industry news


Stewarts Garden Centres customers raise over £20,000 for appeal


Stewarts Garden Centres retail and marketing director Terry Head presented a cheque on behalf of the thousands of customers who donated towards last year’s appeal on behalf of the Dorset and Wiltshire Children’s hospices, Julia’s House.


The £20,711.40 total was raised for Stewarts’ charity of the year, not only from donations in collection tins and the wishing well, but also during activities including Easter egg hunts, Halloween events and proceeds from the sale of kids’ reindeer badges over the Christmas festivities over the last 12 months. Julia’s House community fundraising manager Laura Kelly said: “We are thrilled that Stewarts customers have raised such an amazing amount of money for Julia’s House families. The Stewarts team has collectively worked so hard all year round to make this happen, and their contribution will make a huge difference to our care and to the mums, dads and children that we help.


“This sort of donation could fund one part-time nurse for a whole year, or it could help to provide three weeks of the all-important specialist support a family needs at the end of a child’s life at the hospice. Well done to the whole of the Stewarts team!”


QD Group acquires The Barn


Garden Centre in Peterborough East Anglian discount retailer QD Group has announced that it has


acquired The Barn Garden & Aquatic Centre in Peterborough. As part of the acquisition, there are set to be major improvements to both the


indoor and outdoor sales areas, expansion of gardening and seasonal ranges and the creation of new departments including clothing and Scallywags Pets. The Coffee Barn is also being revamped to accommodate a 120 seater restaurant. The store, now known as The Barn by Cherry Lane Garden Centres, has transferred


all staff over to the QD Group, enabling them to remain in their existing roles. QD is already well known in Peterborough with a discount store located in the Ortongate Centre on the outskirts of Peterborough. The Barn by Cherry Lane Garden Centres is the eleventh garden centre owned by QD Group, who also have another four QD Stores with garden centres.


The Barn store manager Mark Care said: “We are delighted to join the QD family. The QD Group has a great record in running garden centres and we’re very excited about this transition, which will create an even better store for our customers to enjoy. We can’t wait to unveil our new look and exciting additional departments and product lines.”


QD Group chief executive Nick Rubins said: “The acquisition of The Barn is another great landmark in the ongoing growth of QD and the success of our Cherry Lane Garden Centres. We are a family run business and this is a major purchase for our Group. We are very pleased to welcome the team from The Barn and are looking forward to sharing with shoppers our great value, excellent quality and ever-changing spectacular new deals.”


Plant show heralds start of gardening season for Squire’s


Squire’s Garden Centres held its annual plant show at Squire’s in West Horsley in early February, where thirty two suppliers from across the UK and abroad came to showcase their latest plants.


New varieties on display included Hosta ‘Autumn Frost’, Hebe ‘Joan Mac’, Pieris ‘Polar Passion’, Jacob’s Ladder ‘Kaleidoscope’ and Raspberry ‘Little Red Princess’.


Squire’s plant managers were treated to a preview of some of the plants that will soon be on sale to the public, and they also voted for their best performing supplier in two categories – Hardy Plants & Bedding Plants. Barnsfold won ‘Best Bedding Plant Supplier’ for an impressive third year in a row, and Liss Forest picked up the award for ‘Best Hardy Plant Supplier’.


Squire’s deputy chairman Sarah Squire commented: “Our plant show is absolutely one of my favourite events of the year. It’s fantastic to see all the new plant varieties, and some old favourites, that customers will be able to buy in our centres in the next few months.


“Thank you to all of our plant suppliers who attended, we are so grateful to them for the superb quality of plants that they supply and the high level of service that they provide. This really was an excellent show, and I know that everyone from Squire’s came away excited about the spring gardening season ahead.”.


GCU March 2018 www.gardencentreupdate.com | 21


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