Features

Over the past 10 years, Pictur-esque have established a solid reputation for high quality blank cards and Christmas cards, designed by Yorkshire photographer Charlotte Gale. Blank Cards Pictur-esque’s blank card ranges prove popular with garden centres, farm and gift shops. 
Charlotte’s vibrant and creative style ensures that her designs have a strong point of sale impact and naturally lend themselves to this type of retail environment. The versatility of the ranges and their suitability for a wide variety of occasions, means that they are also a firm favourite with 
customers -…

Copdock Mill is a family-run business with over a century of trading expertise, manufacturing and supplying premium quality foods for cage and wild birds, poultry and household pets such as dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. Today, the company also supplies its own specialist fishing bait and essential foods and bedding products for the equine industry. Established in 1912 by Herbert George Gladwell, Copdock Mill originally started as a country mill. The family run business continues today, whilst diversifying to produce and supply premium quality animal food supplies and accessories to…

Formbar stock traditional and modern, innovative trolleys and baskets so Garden Centres can give a true impression of their brand values from the first moment a customer arrives. We have a range of trolleys that are suitable in garden centres and our customers love. We have a traditional wire garden centre trolleys that your customers will be familiar with as well as some unique new products. We stock plastic Polycart trolleys and garden centres tend to love the plastic flatbed and the small 78 litre trolley.  We are the UK’s only distributor for Polycart - plastic trolleys. Their trolley…

Ecologists at garden centre specialists Malcolm Scott Consultants have been working with clients to help them take steps toward helping achieve the aims of the Government’s new Environment Bill. The Bill was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 14 October 2019 and is scheduled to be passed by the new Government in early 2020.   It will bring into force a mandatory approach to Biodiversity Net Gain, and the business’s Environment team has been advising on measures to comply. Rob Harrison, Principal Ecologist at the garden centre consultant, said: “Ever since the Bill was introduced, we’ve…

ATTENDEES at this year’s Garden Centre Association (GCA) annual conference in January (January 26 until 29, 2020) will hear from co-founder and Executive Vice Chair of the award-winning Eden Project Sir Tim Smit KBE.   Tim will talk to GCA members on Tuesday, January 28 about the value of leading by example, how to engage teams and meeting challenges head on.   Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, explained: “We’re honoured that Sir Tim Smit KBE will be joining us for our annual conference. He is a fantastic and inspirational orator and we’re sure our members will thoroughly enjoy hearing…

Contemporary gift and homeware retailer, Enesco, is proud to present its second exclusive Mug of the Year, a new concept within the licensed Beatrix Potter Collection. Having launched in 2019 with none other than Peter Rabbit™ himself, the idea behind this offering is that on an annual basis, the featured character will change to showcase an original piece of artwork taken from author Beatrix Potter’s much-loved classic children’s tales, making the Mug of the Year a highly sought-after and super collectable piece with your customers. The Mug of the Year for 2020 features the ever-popular…

Specialist water-based paint manufacturer Thorndown, bring long-term colour and style to garden design. Their paints are made to the highest specifications using raw materials at the forefront of environmentally considerate water-based technology.  Colour plays an essential part in garden design and the use of wood paint to decorate and protect timber buildings and features is seen prominently in gardening magazines and on TV programmes such as “Love your Garden” with Alan Titchmarsh. Selecting the right colour can be a personal and pain-staking journey so when you’ve got that perfect…

DK Tools Limited caters to a new generation of DIYers who just want to get things done, quickly and simply. By Steve Hemsley The tradition of parents teaching their offspring basic household DIY is on the wane, but manufacturer DK Tools is reaping the benefits. The company, through its successful Amtech brand, designs, manufactures and distributes around 2,000 powered and manual hand tools to retailers and wholesalers. They’re aimed at shoppers who need affordable products to complete jobs around the house – such as putting up shelves, laying decking, pruning or basic repairs. However, the…

DK Tools Limited and their Amtech brand, has been identified and selected by The Telegraph Business Club for their senior business community, as one of fifteen cross-industry companies to watch out for in 2020. The Telegraph Business Club provides engaging and informative content that offers interesting insights into the strategic levers that drive success. The use of mini-documentary films about companies and key people, creates compelling viewing for a senior business community with a global footprint. The Telegraph expressed an interest in creating a short film about DK Tools, when one…

We’ve all been there. You’ve got a million presents to buy at Christmas, very little time and, quite frankly, inclination to go gift hunting for the hard-to-buy-fors. Your customers are no different – they want stand-out products which are reasonably priced and readily available – preferably in an eye-catching display near the tills. Instead of leaving empty-handed, they could be tempted by one of these beauties as chosen by Garden Trade Specialist editor Victoria Galligan in our Xmas gifts guide…   Gingerbread Digital Kitchen Scale (£19.99) salterhousewares.co.uk Sugar and spice and…

A NEW range of mains powered centrally heated dog beds featuring a pressure activated heat pad - Hot Dog Pet Products is a family owned business located in the beautiful market town of Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Our entire range of thermal and central heated dog beds are all crafted by our dedicated and skilled workforce. Made in Britain our unique, luxurious dog beds are all designed, produced, packaged and posted from right here in Yorkshire.  How It Works The centrally heated dog beds feature a pressure activated heat pad, so when your dog lays on the bed the temperature will rise to…

Tom Chambers have announced the launch of a full range of Eco-friendly coco fibre liners developed with an innovative ‘WaterSave’ layer. This biodegradable material covers the bottom section of the liner and works as a reservoir to hold and retain water, meaning much less watering. The liners also feature an integral built in over-spill which avoids over-watering and root saturation and allows excess water to drain away. The new liners are exclusive to Tom Chambers and are a new and exciting concept to the market. The important message of using less water and being environmentally aware is…

THE UK’S current love for indoor plants shows no sign of diminishing according to the Garden Centre Association (GCA) as new research claims most flatsharers own at least one houseplant each.   In the GCA’s Barometer of Trade for October (2019) the houseplant was recorded among the bestsellers by member garden centres for the third consecutive month, with sales up 13.47% on last year.   Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive explained: “The UK’s current love of houseplants seems to be growing, particularly amongst renters, as new research from the company Spare Room has revealed recently. According…

Inspired by modern urban architecture, Woodlodge introduces Modena – the ultimate contemporary planter range Woodlodge is introducing a contemporary collection of lightweight garden planters, designed to appeal to consumers who are keen to make bold statements in gardens that reflect modern interior décor. The Modena range features clean geometric lines and has been inspired by contemporary urban architecture, where a minimalistic approach combined with bold statement features is playing an increasingly popular role in modern living. With TV series such as Channel 4’s Grand Designs fueling…

Greenfingers Charity is delighted to announce that Sue Allen, founder of Millbrook Garden Centres has joined the charity’s Board of Trustees.   Sue is a well-known face within the garden retail sector, having established the first Millbrook Garden Centre in Crowborough, East Sussex, in 1979, alongside her late husband, Dick. Since then, Millbrook has grown to incorporate three centres in the South East of England and is now run by the extended family including daughter, Tammy, her husband Ben and sister, Kirsty, with Sue holding the role of Chairman. In addition, Sue also sits on the Board of…

Strong consumer demand for natural controls is underpinning confidence in the sector, says ecofective®   Ecofective®, the pioneering brand of environmentally friendly natural controls, reports that high levels of footfall in organic categories at retail outlets is seeing demand for chemical-free solutions gain rapid momentum – helping ecofective® to expand and develop its customer base.   The company, part of crop protection giant Sipcam UK, has reinforced its position as a leading supplier of natural plant feeds, pest controls, lawncare, weedkiller, animal repellent and garden cleaning…