Storm Hannah may have taken the gloss off the Easter Fortnight 2019 but it was still the best Easter, for total volume sales, since 2015 and the third best since 2010 according to GTN Bestsellers weekly garden centre EPOS data analysis.

The top line GTN Bestsellers sales data reveals the last week of April 2019 was up 18% on the same week last year, when the season started to get going, and recorded the highest weekly sales total for the end of April since 2011.  It was also the biggest week of the year so far.  When combined with the first Easter week that puts the 2019 Easter Fortnight total at 10% above the Easter nine year average.

As our graph shows, it's the later Easter Fortnight's that deliver the best sales results, especially when combined with favourable weather.  An early, cold and wet Easter as in 2013 does not do anything for garden centre profits.

No wonder we received so many reports of record trading on Easter Monday for this year - see the article linked below - and we also heard of centres breaking their weekday trading records on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, before Storm Hannah came along and tempered the gardening momentum.

Thankfully the weather forecast is looking better again for the May Bank Holiday weekend ahead so lets hope gardening remains the antidote to Brexit for a while yet.  Will we see more records broken as we move into May?  Watch this GTN Bestsellers space!

Having bought back the business he sold to Wyevale Garden Centres four years ago, Martin Davies was holding a ‘Getting to re-know you’ session at Raglan Garden Centre when GTN Xtra spoke to him on Friday as he contemplated the transition from corporate branch to family business.

“There are quite a few new faces,” he said. “as there aren’t very many of the old staff left, so my priority is to get to know them better before deciding what changes we might make.”

For now, he said, very little needs to change except the restaurant. “This will absolutely be the number one job, to return it to everything being home-made on the premises, which is not the Wyevale way. Once we have done that, everything else will follow. It is really key.”

With fond memories of the business he and his wife Jean had built together, Martin (pictured right while chair of the GCA in 2008) confirmed his company, Coldbrook Ventures Ltd, had joined the bidding process when Wyevale Garden Centres put its centres up for sale last year. “I remember there being a little tearful farewell when we left,” he recalls, “so I am delighted to be back.”

In the intervening four years, Martin and Jean have run a commercial investment business, focusing on high street retail, and spent time extending their home.

A bonus following the re-acquisition is the opportunity to introduce their son Alex, who gave up his career in corporate finance last year, to the business with a view to taking the reins in the long-term.

Martin has not ruled out re-applying for membership of the Garden Centre Association.

In the meantime, he says, he can’t wait to get stuck in.

Following the successful launch of GARDENA’s ambassador store programme in 2017 across six garden centres more are set to join the programme in 2019 and 2020.

GARDENA is aiming to support garden centres across the UK and Ireland and delight shoppers with a unique shop-in-shop experience and provide education on the benefits of GARDENA products.

With over 50 years’ experience in the gardening industry, GARDENA is a prominent name across the pond with our European cousins.

Why become an ambassador store?

Those who are considering becoming an ambassador store will benefit from a full GARDENA concept for shoppers with vibrant, interactive, engaging displays.

GARDENA will also invest in staff training so they can get to know the brand and its range of innovative products inside out.

Additional digital, social media and marketing support to help raise the garden centre’s profile among GARDENA customers.

Not only that, but GARDENA promises to provide inspirational, bespoke and informative POS solutions and additional marketing assets.

Ambassador stores will also have the option to have a working robotic stand set up in their store to demonstrate the features and benefits of using a GARDENA SILENO robotic lawnmower.

With existing Ambassador stores reporting a 53% sales increase within just one year, the Ambassador store program is a proven to attract custom.

Current ambassador stores span across England, Scotland and Ireland.

Who are GARDENA?

Established in 1961 in Ulm, Germany GARDENA has been at the forefront of gardening innovation for nearly 60 years. Specialising in a range of gardening products from water and irrigation solutions, to tree and shrub care, lawnmowers and much more.

Selling products in more than 80 countries, GARDENA has established a reputation of quality and excellence due to the high quality of materials, exceptional warrantees and innovations to help the passionate gardener realise their gardening dreams.

To find out more about GARDENA and their ambassador store program, email Michael.holden@husqvarnagroup.com or gary.fisher@husqvarnagroup.com .

For more information about GARDENA products head to www.gardena.com/uk or follow @gardenauk on Instagram.

The GTN Bestsellers All Products sales index of items sold in garden centres recorded that highest level for the first Easter week since 2015.  Could it be that as a nation we are using gardening and garden leisure time as an antidote to Brexit?

We have to wait until next week to see if Easter overall reaches record levels for volume sales.  We’ve received many reports of record trading on Easter Monday across the country, some based on mainly gardening and plants sales, some due to a huge increase in garden furniture sales.

When we compare last week with last year, it was down by 8%.  That’s because this was the first week last year that gardening and plants actually started selling after ‘The Beast from the East’ and of course the first Easter week has a day’s less trading due to Easter Sunday closing.

Are you re-stocked and ready for the May Bank Holiday?  If gardening is the ideal antidote to Brexit we could be in for more bumper weeks ahead.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year: week 16

• Garden Products Top 50 – down 22%
• Growing Media Top 50 – down 13%
• Wild Bird Care Top 50 – up 8%
• Veg 2 Gro Top 50 – up 40%
• All Plants index – down 15%
• All Items index – down 8%

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

Taylors Bulbs was awarded a Premier Gold Award at Harrogate Spring Flower Show for its display of more than 1500 individual daffodil blooms across 50 different cultivars.

Displayed in bowls, the blooms were taken from the range of more than 500 different daffodils grown by Taylors at Holbeach in Lincolnshire. 

The team is led by Sallyanne Foreman who normally runs the customer services department at Taylors.  Sallyanne said; “I am delighted with the award, particularly as it has been a tough year because the flowers came early and holding them for long enough in the cold store was very difficult.  There were plenty of tears this morning when we received the award.”

Sallyanne and her team – Rebecca Brookhouse, Hayley Taylor, Paul French and Matthew Haynes – spend many hours walking the fields through the flowering period, picking stems by hand before placing them in cold store.  The display takes two days to build,  during which time many stems are thrown away if they do not meet Sallyanne’s exacting standards.

Pictured: Sallyanne waters the Harrogate display after applying the finishing touches. 

Adam Taylor added; “I know the team have worked really hard and I am so very pleased for them all that they have received this recognition from the judges at the show.  Sallyanne has stepped up to lead the team and she has done a terrific job.  We were cheering in the office this morning!”

The Harrogate Spring Flower Show, run by the North of England Horticultural Society, finishes today (Sunday 28 April)

David Austin Roses showcasing two new personalities from its English Rose collection at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show next month.

Thomas Hardy fans will recognise the new roses bearing the names of two beloved characters from the author's classic novels -  Eustacia Vye in ‘The Return of the Native’ (1878) and Gabriel Oak in ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ (1874).

Named after the exotically beautiful but restless heroine of The Return of the Native, Eustacia Vye is an exceedingly pretty rose of soft, glowing apricot-pink. Each bloom is packed with multiple delicately ruffled petals, held on red-tinged stems. With a medium-strong fruity fragrance and bushy, upright growth, this is a strikingly beautiful variety.

Dignified, hardworking and honest, Far from the Madding Crowd's central male character is the inspiration for the aesthetically impressive Gabriel Oak. A vigorous rose, bearing large many-petalled rosette blooms, this variety is very much in the style of the Old Roses, with outer petals in a striking shade of deep pink which pale slightly over time. It has a strong fruity fragrance.

MD David Austin (pictured) said: "As many will know, Chelsea Flower Show holds a very special place in our hearts. It is where in 1983 my father, David Austin Snr - or Mr A as he was known - introduced the very first English Rose varieties to overwhelming acclaim from the press and general public. The following year these beautiful, fragrant and hardy roses began to be recognised with the first of many gold medals at Chelsea.

"A calendar highlight for my father, it is a pleasure and a privilege to be exhibiting with two new English Rose varieties that were lovingly created and nurtured over the last nine years under his ever-watchful eye."

The two new roses will be seen for the first time in bloom at the show, creating the focal point of David Austin's Secret Garden themed display. The garden, in the Grand Pavilion, promises a stunning show of scent and colour set in a fluid, circular design.

As the leading trade show for the garden and outdoor leisure sector, Glee is a key date in the calendar. With just five months to go until the doors open on the 2019 event (September 10-12, NEC Birmingham), the show’s organisers confirm that this year’s exhibition will be a bigger and more vibrant showcase of the best the industry has to offer.

Glee prides itself on delivering a format for business growth, be that through locating new product innovation, sourcing new supply partners or simply through unrivalled networking and educational opportunities. The 2019 show will continue to build on this success, with the richest selection of content available at any garden retail exhibition.

Each year the show delivers in excess of 7,000 UK and international visitors, with a strong focus on senior level management and decision makers. At the 2018 event, over 60% of visitors had direct purchasing power, and over 70% placed orders either at the show, or post-event. This level of purchasing power is expected to increase as garden retailers continue to find a point of difference for their product offering ahead of the 2020 season.

To date, over 75% of the Glee 2019 floorplan has been reserved, with big name brands such as Westland, Evergreen Garden Care, Fiskars, Burgon & Ball, Apta, EP Barrus, Smart Garden Products, Kelkay, Tildenet, Woodlodge and Handy Distribution making their home within Glee’s central main thoroughfare, creating a central point of interest for visiting retailers from independent and multiple garden centres, DIY retailers, high street and department stores and online retail giants.

Away from the main boulevard, Glee 2019 will be a hotbed for the widest range of brands and innovators. From home and gift suppliers, to celebrated growers, suppliers of retail and business support services, and the best new and proven sellers from landscaping and garden décor, outdoor entertainment, and garden care brands. Over 550 exhibitors are expected to fill NEC halls 6-8, and 19-20, providing the biggest pool of engaged suppliers anywhere in the UK.

The show’s dedicated Pets at Glee section will be a feast for the senses as a range of pet powerhouses and unique brands come together to create the strongest showcase of this thriving sector. An area of significant growth, Pets at Glee will be THE place to source pet product suppliers, helping retailers to enjoy a slice of this £7billion industry.
 
The Retail Lab @ Glee continues to prove to be a popular attraction, which is why the area has been confirmed to make its return in 2019, under the guidance of Glee’s Retail Lab Trend Forecaster and Concept Developer, Romeo Sommers. Over 78% of those that visited the Retail Lab found the area to be useful, helping them to source new products, merchandising ideas and retailing best practice.  A sentiment mirrored by over half of Glee’s overall audience, who stated that finding out more about future trends was a primary reason for attending the show. With the support of the HTA, the Retail Lab is set to be bigger in 2019, and will focus on key trends shaping both the mid and long-term future of our market.

Building more content to help support the continuous growth of gardening in the UK will be a key theme of the 2019 event. Garden retailing is continuing to buck the trend, with growth for both garden retailers and suppliers continuing to grab the headlines. At Glee 2019, look out for more features, seminar sessions and year-round information relating to trends, merchandising and practical advice on ways to build better business, whilst also tackling the most burning issues set to affect the industry in the years ahead. A new series of workshops will also be introduced, helping visitors to benefit from some quick ‘takeaway’ content that can be quickly implemented away from the show.
 
A special Glee app will also make working the show easier than ever. Developed in response to the industry’s desire for such a tool, the new AI-powered event ‘matchmaking’ solution - from market-leading experts, Grip - will offer benefits for both exhibitors and retailers, utilising a platform that has already proved its worth at many leading events across the globe.

Visiting retailers will be able to better measure – and even increase - their ‘Return on Time’ spent at the show, through personalised exhibitor recommendations, and an easy-to-use meeting scheduling function. The Glee app will also include an overview of all of the exhibition’s wider educational content and seminar programmes, helping retailers to plan their trip around Glee all from the palm of their hand. The Glee app will be made available to the market in June.

Matthew Mein, Glee’s Event Director said: “Glee 2019 has been designed to pack even more of a punch. From the biggest collection of big-name brands and niche suppliers, to an unrivalled format for networking and growing businesses, there will be a reason for the whole garden retail team to visit Glee. We’re excited to share more of our development plans for the show with the industry over the coming months.”
 
Find out more
Glee is the UK’s leading garden retail show, focussing on building year-round profits for buyers and suppliers within the core gardening and outdoor leisure product categories.  To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2019 call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.

Wyevale Garden Centres has confirmed that Raglan Garden Centre has been sold to Coldbrook Ventures Ltd, who will continue to operate it as a garden centre.

Anthony Jones, Chief Operator Officer of WGC said: “We are pleased to have agreed the sale of Raglan Garden Centre to Coldbrook Ventures Ltd. Having previously owned Raglan garden centre, we wish Martin and his family all the best for their return to a centre they know so well. I would like to say special thanks to our great colleagues who I am sure will have a bright future under new ownership.”

Martin Davies, Managing Director of Coldbrook Ventures Ltd. the purchaser of Raglan (Garden Centre), said: "My wife and I view this purchase as a great opportunity to return to an industry, and a centre, that we both love and are looking forward to bringing our son, Alex, on board to eventually take the reins in the coming years. This is an exciting time for our family and an opportunity for old and new colleagues to share in our vision and family values. After a four year break it’s going to be a pleasurable and no doubt challenging journey, and we can’t wait to get stuck in."

Having had its UK Sourced & Grown Assurance Scheme (UKSG) application renewed, Wyevale Nurseries believes an increasing demand for UK provenance will result in reduced imports and cut the risk from foreign pests and diseases.

The nursery applied for inclusion in the joint Woodland Trust and Grown in Britain scheme and will be able to offer those trees for sale under a verified UK Sourced and Grown label. 

Chris King, assistant production manager at the firm’s transplants division, said: “The scheme guarantees our buyers that trees in our stock marked with the UKSG badge are raised from seeds sourced only from the UK and grown in the UK for their entire lifespan.

“Being part of the scheme allows our customers to come to us and source full traceable UK provenance stock. This is particularly important in not only sustaining our own business but reducing the requirements for imports, by creating more demand for UK provenance stock.

“This reduction in imports supports our industry, while minimising the risk from foreign pest and diseases, which can have a devastating impact on our landscape.

“We are not prohibited from selling non-UK stock, but being a part of the scheme ensures our buyers know exactly what they are buying.”

The Woodland Trust Development Team focused on the company’s ability to trace where stock had come from, supplying seed certificates where needed and supplying the majority of its stock as genuinely British sown and grown.

 “The scheme adds further protection for British trees, complementing the range of measures already in place at borders, and across the UK, which safeguard our biosecurity,” Chris added.

Photograph: Ray Jenkins, transplants division director, with British sown and grown Crataegus monogyna.

L-R: Lucie Saggs (Petal & Stem) and Richard Wells (Squire’s)

Customers at Squire’s Garden Centre in Badshot Lea will be able to pick up a bouquet of cut flowers with their usual garden shopping.

Petal & Stem florist has moved from its shop in Farnham to a prime position just inside the entrance of the centre and will open from Tuesday to Sunday.

Run by Badshot Lea resident Lucie Saggs (above, with centre manager Richard Wells) – herself a former member of the Squire’s team – Petal & Stem has a strong following locally for beautiful cut flowers.

Lucie said she was delighted to be back at Squire’s: “I loved my time working at Squire’s and have been coming back regularly as a customer since I left six years ago. Having my own shop-in-shop here is perfect in so many ways – it’s wonderful to meet up again with so many of the same Squire’s customers, to welcome my own customers from Weybourne Road, and to be back working with the friendly Squire’s team. It’s like coming home! Squire’s is a great location with plenty of free parking, and strong footfall, which is so vital for a small business like mine.”

Sarah Squire, chairman of Squire’s said floristry was a service many customers had asked for. “There is a natural synergy between a floristry and the plants we offer, and it has long been a dream of ours to be able to offer floristry at the centre. We are delighted to work with such a talented local independent florist. I am so pleased that the sight of fresh flowers greets customers as soon as they enter the centre.”

The Perennial ‘Legacy Garden’ has won Best in Show and a Premier Gold Award at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show, which closes today (Sunday 28 April).

The garden, designed by David Wyndham Lewis, raises awareness of the charity that helps people in horticulture and highlights the impact that leaving a gift in your will has on its work.

The charity, which marks its 180th anniversary this year, receives about a third of its annual voluntary income from legacies. The Perennial Legacy Garden provides an opportunity to reach more people in Yorkshire with information about how Perennial supports individuals and families with a wide range of issues relating to physical and mental health, social and welfare support and money matters.

The garden is a representation of life’s journey with a flowing water feature depicting the course of life, eventually reaching a still pool, which is a place to reflect. A pathway cuts between woodland areas, showing how Perennial brings light to the darkest of situations. Plants include a collection of rare potted plants, Tibetan cherry trees (Prunus serrula), native bluebells and a wetland and marginal area featuring primulas. The garden was universally praised by judges as a beautiful, carefully planted space that really gets across the message of legacy giving.

Anita Bates, Director of Marketing & Fundraising at Perennial says:

“We are thrilled to have won a Premier Gold Award and Best in Show for the Perennial Legacy Garden - well done to David and the team who have worked so hard to make the garden look wonderful. We are looking forward to seeing what visitors think of the garden over the next three days and speaking to as many of them as possible about our work and how leaving a legacy to Perennial makes a huge difference.”

David Wyndham Lewis, who is both a garden designer at Blank Canvas Gardens and major gifts manager at Perennial, said: “Perennial’s work is often described quite simply as a lifeline to those it helps, so I wanted to convey through the design of the garden the journey of life and the idea of legacy. It feels fantastic to have received such positive comments from the judges and we hope that visitors will be also be inspired with plenty of ideas from the garden to take home.”

The garden has been created using local craftspeople and growers wherever possible and brings together support of businesses from across the industry. It was built by contractor David Massey, based in Knaresborough near Harrogate. Plants were supplied by a range of nurseries in the Harrogate area and CED Stone provided the hard landscaping.  Pots & Pithoi supplied the water feature and a tryptic of artworks by Jane Procter, representing the three phases of life, hangs on the yew hedging. The most unusual item is a moss-covered urn loaned by Chilstone, which is part of its personal collection and usually lives in woodland next to to Chilstone headquarters.

Handy Distribution have announced the roll-out of a new range of Greenworks 24v and 40v cordless garden-machinery across all Dobbies garden centres.

Liz Brennan, senior gardening buyer for Dobbies said: “We are seeing a significant shift toward cordless machinery and the new Greenworks display in our stores highlights our commitment to exceed our customers’ expectations by giving them quality product at competitive prices.

“It’s important Dobbies is ahead of market trends. When compared to Ni-Cad and lead-acid units, our offering delivers improved durability, longer run times and much faster charge-times plus they don’t suffer from power-fade when not in use.”

The Greenworks range comprises lawnmowers, trimmers, brushcutters, hedge trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and more.

A nationwide experiment has revealed that the old myth of slugs being attracted to beer is in fact true, with lager and bitter proving to be the most effective drinks for successfully trapping them.

Horticultural charity, Garden Organic has been testing slug trapping methods as part of its annual citizen science experiments. Results have revealed that lager attracted 64 times more slugs than water but the plant-eating pests have no preference when it comes to brand or cost.

Participants were asked to construct four slug traps, one containing lager, one bitter, one water and one ‘wildcard’ drink of their choice, then check them twice a week for catches.

The results revealed that water very rarely attracted slugs (on average one slug every 30-40 days), while, despite the dry conditions, lager attracted and caught an average of six slugs every three to four days and bitter attracted an average of five slugs over the same time frame.

“Lager and beer definitely came out on top!” according to comments from one amateur scientist.

 Dr. Anton Rosenfeld, Project Officer at Garden Organic, said; “Our volunteer scientists found that slugs showed little interest in water, orange squash, wine or even Cava!

“Lager or bitter, even the cheapest brands proved to be most effective. We believe that the combination of volatiles and yeast attracts the slugs and the alcohol content has been shown to have little bearing on effectiveness.”

Garden Organic launched the slug trapping experiment last year to test the theory that slugs are attracted to the smell of fermenting or rotting material so are naturally drawn to beer traps.

Anton added; “We were keen to understand if different types of beer improve the effectiveness of slug traps or if there is an alternative tipple they enjoy even more.

“This is just one of countless examples of our members helping to influence and change how we garden and grow.”

Having taken part in the experiments, several participants commented that they have now been convinced to start using beer traps in their gardens. One said: “I have always thought that lager did not work, only bitter, but this trial has shown that (Morrisons) Savers lager at £1 for four has proved the most successful.”

For more information click here. www.gardenorganic.org.uk/members-experiments.

LifestyleGarden (parent comnpany: ScanCom) is setting a new benchmark for sustainability.

Raising the bar in a way that has not been seen before within the garden and leisure sector, its approach embraces corporate social responsibility, human and labour rights, and environmental management practices.  Every part of the business, from production to people, is heavily focused on ensuring the company’s motto ‘Doing Business the Right Way’ is carried out.

At ScanCom, 100% of its hardwood timber is FSC certified, with its teak grown in responsibly managed plantations or sourced and recycled from components and structures on the island of Java. The latter includes wood that originates from barns, houses, railway sleepers and other constructions. The wood is bought from the original sources before it is brushed, cleaned and repaired to give it a rustic appearance.

Innovation includes Lifestyle Garden’s Duraboard, an environmentally friendly material that is durable, highly UV-resistant and built to last a lifetime. Made from a unique blend of high-quality eucalyptus sawdust and polyethylene resin, production is entirely in-house, enabling close quality control at each stage.

Plans are under way to increase recycling of key raw materials such as plastics and wood.

The use of responsibly sourced materials backed by a common goal of promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability was the reason why the Eden Project recently selected LifestyleGarden as its UK furniture partner. Announced to critical market acclaim in early spring, the response to the range has far exceeded expectations.

The new Eden Project ranges – available for the 2020 season – will provide retailers with a unique point of difference in this normally traditional product category. The company will also have access to the Eden Project’s exclusive designs and patterns, offering add-on sales opportunities including accessories like cushions and deckchairs.

ScanCom has grown its partnerships with sustainable suppliers who adhere to the same working principles, driving innovation and forming a catalyst for future products based on recycled plastic materials.

ScanCom was shortlisted for the Best Collaborative Effort award at the UK Sedex Awards in March, recognising businesses that forge valuable collaborations with customers, suppliers and stakeholders, focusing on key issues such as improving working conditions or solving responsible sourcing challenges. 

At the core of its operation is ScanCom’s five–point strategy to going green: Using 100% FSC hardwood, minimising waste, reducing emissions, cutting consumption of resources and energy and controlling the use of restricted substances in all materials used. 

ScanCom’s workforce of more than 3,000 employees at its own facilities in Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia includes 22 nationalities speaking 14 languages, developing over 1,128 products per year using 15 types of materials. Staff at the firm’s two main showrooms listen to the needs of its customers from 52 countries, taking responsibility for the delivery of 6,000 containers of product.

ScanCom says it is is committed to developing a culture that respects internationally recognised human rights, setting the highest standards of health and safety management, training and career development.

Value House Stores operate 2 retail outlets in North Devon with a high reliance on Gardening. 

We are looking for an experienced plants/horticulture person. 

A successful candidate will need to have detailed plant knowledge and a strong customer focus in a very busy Garden Retail environment. 

Your main duties will include:

• merchandising and moving stock
• watering
• plant care
• customer service.

Ideally, we are looking for someone with previous retail experience but this is not essential.

Team leading and management duty opportunities are also available. Salary will reflect level of experience.

Please send your CV to:

Annette Huxtable

Value House Stores

Clovelly Industrial Estate

Clovelly Road

Bideford

EX39 3HN

Van Hage has an exciting job opportunity within our family-owned company. We value our employees and are committed to their development whilst also growing our business. We have ambitious plans so it’'s a great time to be joining us.

We are currently seeking a Category Manager for Horticulture, who will play a vital role in group purchasing, achieving a strong stimulus for sales growth.

Key points

• Sourcing innovative product ranges and identifying key trends in the market place
• To target and improve on sales and margin trends in line with industry and best practice
• To analyse sales, reacting to information and taking appropriate action
• To support and influence the creation of inspirational displays at each site

Must haves

• Excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Excellent negotiating skills able to respond quickly to trends
• Have a good relationship with suppliers to secure the best possible products & terms
• Able to optimise sales and profitability through store layout and design
• Happy to travel across the UK and abroad as required

Please send your CV with a covering letter to: Liz Whale - liz.whale@vanhage.co.uk

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Garden product sales increased by 18% week on week at the start of the Easter fortnight, once again performing behind growing media and plant sales.

While plant feeds performed well, the biggest week on week increases were seen in pot feet, garden lights and hose pipe connectors.

Highlights were:

• Woodlodge Driftwood Pot Feet were the highest new entry of the week at No 19.
• Smart Solar’s Eureka! Neo Light Bulb Lantern in Clear, Blue or Pink re-entered at No 32.

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

National Garden Gift Vouchers (NGGV) has named Frankie Banting from landscaper Hambrooks as a Gardening Hero.

Frankie is a garden design and landscaping assistant manager at the Titchfield, Hampshire-based company. She was presented with a £50 NGGV gift card prize and a Gardening Hero badge.

Hambrooks nominated Frankie as a Gardening Hero for her commitment to building relationships with local charities, Breast Cancer Haven Wessex (whose show garden is pictured below) and The Royal British legion, through gardening.

MD Norman Hambrook said: “Through the adaption of our existing show gardens Frankie's foresight, creative vision, energy and commitment has utilised the benefit of gardens, plants and flowers to forge partnerships with local charities. The gardens have played a major role in helping the charities to raise both awareness and funds. We hosted a charity firewalk at our garden design and landscape centre in Titchfield and raised £8,000!”

“Additionally, Frankie is instrumental in creating several child-centric events in the gardens for children to learn not only how to plant seeds and vegetables, but also with the hope the activities will help to encourage a love of gardening.”

The NGGV’s Gardening Hero scheme recognises unsung gardening heroes within the industry, praising them for going above and beyond to support local community gardening or gardening good causes.

If you know of a Gardening Hero, you can nominate them at hta.org.uk/gardening-hero.

Pelargonium (including bedding geraniums) sales doubled last week to take them to the No 1 most popular plant of the first Easter week in 2019. 

Overall plant sales grew by 29% week on week but fell short of that same week last year by 15% when we had the first big plant sales week of the season.

Plant sales figures for the second Easter week, including Easter Monday, will really show us where we are vs the last two years.

All Plants volume sales change: Week on week UP 29.4%.  Year to date vs 2018 UP 13.9%, vs  2017 DOWN  1.8%.

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

Thomas Broom-Hughes, former head of horticulture at Petersham Nurseries, has been named as the new head of retail at RHS Garden Wisley.

He has worked in horticulture and floristry for the past 11 years and established the School of Garden Inspiration at Petersham, bringing horticulture and floristry experiences and classes to customers. He is also writes a gardening column for House & Garden online.

Broom-Hughes, who succeeds Elizabeth Oddy, will be charge of the rebuilt front entrance garden retail development at Wisley. The new Welcome Building, part of a £22m project, officially opens on 10 June.

Gardeners are making up for last year with huge sales of young veg plants. Sales so far this year are up by over 50% and despite there being one less days trading (due to Easter Sunday) on the same week last year sales were up by 5%. That is better than any other Top 50 Index GTN Bestsellers reports on.

Highlights were:

• Quantil Gardeners Delight Tomato plants continue to reign supreme at No 1 for the sixth consecutive week
• Quantil Grafted Tomato Supersweet 10cm Cherry is the highest re-entry of the week, back in at No 28.
• Quantil Tomato Totem 8cm is the highest chart climber, up 21 places to No 29.

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

With no repeat of last year’s Beast from the East snowstorms and a later Easter pushing back holiday spend, the online retail industry recorded growth of just +5% Year-on-Year (YoY) in March against a tough comparator last year, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index. 

While still positive growth, this subdued performance fell significantly below the 3- (+7.5%), 6- (+7.1%) and 12- (+10.2%) month rolling averages. Breaking it down further, online-only retailers saw marginally better results – growing +8.9% versus multichannel retailers’ +5%.

Across the sectors the impact of a late Easter was most apparent in Home and Garden, which saw its impressive growth trajectory from earlier in the year slow to just +1.6% YoY. Meanwhile despite a strong performance in Footwear (+16.7%), the Clothing sector continued its five-month run of single digit growth (+3.7%), and both Electricals and Gifts saw sales plummet by -26% and -22.1% respectively.

In contrast Health and Beauty had yet another strong month of sales (+15.6% YoY), with Beauty outperforming the rest of the sectors with a +19.8% increase – perhaps due to a few celebrity beauty line launches last month.

Andy Mulcahy, strategy and insight director, IMRG, said: “While on the surface of it +5% growth may not seem very positive, there are actually two possible interpretations. On the one hand it looks bad as it’s below the 3-, 6- and 12-month rolling averages of +7.5%, +7.1% and +10.2% respectively; it’s also the lowest of the first quarter of 2019. On the other hand, this growth is against a strong base from March 2018, which featured Easter (home and garden online sales were down -15% in the equivalent week in March this year) and freezing temperatures that kept people away from high streets and boosted online sales in 2018.

“As Easter fell in April this year, the growth rate for that month will determine whether March’s performance can be considered good, bad or indifferent given those factors – not to mention the continuing general macro-economic pressures on retail.”

First Easter week growing media sales volumes were the highest since 2015 this year and more than double the sales achieved during the first week of Easter last year.

Next week's GTN Bestsellers data will tell us the complete story for Easter 2019.

Highlights were:

• Evergreen Garden Care Miracle-Gro All Purpose Compost, 50 litres, was the highest chart climber, up 27 places to No 18.
• Westland Cambark Chunky Chip Bark, 60 litres jumped 24 places to No 19.
• Westland Composted Bark, 70 litres, also climbed 24 places to No 23.

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

Garden care brand Neudorff has expanded its UK head office team with the appointment of an office administrator.

With previous experience working as a quality assurance coach at a major blue chip company, Sally Rogers will be responsible for handling trade and consumer enquiries and managing orders and deliveries.

Sales director Jude Beharall said: “Sally’s appointment has come at a time when Neudorff UK is growing rapidly. The extra support will allow us to build on the excellent work our sales team is doing in growing listings and driving sales for our wide range of products throughout the UK.”

With the record warm Easter weather it’s no surprise that Wild Bird Care sales dropped off week on week, however they were up on the same week last year.

Highlights were:

• Westland Peckish Natural Balance 12.75kg was the highest chart climber, up 26 places to No 12.
• Tom Chambers Classic Seed Blend 3.75kg climbed 14 places to No 5.
• Gardman’s Cast Iron Poppy Feeder is the highest re-entry at No 21.

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

At GTN we've just received the top line numbers for GTN Bestsellers up to Easter Sunday and as far as volume sales are concerned this years first Easter week was the best since 2015. We won't have data for Easter Monday until next week, when we will be able to report on the full Easter period analysis.

In the meantime, we've been asking centres how Easter was for them and their teams and did they break any trading records for Easter Monday.

Here, in aphabetical order are the responses we received had during the week:

Andy Bunker, Alton Garden Centre, who was on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 'Wake Up To Money' programme on Easter Monday morning at 5:30am!   https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004ff3 listen from 36 minutes into the programme…

“Easter Monday was our best ever plant dept. day by + 11%, our last best was Whitsun 2017.  Overall we have just come through best ever day by over 7% and over DOUBLE on Easter last year.”

Adam Wigglesworth, Aylett Nurseries told us: “Easter was the perfect weather for trade, which resulted in strong sales throughout the weekend. All areas performed very well, with Garden furniture particularly strong.  it is still too early to predict the end result of the critical March to June period of trade, especially as May and June were so good last year, but it has been a very encouraging season so far.”

Nigel Wallis, Baytree Garden Centre reckons he did 7 miles running around the centre yesterday; “It was a bonkers weekend! Furniture sales were amazing, and the plant sales incredible, and not just summer bedding.  We only just kept up with getting customer trolleys back into the centre! I can’t believe how much compost has sold.  Weekends like this just show what a great team we have at Baytree.”

Matthew Bent, Bents Garden & Home was very grateful for the good weather: "It's fantastic what a bit of sunshine can do! I think there'll be many centres celebrating record breaking weekends and we're definitely one of them. We have smashed our targets for both sales and footfall over the Easter weekend, setting us up for a great season ahead.

"Even before the sunshine arrived we were experiencing exceptional sales in garden furniture. I think people are remembering what it was like last summer and have been getting their gardens ready early in anticipation for another great year.

"I hope it continues for the rest of the season."

Alan Roper, Blue Diamond MD reports that “Bank Holiday Monday appears to have broken records with figures still coming in. Bicester Avenue took nearly £90K ex VAT (including the restaurant) yesterday which was a huge jump on last year. The group excluding ex-Wyevale's was up 4% during the week ending on Easter Sunday.  There was a bandwidth of individual centre performances with that of 1% to 9% up.

"Our ex-Wyevale’s were up 47%. Group up 14% overall. A number of centres have all reported record days, but a day does not a season make, never has, never will do. We have big months from last year to beat on the horizon. 

“Garden furniture was exactly 50% up for us last week but again weather just shifts timing of purchase on furniture , there’s a long season ahead.

“Gardening appears to be have been very strong yesterday, but last week with a key weekend day being missing (albeit an Easter week) the comparative sale on gardening and plants are mixed with some centres up and some down. Gardening up 4% plants up 7% overall.”

Steve Cole, manager at Blue Diamond East Bridgford added:  "We had our best day so far at East Bridgford on Easter Monday with retail sales of £97k! Our previous best was £70k’s up to Christmas and Saturday just gone.

"We used the grass bank for parking again which helped but pressure on parking from 12-4 and till queue’s were 6 deep all afternoon, with all tills open and packers there to help."

Phillippa Stubbs, British Garden Centres told GTN Xtra: "BGC had a very good Easter.  Yes records were broken on the Monday at most of the existing centres and the new centres traded very well so we would mirror that it was the best Easter on record. Long may this lovely weather continue.

"We are busy pushing things on now into what is a very quick next bank holiday weekend."

Sam Bosworth, Bosworths Garden Centres said: “It was a really strong weekend, particularly considering we were up against the first good sales weekend of last year, whereas sales have been fairly good throughout the season so far this year. 

“We were up on the week, despite being a day’s trading down on Sunday.  Good Friday was our second busiest day ever, Easter Monday our fourth.  All weekend was strong for Plants, excellent start for the bedding season.  Catering was consistent all weekend, again at the top end of our trading levels. 

“Furniture peaked on Friday, then slowed down, the customers knew the weather was coming and they wanted to get set for the weekend.  We are running out of some stock and hoping that Suppliers will be true to their word as to when our next containers are due.

“It will be good going into May with YTD figures around 27% up, as last year's May will be tough to get anywhere near, but after this weekend, who knows what is achievable?”

Graeme Jenkins, Dobbies CEO reports a record Easter weekend for the group that will be come the biggest garden centre retailer in the UK when they complete the acquisition of another 31 centres from Wyevale in June.  "Record sales for each individual day across the weekend, with Easter Monday being our biggest Easter weekend day ever," he told GTN Xtra this evening. "Plants, gardening & outdoor furniture driving performance, all recording a best ever Easter weekend.

"Our Outdoor Furniture sales were three times higher than the previous Easter record."

Justin Williams, Fron Goch Garden Centre, tells us that in North Wales; “we had beautiful weather here.

"We had an excellent week leading up to Easter, 30.9% up on the same week last year, good interest in Garden furniture and outdoor cooking.

“The fine weather did mean footfall wasn't that high over the Easter weekend with people enjoying the beaches and mountains but spending held up well.

“We've had a great start to the season, we will probably see our gains eroded somewhat as we come up against last year’s May and June. Let's see how much of it we can hold onto!

James Debbage, Green Pastures, near Norwich: “It was mental and it's been a long time since I can remember an Easter anything like this one. And of course, having to close on such a fabulous Easter Sunday meant I had a really sick feeling all day which unfortunately was nothing to do with eating any eggs!”

Julian Winfield, Haskins Garden Centres said this afternoon: “We had a record Easter Weekend (Fri, Sat and Mon) although I still think the hot weather had a negative impact.  Weather and a very late Easter helped so the sales needed to be good.  If I exclude Snow Hill figures where we are trading in a tent April is +6.5% and YTD (March and April) +22%.

“The forecast of rain this week is positive for the trade over the next few weeks, my garden is dry!

“All Haskins gardening departments have done well.  Fingers crossed for May!”

Keith Laird, Hayes Garden World in the Lake District had a very good Easter with furniture being the star performer for the company.  “We were over 120% up on furniture on the four days. The issue is now getting that stock out quickly and efficiently in the next week that will be the issue. We need to be on top of things before the next Bank Holiday comes along.

“The other category that performed was outdoor plants, with a 97% increase over the 4 days.

“We hope this continues and based on furniture I would expect a good season on barbeques too.”

Chris Francis, Hillier Garden Centres told GTN Xtra this morning: “We had 3 record days!

“Plant sales were very strong. Furniture was the outstanding performing category across the weekend.”

Boyd J Douglas-Davies, Hillview Garden Centres said: “We had a fantastic weekend across all sites; it was a record for the group. Particular highlights were garden furniture, summer bedding, hardy plants, pots & composts. Breakfast with the Easter Bunny took place at four stores on Easter Sunday and was a great success.”

David Yardley, Chief Executive, Klondyke Group has been delving into the history to report: “I have looked back over 10 years, and this has been our best Easter weekend ever by quite a margin, 2011 was our best prior to that followed by 2014. These figures are all comparing like for like in centres and excluding any centres we have sold or purchased over that period.

“The same applies to both Good Friday and Easter Monday. Outdoor Leisure was our best performer followed by plants.”

Tammy Woodhouse, Millbrook Garden Centres in Kent says: “We had a great Easter, our best since 2012.  We sold plenty of furniture and BBQs but the real winner was plants.  Lots of full trollies of plants, compost and gardening products.  Easter Monday was up there with one of our best ever days as a business.  Long may it continue!”

Steve Searle at Monkton Elm in Somerset reports: “The Bank Holiday weekend was one of the best ever and Monday was a record for us. Furniture and BBQ'S were going as fast as we could load them in customers cars as they wanted them for entertaining over the holiday period.

“Outdoor and bedding plants were also the big winners as customers wanted to start planting seasonal containers up.  It just goes to show you can only do so much to sell products, but the weather is the best factor for increasing our sales and you couldn't have asked it to be any better.”

Jon Bottomley, Newbank Garden Centres, was the first to let us know of their Easter success.  “We had unbelievable sales this week. Our biggest issue is that our delivery vans are all full for the next three weeks with garden furniture sales being 50% up.

“Then we had our best Easter Monday by 20% since we went Epos. Phenomenal sales across all gardening departments. The improvements we have made last year are really bearing fruit. If I hadn’t wasted time on Wyevale it could have been better!”

Colin Dale at Notcutts said: “Easter was our best ever, over Friday, Saturday & Monday. We had a very strong gardening Easter, with plants & gardening sundries taking pride of place.”

Simon Bourne at Perrywood reports from Essex and Suffolk that; “it was an amazing weekend! Just off our best ever day on Good Friday, we then beat our best ever day by £2k on Saturday and then added another £6k on top of that on Easter Monday.

“Furniture is flying out, we bought more than ever but we've started to sell out of some lines.”

Gerald Ingram, Planters and Garden King told us: “Yes Easter was a record here and Easter Monday a record day in all three centres.   That's the first time I've known all three to have the same record day. 

“Planters broke their record by a few thousand thanks to strong furniture sales and also the new plant area.  The restaurants did not have record days but that's because people were gardening not eating.  Garden King has had a very strong run on the back of Facebook deals and offers.”

Martin Breddy, Squires Garden Centres said: “The three days of Easter trading were comfortably our best ever. Five of our centres, Twickenham, Hersham, Washington, Reigate and Chertsey, enjoyed their best ever day of trading over the Easter break. Plants and outdoor living very strong across the whole group.

“We're in good shape. Maybe gardens offer people a good escape from the woes of Brexit?”

Martin Stewart, Stewarts Garden Centres said: “We had a great Easter.  Broke loads of records and hope we made loads of visitors happy. The team played a blinder and the centres still looked ready for more on Monday evening.

“So far so good for the spring season of 2019!”

Robert Mason, Sturmer Nurseries told us: "‘By far and away our best Easter ever. Four days of sunshine, four days of excellent trade.

"Even Easter Sunday, when we just trade from outside the shop, was brisk. A far cry from Easter Sunday 2007 when we took just £30!"

From north of the border, John Stevenson of Torwood Garden Centre adds: “Easter has been fantastic with Easter Monday being our best ever day by some margin.

“Only a week ago today it was wet and very cold but then the sun came through and good Friday was sensational. Sunday, we took less money as there were no big furniture sales, we thought most must have bought Friday and Saturday to make the most of the sun, although all weekend was very busy for plants etc.

“However, furniture sales picked up again on Monday and helped make it our busiest ever for sales. The only bit of the shop that was quieter over the weekend was the café where it was too warm!

“I haven't done my sales figures for percentages yet, but up to last weekend we were 25% up YTD. Happy days!

And the final word on Easter for the time being comes from Anthony Jones, Chief Operating Officer at Wyevale: “We are delighted to have enjoyed our best-ever Easter weekend with record breaking sales. Performance for the weekend was well over 100% up year-on-year and more than double our average Easter weekend takings. 

“We also significantly outperformed 2014 and 2017, when Easter fell in the same week. Customers snapped up plant ranges including early purchase of Summer bedding, in addition to a clear shift in to garden furniture and BBQ categories.”

If you'd like to add your comments about Easter trading please use the comments button below or e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

With ranges successfully launched in Blue Diamond, British Garden Centres, Notcutts and many other independent centres, Primeur are seeing massive year-on-year sales growth with their Recycled Rubber Garden Borders and Stepping Stones.

Garden Borders have been the largest category for growth this season primarily due to their unrivalled and unique features and benefits for the user.  The borders bend to the curves of the garden, are virtually unbreakable and really easy to install, making them unlike anything else on the market. Made from recycled rubber tyres, all the products in Primeur’s range promote a strong eco-friendly story.  The many 5* reviews demonstrate how pleased customers are with the ease of use and finished effect in their gardens.

Not only have the award wins at both GIMA and Glee helped to bring awareness to these fantastic products, but the new merchandising stands have produced a more impactful display which informs the customers about the benefits of the product.

There is still plenty of time left in the 2019 season to range these items; stands and stock are readily available and can be despatch within a week.  The team will also return to Glee in September and are already working on their new products.

If you would like any more information about the products available from Primeur, please contact the team on 01274 518800 or sales@primeur.ltd.uk

When the Managing Director of Bents decided he wanted to do something a little bit different to continue the celebrations for the Centre’s success at this year’s Garden Centre Association awards, no-one expected him to suggest a rickshaw to help him reach as many colleagues as possible.  But when tackled with such a challenge, Bents’ in house team of joiners never disappoint!

The solution was a hand-made tricycle, designed and built by one of Bents’ most creative and skilled colleagues, Karl Sharples.  The trike proved to be the perfect transportation as Matthew was able to cycle around the store, stopping off in the Centre’s many different departments.

Colleagues were invited to spin the wheel and choose a gift, as a thank you for the hard work and dedication that goes into making Bents the Best Destination Centre in the UK.

Said Matthew:  “When I came up with the idea of surprising our colleagues I never imagined I would have been able to travel in such style!  We really wanted the celebrations to be a little bit different this year and the tricycle has proved the perfect answer.  It has helped me get to all corners of the centre as well as out to our warehouse and nurseries to ensure we could surprise as many colleagues as possible.

“I am always so impressed with the talents and skills of our joinery team as they never fail to deliver fantastic displays at Christmastime, but Karl has gone even further with his ability to build me an actual tricycle from scratch.  It was the perfect means of transport for my challenge and is currently parked up outside my office ready for me to hop on again and continue with my quest to surprise and thank our colleagues!”

Karl used his design and joinery skills to build the tricycle using parts from an existing bike, spare wheels and fabricated new parts to create the carrier, which was essential for all the thank you gifts. 

Wyevale Garden Centres has announced changes to its Garden Club loyalty scheme which will see the collection of loyalty points replaced with an instant discount every time members shop.

The changes, which have been introduced in time for the Easter bank holiday break, will give customers an instant reward through a 5% discount at the till. The new scheme represents the same value for customers, who previously collected 5 points per £1. For customers over 60, the rewards are even greater, with 10% discount, every Tuesday.

All qualifying points collected on purchases made up to 16th April 2019 (15th April 2019 online) will be converted to reward vouchers and sent to Garden Club members by the end of May. This includes points earned over the recent triple points weekend, a hugely successful event held on 13th and 14th April. WGC expects to send out around 1 million reward vouchers with a face value of over £5 million, including 560,000 vouchers to Garden Club members who have not reached the minimum threshold but have been “topped up” and sent a £2.50 voucher.

Anthony Jones, Chief Operating Officer of WGC said: “Our centres are full of fantastic products as we enter the peak gardening season and our teams are ready to help. I am sure our Garden Club members will welcome the new 5% discount and we are already seeing footfall building ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend. Additionally, a record £5 million of reward vouchers, which will be sent by the end of May and valid until 31st August, should be a welcome boost for members as we move into the summer season.”

Separately WGC announces today that it will stop selling WGC branded gift cards from 17th April to focus on National Garden gift vouchers that can be redeemed in over 1,000 garden centres nationwide, including every Wyevale Garden Centres. WGC branded gift cards will continue to be redeemable in all Wyevale Garden Centres’s, including the 31 centres recently sold to Dobbies, both before and after completion of the sale of these centres.

Anthony Jones added: “With a smaller estate and therefore reduced national coverage, we have stopped selling WGC branded gift cards to focus on National Garden gift vouchers. Accepted by over 1,000 garden centres, including all of our centres, we believe this is the right thing to do for our customers.”

Alan Roper welcomed staff and suppliers to an evening event on Monday 15th April at Bicester Avenue Garden Centre to celebrate the completion of the refurbishment from a Wyevale Garden Centre that they bought last summer to a Blue Diamond Centre that is ready and raring for Easter 2019.

"Welcome to Bicester. The new Bicester. The best manifestation of Bicester in its history since it was built, I think you'll agree. We've been refurbishing many of the ex-Wyevales:  Cadbury has been going through some refurbishment, Nailsworth, my old centre has been completely finished and Endsleigh in Devon is being done currently.  It's about to start at Weybridge with a new restaurant and at Melbicks. We're working on all the ex Wyevales to get them to a standard."

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the refurbished centre below

Having completed the purchase of their second garden centre at Hilgay on the A10 near Downham Market the Baytree family team held their Grand Opening Event this weekend.

Baytree MD, Jutta Whitworth Biehler, told GTN Xtra: "I’ve never spent so much time cleaning as we have over the past six weeks. Getting a five star inspection this week was a brilliant result for everyone’s hard efforts."

The garden centre and farm shop has been fully stocked with all the immediately useable retail space spruced up and Baytree merchandised. Sales have been growing every week and early furniture an BBQ’s are above expectations.

The 260 seat Oak framed Barn table service restaurant is a wonderful asset - it’s fully booked every Sunday- that will enable Baytree to pull good footfall and develop increase product and plant sales.

The car park has already been resurfaced and extended, a new Entrance is being constructed off site to add some theatre at the front door. With other buildings that can be used for retail along with a coppice and grass paddock on the 10 acre site Hilgay could quickly become another destination venue for the Baytree team.

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the centre taken on Friday afternoon as the team completed their set up work for the Grand Opening Weekend.

What would you expect from a Hillier centre? Authoritative ranges of products and plants, crisp merchandising, and expert staff. That’s exactly the delivery at Botley plus there’s the Rosemary and Thyme restaurant concept that is now being rolled out across the Hiller estate of centres. This classy, counter ordered but table served concept will be a huge benefit when the Wyevale centres just purchased get an upgrade from their current Garden Kitchens.

Out in the Planteria the customer care extends to trees where the team retain the use of their Christmas tree netting equipment to net all trees purchased to help customers get their valuable trees home safely.

In garden care they were selling plenty of grow houses with displays that included the Veg Trug wooden version at £99. At Botley they were still to sell one of the Veg Trug versions when we visited at the start of April - it’s a spot on Hillier customer product but time will tell to see if people want a more expensive wooden framed grow house.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour taken at the start of April 2019

Billed as "Farnhams Favourite Garden Centre", Forest Lodge has loads of competitors around them so it’s no surprise they are giving themselves an edge by stocking wide ranges of products - really deep gardening ranges and plants with the extra dimension of Garden Style plants where large specimens can be bought by gardeners and landscapers alike.

In garden furniture Forest Lodge report good early sales, particularly the small corner weave sets and the metal framed lower couch style furniture from Life “it’s appealing to the younger audience looking for some style on their patio”

The extended Forest Lodge restaurant has a wonderful conservatory feel overlooking the extensive Planteria. With friendly staff and a great menu no wonder this is a favourite destination for many.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour, taken at the start of April 2019.

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 newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2016 as well as 2017 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 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 Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro 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.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

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.

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GTN Xtra had the pleasure of visiting Notcutts Norwich last week.

As you'd expect with a Notcutts centre the planteria is particularly strong with great linked sales and plenty of recycled plastic pots in evidence that were selling very well.

We loved the colour themed room sets in garden furniture and the star of the show we thought was the excellent houseplant area.  Norwich is the best performing for houseplant sales in the Notcutts group and we believe it is in the Top 10 of all garden centres in the UK.

Enjoy our photo tour of the centre below.