with year to date totals at 16% and 9% up respectively.
With all that veg growing going on, a lot in containers and raised beds, are you running great bounce back promotions to keep those potentially keen gardeners coming back to your centre during the summer?
GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year...
- Garden Products - down 13%
- Veg-2-Gro - down 8%
- Growing Media - down 5%
- All Plants Index - up 8%
- All Items Index - up 6%
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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GCA announces dates and venues for regional award meetings
Garden Centre Association members will find out who has come out on top in its annual inspections this year at regional award meetings taking place next month.
GCA inspectors, from left to right, Roger Crookes, Alyson Haywood and Andy Campbell will reveal their findings next month.
Garden Centre Association members will find out who has come out on top in its annual inspections this year at 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.
Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “Our annual inspections are drawing to a close and early feedback is looking positive, but if members want more information on how they fared they will need to go along to their nearest area awards meeting.
“During each meeting the inspector for that particular area will present their findings from the area, highlighting best practice and new ideas, and will announce all the category winners.”
The Wales & West region award meeting will take place at Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre near Taunton, Somerset on Thursday, July 13 and the inspector attending is Andy Campbell.
Roger Crookes will be presiding over the North West/North East regional meeting on Wednesday, July 19 at a venue still to be confirmed.
The Midlands region will meet at Planters, Tamworth on Tuesday, July 25 with inspector Alyson Haywood, while the South Thames region will meet with Michael Cole at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Dorset on Wednesday, July 26.
On Thursday, July 27, Gordon Emslie will present his findings at the North Thames meeting at Ayletts in Hertfordshire.
The Scotland and Northern Ireland area awards meeting will follow later in the year on September 7 at Klondyke Mayfield with inspector Gordon Emslie.
Iain added: “Our round of annual inspections started in March. 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.
“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.”
Pictured: GCA inspectors, from left to right, Roger Crookes, Alyson Haywood and Andy Campbell will reveal their findings next month.
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Notcutts Wheatcroft unveils spectacular Display Garden
A special ribbon cutting event has been held at Notcutts Garden Centre Wheatcroft in Nottingham to mark the opening of the new Notcutts Garden. The garden was officially opened on 2 June by Garden Centre Manager Nic Perrett alongside customers, local gardening groups and the Notcutts Wheatcroft team...
A special ribbon cutting event has been held at Notcutts Garden Centre Wheatcroft in Nottingham to mark the opening of the new Notcutts Garden. The garden was officially opened on 2 June by Garden Centre Manager Nic Perrett alongside customers, local gardening groups and the Notcutts Wheatcroft team.
The Notcutts Garden, which is split into two zones, aims to inspire visitors with creative ideas for their own outdoor spaces, featuring over 350 plants from 45 different varieties which have been carefully selected to suit different areas of the garden.
Zone A includes an impressive water feature table in which culinary kitchen plants and herbs are the star of the show, whilst Zone B is inspired by a vintage country garden.
The main feature of Zone B is a corner arbour seat, which is framed by large multi-stem birch trees and overlooks a sea of soft white, pink and purple blooms. The two zones are linked by a pathway which is covered by a wooden venetian pavilion.
The garden was designed by Notcutts’ Head of Visual Merchandising, Marco de Jongh; Plant Buyer, Stuart Andrews; and Chairman Nicky Dulieu. Alongside the local Notcutts team of horticultural experts, the garden took just over two weeks to complete.
Nic Perrett, Garden Centre Manager at Wheatcroft said: “We’re delighted with the beautiful Notcutts Garden and we’d like to thank everyone who joined us at our official opening event.
 "The garden celebrates the best of what we do at Notcutts – to provide expert advice and inspiration to customers with all levels of gardening experience, and with outdoor projects of all sizes.
"Over the years, Notcutts has won 50 Gold medals at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, so we’re pleased to bring our expert experience to Wheatcroft with a stunning garden design to inspire our customers.”
The Notcutts Garden is open to visit for free all year round at Notcutts Garden Centre Wheatcroft and is the second of Notcutts’ 18 garden centres across the country to have a garden of this kind. Throughout 2017, which marks Notcutts’ 120th anniversary year, further gardens will be created at other centres.
For more information about Notcutts visit: www.notcutts.co.uk
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Weber has invested a sizeable seven-figure sum into a prime-time television advert, to be broadcast across ITV and Channel 4 over the coming summer months.
The advert showcases the revolutionary Genesis II gas barbecue, Weber’s biggest marketing campaign to date, and is set to reach millions of people in their homes during the key barbecue season.
The advert, which was first broadcast at the end of April 2017, will run until 31st July 2017. The ITV and Channel 4 programmes to feature the ad include; ITV Early Evening News, Britain’s Got Talent, Emmerdale, Come Dine With Me, Channel 4 News, Come Dine With Me, A Place in The Sun and Sunday Brunch.
The 30-second clip will receive geo-targeting by both Sky AdSmart and Videology to homes within a 40-minute radius drive time from Weber® stores, as well as thermal activation and regional targeting to reach their key demographic.
The advert follows a broader investment from Weber® to provide customers with a greater overall experience, education and access to the range including a newly revamped website, both globally and in the UK, enhancing their premium in-store displays and adding new Grill Academy courses to cookery schools across the country.
Chris Trewhitt, UK Marketing Director, said, “We are very proud and excited to be putting the revolutionary Genesis II barbecue in front of a national prime-time television audience.
'The widespread TV exposure will ensure Weber® is front-of-mind during the key summer season and will demonstrate our most advanced barbecue, giving consumers the chance to see it in action from the comfort of their own homes before visiting us in-store."
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Westland winner Peter Knight from Taunton has donated part of his £1,000 prize to his grandchildren’s primary school to use in its garden.
Peter was one of the first to win a competition held by Westland to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its No.1 selling compost, Westland Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes.
He bought the compost at his local garden centre, Monkton Elm in Taunton, which is where he also collected his prize. He spent the money on a few gardening supplies for his own garden, donating the rest to North Newton Community Primary School, which his grandchildren Sophie (8) and Harry (5) attend.
The school will spend the money to enhance a garden for early years’ pupils, which is used to help children connect to nature and to give an understanding as to where flowers, vegetables and fruit come from.
David said: “I always buy Westland Multi-Purpose with John Innes as it’s a good quality compost that delivers consistent results. As a gardener myself, I feel it’s really important that we teach the younger generation how to get outside and grow. My grandchildren love their school garden and so I knew this would be a worthwhile way to spend part of the prize money.
“I have given the school an Olive Tree, which is what they wanted, a pot for it, compost (Westland of course!), and some play sand. For my own garden I have bought a few plants, a selection of Westland products and some tools I always wanted, and I’ve saved some vouchers for further items throughout the year.”
Westland also donated £150 worth of Kent & Stowe hand tools for the school which will be arriving in the coming weeks.
Jen Richardson, Senior Marketing Manager for Westland said: “We ran this promotion to celebrate the success of our popular Multi with JI compost which celebrates its 15th birthday this year. It’s been a highly profitable promotion for retailers, generating a 22% increase in sales so far. We will also be using PR to generate publicity around the winners as an added benefit for retailers.”
Contact your Westland Sales Rep to order in the celebratory 50L and 60L packs. The 3 competition winners for April were:
- Peter Knight, who bought from Monkton Elm Garden Centre in Taunton
- Julie Shaw who bought from Homebase in Huntingdon
- Sue Ainsworth who bought from Sycamore Garden Centre in Ellesmere Port
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The ‘Houseplant of the Month’ campaign will continue in 2018. This PR-campaign shows off the wide and deep range of houseplants.
It also enables us to provide the press and consumers with news about different plants every month, with the ultimate aim of persuading consumers that you feel better with plants around you, and consequently, buy more plants.
How are the products selected?
The list of plants has been created in collaboration with the product specialists at Royal FloraHolland.
A number of criteria have been taken into account in making the selection. Thereafter, a product may only be promoted once every three years, to enable us serve as many product groups as possible. In order to guarantee good availability, there must be at least four growers who produce the plant or group of plants, and the products must have a good supply over a period of seven months (with the exception of one or two seasonal products). We also consider whether the plants are of interest to consumer, the consumer press, and fit in with current lifestyle trends.
Product list 2018:
- January: Dracaena
- February: Winter bloomers (Primula obconica, Senecio cruentus, Jasminum)
- March: Springtime bulbs (Narcissus, Muscari, Hyacinthus, Tulipa, Fritellaria)
- April: Hydrangea
- May: Zen plants (Bonsai, Ficus Ginseng, Dracaena lucky bamboo)
- June: Potted chrysanthemum
- July: Succulents
- August: Devil’s ivy
- September: Phalaenopsis
- October: Pet-friendly plants (Chlorophytum, Cyperus, Cyperus zumula, Beaucarnea, Bambusa)
- November: Rhipsalis
- December: Flamingo flower (Anthurium)
The list is being published now to give the various sales channels and producers enough time to plan ahead, and to encourage them to develop their own sales promotions so they can benefit and profit from the campaign.
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Durham planners have approved application from the British Garden Centres group that will see the development of East Durham Garden Centre.
Company secretary Phillippa Stubbs said: “I am pleased that our application was approved with a full show of hands.
“This will mean that we will be increasing the covered area of retail to some 17,000 sq m with 6,000 of this being open skies plant area and 1,200 providing a restaurant with orangery and anticipated Play Barn and outdoor childrens adventure playground.
“The timeframe we anticipate is to be open for Autumn 2018 or at the latest Spring 2019.
“We will be looking to start works in the next 12 weeks by clearing the site.”
“We shall continue to trade from the existing garden centre whilst the developments are carried out.”
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Bents Garden & Home has introduced new toilet door signs to help people with ‘invisible illnesses’ get better access to bathroom facilities. The move, taking its inspiration from a campaign started by Scottish school girl, Grace Warnock, who suffers from Crohn’s Disease, aims to prevent people like Grace being denied access or questioned about using a disabled toilet. Her design for a new accessible toilet sign, which features two people with red hearts standing next to the traditional image of a wheelchair user, is now being used widely in shops, leisure centres and public buildings, including the Scottish Parliament. In line with Grace’s campaign, which has the backing of the Crohn’s and Colitis UK charity, Bents has created its own signage which now features on all disabled facilities at the centre. Bents is supporting the Alzheimer’s Society this year and hopes to gain recognition as a dementia-friendly destination. MD says Matthew Bent they first saw news of Grace’s campaign in the trade press after a garden centre in Scotland introduced the new signage. “We immediately thought it was a great idea. It is such a simple concept, but one which we believe will be of help to many people.” Further details about Grace’s Sign campaign can be found online on her Facebook page.
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Renowned family owned Northen Ireland garden centre Hillmount is blooming into Ards this autumn. The third garden centre in the Hillmount family will open later this year at an investment of £1,000,000 with the creation of 25 new jobs.
The Mercer family has built up an unrivalled reputation in the gardening industry locally since opening their first nursery in Castlereagh almost 80 years ago and the growth into the Newtownards area is a natural development for the family business which also operates in Bangor. The site of the latest Hillmount store is located in the former Thriving Life Church, at the junction of Movilla Road and Ballyreagh Road, and the Mercer family will breathe new life into the building with a wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs, as well as offering a range of exquisite gifts and garden furniture and accessories. Diners in the first floor restaurant will be able to relax and enjoy views across north down from the unique feature window.  Alan Mercer, Managing Director of Hillmount, said: “Now is the perfect time for us to expand our business for the next generation and we are excited to be setting down roots in Ards, a town Edith has always considered to be her home shopping town having grown up in Greyabbey.
"The building has such a beautiful perspective and we know Hillmount Ards will bloom with an amazing team helping us. “We are committed to investing in the local area and to offering local jobs to local people, as well as providing the community in Ards the same great value and great choice that our loyal customers enjoy at our sister garden centres in Bangor and Castlereagh.” In order to meet the opening deadline, Hillmount is recruiting full and part time shop assistants and full and part time café assistants. Application forms are available from Hillmount at 56/58 Upper Braniel Road, Belfast, before 10 June.
The 10,000 sq ft of retail space has ample car parking and will have a 55 seater restaurant ‘The Gardeners Rest’. There will be 30,000 gardening products to choose from, a Weber barbecue section and a wide range of garden furniture and equipment. Hillmount was established in 1940. Almost 100 staff are employed across Hillmount in Upper Braniel Road, Belfast and Belfast Road, Bangor. www.hillmount.co.uk, www.facebook.com/hillmountgardencentre, www.twitter.com/hillmountgarden
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Westland Horticulture have reported profits of £2.93m for the year to 31 August 2016, on sales of £127.7m. This compares to profits of £4.09m for the eight months to 30 August 2015, when sales of £96.6m were reported. The Westland board said the result was satisfactory but there was potential for growth in fertilisers and growing media markets. Westland bought William Sinclair Horticulture from the administrators in summer 2015, with employee numbers rising from 425 to 590. Sinclairs had previously employed 270 staff.
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GIMA praises Perennial’s ‘Play the Pitch’ football fundraiser
Perennial ‘Play the Pitch’ charity football tournament was hailed a success by GIMA Director Vicky Nuttall, President Chris Ramsden (Hozelock), and council member Craig Hall from Deco-Pak. The event raised approximately £15,000 for Perennial from 16 teams and was hosted by Leicester City Football Club at the King Power stadium...
Perennial ‘Play the Pitch’ charity football tournament was hailed a success by GIMA Director Vicky Nuttall, President Chris Ramsden (Hozelock), and council member Craig Hall from Deco-Pak. The event raised approximately £15,000 for Perennial from 16 teams and was hosted by Leicester City Football Club at the King Power stadium.
Deco-Pak and GIMA both fielded teams, raising over £1,200 for the charity which supports all those that work in the horticultural industry who fall on hard times.
GIMA’s team featured Craig Hall, Chris Ramsden, John Gomersall from Forest Garden, Rob Giles from Grange Fencing, Adie Lewis from Zest 4 Leisure, and Richard Newton from Woodlodge. Vicky Nuttall led the support from the stands - cheering on husband Mike, and was joined by Ascential’s Fernanda Pinto - rooting for colleague and Event Director of Glee, Matthew Mein, and Kimberley Hornby, Managing Director of Hornby Whitefoot PR the PR team behind GIMA, Deco-Pak and Glee to name but a few – supporting colleague Robbie Cumming.
After three group matches, the tournament was then split into ‘Cup’ and ‘Plate’ knock out stages. Deco-Pak, who beat GIMA in the first group game, made it to the quarter-finals of the Cup tournament, but GIMA did even better and progressed to the final after beating event sponsors ICL. Sadly, they were then beaten by Gavin Jones United, who went on to win the tournament overall, in an extra final match against the winners of the ‘Plate’ final. After the tournament ended, players including Rob Giles and Robbie Cumming were encouraged to place further donations in order to attempt to ‘beat the goalie’, scoring between the posts of the full size goals of the King Power stadium.
Craig Hall, Deco-Pak Marketing Manager and GIMA council member said: “Walking down the tunnel and onto the immaculate pitch as a player was an amazing experience, one that any football fan could appreciate. We did really well against the other teams -despite not having any training together beforehand – and I put that down to the leadership qualities of those on the team and excellent networking at previous GIMA events. Special thanks must go to Vicky, Kimberley and Fernanda, as well as the Deco-Pak team, who all cheered us on to the end as well as donating to help finance the team kits and raise much needed funds for Perennial.”
GIMA Director Vicky Nuttall said: “From a spectator’s point of view, the stadium was a spectacular sight, and we were well hosted by Leicester City with unrivalled access to the grounds facilities. The GIMA team kept us entertained and I was so proud that they got all the way to the final! Huge thanks to Perennial and Leicester City, and also to Craig and Deco-Pak for helping to source the football kits.”
Laura Garnett, Senior Development Manager at Perennial, said: “Our thanks go to LCFC Grounds Manager John Ledwidge and his team as well as all those who took part on the day. It was a great event for Perennial, raising much needed funds and galvanising support. This was the first event of its kind for Perennial and in organising it we have realised what an appetite our colleagues from across the industry have for friendly competition! We are already in talks with further sports grounds to stage similar events in the coming months.”
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Merriments Garden & Nursery in East Sussex has been sold to a private buyer in a transaction handled by Quinton Edwards. The popular centre display gardens and plant nursery, which are open to the public, have been run for many years by David Weeks who is now looking forward to new challenges. Mr Weeks said he was delighted with the way Quinton Edwards handled the sale and was impressed with their knowledge, professionalism and the support throughout the marketing and sale process. Merriments was named by garden writer Helen Yemm in the Daily Telegraph as one of her top gardens to visit. Merriments is also an RHS Partner Garden, offering free admission for RHS members.
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Comedian Hal Cruttenden to host GIMA Awards
As the garden retail industry shows its continued support for the GIMA Awards with a record-breaking number of products entered to win one of the coveted prizes, it has been confirmed that one of the nation’s top comedians, Hal Cruttenden, will host the 2017 awards ceremony (13th July, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport South Wales)...
 As the garden retail industry shows its continued support for the GIMA Awards with a record-breaking number of products entered to win one of the coveted prizes, it has been confirmed that one of the nation’s top comedians, Hal Cruttenden, will host the 2017 awards ceremony (13th July, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport South Wales).
Hal, who is most famously known for his work on BBC’s ‘Mock the Week’ and ‘Have I Got News For You’, as well as his own stand-up show, and Radio 4 sitcom ‘Hal’, is also a three time Chortle Award nominee and was previously nominated for the Perrier Newcomer Award in Edinburgh. Hal also took part in the ‘Hell on High Seas’ challenge’ where six celebrities and a professional crew sailed from Belfast to London on a Volvo 65 Racing Yacht facing very rough weather and sea sickness to raise over a million pounds for Sport Relief. Their progress was shown each night on BBC 1’s ‘The One Show’.
It will be Hal’s job to lead proceedings on the night, where he’ll be joined on stage by the winners of this year’s hotly contested awards.
Vicky Nuttall, GIMA Director said: “Hal is going to be a fantastic addition to the awards. He is a highly recognisable and loved comedian, and no doubt he’ll keep us laughing throughout the evening.
“It’s also great to be able to confirm that we have received a record number of entries for the 2017 awards. Our judges are going to have their work cut out as they choose the winners during our dedicated judging day later this month. A huge thank you to all those that have entered.”
Tickets for the GIMA Awards ceremony are still available, though spaces are filling up fast. Interested parties are advised to book now to avoid missing out on what is sure to be another brilliant night of celebrations.
To book places at the Gala Dinner visit www.gima.org.uk/gima-awards.
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Plant feeds, weed control and plant supports all increased sales last week as the warmer, wetter and windy weather helped to get plants growing fast.
This week’s highlights were:
- The biggest percentage sales increase went to Westland Gro-Sure All Purpose Plant Food, up by over 500%.
- Westland Gro-Sure Super Enriched Tomato Feed was also the highest new entry.
- Weedol products were the fastest growing weed controls and 90cm Gardman bamboo cane sales shot up by 62%.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
Tomato plant sales are thriving
Tomato plant sales still make up 32% of the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro Top 50 as gardeners get growing outside now for bumper crops later in the Summer...
Tomato plant sales still make up 32% of the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro Top 50 as gardeners get growing outside now for bumper crops later in the Summer.
Seventeen varieties feature in this week’s chart. With plenty of good link sales opportunities, a final push on tomato plant sales during June makes good commercial sense.
The main highlights this week were:
- Quantil Tomato Totem 8cm was the highest climber, jumping 29 places to No 18.
- Quantil Chilli Pepper Jalapeno Hot Shakira 8.5cm was the highest re-entry at No 12.
- Farplants Strawberry Symphony Autumn 9cm was the highest new entry at No 32.
- Quantil Runner Bean White Emergo Strips clung on to the top spot.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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Tomato planter sales grew by 7% where overall growing media sales dropped by 7% last week as gardeners plant more veg plants outside on patios and balconies.
Organic growing media products also saw a boost last week with organic compost, top soil and manure lines growing sales by over 40%.
The highlights this week were:
- Scotts Levington Organic Blend Topsoil (25 litres) was the highest climber, moving up 18 places to No 15.
- Bord na Mona Vital Earth Organic Garden Compost (50 litres) was the highest re-entry at No 21.
- Another returning product was Westland Gro-Sure Tomato Gro-Pack (22 litres).
- Scotts Levington Multipurpose + John Innes (56 litres) stayed on top of the chart.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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Plants provide year on year sales growth for the second week running as planterias are full of summer plants looking great.
Summer bedding dominates the GTN Plants chart with significant increases in sales of Roses, Hydrangeas and Delphiniums.
- Sales of Roses grew by 60%, moving them up to No 12 in the Top 50.
- Post Chelsea, Delphinium sales grew by 40%, Hydrangeas were up by 17%.
- Alstromeria moved up the most places in the chart, up 17 places to No 28.
To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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Supply of Bord na Móna UK's premium peat-based growing media to its trading stores has exceeded the company's forecast since launching its Pro 5 range at Glee 2016. Bord na Mona said 55 of their 400 stockists had taken the range so far. "The majority of our stockists are now stocking over 50% of the full BNM Growise portfolio (30 SKUs in total). We are also expecting to see an increase this month with the release of a new promotion,” the company announced. Higher peat-based growing media has seen a revival in recent years, with niche products such as Westland's Jack's Magic also being launched. Bord na Móna bought White Moss Horticulture, which has peat bogs in Somerset, in January. The company says some of the sales are down to research into consumer purchasing preferences, which Bord na Móna UK did in early 2016. Bord na Móna marketing head June Dowling said research into consumer purchasing preferences had enabled them to produce a product range that raised the standard of the UK growing media market and explore new distribution channels, including professional growers and agri-store retailers. “2017 has been a very exciting year for Bord na Móna UK so far and we are looking forward to continuing our progression over the busy summer period,” she added.
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Trading figures reported on the John Lewis Partnership website showed strong week-on-week sales increases of garden and outdoor leisure products during the week ending 3 June. Gardening product sales at Waitrose were 17% up on the same week last year following good bank holiday weekend weather. Overall sales in stores were up 1.2%. At John Lewis, sales of home products were 1.8% lower than the same week in 2016 but outdoor living sales were 16.0% higher, thanks to outdoor furniture (up 10.4%) and barbecues (up 43.0%). Overall John Lewis sales for the week were £83.8m, up 2%.
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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 2014 as well as 2015 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period. Access is by subscription only. For £195.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most up-to-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 Garden Plants Bestsellers chart for this week are here
Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro 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.
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Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters delivered via the post for only £195.00.
GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £120m.
Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.
For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.
Buy your subscription today and start receiveing the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.
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All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
HTA Catering Conference 2017 starts on Tuesday... last chance to book your place!
With the HTA Catering Conference starting on Tuesday this is your last chance to book in order to secure your place. The two-day conference and dinner, sponsored by Compass Group, takes place at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June 2017, and features leading speakers from the wider hospitality industry...
With the HTA Catering Conference starting on Tuesday this is your last chance to book in order to secure your place.
The two-day conference and dinner, sponsored by Compass Group, takes place at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June 2017.
Featuring speakers from the wider hospitality industry including Peter Avis, Restaurant Manager from London’s Babylon restaurant, Top Chef Dominic Teague from One Aldwych, 2016 Masterchef winner Jane Devonshire and Matt Drew, Head of Food and Beverage for the National Trust the conference programme also draws extensively from expertise from within the industry.
Klondyke Chief Executive David Yardley and Group Catering Manager Keren Feeney will provide an update about their Topiary Restaurant offer.
Salim Sajid from Blueberry Consulting will update delegates on the approach taken at Rosebourne Garden Centre and how things are going within their first year of operation.
James Debbage from the award winning Green Pastures Plant Centre and Farm Shop in Norfolk will talk about their popular offer which includes fresh salads from the kitchen garden and innovative afternoon teas.
Mark Farnsworth and Sharon McNair from Tong Garden Centre return to update delegates on the development of their catering offer one year on.
Neville Stein from Ovation Business Consultancy will chair a workshop session looking at striking a balance between food costs and labour costs, involving garden centre caterers including Dwayne Ross from Coolings.
Matthew Appleby will be talking to Costas Constantinou, Head of Restaurants at Horticulture Week award-winning Dobbies Garden Centres. Costas, former Wyevale Head of Restaurants, will be talking about the new initiatives and team which he says will be delivering unrivalled standards of food, service and customer experience.
Following on from GTN’s Greatest Catering Awards, which will be presented at the conference dinner on Tuesday evening, Trevor Pfeiffer from Garden Trade News will highlight winning catering ideas, trends and examples of great teamwork that are so essential in creating memorable catering experiences in garden centres across the UK.
HTA Communications Manager Gill Ormrod comments, “The HTA Catering Conference provides an unrivalled opportunity for all those involved in garden centre catering to get the latest ideas and inspiration about trends, issues and views from the industry and the wider hospitality sector. With garden centre cafes receiving a great shout out on Radio 2 only this morning there really is a buzz around the quality of offer to be found.”
This year’s accompanying catering exhibition is fully sold out and provides a great additional opportunity to meet a range of suppliers from coffee, cake and soft drinks to bread, tea and much more!
For further programme details and to book your place please visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
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Simplicity is the key at Rosebourne Garden Centre
Salim Sajid will speak about the approach to catering taken by Rosebourne Garden Centre in Hampshire, which opened in October 2016. It is fairly simple – to create exceptional dishes using the finest ingredients, which are brought to the table by their friendly and efficient team.
Salim Sajid will speak about the approach to catering taken by Rosebourne Garden Centre in Hampshire, which opened in October 2016.
It is fairly simple – to create exceptional dishes using the finest ingredients, which are brought to the table by their friendly and efficient team.
Their chefs work alongside the team from Owton’s, their in-store butcher, their fresh produce team, who deliver daily from Southampton markets and their food hall team to deliver a choice of delicious meals all with a seasonal touch.
Book now The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members). Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference. For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
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Make your marketing engaging for everyone
Hospitality and food marketer and trainer, Karen Fewell will be sharing some of the findings from her recent family dining study, exploring what family-friendly looks like in the digital era...
 Hospitality and food marketer and trainer, Karen Fewell will be sharing some of the findings from her recent family dining study, exploring what family-friendly looks like in the digital era.
She’ll also discuss generational appeal and how to make your marketing engaging for everyone.
You’ll learn about psychology’s role in marketing and how consumer decisions around food and eating out are made.
Karen will take you through her guide to using this new knowledge to drive food sales and increase footfall. With years of experience training leading hospitality brands in social media and marketing, this session promises to be full of practical industry examples, helpful hints and tips, plus ideas to inspire you.
Book now
The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members). Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference. For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
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Delivering an in-store offer
Russell Scanlon, Director of Business Development at headline partner Compass Group UK & Ireland, will give an overview of Compass Group and attempt to dispel some of the myths of working with an outsourced foodservice partner and highlight the benefits such a partnership can bring to your business...
Russell Scanlon, Director of Business Development at headline partner Compass Group UK & Ireland, will give an overview of Compass Group and attempt to dispel some of the myths of working with an outsourced foodservice partner and highlight the benefits such a partnership can bring to your business.
Russ will touch on market leading insights, operations, menu development, marketing and promotion, and importantly employee engagement, management, training and development.
To show what it looks like when all the elements come together successfully he will finish the session off with by showcasing their operation at Garsons Esher.
Book nowThe cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members). Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference. For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
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Peter Avis shares a passion for customer service
UK Restaurant Manager of the Year Peter Avis shares his passion for customer service and responsibility, and draws on his inspirational rags to riches story to demonstrate that anyone can aspire to reach whatever level they may choose...
From dishwasher to UK Restaurant Manager of the Year, Peter Avis rose through the ranks of the hospitality industry to the rooftop heights of Branson’s prestigious Babylon Restaurant through hard work and fierce determination.
As a keynote and after dinner speaker, Peter shares his passion for customer service and responsibility, and draws on his inspirational rags to riches story to demonstrate that anyone can aspire to reach whatever level they may choose.
Book now The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members). Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference. For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
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GTN's Greatest Catering Team Awards are back again! The third year of these most prestigious awards for excellence in garden centre catering will be presented after dinner on the Tuesday night and a presentation about the winners and the new trends picked up during the judging visits will be made by Trevor Pfeiffer on Wednesday 14 June.
This year there are two new categories that the judges will be collecting information for: The Greatest Wash Up Team - that vital part of the catering jigsaw that keeps the whole show running like clockwork - and The Greatest Garden Centre Baking Team.
GTN's Greatest Awards always takes size of centre into account so there is as much chance of a small centre winning as a destination centre. "It's the Greatest we are looking for each year, who are truly creating memorable experiences with their garden centre catering," explained Awards organiser Trevor Pfeiffer.
To enter the awards all you have to do is nominate your team via e-mail to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and then the Garden Trade News team of expert judges will arrange to visit during May.
Full list of GTN's Greatest Catering Awards:
- The Greatest Afternoon Tea Team
- The Greatest Coffee Team
- The Greatest Wash Up Team
- The Greatest Baking Team
- The Greatest Chef Team
- The Greatest Front of House Team
- The Greatest Catering Team Overall
Book now The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members). Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference. For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
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Having a 'freefrom' approach works wonders
In a joint session Caroline Benjamin from Food Allergy Aware will provide an insight to the freefrom customer, and chef Dominic Teague (pictured above) from One Indigo, the restaurant at 5-star hotel One Aldwych in London, will explain why they decided to go gluten and dairy free with impressive results in terms of bookings and revenue...
 In a joint session Caroline Benjamin from Food Allergy Aware will provide an insight to the freefrom customer, and chef Dominic Teague (pictured above) from One Indigo, the restaurant at 5-star hotel One Aldwych in London, will explain why they decided to go gluten and dairy free with impressive results in terms of bookings and revenue.
Book now The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members). Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference. For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
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Book your place at the HTA Catering Conference now
The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members). Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference. For more information and to book click here
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