The next Garden Re-Leaf day will be on Friday 27 March 2015 so now’s the time to start planning your events to gain extra publicity at the start of the season, have some fun and raise money for Greenfingers too.

From 2015, the day, now firmly established in the horticultural calendar, will be known as the Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day, with a new logo to reflect the name change. Greenfingers has been the benefiting charity since the event’s inception and the changes aim to reinforce the charitable focus and its significance in Greenfingers fundraising strategy.

Deborah Skillicorn, Greenfingers Charity Director, said: “Garden Re-Leaf Day has become much more than a small fundraiser – it has become a nationwide event, bringing in valuable new supporters from the gardening industry, and helping us to realise more magical gardens for children in hospices across the country.  So this year, we have made a conscious decision to reinforce our commitment to making Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day 2015 the best yet.”

Greenfingers is dedicated to creating much needed gardens at children’s hospices around the UK, providing well designed, stimulating spaces for children with life-limiting conditions, and their families, to enjoy. It is hoped funds raised from Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day 2015 will help create new gardens for many more hospices, including ones in Huddersfield, Kent and Sunderland.

This year’s activities raised £60,000, with events such as the celebrity quiz and the Loose Change promotion - both of which will return for 2015 - joined by a raft of new ideas to help retailers get the most out of the event.

Now is the time for retailers, suppliers and manufacturers to plan their events for March 2015. So take advantage of ideas like these from the Greenfingers team.

Get Planting

Garden Re-Leaf Day is the gardening industry’s main event, so remind everyone where it begins by launching a family sunflower planting event, or even a cress head competition.  Photos of cress heads will be uploaded to social media sites via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, and using the hashtag #GRLcresshead

Get Baking  

With the popularity of baking at an all time high, having a baking competition and selling the entries to customers could raise funds - and prove a very tasty idea!

Get Sporty

After all those cakes, you’ll need an exercise bike in your centre to work off the extra pounds!  Healthy, morale boosting and teambuilding – this is a great way of involving as many people as possible, creating a spectacle and encouraging customers to donate. Why not set the overall distance target to be the same as:

*          Cycling to other centres in your group

*          Cycling to your top 5 suppliers (get them to sponsor their leg!)

*          Cycling from your head office to Greenfingers head office in Buckinghamshire

Get thinking

By hosting the ever-popular Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day quiz you can put on a fantastic evening event using a pack provided containing everything you need to set it up.

Get selling

Garden Re-Leaf’s Loose Change promotion got off to a good start last year, but there is still a need for more suppliers to get involved.  For retailers this is a great opportunity to set up a high profile stand of promotions with your favourite manufacturers.

Garden Re-Leaf Day founder, Boyd Douglas-Davies who recently became a trustee at Greenfingers, said: “March 27 is the perfect date for Garden Re-Leaf Day. Not only is it the last Friday of the month, payday for most people, and when they will be most likely to donate - it also comes one week before Easter. So from a purely retail point of view, this is an unmissable opportunity to get customers in your store a week earlier and prolong the peak season.”

After an average August we now really need an above average September to keep year-on-year increased momentum rolling towards Christmas.

Bulbs have started to sell through well and this week’s GTN Bestsellers charts indicate a general increase in gardening activity. But the past two years have seen a good start to September and then sales drift way back to August levels.

The question maybe: Are we doing enough to promote September gardening sales, or are we so focused on getting ready for Christmas that we let things slip through the shopping trolleys?

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

Garden Products – up 5%  

Veg 2 Gro – down 32%

Growing Media – down 21%

All items index – down 10%

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers, the only weekly sales information source for garden products, email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or follow the links below:

The HTA have confirmed their ongoing support for Glee with a new three-year agreement.

Matthew Mein, Glee’s event manager said: “The expertise that they, as an association, can bring to the show is invaluable and will help us to further develop Glee’s role as the key annual event for the garden industry. Glee has gone through a number of changes ahead of the 2014 show, and having the HTA’s ongoing support has been vital in many aspects of this development.  I believe having the HTA by our side for the next three years will enable us to further strengthen Glee’s long-term future as the unrivalled annual platform for the garden industry to meet, do business, share retailing best practice and address the key issues that are facing us all.”  

This new agreement will see Glee and the HTA work closely together to share and develop ideas that will benefit both Glee’s audience and HTA members.  From improved access and support around attending Glee, to increased visibility at the show, this renewed partnership is designed to add value across the board.

Carol Paris, chief executive at the HTA said: “Glee remains the foremost UK trade event for manufacturers and suppliers of garden goods and equipment, and as such we felt it was vital to ensure that the HTA and its members maintains a close working relationship with the show. I look forward to working with the team over the coming years, to build a bigger, brighter future for Glee and our members.”

There are a number of HTA-supported features at Glee 2014.  As in previous years, the HTA will be driving the content within Glee’s dedicated seminar theatre.  Key themes for discussion will include attracting younger audiences to garden centres, the customer experience, and what will the garden centre of 2020 look like.

New for 2014 will be the inclusion of the HTA CRoP (cost reduction) programme, which entitles HTA members to huge savings through the arrangements set up with a range of partner organisations. From insurance and utilities to telecoms and PR services, the deals are there to be optimised. To find out more, interested parties should visit the HTA stand (hall 20, stand F10) to meet a number of these partners, including 2 Circles, Alpha Packaging, Barclaycard, Cardway Cartons Ltd, Citation, Ecovision, Fedden USP, Fuel Card People, Garden Radio, Cadantis/Energy Centric (HTA Utilities), Ice Cream World, Paskett PR, PHP (HTA Healthcare Services), Salepoint, Specialist Waste Recycling (SWR), Towergate Allseasons (HTA Insurance Services).

Completing the offering will be the HTA’s sponsorship of the newly introduced Leaders for Change lunch.  This exclusive event, backed also by GIMA, has been set up to bring together the gardening sector’s most dynamic supplier and retail CEOs and association figureheads. This year’s event will feature Homebase’s Paul Loft as keynote speaker.

For comprehensive Glee 2014 news, don't miss the Glee Daily News e-newsletter piublished by GTN Xtra. Click on this link.

Wholesalers Stax Trade Centres return to Glee this month  for the third year running (hall 19, stand F54).

They will be launching new products in  their own quality Ambassador brand, including garden tools, bird feeders and bird food, garden netting, fabrics and screens. There will be special show deals.

The new collection of Ambassador natural FSC ash-handle tools is available with stainless steel and carbon steel heads. Like their new quality lightweight aluminium long-handled tools, they carry a 10-year guarantee.

The new Ambassador wild bird care lines includes feeders and feeding stations, plus high-energy bird food including nuts, seeds, fat and suet suitable for use all year round.

The popularity of the Ambassador brand in garden centres since its launch two years ago has led to to a steady stream of new launches.

Purchase director Simon Wright says the brand represents quality and a name customers can trust, as well as products guaranteed to boost profit margins. “We continually review our suppliers, working hard to continue to improve the quality of the brand. In response to demand we have expanded the range and think that the products we’re launching at this year’s Glee will prove extremely popular,” he added.

Stax are also an official distributor of refreshingly different Pagoda design-led garden furniture.

Visitors to the stand can benefit from extra discounts on pre season composite deals on top brands including; Bayer, Scotts, Vitax, Town & Country and STV, with orders delivered by the end of February 2015 and payment not due until the end of April 2015.

There are two significant chilli movers in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart.  Farplants Chilli Pepper Razzamatazz (pictured left) is the highest new entry at No 8.  Unwins Gro-Sure Chilli Kit has jumped 26 places to No 13 to become this week’s highest chart climber. 

Thompson & Morgan have the highest re-entry at No 4 with their Broad Bean Crimson Flower and have seen their Pea Rondo make its first appearance in the Top 50.

Eucomis ‘Pineapple Princess Glitter’, bred by New World Plants is an exclusive offered by Wyevale Nurseries.

The nursery’s sales and marketing director Adam Dunnett says that, although exotic to look at, it’s surprisingly easy to grow, particularly for containers.

The strong burgundy flower stem is crowned with a tuft of leaves, the dark flower buds open to a rose and cream with golden stamens, which glitter, adding a real sparkle.

 “The long, elegant, dark green/burgundy foliage has a lovely crinkled edge, which is reason enough to stock this plant, and the foliage does compliment the flower extremely well,” he says.

Eucomis thrives in a sunny position and will will survive winters in the southern parts of the UK, but will require protection elsewhere, or moving those in containers to a sheltered position. SRP is £12.99.” 

Our client is a leading UK retailer looking to appoint an experienced horticulture Buyer to contribute to the garden plant 3 year plan.  

With a horticultural/plant science background, you will have expert live product knowledge and an understanding of the plant types consumers wish to buy to help decorate their homes and landscape their gardens.  

You will have experience in product development by analysing and translating consumer trends and have strong supplier relationships to follow through on this NPD process.  

Having financial responsibility for each product category, you will be accountable for the sales budget and subsequent forecasts.  

Stakeholder management will be key as you plan customer focussed and profitable range plans.  

You will have strong buying skills, a strategic outlook and be a natural influencer/motivator. 

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a dynamic and customer focussed company where you will be able to make a large impact across the organisation through your well researched promotional plans.     

Please call 01780 480530 and speak to Gillian Muir or apply with your CV quoting reference #6607 to info@morepeople.co.uk

Our client is an award winning mailorder / e-commerce business who have a high and longstanding reputation of providing the amateur gardener with outstanding varieties of fruit and vegetables. They are currently seeking a top buyer who can buy, range plan and category manage. Someone who is retail commercial aware and can build on their current success and continue to stimulate growth in the 'Grow your own' sector. 

The ideal candidate will have considerable experience within the e-commerce and or retail buying. Have experience within the live plants and horticultural sector and preferable at chain or supermarket level. Must be a superb team leader who can lead from the front.

Please call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910 or apply with your CV quoting reference 6536 to info@morepeople.co.uk

A buyer is being sought to join the seasonal team at this leading UK retailer's Head Office.  

Responsible for various garden and leisure products, you will be responsible for contributing to the category strategies by working closely with the supply base and Merchandising teams to deliver on the sales budget.  

A quick thinker and with an eye for innovative development, you will be instrumental in determining the category promotional plans by interpreting the customer insight data with the Marketing team.  

A dynamic and strong negotiator, you will build strong relationships with suppliers as you set and agree trading terms.  

You will have a passion for retail and the ability to work on short, medium and long term plans.  

You will be joining a very dynamic and multi-channel retailer as they continually strive to develop and deliver their product offerings to their well researched consumer base.   

Please call 01780 480530 and speak to Gillian Muir or apply with your CV, quoting reference #6600 to info@morepeople.co.uk

Our client is an award winning mailorder / e-commerce business who have a high and longstanding reputation of providing the amateur gardener with outstanding varieties of fruit and vegetables.

They are currently seeking a Junior Buyer to form part of their buying team. Ideally someone from a good horticultural background who is keen and driven and can work within this fast paced business that buys seeds, onion sets, live-plants and garden sundries for a catalogue driven market. 

The ideal candidate will have 2-3 years post college experience within a retail or commercial horticultural business. Experience of buying is desirable but not essential. Good IT and communication skills.

Please call Dianne Saunders on 07929 013910 or apply with your CV quoting reference 6537 to info@morepeople.co.uk

 
Sales of growing media are significantly up on last week, and noticeably higher than the same period in 2012 but down on last year. 

Arthur Bowers Multipurpose Compost (56 litres) has had a storming week to retain top spot. 

Arthur Bowers also have the highest new entry in Perlite Small, and another newcomer in Ericaceous Compost (10 litres) 

Westland Bulb Planting Compost (20 litres) is the highest re-entry.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers, the only weekly sales information source for garden products and see the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 charts in full, email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or follow the link below:

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 upto 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.