HTA Garden Gift Card Late spring surge expected


As the weather steadily improves members will see a lot more customers looking to spend HTA Garden Gift Cards. Here


are a few simple tips to follow when accepting the cards:


When taking payment, treat the gift card like a credit or debit card and swipe it through your payment card reader. If you can take MasterCard credit and/or debit cards then you can take the gift card – no new equipment or software is needed, you just need to join the scheme and complete a single ‘activation transaction’ to get started. Ensure the transaction is authorised and a card receipt is generated (obtaining a customer signature is optional but advised). If the total transaction exceeds the balance of the gift card, process the gift card as the last form of payment, eg, if someone buys a plant for £29.99 with a


£25 card, process the £4.99 first and then take the £25 off the card. All gift cards currently in circulation are in £25 and £40 values. This is clearly shown on the front of the card and if they have not been used this is the amount available to spend.


If a card has already been used there


are several ways to get the balance: l the amount on the card is the authorisation code on the last receipt (the code is the balance on the card). Putting a 1p transaction through your till generates a receipt if the previous one is not available (the customer does not lose the 1p from the card)


l by calling the balance enquiry line on 0845 355 0525


l by using the ‘get my balance’ facility at wwwgardengiftcard.co.uk


_If you have any further queries please call the HTA Garden Gift Card helpline on 0121 268 3210 To join the scheme or for more information and an application form, please contact your HTA Regional account manager (see p13), or email gardengiftcard@the-hta.org.uk


New council representative for South Wales and the Marches


Nicci Gow and her husband Neil own and run Fresh @ Burcot Garden Centre, near Bromsgrove. They started their business five years ago and are working hard to grow trade, focusing on quality, value and service. Nicci has spent her whole life in the horticultural business – she was brought up at Bransford Nurseries in Worcestershire and later trained in commercial horticulture at Writtle Agricultural College. Nicci has worked for a variety of different businesses, both large and small, within the industry ranging from Wyevale Garden Centres, where she managed one of its largest centres at Northampton, to a small houseplant supplier in the Midlands. Some of you may also remember her as an HTA Field officer working across Wales and the Midlands.


Nicci says, ‘I believe my wide experience and passion for the industry


in brief news


Garden Re-Leaf Garden centres that participated in this year’s Garden Re-Leaf Day have until 31 May to enter the Westland Challenge competition offering retailers the chance to win Westland Gro-Sure All-Purpose Compost worth £6000. Westland Horticulture will award the major prize to the garden centre that is judged to have run the most effective, all-round Garden Re-Leaf Day campaign. _To request an entry form email Dympna Carron, dcarron@ westlandhorticulture.com (use the subject heading ‘Garden Re-Leaf Westland Challenge’)


New Seeds Group Chair John Fothergill from Mr Fothergill’s Seeds has been elected Chair of the HTA Seeds and Distance Selling Group. At their meeting in March, the group also discussed the restrictions around the sales of the plant stevia as a natural sweetener and considered ways in which these might be overcome. The meeting also heard from Fera that it was hoped that restrictions on the sale of mixed salad leaves seed packets would be lifted by 2016.


Queen’s Award for Whetman Pinks Following on from its success at the Grower Awards, Whetman Pinks is celebrating being named as a winner of the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise – the UK’s highest accolade for business success. The citation refers to the company’s ‘outstanding contribution to international trade’.


New council representative Nicci Gow


gives me a unique insight into the needs of members. My focus will be to represent the views of growers, landscapers and retailers.’


Gardman appoint Bernard Shannon Garden sundries and wild bird care supplier The Gardman Group has appointed Bernard Shannon as Sales director. Bernard, who was previously Managing director at Hozelock, will drive an ambitious commercial plan that will see the Lincolnshire-based supplier further develop strong partnerships with customers.


HTAnews I May 2013 I www.the-hta.org.uk 7


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