In This Issue
Scotts-Solus brands aim to restore confidence in service levels
Has there been a 'Solus' effect on sales?
Wyevale's Christmas displays unveiled – first pictures!
How Wyevale branding will be used at garden centres
Record number of participants as Garden Re-Leaf Day 2014 total announced
Sword of Excellence gives Burgon & Ball a GIMA Awards treble
Cowell's, Armitage's Pennine, Burleydam and Barton Grange clinch GCA regional awards
Old Railway Line and Trelawney@Wadebridge win top GCA awards in Wales and West
If catering and food are your growth areas our new Food Xtra will help you
Planteria Manager
Buying Assistant
Sales Representative
Garden lighting puts the shine on sales
New Chilli Pepper plants in demand
Bark is still selling well
Miracle-Gro’wers win GIMA Award
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
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Scotts-Solus brands aim to restore confidence in service levels
The immediate focus of the Scotts-Solus brands is on providing great levels of service to their customers, Martin Breddy, Vice President and General Manager of The Scotts Company (UK) Ltd, has revealed to GTN Xtra...

The immediate focus for the Scotts-Solus brands is on providing great levels of service to their customers, revealed Martin Breddy, Vice President and General Manager of The Scotts Company (UK) Ltd.

GTN Xtra spoke to Martin at the GIMA Awards, two days after the Scotts-Solus deal was announced.

First, we asked Martin how negotiations to buy the Solus brands were revived after Scotts had pulled out of a possible deal in April?
When Solus went into administration it was the start of the season so our instinct then was to focus firmly on delivering our products and services to our customers, and it has worked as we’re seeing double-digit growth after a couple of bad seasons. It proves that when you have a good season people are still in love with gardening which is important for all of us. In due course the administrators contacted us and that’s when we picked up the process again. There was a very intense period of activity but in the end that was a good process, well managed by the administrators. There was a lot of effort and co-operation on both sides and therefore it was a reasonably quick process in the grand scheme of things.

Was expansion always on the cards for Scotts?
If you look at what’s happening with the company in America, there has always been a desire to expand into adjacent categories. There’s no hard and fast rule but if the right opportunity arises that allows us to be consistent with our strategy then we’ll look very seriously at that. It’s not a requirement as such but it is part of our strategy to explore opportunities.

Have some of the Scotts-Solus brands suffered over the past few months?
It has been a slightly difficult period but I’m very confident that the consumer equity in those brands is still intact and in good shape. Our job is to make them stronger and healthier. The most important thing and the immediate priority is to win support through great support to our retailers. We will be focussing on providing a great service. We know the products are good and it takes a long time to diminish a brand like Yeoman. What we have to do is to restore confidence in the levels of service.

How is the distribution of Scotts products going to work in future?
We’re certainly not going to exclude our other distributor partners – they are very important and we’ll continue to work with them. For the rest of this season and next season we are going to run our depot at Doncaster for the distribution of Scotts products, and the one in the West Midlands for the Scotts-Solus brands. We believe this approach will deliver good service to our customers.

What are stock levels like at the moment?
As in any other businesses at the end of July I’m sure there’s the odd gap but it’s less critical now. The important thing is that we make sure we get ready for autumn and we make sure we’ve got enough stock to fill the pipeline for 2015. If there’s one consequence of this, it’s that there won’t be too much product innovation for 2015 because we can’t turn on a sixpence. But I don’t think that’s a problem because sometimes companies can spend too much time focusing on producing new toys instead of concentrating on the good sellers. There are some good products in this company and we’ll be making sure that the stock for those big sellers is available.

What’s been the reaction to Scotts taking over the Solus brands?
I think people are pleased to have a bit of clarity and a bit of certainty. It’s good for everyone – it’s good for our customers, it’s good for us, and it’s good for people in the Solus business who are still there.

Why didn't you buy the third-party distribution part of the Solus business?
It was an inevitable consequence of what happened in administration. It was very clear there wasn’t a common position that all other third parties were taking during administration and it became very difficult for us to understand where that piece of the business was positioned. The only certain bit was that if we took the Solus brands we knew exactly what we were getting. It fitted perfectly into our strategy of building consumer brands. 

The full interview of the Martin Breddy interview will be published in the August issue of Garden Trade News

Has there been a 'Solus' effect on sales?


It has been a funny old year doing the GTN Bestsellers charts every week. For once the weather has been much more helpful, but now that the uncertainty regarding the future of Solus has been resolved, we can sit back and ask: What has been the effect on volume sales?



It has been a funny old year doing the GTN Bestsellers charts every week. For once the weather has been much more helpful, but now that the uncertainty regarding the future of Solus has been resolved, we can sit back and ask: What has been the effect on volume sales?

Over the past four weeks products that have appeared regularly in the Garden Products Top 50 from Town & Country, Vitax and Fito have been either missing from the chart or running at significantly lower sales volumes and chart positions.

Contrast this with products supplied direct, such as solar lighting from Gardman and Smart Solar, which have been riding high.

Trying to quantify the effect on sales would take many hours and several crystal balls but we certainly expect perennial bestselling products to rise up the chart once new and revised distribution plans are put into place.

How have you coped with the distribution issues? Have you managed to stock and sell alternative products? Let us know: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

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

  • Garden Products – up 2% 
  • Veg 2 Gro – down 6% 
  • Growing Media – down 17% 
  • All items index – up 1%

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

Wyevale's Christmas displays unveiled – first pictures!


Wyevale's Garden Centres unveiled their Christmas displays at a special event in London on Thursday, the same day the company changed its name from The Garden Centre Group. GTN Xtra were there to bring you the first pictures of the festive features created for Wyevale's 140 stores...



Wyevale's Garden Centres unveiled their Christmas displays at a special event in London on Thursday, the same day the company changed their name from The Garden Centre Group. GTN Xtra were there to bring you the first pictures of the festive features created for Wyevale's 140 stores.

The company have devised an 'Enchanted Christmas' approach, which Wyevale say is "exciting, inspiring and magical."

Six trend-led Christmas themes have been created to capture every taste, from the traditional to the more avant-garde and from the inner child to the fashionista.

Scandinavian woodland references are at the heart of the Enchanted Forect collection, conjuring up images of an enchanted woodland featuring mischievous decorative animals, such as owls, deers, foxes, squirrels and robins. Warm copper hues and natural wood elements are combined with denim blue, reflecting key interior design trends. Ceramic metal and glass add a touch of sparkle and texture to the collection.

The Fairy Forest trend combines pastel sweetness with whimsical touches, such as twinkling tiaras and ballerina tree decorations, liberally scattered with glitter, lace, sequins and pearls.

The Crystal Queen story features woodland animals cloaked in jewel-like beads and studs, with icicles, glitterinbg flowers, bamboo leaf garlands and pear lace baubles hanging from a LED-lit Normandy fir.

Meanwhile, the Flora Botanica and Gold Glamour Collections have been paired up for a liberal dose of glamour. 

Thoughts of a more traditional Christmas mood have been captured in the Festive Feast range, as deep reds sit alongside green, gold, grape and fig to create a regal, classical feature look.

Wyevale's range of outdoor Christmas lights features modern 'cool white' LED lighting technology, which has the benefit of energy efficiency and a long lifespan.

The garden centres will also have a wide selction of Christmas tree styles, from plain to pre-lit, fibre-optic, multifunction or frosted. Highlights this year include the new, eye-catching LED Blossom tree which twinkles from top to toe.

Christmas gift ideas will also feature strongly in the displays, including the GIMA Sword of Excellence winner, Burgon & Ball's RHS range.

On the day of the Enchanted Christmas unveiling, Wyevale created lots of interest from the consumer and national press, who were also attending Christmas previews in London from the likes of House of Fraser and Next.

"We're really excited about Enchanted Christmas," said Marketing Director Sarah Fuller. "The feedback we've received so far has been excellent, and it's fantastic to grab the attention of so many home and garden journalists."


How Wyevale branding will be used at garden centres


The Garden Centre Group announced on Thursday it was being renamed as Wyevale Garden Centres, and now GTN Xtra has discovered how the company's 140 centres will use the new brand...



The Garden Centre Group announced on Thursday it was being renamed as Wyevale Garden Centres, and now GTN Xtra has discovered how the company's 140 centres will use the new brand...

Here are two examples – Croydon Purley Way and Lewes – and Wyevale hope to have all the signage in place by the start of next year.

Record number of participants as Garden Re-Leaf Day 2014 total announced
Garden Re-Leaf Day 2014, the UK’s biggest garden retail charity event in support of Children’s hospice garden charity, Greenfingers, was hailed a success by the organisers and participants in attendance at the GIMA Awards.  Over 230 garden centres, suppliers and industry supporters, driven by A-list celebrities and TV gardening experts, all helped to raise more than £60,000.



Garden ReLeaf Day's joint founder Boyd Douglas-Davies announces the total raised for Greenfinger's in the promotion's first three years, helped by masked 'David Tennant' (Spencer Goodall) and 'Patsy Palmer' (Carol Paris) two of the celebrity supporters of this year's event...



Garden Re-Leaf Day 2014, the UK’s biggest garden retail charity event in support of Children’s hospice garden charity, Greenfingers, was hailed a success by the organisers and participants in attendance at the GIMA Awards.  Over 230 garden centres, suppliers and industry supporters, driven by A-list celebrities and TV gardening experts,  all helped to raise moire than £60,000.

Garden Re-Leaf Day, now preparing for its fourth year, has now raised £175,000 since its launch and is seeing more and more interest as it continues to grow in the public eye.  This year, celebrities such as Alistair McGowan, David Tennant, Jude Law and Naomi Harris got involved, helping to attract a record number of participants from within the gardening industry.

The biggest donations from garden centres came from Hillview, Wyevale Garden Centres, Webbs of Wychbold and Barton Grange.

Millbrook Garden Centre won the opportunity to host David Domoney as he gave talks and joined in workshops with customers and their families.  This helped the centre raise over £1,500, just ahead of similarly large donations from other independents, Longacres and Ayletts Nurseries.

Big name manufacturers such as Gardman and Scotts took part in the ‘Loose Change’ promotion – a new initiative whereby suppliers purchased stickers to place on packaging to show how much of the proceeds would go to Greenfingers.  Other manufacturers teamed up with Richard Jackson’s QVC show, raising an incredible £25,000. 

Garden Re-Leaf Day founder, Boyd Douglas-Davies thanked all who took part:  “We are so grateful to everyone for making Garden Re-Leaf Day 2014 a success, as we look forward to making next year even bigger and better.”

The money raised by Garden Re-Leaf Day will go towards Greenfingers’ Rosy Cheeks Appeal – which aims to raise £750,000 to build at least ten more hospice gardens over the next two years.  

For more details of what happened on Garden Re-Leaf Day 2014, visit www.gardenreleaf.co.uk To explore opportunities for supporting the 2015 event as a supplier, or participating as a retailer, email info@gardenreleaf.co.uk

Sword of Excellence gives Burgon & Ball a GIMA Awards treble


After winning two categories at the GIMA Awards, tools and equipment  suppliers Burgon & Ball sealed a triple triumph by taking the coveted GIMA Sword of Excellence last night...

Full GIMA Awards results and presentation pictures

After winning two categories at the GIMA Awards, tools and equipment  suppliers Burgon & Ball sealed a triple triumph by taking the coveted GIMA Sword of Excellence last night.

They had victories in the garden tools, machinery and implements category with their Japanese Razor Hoe and the garden related retail products category with their RHS Gardeners Gift Collection. The hoe’s ease of use and quality of build impressed the judges, who also praised the RHS gifts range for its superb use of floral designs selected from the RHS Lindley Library.

Awarding the RHS-endorsed gifts the overall Sword of Excellence honour, the judges said it effortlessly combined functionality with stunning design in a range that offered retailers an ongoing bestseller thanks to its gift purchase potential.

There were also product category wins for Popadome, Hozelock, DLF Trifolium (Johnsons Lawn Seed), Westland, Kelkay and Elho, and marketing wins for Forest Garden, Hozelock and Scotts Miracle-Gro.

Taylors Bulbs were voted Supplier of the Year in a category sponsored and voted for by Garden Centre Association members, while Smart Solar won the Export Achievment Award sponsored by Gardenex.

The awards were presented at the prestigious Celtic Manor Resort at Newport in a ceremony hosted by comedian and TV presenter Russell Kane.

GIMA Director Vicky Nuttall, said: “Tthose walking away with trophies tonight really are deserving of the accolade given to them. They have all demonstrated exceptional qualities, from cutting edge design to inspirational retail support.

“My thanks also go to the panel of dedicated judges who gave up their time to take part in this year’s judging process.  Their expertise and knowledge has been invaluable, and we are grateful for their assistance.

Full results

GIMA Sword of Excellence: Burgon & Ball – RHS Gardeners Gift Collection

Gardenex Export Achievement Award: winner – Smart Solar; finalists – Pet Revolution, STV International

The judges said: In the last 12 months Smart Solar has been blazing a trail within the international market, and it was this dedication that appealed to the judges.  From achieving a major presence within the French garden market, to a new sales team including invaluable multi-lingual members, an ongoing presence at international trade shows and unrivalled commitment to Glee, Smart Solar has gone over and above with the results to prove its passion.

GCA Supplier of the Year: winner – Taylors Bulbs; finalists: Sutton Seeds, Briers

The judges said: Taylors offer a complete service to customers.  Key highlights that helped them to stand out include small carriage paid orders, well packaged goods at competitive retails, and good bespoke promotions. A Taylors Bulbs customer summed it up with the comment: “Consistent year after year, they always deliver the goods and are a true pleasure to do business with.”

Garden Care: Winner: Popadome – All-In-One Fruit & Vegetable Protection System; finalists: Holiday Plant Saver with the Holiday Plant Saver; Doff Portland with Doff Crack & Crevice Ant Powder

Judges were impressed by the ease of assembly, high quality materials and potential long life span of the product, as well as the ‘green’ approach to a common problem.

Growing and Planting Equipment and Sundries: Winner: Hozelock – Pico Reel; finalists: Elho - Brussels Herbs Station; Forest Garden - Tall Wall Greenhouse

One judge said: ‘It’s the plug-in watering can of the future’!

Garden Tools, Machinery and Implements: winner: Burgon & Ball - Japanese Razor Hoe - Left Handed and Long Handled; finalists: Fiskars - SmartFit Hedge Shear & SmartFit Lopper; Burgon & Ball - RHS Stainless Steel Long Handled Bulb Planter

The judges were impressed by its ease of use, and quality of build.

Outdoor Leisure, Garden Structures and Features: winner: Johnsons Lawn Seed – Grass Graffiti; finalists: Grange Fencing - Universal Work Potting Bench; Zest 4 Leisure - Worcester Arbour with Storage Box seat; Smart Solar - Metal Silhouette Globe Stake Lights

Judges Praised the winner for its uniqueness, ease of use and endless possibilities – from entertaining the kids during the summer holidays to marking out new flower bed borders.

Plants, Seeds and Bulbs: winner: Westland Horticulture - Nature's Haven Easy Wildflowers; finalists: Sutton Seeds - Suttons James Wong Indigo Rose Tomato Plant; Thompson & Morgan - Start-a-Garden Seed Range

Judges were impressed by the simplicity of Easy Wildflowers, combining an all-in-one mix of seeds and granular compost.

Garden Landscaping: Winner: Kelkay – Build Mate; finalists: The Solar Centre - Edinburgh Solar Deck Lights; Kelkay – Chunkies

Featuring 16 specialist products for garden and at-home construction projects, the Build Mate concept impressed the judges by its simplicity and the efforts to strengthen the overall retail offering.

Garden Retail Related Products: winner: Burgon & Ball – RHS Gardeners Gift Collection; finalists: Briers – Jersey Triple Packs; Hozelock - AquaDéco Watering Globes; Burgon & Ball - Sophie Conran Gardeners Accessories

The judges remarked on the stunning floral designs and noted the strong gift and impulse buy potential created  by combining functionality with style and beautiful design and packaging.

Pet Care, Aquatics and Wild Bird Care Products: winner: Elho – Corsica Bird Garden; finalists: Gardman - Heavy Duty Ground Feeding Haven; Wildlife World - Igloo Hedgehog Home

Combining bird houses with plants, the Corsica Bird Garden took the award for its ‘self-selling, touchable packaging’, tapping into an exciting ‘up and coming’ trend within the wild bird care market.

Best Point of Sale Material: winner: Forest Garden – Take Me To The Till; finalists: Town & Country - Ditsy Gloves Clip Strip Promotion; Sutton Seeds - Suttons Chilli Fiesta POS

Summarised as ‘silent sales aid for garden centres’, Forest Garden topped this category as the judges because of its impactful stand and simple three step process for purchasing products.

Best Consumer Product Packaging: winner: Hozelock - Pico Reel; finalists: Vitax – new bottle packaging; Kelkay – Build Mate packaging

The judges said the packaging had been specifically designed to allow consumers to hold and examine the product, whilst creating minimal card wastage. Key benefits were clearly illustrated on the reverse, whilst the inclusion of hose reel attachments were clearly stated.

Best Marketing Communication Award: winner: The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company - Miracle-Gro'wers Learning Journey; finalists: Westland Horticulture - Gro-Sure Planting Magic marketing campaign; Hozelock –Wonderweeder marketing campaign

The judges were impressed by the campaign’s fantastic commitment to engaging children and parents, and felt it was a brilliant start to developing a whole gardening curriculum.

Key to image gallery below: The awards were presented by Russell Kane (right), the category sponsor where appropriate and GIMA director Vicky Nuttall (left). The images are in the order listed above, except for the Garden Care category, whose winner, Popadome, could not be present.

Cowell's, Armitage's Pennine, Burleydam and Barton Grange clinch GCA regional awards


The Garden Centre Association has revealed its winners for the North East and North West regions. Cowell’s was named Best Garden Centre and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre Best Destination Garden Centre in the North East. Burleydam scooped Best Garden Centre and Barton Grange Best Destination Garden Centre in the North West...

Full results and presentation pictures

The Garden Centre Association has revealed its winners for the North East and North West regions. Cowell’s was named Best Garden Centre and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre Best Destination Garden Centre in the North East. Burleydam scooped Best Garden Centre and Barton Grange Best Destination Garden Centre in the North West...

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “We are delighted to have announced our winners for these two regions last night and would like to congratulate all our members who picked up awards. It is a reflection of all their hard work and dedication to excellence, and they should all be very proud of their achievements. Thank you also to the Harlow Carr team for your hospitality and to Langlands Garden for providing a barbecue after the awards presentation, it was greatly appreciated.

“The awards included Best Customer Service, which in the North East went to Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre and in the North West to Barton Grange Garden Centre, and Best Garden Products Retailer, which in the North East went to Cowell’s Garden Centre in the Garden Centre (GC) category and Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe in the Destination Garden Centre (DGC) category. 

“In the North West region these titles were awarded to the Klondyke Group – Lady Green Garden Centre and Barton Grange respectively. The Best Environment and Community award went to Barton Grange Garden Centre in the North West and Harlow Carr Plant Centre and Gift Shop in the North East, and the team at the RHS site also took the award for the Most Improved centre.

“There were lots of other awards presented on the night by our inspector, Liz Hutson, who attended the ceremony, and it was an inspiring and motivational event for everyone involved.”

The full results for the North East and North West regions GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

 

North East

Best Garden Centre: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Customer Service: Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre

Best Environment and Community: Harlow Carr Plant Centre and Gift Shop

Best Creativity and Innovation: Cowell’s Garden Centre

Most Improved: Harlow Carr Plant Centre and Gift Shop

Best Plant Area: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Restaurant: Armitage’s Birchencliffe Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

Garden Products Retailer: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe (DGC)

Best Indoor Lifestyle: Harlow Carr Plant Centre and Gift Shop (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Outdoor Living: The Klondyke Group – Beverley Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

 

North West

Best Garden Centre: Burleydam Garden Centre (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Customer Service: Barton Grange Garden Centre

Best Environment and Community: Barton Grange Garden Centre

Best Creativity and Innovation: Barton Grange Garden Centre

Most Improved: Bridgemere Garden World

Best Plant Area: All-in-One Garden Centre (GC) and Bents Garden & Home (DGC)

Best Restaurant: Fron Goch Garden Centreand Bents Garden & Home (DGC)

Garden Products Retailer: Klondyke Group – Lady Green Garden Centre (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Indoor Lifestyle: Fairways Garden Centre – Macclesfield (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Outdoor Living: Moreton Park Garden Centre (GC) and Klondyke Group – Houghton Hall Garden Centre (DGC)

Old Railway Line and Trelawney@Wadebridge win top GCA awards in Wales and West
  

The Old Railway Line Garden Centre in Wales was named Best Garden Centre and Trelawney@Wadebridge Garden Centre in Cornwall scooped Best Destination Garden Centre in the GCA awards for the Wales and West region at Hillier Garden Centre, Bath, on Thursday...

Full results and presentation pictures



The Old Railway Line Garden Centre in Wales was named Best Garden Centre and Trelawney@Wadebridge Garden Centre in Cornwall scooped Best Destination Garden Centre in the GCA awards for the Wales and West region at Hillier Garden Centre, Bath, on Thursday.

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “We had a wonderful, lively awards’ evening last night and I would like to congratulate all our members who took home coveted GCA awards. They are a testament to the hard work of all those involved and their pursuit of excellence, and we’re very proud of their achievements. Well done to everyone and a big thank you to Hilliers for being our hosts for the event.

“The awards included Best Customer Service, which went to The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, and the Best Environment and Community award was picked up by Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock.

“Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock also took home the awards for Best Creativity and Innovation and Most Improved site.

“There were many other awards presented on the night by our inspector, Andy Campbell, who attended the ceremony, and it was an inspiring and motivational event for everyone involved even in the extreme heat of the years hottest day.”

The full results for the Wales and West region GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

  

Best Garden Centre:
The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC) and Trelawney@Wadebridge Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Customer Service: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre

Best Environment and Community: Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock

Best Creativity and Innovation: Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock

Most Improved: Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock

Best Plant Area: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC) and Trelawney@Wadebridge Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Restaurant: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC) and Endsleigh Garden and Leisure (DGC)

Garden Products Retailer: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC) and Trelawney@Wadebridge Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Indoor Lifestyle: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC) and Cadbury Garden and Leisure (DGC)

Best Outdoor Living: Raglan Garden Centre (GC) and Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock (DGC)

The awards are decided by the results of the annual inspections, which take place at all GCA garden centres. Garden centres have no advance warning about when their inspection will take place and they do not have the option to turn away the inspector.

The Best Garden Centre and Best Destination Garden Centre awards went to the members that scored the highest overall mark in the area in their annual inspections.

The top scoring centres overall, nationally, in both the Destination Garden Centre and Garden Centre categories will be re-inspected before the titles of Garden Centre of the Year and Destination Garden Centre of the Year are announced at the GCA annual conference taking place in January 2015.

 Iain added: “There are more award events in other regions taking place this and next week and we’re really looking forward to these too and will be releasing winners’ details after the events.

“The next awards’ night is for our Midlands region at Klondyke’s Byrkley Park Garden Centre, Burton Upon Trent, on Monday, July 21 with, once again, the presiding inspector, Andy Campbell.”

Thanks to Norma from Monkton Elm who helped with the photos for GTN Xtra as Trevor and Neil had to dash off straight after the presentation to attend the GIMA Awards at Celtic Manor.

If catering and food are your growth areas our new Food Xtra will help you
To see our NEW GTN Food Xtra e-mail newsletter...
Planteria Manager
Oxfordshire, up to £25,000 per annum

My client is a large garden retailer who is currently looking for a plant area manager at one of their flagship sites.

 I am looking for a planteria manager with the skills to join the leadership team of one of the UK's top garden centres.

 You must be an excellent man manager and have the necessary retail skills and experience to take on this role.

Plant retail knowledge must be good but specific in depth knowledge is not required.

 This role will suit an individual that has ambition and is looking to progress to a site management role in the future.

Please call Brad Peck on 01780 480530, or apply with your CV, quoting reference #6508 to info@morepeople.co.uk


Buying Assistant
South Coast, up to £22,000 per anumm

I am currently recruiting for a chain retailer based in the garden industry.

I am looking for an ambitious individual to join a hardworking team based on the south coast.

You will preferably have a purchasing background, preferably at at least a buying administrator level and be looking to step up.

Preferably from a fashion background preferably with experience in accessories also.

Could suit a graduate with work experience.

Please call Brad Peck on 01780 480530, or apply with your CV quoting reference #6493 to info@morepeople.co.uk





Sales Representative
South East, £30,000 per annum

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

The SUCCESSFUL Candidate will be responsible for:-

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

For this role our client is ideally seeking:-

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

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


Garden lighting puts the shine on sales
Garden lighting products have had a good week, with sales on the increase. At the top of the GTN Bestsellers Garden products chart Gardman’s Ice Orb Solar Light is at No 2 and Solar Spot Lights at No 3.

Garden lighting products have had a good week, with sales on the increase. At the top of the GTN Bestsellers Garden products chart Gardman’s Ice Orb Solar Light is at No 2 and Solar Spot Lights at No 3.

  • The Solar Mosaic Table Lantern is a new entry while the Solar Stainless Steel Border light is the highest re-entry. 
  • The highest climber is Scotts Evergreen Complete, 360 sq m plus 10% extra free, moving up 28 places to No 13. 
  • The highest new entry is Apta Lipped Bowl, 27cm, at No 26. 
  • Scotts Levington Tomorite retains the No 1 spot.

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

 
New Chilli Pepper plants in demand
Farplants Chilli Pepper plants have made a significant move in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart with Loco and Pepper Prarie Fire the two highest new entries this week, jumping straight into the Top 10...

Farplants Chilli Pepper plants have made a significant move in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart with Loco and Pepper Prarie Fire the two highest new entries this week, jumping straight into the Top 10. 

  • Quantil have both the highest re-entry in Spinach and the highest climber in Black Kale. 
  • Suttons have four new entries in Carrot Nantes 2 Mars, Carrot Maestro, Leaf Beat Rhubarb Chard and Radish Mixed. 
  • There is also an new entry from T&M’s Carrot Tendersnax.

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

 
Bark is still selling well

Gem Cambark Chunky Chip Bark is the highest climber in the GTN Bestsellers Growing Media chart after seeing sales increase by over 50% this week...


Gem Cambark Chunky Chip Bark is the highest climber in the GTN Bestsellers Growing Media chart after seeing sales increase by over 50% this week. 

  • Westland Decorative Mini Bark has also performed well with 100% increase in sales to return to the chart.
  • The highest re-entry is Arthur Bowers Grow Bag. 
  • Meanwhile, Arthur Bowers Multipurpose Compost (56 litres) takes over top spot.

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

 
Miracle-Gro’wers win GIMA Award
The Scotts Miracle-Gro’wers Discovery & Learning Journey won the Best Marketing Communication Award at the GIMA Awards 2014...

The Scotts Miracle-Gro’wers Discovery & Learning Journey won the Best Marketing Communication Award at the GIMA Awards 2014.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company operates a long-term Community Outreach Programme. "We are deeply committed to supporting projects that aim to enrich local gardening communities, encouraging people to discover the joys of gardening for themselves and allowing them to take pleasure in the benefits that gardening and horticultural activities bring." Scotts Miracle-Gro Press Officer Geoff Hodge told GTN Xtra.

"As part of this activity, for the last four years, we have engaged with primary and secondary schools and schoolchildren across the UK to grow the plants for our gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – the Miracle-Gro’wers Discovery & Learning Garden. More than 100 schools took part this year and, as a result, we encouraged more than 10,000 school pupils to embrace and enjoy gardening and horticulture."

"The main aim of the initiative is to encourage children and teenagers to experience and learn from the fulfilling joy of growing plants, and eating the resulting food from the fruit and vegetables grown. The format challenges schoolchildren to grow excellent plants that are up to the demanding standards of the RHS judges at the world’s premier gardening show – they are judged by the same criteria and receive no special treatment from the judges."

"Our three gardens were part of the educational Discovery Area and included an educational theme that would help visitors to the show understand some of the fundamental lessons of good gardening. The children conducted experiments with compost, plant food and the environment, so that they could see and measure the differences."

"The Miracle-Gro’wers Discovery & Learning Journey encourages schools to use gardening as a teaching tool – implementing it as part of their educational journey, learning the benefits of gardening and using these activities as part of their National Curriculum. Gardening can easily be integrated into the National Curriculum as part of English, maths, science, geography, PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education), history and art among others."

This year, our Miracle-Gro’wers Discovery & Learning Journey gardens won an RHS Silver-Gilt Medal.

You can find out more at lovethegarden.com/schools

 

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.

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

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

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

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