interview
Interview
Geoff Caesar:
Chairman of Midland Regional Growers and MD at Brandsford Webbs
As the man behind this impressive have to arrange transport and stock
Plant Fair since 2007, we went in does not come priced and bar coded.
search of some background to this
unique fair and its plans for 2010 in- Inspiration is one thing but creat-
cluding the National Plant Show in ing the same service in the UK
June. must have been a challenge?
I invited Gert and Hans the guys who
Can you outline for our Retail organise Green Direct to come and
plant audience where the concept speak at the Contact conference in
for the current British Plant Fair January 2007 and they were good
originated? enough to come along and explain
I had been visiting Holland for some how their service works and the his-
years mostly working with plant tory behind the organisation. Our
agents and owners to negotiate li- business is a member of the Midland
censes for our business the Bransford
“I am very
Regional Growers (MRG) a group of
Webbs Plant Co to grow and intro- 30+ growers who work together on
duce new plants for the UK garden
excited
various training and transport related
centre market. On one of my visits I initiatives. We had been running our
made a point of going to see Green
by the
own regional show and the idea of
Direct a fair I was aware our cus- converting this to a fair was greeted
tomers were visiting on an creation of with interest. We arranged a short
increasingly regular basis. I was im- study tour to Holland and soon de-
pressed with the huge range of stock a National cided to run an initial event in March
and on talking to visitors equally im- 2007. 14 MRG members agreed to at-
pressed with the slick organisation so
Plant Show.
tend and White Logistics the company
typical of the Dutch growers and who provides our transport made
sales operations.
I believe
their warehouse available for us. We all
this to be a
let our customers know we were ex-
There are plenty of shows in the hibiting and the response was fantastic
UK was this sort of service not al-
timely and
so much so that we ran fairs in April,
ready being offered? June and August. Whilst all of the
The critical point of difference with
much
stock exhibited was available for im-
Green Direct is that you are looking mediate delivery at this stage growers
at samples of stock that are available
needed
were making their own deliveries and
for immediate delivery. In just one sending separate invoices.
visit you can stock your garden centre initiative
knowing that you will be taking deliv- It sounds great but still some way
ery within a few days. You would also for the from the service you describe in
have one delivery, one delivery note Holland?
and one invoice. You do however
HTA”
Yes in 2008 we opened the fairs up to
4Garden & Hardware News - Retail Plants & Shrubs
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