Industry News
Farm shops and houseplants remain dominant sellers in garden centres
Farm shops and houseplant sales dominated at garden centres this May (2021) according to the latest Garden Centre Association (GCA) Barometer of Trade (BoT) report. As centres in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland reopened
mid-May in 2020, this report used figures from 2019 and reveals farm shop sales were up 90.24 per cent in May 2021. Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, explained: “May has always been a
strong month for sales across member centres. This May was no exception as people continued to embrace the joy of gardening as a pastime and prepared their gardens and outdoor spaces for summer entertaining. Over the course of the year, garden centres have remained one-stop shops for visitors needing essential gardening products and
GCA announces regional award meetings
The nation’s Garden Centre Association (GCA) members will find out who has come out on top in its annual inspections this year at regional award meetings taking place from late August. Garden centres are encouraged to attend the event in their area to
celebrate the efforts and achievements of their team members during this difficult year. Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “Unfortunately, Covid-
19 lockdowns and restrictions last year and in early 2021 meant we were unable to perform our annual inspections or hold our regional award meetings in person. “However, I am pleased to say that we are able to have them this year,
albeit a bit later than normal, as inspectors have been able to make Covid-safe visits to garden centres to complete their annual inspections. “These inspections are important to our members as they receive
feedback and can see where our inspectors are highlighting best practice and new exciting ideas. We will also be announcing all the category winners.” “The results of the inspections form the basis for many GCA
awards, including Destination Garden Centre of the Year, Garden Centre of the Year, Area Winners, Highly Commended and Most improved Garden Centre. The top 10 centres will receive a Garden Centre of Excellence Award and all centres scoring 75 per cent or above receive the Highly Commended certificate.”
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TV gardener refreshes Wellbeing Garden at Bradford Garden Centre
TV Gardener, Katie Rushworth, visited Tong Garden Centre recently to refresh the garden that she created in May. Tong's Plant Buyer, Steve Smith, worked with his network of growers to source the plants: "The Wellbeing Garden has been transformed from a tranquil relaxation space to a perfect entertaining space that is packed with an abundance of hot colours and textured foliage. "The garden has been refreshed with bold colours that complement the all year round planting and it looks amazing. Pockets of Kniphofia,
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plants, especially those with the added benefit of food halls and farm shops, that have also been providing essential food to people in their communities and wishing to shop locally. “Although we’ve
compared figures to 2019, 11 out of 13 categories have seen a rise in sales. Once again, houseplants have also remained a top seller with sales up 67.85 per cent and the overall demand for plants and associated products has remained high. “Other categories that performed well in May included pets and
aquatics with sales up 38.76 per cent, gifts up 33.44 per cent, clothing up 19.84 per cent and garden sundries up 16.39 per cent.” Sales in outdoor plants were up too at 6.31 per cent, as well as seeds and bulbs at 3.99 per cent.
GIMA Charity Golf Day
welcomes the industry back Marking the return of in- person events, the 11th annual GIMA Charity Golf Day (June 9th, 2021) was a fun-filled day of friendly competition, reunions,
networking, fundraising, and glorious summer sunshine. Held at the new location of Belton Woods Hotel & Golf Club in
Grantham, Lincolnshire, the event brought together garden industry suppliers and retailers with twenty-four four ball teams competing for the highly coveted GIMA Golf trophy. The day was made possible thanks to the generosity of the many
sponsors including Durston Garden Products, Rollins Bulldog Tools, Westland Horticulture, Mr Fothergill’s Seeds, Gardenforum, Zest 4 Leisure, Decco, Leisuregrow, Smart Garden Products, Hozelock, Hornby Whitefoot PR, Darlac, Woodlodge, Vitax, Imprint, and the Patio Black Spot Removal Company. The Zest 4 Leisure team was crowned 2021 Golf Day champions
with 96 points. They were followed by Woodlodge in second place and Imprint in third. The booby prize was presented to the Charles Bentley team.
Rudbeckia, Helenium and Echinacea show customers how easy it is to transform an existing border with a seasonal refresh." The plants have been
specially selected by Ms Rushworth as her VIPs (Very Important Plants) and are available to buy from the centre. Ms Rushworth, who works alongside Alan Titchmarsh on ITV's ‘Love
Your Garden' and ‘Love Your Home and Garden' is delighted with the new look garden, she said: "I've swapped out the soft blues, pinks and lilacs for late summer hot colours and it looks awesome! I love a hot jazzy planting scheme.”
GCU August 2021
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