Blogs
Garden centre customers update their wardrobes for new season
THE NEW autumn/winter season saw garden centre customers stocking up on warm clothing and accessories during September (2017) according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade (BoT) report.
Total sales in clothing departments across GCA member centres was up 32.24% compared to the same month last year (2016).
Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, said: “It’s no surprise that as the weather began to turn, customers at our member garden centres stocked up on cold and wet weather gear in preparation. These days it’s not just gardening attire…
Pooch & Mutt Use Body Painted Models To Expose Issues In The Pet Food Industry
Pooch & Mutt, the makers of “Health Food for Dogs with Nothing to hide”, have enlisted the help of four models body-painted as dogs, a top music producer and an award-winning film director to highlight some of the problems with the pet food industry.
Whilst naked models body-painted as dogs might not be the obvious way to talk about pet health and nutrition, there is a need to do something different when 87% of the £34m* spent on pet food advertising in the UK is controlled by the confectionery giants Mars and Nestle.
What is there to expose? As Pooch & Mutt point…
Wide range of garden items sought by German and Romanian buyers at Gardenex ‘Meet the International Buyers’ event on 30th November
Buyers from a specialist German online retailer and mail order company that specialises in British products, as well as garden distributors from Germany and Romania (each with an online presence too) will be travelling to the UK on 30 November 2017 to meet with UK suppliers.
The Romanian company is not only looking to extend its offering in its home market, but also plans to extend online sales into some neighbouring markets in south-eastern and central Europe. The two buyers will be participating in the latest ‘Meet the International Buyers’ event which offers…
1Bonnetts Garden Village to Open Christmas Shop
Bonnetts Garden Village is to open its main store on Saturday 11th November,
having traded since late May in plants, the ‘Garden Village’ is now
really taking shape!
Phase 2 of the main store, that will open its doors this Saturday will
feature the most extensive Christmas display in the area, with several themes
from Scandinavian, through traditional Red and Gold to Woodland, and more. A
full range of indoor and outdoor lighting, as well as artificial trees are
included within the department, with fresh potted Christmas trees…
Holly and Mistletoe Auctions return to Burford Garden Store for the festive season
A historic Christmas tradition is returning to Burford House Garden Store as they welcome back the UK’s largest and most popular Holly and Mistletoe Auctions for the third year.
The Tenbury Wells store, part of Hillview Garden Centres, will host the world-famous auctions which are held annually on the last Tuesday of November and the first two Tuesdays of December (28th November, 5th and 12th December).
Dating back to the Victorian times, the mistletoe plant is very important to the people of Tenbury for many centuries. Mistletoe is abundant on the many…
Geoff gets growing his tash again for Hereford hospice
A MEMBER of staff at one of the UK’s leading nurseries is this month (November, 2017) growing a moustache in aid of a hospice in Hereford.
Geoff Godsall, who has worked at Wyevale Nurseries for 30 years and is currently a Trading Foreman, will be growing a moustache for the second year running to fundraise for St Michael’s Hospice.
Geoff, who is 64-years-old and lives in Hereford, said: “I chose to support St Michael’s Hospice again this year as it’s such a vital local charity. It offers a fantastic service to the community during particularly hard times. Both…
Haskins Garden Centre celebrates its biggest Christmas
Haskins has launched its largest Christmas department to date in its West End centre, Southampton.
The popular garden centre group anticipates welcoming 1 million visitors to its four centres across a three month lead up to Christmas. The West End centre is already experiencing a higher number of visitors drawn to its extended Christmas department in comparison to previous years’ figures.
The West End centre has improved its Christmas offering by making it more spacious and extending it to span both sides of the centre’s entrance. The centre uses visual…
GIMA ‘Garden & Giftware Meet the Buyer’ event coming to Longacres
Continuing its successful programme of Buyer Connect events GIMA has confirmed that it has teamed up with Longacres – the UK’s largest independent garden centre – to hold a special speed networking event with the buying team from this garden retailer.
The family owned group of garden centres currently consists of four centres, with the flagship Bagshot store retaining the title ‘highest turnover garden centre in the UK’ for the last seven years. With an ambitious expansion plan, Longacres owner, Nigel Long, is keen to meet with new and exciting garden and giftware suppliers to…
The family owned group of garden centres currently consists of four centres, with the flagship Bagshot store retaining the title ‘highest turnover garden centre in the UK’ for the last seven years. With an ambitious expansion plan, Longacres owner, Nigel Long, is keen to meet with new and exciting garden and giftware suppliers to…
Preparing your garden for Bonfire Night
Bonfire night is fast approaching and whilst it can be one of the most fun nights of the year it can
also be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. There are plenty of flammable items found
in your garden that you may not have even considered. So, here are some top tips to prepare your
garden for a fun and safe fireworks night with all your friends and family.
If you’re planning on hosting your own fireworks party, then the first thing to do is ensure you have
enough space in your garden. Read instructions carefully, and ensure you…
PKL Helps Petersham Nurseries #CookForSyria at Covent Garden Event
PKL gave a helping hand to Petersham Nurseries on October 25th to help them put on a remarkable charity event in aid of the #CookForSyria campaign.
The supper club, for national press and digital influencers, took place in Petersham Nurseries’ new Covent Garden interiors store and delicatessen. Featuring inspiring recipes from the #CookForSyria cookbook, the evening was a fantastic success for the campaign and for Petersham Nurseries including their team of chefs led by Executive Chef Damian Clisby and Syrian restaurateur Imad Alarnab .
The success was even more…
Smart Garden Products expand their award-winning team
In October 2017, due to the continued growth of their rapidly expanding Export business, Smart Garden Products welcomed two new employees to their award-winning team based in Abingdon.
Following her recent promotion, Elvire Beugin was delighted to recruit Silvia Staudenmaier and Sabrina Laloui. Coming from a diverse range of backgrounds, they will be able to utilise their valuable experience to help promote and support the Smart business in continental Europe.
Jonathan Stobart, Managing Director of Smart Garden Products says of the recent recruitment…
Zest employees clock up over 3,400 miles for charity
Employees from Zest 4 Leisure, a leading trade supplier of quality timber furniture, have covered over 3,400 miles this year, raising in excess of £15,000 for Cancer Research UK, its chosen charity for 2017.
Running, swimming and cycling, employees have taken part in a variety of challenges, the latest of which saw 45 people complete the Flintshire 10k Run.
In addition to this, 23 people successfully completed the Chester Marathon and 25 employees did the Manchester Marathon. Not to be outdone, Managing Director Steve Morgan and John Vaughan, Fencing & Timber…
Worrall Cup for garden centres launched for 2017
THE GARDEN Centre Association (GCA) has launched its Worrall Cup competition this month (November, 2017) that is designed to find the member garden centre with the best marketing expertise.
The garden centre with the best marketing campaign or initiative will be awarded the prestigious cup during the GCA’s annual conference in Stratford-upon-Avon from January 21 until 24, 2018.
Chief Executive of the GCA, Iain Wylie, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for members to win a prestigious award, where both flair and commercial success are rewarded.
…
Non-stop growth at Farplants sees key promotion
Following strong growth this year for the nursery co-operative Farplants, Andy Merrick has been promoted to Head of Sales.
Andy Merrick, previously the Garden Centre Sales Manager for the West Sussex based plant wholesaler, has been appointed to Head of Sales to continue the company’s growth plans. Since joining in 1999, he has progressed within sales and account management to manage the sales team and provide support to Farplants’ garden retailing customers.
Merrick has been an integral part of the Farplants product development team who have made over 1000…
How to prepare your front garden for trick or treaters
Not long now! The weekends over and the neighbourhood kids are planning their costumes at this moment to surprise you at your door. Is your house Halloween ready? If you’re not sure, then read on for a quick step guide through prepping your front garden for the arrival of trick or treaters.
Preparing the doorway
The first point of call for little Halloween goers is the door. Decorating your door is the first step in preparing your home for Halloween. The spookier the better! You can use anything from fake spiders and cobwebs to ghost doorway hangers and posters, to create…
Don’t let Halloween be a hair raiser for your dog
Following the recent release of the film It starring everyone’s favourite clown Pennywise – it’s clear we’re a nation that loves to be scared.
And as we head towards Halloween, houses will be adorned with scary spooks and costumes will be donned as people hide behind masks in order to shock their friends and neighbours.
Whilst this is a bit of fun for many people, our pet dogs can sometimes find this distressing – especially if they are part of the outfit! If your dog is nervous around strangers imagine opening the door to a masked ghoul or being around groups of excited…