Anyone who was expecting his week’s preliminary results from Tesco to throw clear light on the future of its Dobbies business will have been disappointed…or, at the very least, confused.

Enmeshed in the news of Tesco’s record-breaking £6.4 billion group loss were two mentions of Dobbies – one a set of figures showing that the garden centre division’s footprint was forecast to increase by 30,000 sq.ft in the current year, the other reporting an £83 million write-down (in goodwill and other impairments) on the value of the 35-centre group.

The footprint forecast was taken in some quarters to indicate that Tesco was hanging on to Dobbies, despite recent speculation that it was negotiating a sell-off to Wyevale Garden Centres. Surely, they argued, you don’t add floor space when you are gearing up for disposal. However, a mere 30k sq.ft is a drop in the ocean in retail space terms and may be covered by work in progress – even, possibly, ‘window dressing’ in preparation for a sale.

If Tesco believes there is still plenty of wind left in Dobbies sails, 30k sq.ft  could mean a number of new Dobbies-branded coffee shops in Tesco stores, like the one recently opened in Dundee (pictured above). Garden centre catering is a big success story currently and as Tesco has admitted its supermarkets have too much floor space, a re-purposing strategy of this kind could stack up. Rival Sainsbury has said it is to explore sub-letting opportunities for its surplus capacity, so the concept may take off in the sector.

The real enigma, though, is what lies behind that write-down figure of £83 million. According to the results announcement, this (plus another £33 million in impairments in other UK divisions) is due to ‘the challenging economic climate and significant shifts in the retail industry structure’, resulting in revised forecast cash flows and updated discount rates. In other words, Dobbies may not be doing as well as expected in the current climate, so the company is obliged to reflect this in its valuations.

Dobbies profits dipped from £7.3 million to £6.7 million in the 12 months to February 23 last year, while turnover increased from £137.4 million to £142 million. A continued drop in profitability in the past 12 months would partly account for the latest write-down.

Yet the industry will be doubly puzzled by this. For the major part of the garden centre industry, 2014 was a decent, if hardly spectacular, year. A growing number of expansion-hungry businesses, led by Wyevale Garden Centres owner Terra Firma, are waltzing around with their cheque books open, keen to capitalise on what they see as a market with strong long-term potential. And Dobbies has just de-valued its business by £83 million?

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis, says he has clear plans for the business, but he’s notorious for playing things close to his chest, so we shall have to wait for further enlightenment.

Meanwhile, the dearth of clues about its intentions makes us wonder whether Tesco actually knows what to do with a business that, soon after they bought it, had set its sights on 100 stores within 10 years.

“The key thing to explain is that these garden centres will be the same. The simplicity of running Haskins with ideal layouts, the same sales mix, the same space mix by department makes running this business a great deal easier. If it’s right in one then it's right in all of the centres.The wages to sales ratio by department are the same and the restaurants at all of our centres are 22% of turnover.

“If we are to find a couple of other sites to acquire and redevelop they have got to be close to good middle class population for us to build and sustain a garden centre of this nature. We’re not looking to be a national business, we will be a strong regional business, with sites within three hours of Bournemouth, but not in Central London.

“Systems have enabled us to increase margins and customer spend and therefore improve our profitability. We now send over 2,500 emails to customers every week.  95% of stock in garden centres is centrally replenished which delivers improved stock control and increased sales. We are now investing in new catering stock control system.

“The demise of the high street and the rise of e-tailing has been a benefit to garden centres. We are part of the lipstick economy - we don't take a lot of money out of people’s pockets - a few pounds here and there to make people feel happy.  They buy some plants, buy some products and have a cup of coffee but customers expectations will continue to increase."

Alan Roper commented: “Blue Diamond was formed in 1904 and is now the largest privately owned garden centre group with no plans to sell out.

“When I joined in 1999 the company had three centres and I wrote a strategy for what a group could be.

“We’ve got to strike the right balance between corporate, entrepreneurial and empowering the teams in the centres so they don't feel like a group is going to turn up all suited and booted and they can't breathe, can't make decisions until we tell them to do so. In fact it is far from it, we are the opposite of that which is why we've grown as fast as we have even though we have been up against Terra Firma. That means winning not through money but through other values that family businesses respect.

“One of the challenges of running an expanding garden centre group is to break the garden centre down into different businesses and I’ve created four heads that look after buying and the retail space and take care of the employment of the department heads in the centres. They have complete ownership of that business – not just the product but also the execution of it.

“Head of Gardening (all of gardening except the living plants) is Stuart Whalley, Head of Plants is James Nuttall and Head of Fashion is Heidi Newton. A new Head of Home will be joining at the end of June, someone with High Street retail experience.

“The strategy is to grow using cash flow from the profitable retail business using a balance of freehold and leasehold acquisitions. We have 600 shareholders and the share price has gone up 160% in 10 years – 85% of that growth in the last five years – and earnings per share have gone up 320%.

“Available cash grows each year as we buy profitable businesses so we can maintain our rate of three centres every year, aiming towards £200m turnover in 10 years. We are also making plans to be able to buy a group like Garden & Leisure if one becomes available.

“I look for AB female customers especially where they are not currently being served by existing retailers and the key for us is to sell products with a point of difference that tonally fit. We pick up a lot of C1's too but you’ve got to have a vision to create something special.

“We are looking at own brand products and special product development.

“I give a retail structure but the empowered local teams take it to a new level, and are rewarded via the annual Blue Diamond Awards. It’s a high pressured business running garden centres – everybody has got to perform so empowerment is very important. I’ve always said we can’t grow if we don’t empower because what will happen is we will lose that extra special something that all the centres give and express and we’ll just turn into something that is a corporate non-entity where customers are bored."

Garden centres are being urged to get involved with the inaugural National Children’s Gardening Week, scheduled for the last week of May, to encourage the gardeners of the future.

 The event is the brainchild of Neil Grant, MD of Ferndale Garden Centre near Sheffield, who is also BBC Radio Sheffield’s garden expert and co-presenter of the weekly garden phone in. He hopes it will become an annual event.

The first National Children's Gardening Week will take place from 23 and 31 May 23, half-term for most of the country’s schools. “Children love growing plants, love being in the garden, but they are often impatient growers, wanting to see instant results,” Grant says. “The event aims to capture children’s enthusiasm at a time when results are immediate. Pretty much throughout the UK children can plant all the popular plants with little fear of weather damage or the need for complicated protective growing. “

For the first year a ‘soft launch’ will allow garden centres to have a go and learn what children and their tag-along adults respond to. “All any garden centre needs to do is put on events, and activities during the week that children can take part in and take home,” Grant explains. This year, contact is via a Facebook page, where anyone can post event details and the results and download a logo.

“I want garden centre to encourage young gardeners in a way that suits their business style and market. The only co-ordination we’d like is to use the logo to make it recognisable as we grow the idea. After that it’s all your own project.

 “There are many reasons why this is not a great week to run events like this, especially as it’s such a busy week for garden centres – but that’s also one of the advantages. Gardening is proving to have many benefits to our lives and if we can encourage gardening and growing at a young age then the health benefits could become part of a healthy life. Apart from that, it is good fun if results are achieved quickly.”

 The initiative has already won the support of the Conservation Volunteers charity, which has licensed the ‘Moshi Monster Gardening’  brand for a range of children’s gardening tools and accessories and has plans to join in.

Neil Grant 07831 382478, 01246 412763 (Ferndale Garden Centre)

Email : neil@ferndalegardencentre.co.uk

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/nationalchildrensgardeningweek

Moshi Monster Gardening: http://www.tcv.org.uk/

April sunshine is encouraging people into action in their gardens, and sales at garden centres are up year on year since Easter 2015, according to GTN Bestsellers.

A few more weeks of improved sales as we move towards May will see cumulative volumes of all garden centre sales lines for the year up on
2014.

Growing Media and Veg-2-Gro cumulative chart sales volumes are already up on 2014 levels indicating a strong desire to get gardening this year.

Provided the weather warms up during May we should see strong garden product sales and garden furniture sales too.

Judging by the sales of Rocky Mountain Mega Marshmallows last week the BBQ season has now started – they would have just made it into the Top 50 if we included sweets in the GTN Charts. Is this the new barometer for the outdoor leisure market?

How are you maximising furniture sales in-store as opposed to losing them to the internet? Let us know and we’ll carry reports in GTN Xtra throughout the season. Email trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

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

• Garden Products – down 7%
• Veg-2-Gro Products – up 55%
• Growing Media – up 12%
• All items index – up 5%

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

Weber have signed Tom and Henry Herbert of TV’s The Fabulous Baker Brothers: A Bite of Britain, to become the faces of their UK Summer campaign – a first for the barbecue brand.

As part of the endorsement, the brothers will be aiming to put the spirit back into the community with the Weber ‘Come on Over’ campaign, which will encourage people to get together with neighbours, friends and family for a barbecue. 

The activity starts in May with a media campaign announcing a nationwide survey and competition. The collaboration sees the foodie brothers develop a series of recipes for Weber, share their hints and tips and create content for on and offline media.

Henry Herbert says he and Tom have used and recommended Weber barbecues for many years. “To be honest our friends already thought we were in partnership.”

Chris Trewhitt, Weber UK marketing manager, said Tom and Henry were an ideal fit for the Weber brand. “They’re great family men and are heavily involved within their local community which fits our ‘Come on Over’ ethos perfectly. They’re also genuine users and believers in our products, even running a Weber Grill Academy at their Hobbs House Bakery, teaching people how you can cook a real variety of food on the barbecue using Weber’s ‘lid on’ cooking methods.”

Weber’s wider  ‘Come on Over’ campaign launched this month with a tailor-made TV advert on terrestrial, satellite and on demand, supported by extensive digital activity including a dedicated interactive microsite. More information will be available on www.weber.com.

The calculator was developed by the ‘P4 Group’, which was set up following a recommendation from the Sustainable Growing Media Taskforce (SGMTF).

Steve Harper, chair of the GMA, said the group had been tasked with developing a tool that could be used to assess the environmental values of growing media. “The result is this ‘calculator’ that enables manufacturers to measure and score seven criteria for the key materials used in products: energy usage, water usage, social compliance, habitat and biodiversity, renewability, pollution and resource use. These scores are combined and weighted to give an overall score for the product.”

Version 1 of the calculator and supporting guidance notes and documents have been published on the HTA website and are ready to be trialled. “A number of GMA members have already nominated materials to test,” Harper added, “and we hope to feed these results back at a launch event on 30 June 2015 at Stoneleigh Park.”

The trial will allow manufacturers to see how the tool works and will guide the setting of benchmarks for the overall scores. Ongoing work to set benchmarks and develop a b2b scheme based on the outputs of the calculator will be taken forward by a new steering group (the Responsible Sourcing Scheme Steering Group). This group has representatives from manufacturers, retailers, government, interest groups and growing media experts and will be meeting on 21 May to take forward P4s work. The intention is to develop a b2b tool for the industry to replace the existing Growing Media Initiative.

Development of a standard methodology for the quality testing of growing media products – another project identified through the work of the SGMTF – is also progressing. A draft based on the results of earlier studies has already been developed and results should be available by mid to late October this year. “These projects demonstrate the industry’s commitment to ensuring we produce growing media that is not only fit for purpose but that is sourced with environmental considerations at its heart,” Harper said

Finally, 2014 data from a project that is mapping peat usage year on year is due to be released towards the end of April. Unusually good weather conditions enabling longer harvest periods last year, so there could be an increase on the previous year. The GMA will review the findings at it summer meeting and will be formulating a response to the Government’s Policy Review which takes place over the summer.

A flower mosaic commemorating 70 years of liberation of the Netherlands by the Allied Forces was unveiled in Lincoln this week, outside Lincoln Cathedral.

The mosaic is part of the ‘Tulips for Liberators’ project set up by the Embassy of the Netherlands in London, along with the naming of  The ‘Liberation Tulip’ in 2014 and a flower mosaic unveiled  at Kew Gardens last week.

The mosaic in Lincoln specifically commemorates Operation Manna, the first humanitarian relief operation by air. RAF Bomber Command played a pivotal part in this operation, whose aim was to relieve the starving population of the occupied western part of the Netherlands. Thanks to Operation Manna, many lives were saved.

The mosaic depicts a Lancaster bomber dropping food parcels. 

Smart Garden Products have named Workforce Agencies Ltd as their winning sales team for 2014 for their performance in in the North West territory, headed by Sam Thornley.

Workforce team MD Neil Williamson said they were delighted to win the inaugural trophy. “The office support and depth of new products we receive is first class and we are really excited about the future,” he added.

Runners-up were ARC Southern Ltd, managing the South East territory, (Andy Roe, Andy Campion and Gary Collins).

Smart Garden Products MD Jonathan Stobart said: ”2014 was a fantastic year for us with the launch of our new brand and over 350 new products. All our sales managers have delivered over and above our expectations and we congratulate them, as well as Workforce Agencies and ARC Southern, for a splendid year.”



Above: Smart Garden Products' winning sales teams.

Graduate Sales Person (ref:DS7257)

Location: England
Salary: £18 to £22k pa
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is a European based plug plant supplier who are looking for a graduate sales person to join their team. The role will be homebased and will cover the north of England and Scotland

• Sales to the existing customer base and potential clients
• Expansion of market position of our company
• Expansion of the range of our products in the sales area
• Support of the customer base in the culture and technical business area as a reliable partner.

Your Profile:

• Affinity with Horticulture is a must
• Commercially strong, performance driven
• Good communication skills and the ability to develop lasting relationships
• Preset sales objectives
• Willing to travel
• Preferably living Mid- to North of England

Please submit your CV in the first instance, or to discuss further call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910

Horticulture Quality Controller (ref:BP7244)

Location: Northamptonshire
Salary: £Competitive - Dependent on Experience 
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is a national group of garden centres with a depot based in Northamptonshire is looking to recruit an experienced quality controller with excellent horticultural knowledge. 

The Role :

• To visit nurseries/growers throughout the year to ensure plant specification sheets are being adhered to and planned crops/inputs are delivered are achieving the requisite quality.
• To collaborate with the buying team to ensure visits are planned in line with inputs and promotions.
• To alleviate and ensure that there are no rejections of crops upon arrival at the Hub or at the Garden centres due to quality issues.
• To complete batch checks and spot checks deliveries at the hub to ensure consistent quality.
• To create the right conditions to develop and upgrade the plant quality to surpass all other plant retailers.
• To build and maintain good working relationships with growers and suppliers.
• To build effective working relationships with the distribution and supply chain teams at both the hub and H.O

The Candidate :

• Preferred with a horticultural background or horticultural qualification
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build and cultivate strong working relationships
• Time management skills
• Ability to work on own initiatives and self-motivator
• Excellent influencing and negotiating skills
• Works well under pressure
• Gains insights into problems and uses initiative and creativeness to deliver solutions.

This is a fantastic role for an experienced horticuturalist who is looking for a new opportunity in a large business, applications encouraged as we are looking to interview in the next few weeks.

Please submit your CV in the first instance, or to discuss further call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530

Plant Buyer (ref:BP7258)

Location: South East England
Salary: Dependent on experience
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

I am looking for a talented procurement professional to join the buying team of a garden centre group based in the south of England. 

I am looking for an experienced individual with a comprehensive knowledge of the UK plant industry to take responsibility for the ranging, negotiation and promotions of close to £10m plant sales.

Quality will be key in this role as well as a keen understanding of seasonality. 

Creative flair through varied range building is required for this role.

Please submit your CV in the first instance, or to discuss further call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530

Technical Manager /Buyer (ref:DS7260)

Location: Suffolk
Salary: £40 to £45K per annum
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is a leading packet seed company who are looking for an enthusiastic, creative and experienced Technical Manager / Buyer to join their team

Description and purpose of role:

• To be responsible for the cost effective purchase of seed and packaging materials to meet agreed company objectives.
• To evaluate new seed lines and make recommendations to the business.
• To oversee all technical, seed buying and storage, seed QC and trials ground activities.

Key duties/responsibilities :

• Responsible for the purchase of seed in a timely and cost effective manner.
• To purchase seed paper packets and liaise with the main supplier to the maximum benefit for the company.
• Demonstrate technical /gardening skills and company product knowledge.
• Develop an annual purchase plan aiming to minimise stocks, and reduce obsolescence and wastage.
• Source new seed products and maintain good relationships with suppliers
• Budget management. To deliver all activity within the agreed budget.
• To ensure the quality of seed and packaging through adequate QC and trialing procedures.
• To maintain an annual growing trial to evaluate stocks and provide marketing support.
• To provide technical support to other departments within the company as appropriate but including sales, marketing and customer services.
• To develop and implement a company-wide plan to push seed product, working with all departments for its execution.

Specific requirements:

• To adhere to company policies and procedures
• To comply with health and safety requirements ensuring your safety and that of your colleagues
• To take on other related duties as required
• To act with professionalism and have a committed approach to your work
• To undertake such training as may be required to fulfil your role in line with company expectations.

Please submit your CV in the first instance or to discuss further call Dianne Saunders at MorePeople on 07929 013910

An online retailer has warned home owners and businesses to be vigilant following two recent thefts of outdoor furniture...

Last month, thieves stole rattan garden furniture, including 20 dining tables and around 100 dining chairs, from a prestigious wedding and conferencing venue in Belper, Derbyshire. Local police believe these stolen goods, worth several thousand pounds, would have required a lorry or vehicle of similar size to haul away.

White stores founder and MD James Whiteley says one of his customers, an award-winning hotel on the south coast of England, had to replace eight rattan loungers this month, at a cost of arond £1600, after thieves posed as staff members during a busy Sunday lunchtime.

"It just goes to prove that these brazen outdoor furniture thieves can strike at any time,” he said.

If you have been offered cheap outdoor garden furniture for sale under suspicious circumstances, you can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Imagery:

A high-resolution photograph of the type of sun lounger recently stolen from White Stores' hotel customer is available for download from:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wnpoa9r8flrb2yh/white-stores-maze-rattan-orlando-sunlounger-set.jpg

Serious growing activity is starting to drive garden product sales as the good weather since Easter continues.

Plant foods, solar lights, bug killers and hanging basket products saw the biggest sales increases while overall GTN Bestsellers Top 50 garden product sales volumes dropped slightly as the schools went back at the end of the Easter break.

Star performers include:

• Scotts Levington Tomorite moves up to No 1 for the first time this year.
• Westland Gro-Sure Super Enriched Tomato Food 1 litre is the highest re-entry with a sales increase of over 200%.
• Gardman Coco liner for hanging baskets jumps 25 places to become the highest climber.

It should be a bumper year for home grown tomatoes. Nineteen of the Top 50 Veg-2-Gro lines are young tomato plants – two more than in the same week last year – and the sales volumes are up by 105%.

From the EPoS data supplied to GTN Bestsellers Quantil young plants continue to outsell all other Veg-2-Gro lines as we move through April.

Star performers include:

• Tomato Chocolate Cherry is the highest new entry at No 46.
• Tomato Gardeners Delight continues at No 1.
• Tomato Tumbling Tom Yellow is the highest climber, up 17 places.

Growing Media Top 50 Bestsellers sales volumes for April are up 10% on last year, reversing the minus 10% volume sales in March.

If the good weather holds we could be in for a record April in the growing media stakes, which bodes well for all gardening activity for the rest of the year.

Star performers this week include:

• Shamrock Multipurpose compost is the highest chart climber, up 27 places.
• Scotts Levington Original Gro bags move up 3 places to No 2.
• Growise Multi-purpose with John Innes, 56 litres, is the highest re-entry to the Top 50.

A wildlife-friendly gardening competition sponsored by The Gardens Group will add weight to Defra’s national pollinator strategy this summer.

Judges of this year’s competition, which is organised by Dorset Wildlife Trust,  will give extra credit to entrants who create a particularly inviting haven for pollinating insects.

The annual competition champions Dorset gardeners who attract wildlife, no matter what the size of their space. This year judges will be looking out for nectar-rich plants, bee houses, log piles and other special habitats, as well as a record of the pollinators that visit the garden.

The winning gardens will be announced in July at Castle Gardens Sherborne, when Dr David Aplin, director of Botanical Values, will give a talk on the weird and wonderful world of plants that partner with other organisms.

Joy Wallis, community conservation officer at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “Gardens are often far less toxic to insects than the intensively farmed countryside, and we want to encourage all gardeners to think of their gardens as havens for pollinating insects.”

Mike Burks, MD of The Gardens Group added: “Pollinators are extremely important for maintaining biodiversity and also in supporting food production. Thankfully you don’t need a huge garden to create a wildlife haven, that’s why we have different categories for garden size and even for community spaces.”

Picture: Honey Bee by Ken Dolbear MBE

The Edible Garden Show returns to its launch venue – Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire – in 2016 after a two-year run at Alexandra Palace. It will run alongside the ‘Good Life Live’ lifestyle event.

Event Director Geraldine Reeve  said that although visitor numbers had risen by more than 20 per cent at Alexandras Palace, a large proportion of the audience was still the loyal following from Stoneleigh.  “We’ve received lots of feedback from both visitors and exhibitors that indicate they would like the show to return to Stoneleigh,” she added.

Most visitors travel around 1.5 hours to visit the show.

Taking place from, and remaining at the start of the growing season, The 2016 show (11-13 March) will again offer a mix of advice and stands as well as showcasing a broader range of outdoor living experiences.

 Good Life Live was added this year, to offer more interactive features as well as entertainment for the family.

TV presenter James Wong, who has been a celebrity speaker at The Edible Garden Show since its launch in 2011, will continue to appear. 

Squire’s Garden Centres donated 75 packs of salad seeds to Surrey County Council for their recent “create a salad dish” competition.

Julie Nelson (Public Health lead at Surrey County Council) and two children’s rights apprentices picked up the seeds from  the Squire’s centre in Woking.

The competition is for looked-after children - living with foster parents or in residential homes in Surrey.  The children and their carers need to grow their salad leaves, create a dish with them and submit a photograph of the dish at the end of May. The winning dish will receive a ticket to a theme park.

Sarah Squire, deputy chairman at Squire’s, said: “We are delighted to support Surrey County Council in this gardening initiative, and look forward to seeing the winning salad dish!”

Above (left to right): Julie Nelson, Lesley Brannigan (children’s rights apprentice), Sue Moscrop (Squire’s assistant manager), Sophia Hamilton (children’s rights apprentice).

Europe’s leading designer and manufacturer of wildlife products is heading to America for the very first time to exhibit at the National Hardware Show.

Based in Gloucestershire, UK, Wildlife World has distributed its products for many years to the American market which has built them a widespread customer base across the States.

Wildlife World offers innovative and sustainable products for a large range of wildlife species and will be displaying a variety of its products for birds, bees and amphibians at the show.

The National Hardware Show is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Centre at the beginning of May hosting over 2,500 exhibitors across 15 major product categories, including garden and outdoor living, plumbing and electrical and pet products to name a few. The event gives merchants the opportunity to meet and connect with the people behind the popular brands, who will be introducing their latest innovations to the market.

James Allan, Marketing Manager at Wildlife World UK, commented, “It is really exciting for us to be exhibiting at the National Hardware Show for the very first time. Over the years our customer-base has expanded rapidly to include the American market and we are very much looking forward to going out there and showing them more of what we have to offer.”

Wildlife World will be introducing to its visitors a range of its products, including the award winning Urban Bird Feeder along with the rest of the contemporary and stylish range, including a bird nest box, insect hotel and bee nester. The Urban Bird Feeder has recently won the European Consumer’s Choice award for its innovative design and ease of use.

Designed for those living in cities with very little outdoor space or in an apartment with a balcony, the Urban City range encourages wildlife to feed and provides habitats where natural resources may not be available. As with all of Wildlife Worlds products, the Urban City range reflects the company’s environmental ethics as it is constructed using the sustainable Clayplas+ material, a composite material comprising clay and recycled plastic.

James Allan commented again, “We understood that some wildlife products are too large for urban gardens which inspired us to create a product range that can be used specifically for these areas. The Urban City range has proven very popular in Europe and we feel confident that it will be equally accepted in the US. It is definitely an attractive range and can be used in gardens of any shape or size.”

Other bird boxes and feeders will be available for visitors to explore on Wildlife World’s stand, as well as many of its products for solitary bees and amphibians. The company has used FSC certified, sustainable timber to create a number of habitats for the harmless species, including the popular Kinsman and Solitary beehives and a range of pollinator houses.

Wildlife World’s habitats for amphibians include its Frogilo and Frogitat frog and toad houses. The discreet, ceramic shelters provide valuable protection to frogs, toads and other amphibians from predators and have been designed to offer a habitat suitable for all weather conditions.

Operating from a local farm in rural Gloucestershire, the company hand-craft and test each of its products to ensure that all species gain the fullest benefit from the design, before releasing it to the market. Its commitment to the environment and research into its products has gained Wildlife World an excellent reputation as one of Europe’s market leaders, with hopes to extend this into the US.

Further information is available from Wildlife World on +44 1666 505333, by emailing james@wildlifeworld.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.wildlifeworld.co.uk

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

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

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2012 as well as 2013 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 Veg-2-Gro 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.

Charles Campion, food critic and MasterChef judge, has been announced as the Keynote Speaker on day one of the HTA Catering Conference 2015, which takes place on June 9-10 at The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.    

After spending a successful fifteen years in the advertising industry, Charles and his wife, bought a ruined mansion in Buxton, Derbyshire, and set about turning it into a luxury hotel and restaurant, taking on the role of head chef himself. As interest rates doubled and the recession bit home, the only ray of sunshine was general acclaim for the food - unfortunately this was not enough to stop the enterprise failing. Charles used this as an opportunity to reinvent himself as a food writer and has written about food and restaurants in the London Evening Standard for nearly twenty years.

He has appeared on Food and Drink on BBC2, Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef, Professional MasterChef, and the BBC’s One Show. He was also co-host of a major series on Sky – “The Greatest Dishes of the World”.

Charles will give an insight into what makes a great garden centre catering outlet and how to make your establishment stand out from the competition. He will share anecdotes and ‘his rules to dine by’, helping you to understand better how to give your customers the best experience.

Sarah Dunning, Chief Executive of The Westmorland Family, will be our second keynote speaker on day two, alongside Valentine Warner.

Sarah started running the family business in 2005, after several years of working in the City for NM Rothschild and as a headhunter. Primarily Sarah sees herself as the champion of The Westmorland Families values, ensuring that they are the compass for everything that the business undertakes. She loves food and constantly strives to strengthen the business’ food approach through its homemade food and its relationship with its many artisan and local producers.

Sarah will talk about the challenges they have been through in moving from one site to two and how they have approached sourcing local suppliers, their values and principals and how these differentiate them from other motorway service stations. Sarah will cover how they appeal to both locals and passers-by.

The two day conference, complete with conference dinner and exhibition, and sponsored by Vision Commercial Kitchens, will cover hot topics that impact garden centre catering and will take place in both conference and workshop format. There will be plenty of time for networking, with the conference exhibition providing a great opportunity to meet with catering product suppliers.

Booking for the HTA Catering Conference 2015 is now open, please go to www.cateringconference.co.uk

Over 9,200 natural and organic industry professionals were out in force last weekend, over 19-20 April, as ExCeL London was transformed into a vibrant showcase of the very best in natural and organic products at Natural & Organic Products Europe. 

Boasting a fresh new look to accompany its move to ExCeL London for 2015, Europe’s biggest trade show for natural, organic, fair trade, free-from, vegan, vegetarian, and eco-living brands, combined a bustling 600-strong exhibition with a packed programme of focused seminars and live cooking demonstrations. 

Fantastic, impressive, amazing, exceptional, and wonderful – is just some of the feedback received from attendees so far; with many describing the 2015 edition as taking the event to “the next level”.  Around 89% of surveyed visitors have rated their experience as excellent/good, with 95% planning to return next year. 

“The reaction to this year’s show has been overwhelmingly positive,” says event director Carol Dunning from organiser Diversified Communications UK.  “Having been at Olympia for 16 years, moving the show to ExCeL was a huge move for us and our industry, and I’m delighted to say that it has worked out to be the right home for our show, and the right place to reflect the growing importance of the natural and organic industry. 

“The support from the industry has been tremendous and integral to the success of this year’s event.  There was such a fantastic ‘buzz’ across the show floor and the feedback we’ve received so far from many of our exhibitors and visitors is that they loved the new venue, and enjoyed the proximity of all the hotels, cafés, bars and restaurants creating a real campus feel, which is unique to ExCeL. 

“Big thanks must go to all our exhibitors, visitors, speakers, supporters, and association partners for embracing the show – we’re already looking forward to planning next year’s event for them!”

“Exceptional show and quality of visitors.  We were anxious about the move from Olympia to ExCeL this year, but the health stores didn't disappoint and came along in crowds.  See you again next year,” says Cheryl Thallon, founder of Viridian Nutrition.

“This year’s Natural & Organic Products Europe was a great success for us, from securing an award to establishing trade contacts with key retailers and distributors in the industry.  There is no other show like it in the UK – the atmosphere and people were great and we had a ball!” says Leigh Prideaux, managing director of BodyMe Ltd.

“We were particularly impressed with the show this year - the interest from visitors was overwhelming, with our seven staff just managing to keep up with the swarms of retailers making enquiries. The visitors were friendly, inquisitive and ready to buy!  Basically – a winning weekend all-round!” says Bella Willink, co founder of inSpiral Visionary Products.

“Natural & Organic Products Europe was one of the best shows we have attended this year!  We are looking forward to next year already!” says Lia Duffy, international sales and marketing, VerMints Organic Breath Mints and Pastilles.

“It was a great show.  We met some amazing retailers and distributors,” says    Susie Mills, sales & marketing manager UK & EU at INIKA Cosmetics,

Big name buyers pack the aisles

Renowned for attracting key buyers, decision makers and influencers from across the food, beauty, health and eco-label categories, the show’s aisles were packed with a ‘who’s who’ of the sector – including well-known operators like  Superdrug, Waitrose, Ocado, Aldi, Co-op, M&S, Holland and Barrett, Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic, Infinity Foods, Harrods, Victoria Health, LoveLula, Big Green Smile, John Bell & Croyden, Lloyds Pharmacy, Glossybox, The Body Shop, Abel & Cole, Costco, BaxterStorey, Sodexo, Mad&Vin, SOK, Life Europe AB, Biocoop, Helsemin, and Carrefour. 

They were joined by thousands of independent retailers and foodservice buyers, distributors, wholesalers, importers, and exporters, plus specialist and organic shop owners from all across the UK.  As in previous years, the show also attracted a large contingent of international buyers from 84 countries (up 7% from 2014).  The Hosted Buyer programme (sponsored by Higher Living) meanwhile enjoyed a 75% increase in uptake, attracting 70 buyers from leading supermarkets, department stores and high street chains, wholesalers and importers from across Europe and beyond.

“We’ve really enjoyed the show and got a lot out of it.  If you’re in the natural and organic world, this show is something that you’ve got to do – everyone gets something from it.  We’ll definitely be back next year,” says Mark Bazeley, buyer at Infinity Foods.

“It’s amazing – I've learnt so much today.  Everything I need to see and know about is here in one place,” says retailer Clare Thomas from Wholefoods of Newport.

“Natural & Organic Products is one of the highlights of our year.  We spent a very busy two days at the show and still had more to see!  The show is a brilliant opportunity to learn about and try new products, as well as catching up with existing suppliers.  We have come back buzzing with new ideas for Amaranth and lots of new contacts.  We will definitely be back next year!” says Joanne Hill, owner of Amaranth, which was recently named Best Independent Retailer at The Natural and Organic Awards 2015. 

“The show was really spectacular, lots of buzz, lots of innovations and a really excellent environment.  It's the place to go for exciting news on all things natural!  I can't miss it and always spend two days solidly trawling the stands and talking... talking... talking... about what's new!" says Lynn Cardy, wellbeing writer at Woman & Home Magazine.

New Products Showcase

As ever, the show’s New Products Showcase was a hive of activity – and for the first port of call for many visiting buyers.  Featuring a record total of 325 entries for 2015, showcase visitors voted for their favourites on Sunday 19 April.  The winning exhibitors were presented with their trophies at the industry’s prestigious Natural and Organic Awards later that night. 

This year’s winning products included Mint Choc Chip Protein Snack by Pulsin’ (food); Kale-os – kale crisps by InSpiral Visionary Products (organic food); Coyo Cherry Coconut Milk Yoghurt distributed by Marigold Health Foods (special diet); BodyMe Matcha Tea by BodyMe Ltd (drink); PRO-30 Max by Natures Aid (health & nutrition); 100% Organic Liquid Iron by Viridian Nutrition (organic product); Royal Jelly Body Butter by Savannah Bee Company (natural beauty & spa); and Humble Brush by Humble Brush (natural living & home).

The new UK Juicing Championships 2015

Audience participation was also key to the show’s first ever UK Juicing Championships, sponsored by Juico.  Open to professional juicers from across the country, nine contestants battled their way through a series of exciting live heats to make it to the grand final.  Calan McIntosh from Crussh Fit Food & Juice Bars won out.  Impressing the judges – Arthur Potts Dawson, Christine Bailey, Scott McArthur, and Dale Pinnock – with Crussh’s winning juice Lean Green + (made by combining zingy pineapple, pear, apple and kiwi with Swiss chard, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce and parsley).  Aside from winning the wealth of industry kudos, Calan – the nation’s top juicer – took away the prize of a Juico juicer and knife set worth over £400.  The runners-up were Richard Brookes from Spark Juice in London and reigning British Smoothie Champion Indy Wilson-Fish from Juicafe in Lancaster.

Calan McIntosh, Crussh’s project manager, faced some stiff competition through the three competing heats.  Calan says: “The Lean Green + is a great green juice, and provides a delicate balance of fresh wholesome flavours.  It’s based on the juice, of the same name, that we sell in our stores.  Having said that, you never know what your competitors will produce on the day, and the competition represented some of the best in the country, all of whom presented their very best juice product.  I’m delighted to have won!”

The next edition of Natural & Organic Products Europe will take place on 17-18 April 2016 at ExCeL London.  For more information, please visit www.naturalproducts.co.uk

Gluten-free experts Glebe Farm, based near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, have launched a 'free-from' bakery food service range to garden centres.

"Nothing lures a customer into a café than the smell of freshly baked bread," said Rebecca Rayner, of Glebe Farm. "But how do you offer bread when your customer cannot eat wheat!

"To date few gluten and wheat free bakery ranges have looked appetising or even taste good. Now Glebe Farm has launched a 'free-from' bakery food service range. The offerings included white and brown sliced loaves, dinner and ‘sub’ rolls and more. 

"In your café you can now offer soup and a gluten free roll or make up freshly made free from sandwiches or a bacon roll.

"For something sweet, there are mouth-watering gluten free tulip style cupcakes, moist lemon drizzle cake and chocolate cake with butter icing amongst others.

For more information on Glebe Farm  call 01487 773282 or visit www.glebefarmfoods.co.uk