Four more senior members of the management team at The Garden Centre Group are to leave over the next few weeks, GTN has learned.

They include Tom Martell, head of training, who was responsible for implementing the group’s acclaimed e-learning programme.

Garden sundries buyer Tristan Sissons is leaving to take up a new role at Briers see linked article below.

Petcare buyer Melanie Malin is also understood to be leaving and horticulture buyer Adam Dunnett has already been announced as leaving to join Wyvale Nurseries.

News about the re-structuring of the store management team is awaited and is likely to lead to more departures.

Tristan Sissons will be joining Briers as Trading Director at the beginning of January 2014. In his wide-ranging role Sissons will oversee brand building, new product development, the adoption of new sales channels and the company’s expansion into new export markets.

Briers has established a reputation for innovative products, distinctive design and high quality manufacture. Collaborations with Hemmingwaydesign and The Gruffalo® have helped create products with huge consumer appeal, while dynamic retail methods have significantly increased sales for retailers choosing Briers as a replacement for other suppliers. As Briers embraces social media and the need for bespoke consumer experiences, Sissons will spearhead a brand strategy to lead Briers through its next stage of expansion.

Sissons was previously Senior Buyer at The Garden Centre Group (formerly Wyevale Garden Centres) who he joined in 2009. Here he achieved annual turnovers exceeding £54 million - over 20% of the company’s total. In 2011 he increased sales by over 13% and maintained similar year-on-year growth thereafter. This led to him assuming the responsibilities of Deputy Head of Trading alongside his buying role.

As well as making a significant contribution to The Garden Centre’s sales success Sissons put in place many new buying policies and procedures. These included optimising retail space, driving profitability through improved supplier terms and structuring the group’s product ranges.  In the absence of an own brand option, Sissons introduced products exclusive to The Garden Centre Group, ensuring a unique and comprehensive offering.

As part of his commitment to supporting retail colleagues at The Garden Centre Group Sissons implemented a comprehensive communications strategy. This involved centre visits, weekly conference calls, trade shows and regular email bulletins to centres and regional managers. The results included improved buy-in to product ranges, a sharper focus on key priorities and faster sharing of seasonal market intelligence.

Looking ahead to his new role, Sissons said, “I am very excited to be joining the Briers team. We have some ambitious targets over the next few years and I will be drawing on my experience to ensure we deliver exciting new products for our customers.”

Jackie Eades, Managing Director at Briers, said, “This is an exciting appointment for Briers. Tristan’s dynamic approach, enthusiasm, knowledge of retailing and track record in brand and product development are second to none. In the next few years, we’re planning to build on our existing foundations, open new sales channels and enter global markets. Tristan will lead the Briers brand into this exciting new era.”

Between 2002 and 2009 Sissons held buying roles for Woolworths PLC, being appointed Senior Buyer, Outdoor Products in 2004 with responsibility for garden furniture, core gardening, plants and sun care products. He also gained valuable retail experience at Great Mills, who he joined as a management trainee in 1999. While here he achieved NVQ level 3 in Retail Management and a Certificate in Team Leadership to complement his First Class BA (Hons) in Business Studies. Sissons went on to become Supplier Harmonisation Manager at Focus DIY following its purchase of Great Mills before moving on to Woolworths PLC.

For further information visit www.briersltd.co.uk

Dobbies and Tesco have announced plans for a new co-joined development at Redwood Drive, East Kilbride. This will be their first joint new build store in Scotland where customers will be able to access both businesses through a single entrance.

The site already has planning permission for a stand-alone supermarket and a Dobbies Garden Centre. However, Tesco and Dobbies will be hosting a public consultation exhibition on its new plans in early December. This community consultation event will form part of a new detailed planning application, which will allow the company to deliver this exciting new development.

Adam Williams, Tesco Corporate Affairs Manager, commented: “We are excited to be sharing these new plans with the local community. This new format will be the first of its kind in Scotland and we look forward to getting feedback on our plans.

"Customers will be able to access both the Tesco store and Dobbies through a single entrance, joined by the popular Dobbies restaurant at the front of the store. The store will provide a fantastic shopping experience and bring more choice and value for money to shoppers in East Kilbride.”

The new development will bring over 400 jobs to East Kilbride, and Tesco and Dobbies will work with partners to recruit locally. The garden centre will offer more than 10,000 plants, shrubs and trees and include extensive outdoor areas and a specialist aquatics department within an attractive landscaped environment.

It will also house a Food Market offering locally-grown produce from Lanarkshire as well as a top-quality restaurant, serving freshly-prepared meals and home baking.

Stuart Wright, director of property at Dobbies, said: “Our plans for East Kilbride brings a new-generation retail and garden centre to the area which will not only offer quality, range and value to customers who love their home and garden; but also a unique day-out destination for all the family to enjoy.” 

Dobbies also prides itself on developing links with local communities – and works with local residents, schools and businesses to provide gardening demonstrations, ‘grow your own’ sessions, horticultural and landscaping initiatives and the Dobbies Little Seedlings Club which encourages children to take an interest in gardening.

A public exhibition of the proposals will be held from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday 5th December and from 12 noon until 6pm on Friday 6th December. The exhibition will be in The Garden Room which is part of The Byre, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, G75 8RH. This exhibition is open to all members of the community and the Tesco and Dobbies project team will be on hand to answer any queries. 

Stax Trade Centres

Garden Sales Representative - North East

THE PACKAGE

• Competitive salary
• Bonus
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Fully expensed company car
• Contributory pension scheme
• Staff discount

Leading DIY and Gardening wholesaler Stax Trade Centres are continuing to expand their delivered service to garden centres across the UK.

An opportunity now exists for an experienced Sales Representative to cover the North East region.

You will have proven sales experience and a comprehensive knowledge of the gardening sector and garden products, ideally through dealing with garden centres. You will be self-motivated, able to demonstrate commercial acumen, well organised with good interpersonal skills and live ideally within the North East region.

Please write or email with full details to:

Steve Holmes
Stax Trade Centres
Howley Park Road East
Morley
Leeds
LS27 0SW

Or email steve.holmes@staxplc.co.uk

www.staxtradecentres.co.uk

Halloween and the half-term school holiday has sent sales volumes back up to mid-June levels. Combined with spectacular Christmas displays they helped to boost business at garden centres.

GTN Bestsellers Epos data shows sales for the last week of October up by 15% in volume terms and up by almost 16% for the whole of the month, making it the busiest October for the past five years that GTN Bestsellers has been monitoring weekly garden centre volume sales.

Next week sees some garden centres opening their Christmas Grottos to maximise that all important traffic flow generator. The big question now is will the weather hold off with any serious snow until after the big day ahead?

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

• Garden Products – up 13%
• Christmas – down 12%
• Growing Media – up 11%
• All items index – up 15%

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Financial statements for The Garden Centre Group’s first year’s trading under Terra Firma ownership offer strong clues about the group’s direction and development priorities.

Catering and concession income are high on the agenda, following their contributions to the full-year results for 2012, which saw sales decline 6 per cent on a like-for-like basis to £259.2 million but gross margin grow by 0.3 per cent to 49.7 per cent. Terra Firma’s ownership, via the Trellis Capital vehicle through which TGCG is run, ran from April 2012, the last eight months of the full period.

In his statement, Trellis Capital’s chairman, Stephen Murphy, says that in a challenging year, the group outperformed the industry trend through “decisive action and strong cost control”.

Restaurant sales were up 12.5% and concession income up 11% over 2011. Trading, Murphy said, was was mixed, with some positive signs, including a good Christmas trading period, buit it was not not enough to counter the adverse weather impact in the main spring trading period.

Murphy mentions the “steady stream of income” from restaurants and concessions, regardless of the weather – a signal that the £2 million investment in restaurant expansion and new children’s soft play areas in 2012 is likely to continue across the group, as part of efforts to “weatherproof” their centres.

A further £2.2 million was spent on other development projects, including new concession space. Work is currently nearing completion way on a large development at Bicester Avenue. “Weather-proofing”

The group’s Gardening Club grew its membership from 1.9 million to 2.2 million during the year. Murphy said the scheme “remains a key part of the strategy for building relationships with our customers” and offered potential for greater returns.

Murphy re-iterated the company’s commitment to organic growth. “We are keen to acquire strategic assets… where the terms are attractive”. A number of targeted projects were under way to identify further opportunities..

The Garden Centre Association has announced the 11 regional winners in its 2013 Ruxley Rose planteria competition.

The award, contested by garden centres and destination garden centres in separate categories, aims to recognise outstanding outdoor plant quality and range.

The regional winners were:

Destination garden centres:

South Thames - Coolings; North Thames - Van Hage Great Amwell; Wales and the West - Trelawney Wadebridge; Midlands - Van Hage Peterborough; North East - Armitages Pennine; North West - Barton Grange.

Garden centres:

South Thames - Squires Hersham; Wales and the West - The Old Railway Line; Midlands - Planters Tamworth; North East - Cowells; North West - Lady Green.

The judges looked at the quality, range and presentation of plants. They also considered the layout, including overall impression, access and use of demonstration areas. Labelling, including directional signs and bed and plant labels were also taken into consideration.

Staff knowledge and customer care were also assessed, along with promotions special features (new varieties, for xample) The judges were also looking for the overall wow factor.

The Ruxley Rose competition focuses specifically on GCA members’ outdoor plant areas and is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards.

GCA Chairman Peter Burks explained: “This year our judging criteria was different, with 50% of the overall mark coming from the spring inspections, which happened earlier this year and 50% from the recent visit.

“A new form was used for the autumn inspections, which looks similar in style to the spring inspection form but it had a number of criteria that were unique to enable the judges to assess creativity and commerciality."

The regional winners go through to the national final, which will be judged by Roger Crookes. The overall winners for each category will be announced at the GCA’s annual conference in January.

See the picture below for pictures of some of the regional winners planterias, Armitages Pennine, Barton Grange and Old Railway Line taken by GTN Xtra whilst out and about during October.  With special attention to displays of containers with plants in them!

Neil Pope has been appointed as editor of Garden Trade News, with immediate effect.

He takes over from Mike Wyatt, who has edited the publication since 1992 and becomes associate editor on a part-time basis. He will continue to write for the publication and its digital editions.

Neil, who becomes only the third editor of GTN since it was launched in 1978, is a talented editor with a wealth of experience on leading consumer and trade titles, including Angling Times, Today’s Golfer, Garden News and Pet Product Marketing.

He will take over responsibility for GTN’s digital newsletter, GTN Xtra, as well as the monthly printed title and the weekly GTN Bestsellers subscribers’ bulletin

Mike Wyatt, pictured congratulating Neil (left) on his appointment, said: “After more than two decades at GTN and nearly 33 years in gardening publishing, it’s time I gave someone else a go. Neil knows our market well and has the enthusiasm needed to take the title forward in the digital age.”

Neil Pope said: “I’m looking forward to the challenge of editing the garden centre industry’s best-read and most respected publishing portfolio and and am especially excited at the prospect of developing GTN Xtra, which is growing its audience week by week.”

Trevor Pfeiffer, managing director of GTN’s owners, The Garden Communication & Media Company, said: “I would like to thank Mike for his loyal service to GTN and the garden industry in general over the past 21 years. He is well-known and respected throughout the industry and I am pleased that he will be continuing to work with us while enjoying his semi-retirement. Neil Pope is a worthy successor who shares Mike’s love of the garden industry and will help us to grow the business in the years ahead.”

After Glee, GTN visited Lunch! at the Islington Design Centre, the trade show for... you guessed it, the lunch industry.  Whilst many of the products and exhibitors were aimed at the food to go market, we found plenty of good ideas and new products that could give garden centre coffee shops and restaurants that extra edge, especially in the new Lunch! innovation area. Scroll through the images in the picture gallery below to see 10 of the best.

1 Soft Winter Kiss from Landgarten With Christmas in mind here’s a range of gluten free healthy chocolate snacks. Their Christmas range is available right now for garden centres to stock.  www.landgarten.co.uk www.immergruen.co.uk

2. Cafe Direct  and 3. Cafe Direct at Swanland If you want a coffee brand that has fair trade at its heart and high street recognition too, choose Cafe Direct – the original Fair Trade Coffee from Oxfam trading.  As sold at Swanland Nurseries near Hull.   mlord@cafedirect.co.uk or www.cafedirect.co.uk

4. Hoots Multigrain Snack With all the interest in Wild Bird Care at garden centres – how about selling Hoots multigrain snacks!  www.thewiseowlsnackcompany.co.uk

5. Kent Crisps We hope Paul Cooling discovered these wonderfully named Kent Crisps to sell in Arthurs at Coolings.  www.kentcrisps.com

6. Little Big Shot Energy If you want an energy drink to sell to younger customers, try Little Big Shot Energy.  It’s 100% natural with minerals from deep ocean water.  Tastes good too! www.littlebigshot.com

7. Maynards House Orchards Clive Williamson knows the garden centre industry well and believes his award winning Suffolk apple juice will be a winner.  www.applejuice.uk.com

8. Unoco raw coconut water Coconut Water is becoming really trendy, but this is made from young green coconuts, never heated and always alive. It’s full of anti-oxidants that often turn it pink.  www.unocodrinks.com

9. Delice de France Delice de France were the supplier chosen by Baytree to supply their pastries, toasties and panninis for their new coffee bar set up in the main garden centre.  www.delicedefrance.co.uk

10. Baytree Coffee Shop What a trip to Lunch! can lead to!  Nigel Wallis and Ute Birch proudly open the new coffee shop at Baytree Garden Centre. 

Lunch! next takes place on September 23rd and 24th 2014 at the Islington Design Centre.  See you there.

Great design has the potential to transform your restaurant into a destination, increasing your revenue, profit, footfall and spend per heard, together with driving loyalty.

• Who are you trying to attract? Think about who wants what and when. For example, older customers often start their day earlier and are therefore looking for a light lunchtime option late morning

• Think about your ambience - If you get the ambience right, it can create a ‘feel good’ factor, which encourages cross-selling and increased spend

• Defining your space will guide the customer journey and experience. With the clever use of furniture and materials, it is possible to direct customers by creating interest, pathways and focal points. Zones work in the same way, subconsciously leading the customer through the space to ensure maximum engagement with their environment

• Creating a destination is about having a clear vision as to what you want to achieve. Draw inspiration from the high street, your local area and trends and then take time to look at each area of your operation as they are so tightly linked together 

This will be the final hints and tips in this series until we return in 2014. Please drop us an email trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk if you would like to receive the previous six.

Contact the Catering Design Group at: info@cateringdesign.co.uk

Visit http://www.cateringdesign.co.uk/

Nottingham-based firm Doff Portland – the UK’s leading manufacturer of insecticides, weed killers and garden care products – has undergone a major rebrand as part of its strategy to grow its share of the residential lawn and pest control market.

To mark the occasion and celebrate Doff’s continuing involvement in UK manufacturing, Owen Paterson, North Shropshire MP and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Mark Spencer MP for Sherwood, visited the Hucknall head office on Thursday (23 October, 2013) to discuss the company’s prosperous future.

At the top of the agenda was Doff’s future UK manufacturing plans, employment opportunities for local people and the regulatory environment for UK businesses involved in research and development.

Owen Paterson MP, said:"It was a real pleasure to be invited to visit Doff Portland. It's a great example of a UK manufacturing business reinventing itself. I was particularly pleased to see the significant investment in new equipment which I hope will put the business in prime position to capitalise on the growing global demand for top-quality British products."

Having been acquired by 151 Products in December 2012, the two like-minded companies set out to rebrand Doff to make an already outstanding brand more modern to demonstrate its contemporary appeal to the DIY, garden centre and multiple grocery retail market.

Matt Jones, managing director of Doff Portland, said: “This is a really exciting time for Doff. We’re very proud of how far we’ve come over the last ten months, so welcoming Owen Paterson MP and Mark Spencer MP into our Nottingham factory today was a real honour.  We’re extremely positive about our future as UK manufacturers and look forward to a prosperous future.

Heading up the brand overhaul is a new-look logo, which will feature on all 150 products that will continue to be manufactured in the firm’s Nottingham factory, where the items have been formulated for its entire 65 year history.

The new look branding is extremely crisp and bright, enabling it to stand out against competitive items. Each product has been carefully designed with the packaging style and artwork design at the forefront.

Amanda Lewis, marketing manager at 151 Products, who oversaw the rebrand, said: “The brand’s fresh look will strengthen its on-shelf appeal, which we hope will attract retailers who are looking for smart, contemporary lines to fill their shelves.

“Mixing fresh, bright colours on the packaging allows the products to stand out against competitive items, bringing the brand up-to-date and propelling Doff Portland to the forefront of the garden care industry.”

Doff Portland’s extensive range of plant feed, lawn care and control products has been divided into a variety of easily identifiable categories with retailers in mind. The colour-coded categories, ranging from rodent control and ready-to-use weed killers, makes Doff Portland’s products the easy answer to all gardening problems. The addition of clear usable instructions, which are provided with each product, will also offer the consumer an improved user experience.

Amanda continued: “The brand has received a fantastic response and will be stocked in an increasing number of garden centres, as well as large and small format multiple retailers.”

The rebrand marks a significant step for both Doff Portland and 151 Products, at an early stage of the pair’s three year strategy, which is set to see many more advances in design, packaging and product innovation.

Main picture, from left to right: Trevor Millen, Mark Spencer MP, Graham Whyatt, Owen Paterson MP, Ben Shapiro, Matt Jones, Nick Von-Westenholz.

Napoleon UK has adopted a strategy designed to double sales of its barbecues over the next two years.

Ron McArthur, president of Napoleon’s owners, Wolf Steel, says Napoleon UK’s growing base of stockists with a record of rapid sales growth of both barbecues and the lucrative accessories market after just four years of trading here, makes this an achievable target.

Brands offering premium quality at value prices are chiming strongly with consumers in the current market, strengthening Napoleon’s ambitions. Napoleon UK is positioning itself as a viable alternative to existing premium brands.

Napoleon, a family-owned Canadian company founded in 1976, now has wholly-owned subsidiaries and distributors in 25 countries around the world, with around 1000 employees. Many of its barbecues are still made in Canada. Napoleon’s UK recently appointment Andrew Foster as business development manager

The company’s Alliance Programme offers retailers the opportunity to earn generous rebates, early payment discounts and additional increased discounts and rebates when allied with the accessory programme. Sales manager Martin Sobey believes this is one of the most lucrative programmes available. Stockists who commit to a minimum percentage of their pre-season order in accessories get extra discounts and rebates on the whole order. “Accessories provide retailers with an enormous opportunity to make add-on sales,” said Martin. “In Austria for example they represent around 40% of the total sale.”

Meanwhile, extensive market research is helping them to refine and enhance the range with another objective in mind – to make it the best of its kind on the market.

It has resulted in exciting new products like the new PRO285 *(pictured with Ron McArthur on the front page) shown at Glee and the PRO22 Rodeo (demonstrated above by Martin Sobey), which sold out after receiving acclaim from buyers when a prototype was shown at Glee 2012.

Other planned retailer support activity includes ‘Grill Skills’ training sessions to give outdoor leisure department staff an opportunity to obtain detailed knowledge of Napoleon’s gas and charcoal barbecues and Barbecue Theatre appearances, engaging with a public audience at food shows and festivals during the year. Stockists will again be offered selling space alongside, free of charge. Martin Sobey says these spaces were snapped up last year. “It’s another way for us to demonstrate the commitment and tangible support we offer our stockists,” he said.

The demonstrations will focus on the simplicity of grilling great food and will encourage people away from the average comfort zone of bangers and burgers.

Information 01676 522788

www.napoleongrills.co.uk

Following a highly successful Stewart Garden Schools campaign this year, Pippa Greenwood has officially launched the scheme for 2013. The aim of the campaign is to get children across the UK growing their own fruit and vegetables.

Leading industry partners are showing their support for the Stewart Garden Schools campaign 2014. Worldwide electronics and manufacturing company, Brother, will supply the schools with GL100 Garden Label printers for the second year running. New to supporting the campaign is the Professional Grower's Choice specialist, Sinclair, who will be supplying compost. Pippa will be donating her own branded seeds.

Stewart Garden Schools campaign 2014 will see the top 10 schools receive prizemoney. The winning school will receive £1,000 to be spent at their local garden centre and the nine runners up will each receive £400.

Commenting on the widespread enthusiasm for the second year of the campaign, Richard Butler, CEO at Stewart Garden said, “We’re delighted that Stewart Garden Schools has proved so popular. Clearly, grow your own has captured the imagination of young minds across the country”.

Stewart Garden will be providing each school with a kit with a wide range of Stewart Garden products: propagators, seed trays, plant pots, troughs and watering cans will make up the Stewart Garden Schools Growing Kit. Promotional materials for participating schools have also been produced, including an informative booklet produced by Pippa Greenwood.

In June 2014 Stewart Garden judges will visit schools and create a shortlist of the top five. These five schools will receive a visit from the judges in June 2014. Pippa Greenwood will join the judging team to nominate the winner.

Stewart Garden Schools is open to school pupils aged 6-11 years.

If you would like to inspire young people and give your local school the opportunity to win £1,000 please nominate yourself or a school near you. You can register them by contacting: Emma De Maio on 07921 160 134 or email emma@redheadpr.co.uk

For more information about Stewart Garden, visit www.stewart-garden.co.uk

Enthusiastic growers of hot chillies are now being enticed by a new phenomenon called Chilli Willies, which have attracted the attention of the world's media... 

They have been shortlisted for TV shows such as "World's Greatest Inventions" on New York primetime, daytime entertainment food show "Let's Do Lunch...with Gino and Mel" on ITV1 London, and for use on Channel 4 London's celebrity food show featuring Jamie Oliver.

According to the website Chilli-willy.com, "Chilli Willies are chilllies that naturally grow into the shape of willies from the infamous Chilli Willy Plant."

You may think that these chillies have been genetically modified to grow in this way, but this is not the case - Chilli Willies are a totally natural variety that have been given a very funny gift by nature. That's just how they grow.

So aside from being the most hilarious looking chilli on the planet, having won awards such as "Most pornographic pepper" in a leading organic food magazine, Chilli Willies are also fully edible and taste delicious. Not only can you grow lots of little conversations starters, you can also use the shocking peppers in cooking too!

Chilli-willy.com sell Chilli Willy Kits & Seeds, claiming they make the perfect funny gift for birthdays, dinner parties and Christmas.

"Our Award-winning "Grow your own" products allow you to grow your very own hilarious looking chillies (willy peppers) - and because they are totally natural, once they have grown, you can cook with them too," says Chilli-willy.com 

For more information visit www.chilli-willy.com

Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra printed newsletter and on the GTN website www.gardentradenews.co.uk.

Every week we give sales volume comparisons with 2011 as well as 2012 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most upto date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, or subscribe on-line here

or e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Christmas Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.

“This is obviously disappointing and as we enter the winter season, which sees a downturn in trade, the difficult decision has been made to close the garden centre. Unfortunately this will result in the loss of 12 jobs.

“Concrete Products (Lincoln) 1980 Ltd also operates two other trading divisions, Livingstone and Amortec. Both of these businesses are currently being offered for sale and negotiations are currently in progress with respect to them."

Gardeners are getting into a seasonal frame of mind with penquins and polar bears being the garden decoration of choice at the moment, according to this week's GTN Bestsellers report.

The Smart Solar Bright Eye Baby Penquin Light is the highest new entry while Vivid Arts Playful Polar Bear is climbing rapidly up the Garden Products chart.

After recent storms and with new tree planting in mind there are a number of tree product lines – greasebands and ties – figuring strongly. The highest climber is the Vitax Fruit Tree Grease (200g), which has jumped 24 places to No 21.

The garden tidy-up is also well underway with the Gardman Garden Tidy Kit a new entry. The company’s Garden Rubbish Sacks have re-entered the chart, and there are a number of gardening gloves appearing.

Scheurich Cover Pots have returned to the Top 50 – the glossy cream version being the highest placed at No 9 with dark red a place behind. And the Bestsellers old favourite – Classic Wheelie Bin Numbers – returns at No 27.

See the full GTN Garden Products Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Christmas displays are certainly a main driver of visits to garden centres at the moment, and it certainly was the case during the recent school break.

Personalised products continue to be popular with the most notable entry being the Suki Personalised Reindeer Tree Ornament, a newcomer to the Bestsellers Christmas Products chart.

At the very top of the chart History & Heraldry continue to dominate with six of the top seven products, headed by Christmas Money Box, Carousel Charms and Personalised Christmas Door Hanger at Nos 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

The highest re-entry is Kaemingk Rose on Clip (Red) at No 16, and there are five other colours of this product in the Top 50.

The Williams Snowman Ball (5cm) takes the highest climber accolade, moving up 25 places to No 20. Other notable new entries are the American Paper Optics Christmas Glasses.

See the full GTN Christmas Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only 

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

There are clear signs that gardeners are planting up their winter baskets with sales of container compost performing well this week.

Westland West+ Container & Basket Compost & 4 months Feed (60 litres) has returned to the Growing Media chart after an impressive sales week, while GroWise Hanging Growing Bag has more than doubled its volume sales from the previous week.

Other notable performances this week were:

• Scotts Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Premium Garden Soil (25 litres) moves up 21 places.
• Westland Decorative Mini Bark (50 litres) has increased sales by 100%

See the full GTN Growing Media Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only

To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £145.00 per year click here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.

Three new starters have joined Westland Horticulture. Jayne Hall, Lorron Bright and Emma Rogers all started this month in the marketing team and will be looking to develop the prominence of the company and its key brands.

Westland Horticulture supplies a wide range of market leading gardening products to the industry including growing media, lawn treatments, lawn seed, plant food, pest control and weed killers. Westland is home to market leading brand Unwins, Aftercut, Resolva, Gro-Sure and wild bird feed ranges, Peckish, Natures Feast and Bucktons.



From left to right: Jayne Hall, Lorron Bright and Emma Rogers.

Jayne Hall, Senior Brand Manager, based in Alconbury is responsible for the Lawn Care category encompassing the Aftercut, Gro-sure and Westland branded ranges that operate within it. Jayne has a strong FMCG background within the food industry, having previously worked in category and brand marketing roles and most recently managing the branded portfolio for Moy Park, one of Europe’s leading poultry manufacturers.

Lorron Bright, Nutritional Technologist, based in Driffield works closely with the marketing division to provide technical guidance and aid new product development. She recently graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Animal Science. Previous roles include working for Purina as a Pet Consultant, promoting advanced nutrition diets for canine and felines.

Emma Rogers, PR Manager, based in Alconbury is responsible for all Westland internal and external communications, including digital. Her previous roles include heading up the communications team at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service and six years as a journalist across daily and weekly titles.

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director for Westland Horticulture, said: “I’m delighted to welcome these new arrivals to Westland Horticulture and the gardening industry as a whole.

“All three are settling into their new roles well and will begin making contact with others in the industry over the coming weeks.”

GCA members are this month invited to sign up for a free online presentation from motivational speaker and success coach Michael Heppell.

Michael will be giving the Hearts and Minds for Customer Service talk, which will focus on improving customer service, exclusively for GCA members on November 13 at 11am.

Peter Burks, Chairman of the GCA, explained: “I attended the launch of Michael’s new Hearts and Minds programme last month (October, 2013) and found it very interesting. Attendees included leaders from a wide range of organisations, including Sainsbury’s, Virgin and BMW.

“The new programme is aimed at people who are genuinely passionate about customer service, that’s definitely us and our members. I really liked what Michael was saying so I asked him if he would present an online version of the presentation for our members.

“The webcast, which will last for an hour, will focus on the biggest mistakes most organisations are making in their service offerings, why Michael thinks 90% of customer service training is a waste of time and what people can do to improve their customer service. I think the talk will be very valuable for all our members so hope lots of people will tune in.”

Anyone wishing to sign up for the webinar should call the GCA office on 0118 930 8918 or email info@gca.org.uk.

Peter added: “I’m really excited about this opportunity. I think it’s brilliant that Michael is keen to work with us and pleased that he can see we ‘get’ customer service. If you’re interested in accessing the webcast, please call or email our office as soon as possible to guarantee your place.”

Michael is the international bestselling author of ‘How to be Brilliant’, ‘5 Star Service’, ‘How to have a Brilliant Life’, ‘Flip It’ and ‘How To Save An Hour Every Day’. His clients and advocates include: Argos, ASDA, the Association of Colleges, EDF Energy, the Metropolitan Police, Microsoft, NHS Scotland, O2, Pearson, Scottish Power, Vauxhall and Virgin Atlantic.

He coaches and advises business leaders, including Simon Woodroffe OBE, Founder of YO! Sushi. He’s also worked with TV presenter Davina McCall, Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox, top athletes, filmmakers and successful entrepreneurs.

Over 5,000 entries came flooding in for the HTA’s National Garden Gift Voucher Design a Christmas Card Competition 2013.

The competition, which ended on 14 October, included a new ‘Schools’ category which gave members the opportunity to link up with their local communities and encourage a younger demographic to visit their store.

 HTA Marketing Manager Tony Stacey comments: “With fantastic displays of point-of-sale material in stores and the new ‘Schools’ category, we managed to greatly increase the amount of entries received this year compared to 2012 with over 5000 entries received. Participating stores made excellent use of the school letter and press release templates provided in the marketing pack to drum up publicity and interest in their local area.”

He continued: “This competition gave garden retailers a great excuse to get out into the community. Over 180 schools took part, and all of these schools were contacted directly by an HTA member. We hope to continue encouraging these local relationships going forward, and keep garden retailers at the heart of their communities”.

Participating members were able to customise the elements and quantities of their Point of Sale packs. This reduced waste, ensured members received the exact quantities required and improved cost efficiency.

The winning designs were:

Public category: Jessica, 11 years old, Didcot. Entered via Root One Garden Centre near Wallingford. She will receive £150 of garden goodies and also get to see her festive design printed and used nationwide as a National Garden Gift Voucher Christmas card – which will be on display in over 2,000 garden retail outlets around the UK. 

Schools category: Erin, 11 years old, Newtown Primary School. Entered via Milestone Garden & Leisure, Newtown St Boswells and wins £1000 National Garden Gift Vouchers for her school. Erin will also get to see her festive design printed and used nationwide as a National Garden Gift Voucher Christmas card.

The regional winners were:

South East – Isobel, 9, who entered at Perrywood Garden Centre

Midlands – Emma, 12, entered at Planters at Bretby

Scotland – Iona, 11, entered at Dobbies Kinross

Northern Ireland – Abbie, 6, entered at Castlerock Garden Centre

North – Matthew, 7, entered at Cowell’s Garden Centre

Wales – Carys, 10, entered at Ferndale Garden Centre

South West – Amelie, 9, entered at Fermoy’s Garden Centre

Each regional winner will receive a £50 National Garden Gift Voucher.

The two winning designs have been printed and are now available to National Garden Gift Voucher stockists as part of the Christmas voucher wallet range. You can order them online at www.htamembers.co.uk or call 0118 930 2092.

Whilst most of nature is hibernating in the colder months, winter is the prime time to get new trees into the ground, making them the idea HTA Plant of the Month for November.

Trees are best planted in the late autumn, especially bare rooted varieties. Newly planted trees do best when exposed to moderate temperatures and rainfall and they need time to root and acclimatize before the onset of summer heat or the harsher temperatures of winter. Container grown trees can be planted at any time of the year providing the soil / ground is not frozen or water logged.

If you’re planning to plant trees in the garden then do it now before the ground gets too hard or frozen whilst you can still position them in wet and dry land.  They can tolerate acidic, chalky, sandy and clay soils and come in all shapes and sizes.

Trees can add structure to the landscape and garden and some make excellent hedges and screens whilst others are ideal as statement specimens.  From flowering cherries and crab apples to evergreen yews and weeping willows trees offer different leaf size, shape and colour.  Many have attractive flowers, fruits and seeds and there are those that flower magnificently in spring and those whose leaves offer brilliant autumn colour just before leaf fall. 

Steve McCurdy of Majestic Trees has recommended the top ten trees to plant this autumn:

1.       Himalyan Birch (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii)

2.       Silver Birch (Betula pendula)

3.       Snowy Mespilus (Amerlanchier lamarckii)

4.       Christmas berry 'Red Robin' (Photinia fraserii ‘Red Robin’)

5.       Freeman's Maple (Acer freemanii ‘Autumn Blaze’)

6.       English oak (Quercus robur)

7.       Pin oak (Quercus palustris)

8.       Crab apple (Malus ‘Evereste’)

9.       Crab apple (Malus ‘Rudolph’)

10.     Vilmorin's mountain ash (Sorbus vilmorinii)

By planting trees you can reduce or improve your carbon footprint and generally enhance the environment. Trees can transform an area by introducing welcome shade, protective shelter and wildlife and are an investment for future generations. Research in HTA’s Greening the UK campaign has shown that just a 10% increase in tree coverage in urban areas will counter the predicted 4°c temperature over the next 100 years caused by climate change and the urban heat island effect.

All trees require some support and protection such as stakes, tree ties and tree guards. Fertiliser can be added to the planting hole and mulch can be added after planting to preserve moisture and keep down weeds.

Plant of the Month point of sale materials can be purchased through HTA partners Hortipak and Floramedia.

The plants included within Plant of the Month have been nominated and agreed by the HTA Ornamentals Committee and the HTA Retail Management Group to ensure the campaign meets the needs of both growers and retailers.

The aim of the Plant of the Month campaign is to make it easier for gardeners by selecting a plant on a monthly basis that will be looking great, is widely available from UK nurseries and easy to maintain in the garden.For more details, please visitwww.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth

As part of the Plan it, Plant it this Autumn campaign, the Horticultural Trades Association is also encouraging gardeners to celebrate the 38th annual National Tree Week, which is run by The Tree Council from 23 November - 1 December 2013 and will mark the launch of the tree planting season.

For more information on Plan it, Plant it, this Autumn, please visit www.the-hta.org.uk/autumn

Peter McDermott, Managing Director, YouGarden will share his top tips on multi-channel marketing at the HTA Seasonal Plants Focus Conference which takes place on Thursday 21 November 2013 at Young Plants Ltd, Stratford upon Avon.
 
Peter’s talk ‘Multi-Channel Marketing & How It Could Help Your Business’ will feature as part of the future opportunities for the garden industry session.
 
Sharing over 25 years’ experience of direct to consumer marketing within the horticultural industry, Peter will be lifting the lid on how to work with your existing, lapsed and potential customers, to optimise their long term value by trading with them across multiple routes to market.
 
From traditional mail order marketing techniques, including cataloguing and press advertising, to online marketing and even shopping TV, he will share how you can make your business prosper by going the extra mile and keeping your business trading 24/7 x 365 days of the year.
 
Peter has worked across respected brands such as Suttons, Dobbies, Unwins, Marshalls Garden Bargains and latterly YouGarden, starting in the industry in 1985 whilst working on his family nursery in South Devon.
 
Other speakers include: Graham Dunn, Managing Director, Cresco Horticulture; Nigel Judd, Head of Wholesale, Thompson and Morgan; Steve Jones, Executive Director, ReSharpen and Nicky Roeber, Plant Buyer, The Garden Centre group.
 
The theme for the conference, supported by headline partner Bulrush, and associate partners Floramedia and Young Plants Ltd is ‘Collaborate, innovate and succeed’. The event brings a wealth of industry experts together to discuss and debate the latest issues affecting seasonal and bedding plant growers.
 
Delegates can also take advantage of a networking dinner that will take place the night before at the Alveston Manor Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, and features an after-dinner talk on how the industry’s golden age is yet to come by Boyd Douglas-Davies, Chief Executive of The Hillview Group. 
 
Further information about the programme and a booking form can be found at www.seasonalplantsfocus.co.uk

Deco-Pak say their Garden Bazaar collection of decorative birdhouses and feeders has been flying out, so to speak. These distinctive designs, handmade from marine grade plywood, have a unique finish and exquisite detail while also able to handle the rigours of British winter weather.

As the features are intended for use with wildlife, no pressure-treated wood or chemicals are used. The birdhouses and feeders alike have all the birding enthusiast requirements – easy access for cleaning, drainage, ventilation and a recommended 32mm opening. New designs launched at Autumn Fair include the Red Lion Public House and the iconic British Telephone Box feeder as part of the best of British collection.

Information: 01422 204394

deco-pak.co.uk

Christmas comes but once a year, so you need to make the most of Christmas sales opportunities.  GTN Bestsellers is the answer. Every week from now until Christmas we compile and publish the Top 50 Bestsellers Christmas chart from garden centre Epos data, giving the best and most up to date garden centre trading information on the market.

If you’d have been a subscriber last year you’ll have known that History and Heraldry Moneyboxes were the No.1 best selling product for the christmas season and which products from Premier Decorations and Kaemingk graced the Top 50 volume sales charts week by week.

Plus, you’ll have benefitted from the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart and our Tip of the week – a gem of a sales idea every week derived from 5 years of GTN Bestsellers charts.

Christmas is cioming fast, so you need to act now.  Buy a subscription to GTN Bestsellers right now. For just £145.00, you get a printed GTN Bestsellers chart posted to you each week, full access to the GTN Bestsellers charts and the GTN Archive on-line and your own copy of Garden Trade News in the post each issue.

And there’s more!! 

If you take out a GTN Bestsellers subscription before the end of October, we’ll send you, as a bonus, all of the GTN Bestsellers Christmas Charts for 2012 so you'll have the best view of how trends have changed and be most prepared when it comes to buying for Christmas 2014.

So, what are you waiting for?  To get your subscription to GTN Bestsellers up and running, simply subscribe online here

or contact us by phone on 01733 775700 or by e-mail: karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers – Garden Centre Bestsellers, Guaranteed!