Paul Hansord, MD of the young plants division at Thompson & Morgan, is to retire next summer after 30 years with the company. Neil Sharpe, long-standing head of retail sales, will also retire next month.
Paul, who joined T&M from Barton Grange Garden Centre, will work part-time from November leave the business in early summer.
His departure follows the recent acquisition of the Thompson & Morgan group by BVG.
Paul (left) said he was confident T&M was in safe hands for the future. “BVG’s investments and clear goals on customer service and quality, and the introduction of a new horticultural team, means that T&M will positively embark on its next chapter. Like all businesses, success relies on adaptation to the market and ever-changing customer expectations. I feel that the BVG and the T&M Executive team understand what customers want and are prepared to invest time, energy and money into the future.
“With this confidence in the leadership of T&Ms future, I feel I can make some personal changes by taking life a little easier and enjoying more family time. Therefore from 1st November 2017, I'll be reducing my workload to three days a week with the intent to retire from the business in the early summer of 2018.
“I've been proud to have been involved with the success of T&M over the past 30 years, none of which would have been achieved without the dedication of all my colleagues past and present. It is with mixed emotions therefore that I make my decision but we all have to slow down sometime! I wish the BVG Group and all my colleagues the best in continuing to make T&M the market leader through innovation, quality and service.”
Neil Sharpe (right), long-standing head of retail sales, has been a pivotal player in the success of the retail operation. Christine Wilcock (left), who has worked for T&M for over 40 years, also retires in November. As Neil’s right-hand woman, Christine has also played a big role in the growth and success of the retail channel.
Meanwhile, Joseph Cordy joins as as head of B2B Sales, responsible for the Retail and Wholesale channels. and Jenny Palmer, a member of the buying team for the past three years, is the new retail sales manager. Both will be out on the road meeting customers over the next few weeks.
T&M are now looking for a business development manager for the retail team.
Kris Collins will join the horticultural team shortly as quality control manager. He has worked within the industry for more than 20 years.
