associations Christmas crackers
GIMA members showcase their latest wares that promise to keep tills ringing in the run-up to Christmas and beyond
Garden retailers breathed a sigh of relief post-lockdown as unprecedented demand began to turn their fortunes around during summer, with buoyant sales keeping tills ringing late into autumn. Now, the countdown to Christmas is critical to ensure that sales momentum gathers pace, so GIMA members are outlining their latest festive and giſtware novelties and throwing the spotlight on must-stock products for the spring gardening season. Garden Pride Marketing’s Stephen Vincent
explained how the company’s Christmas Tree Stand will help retailers to overcome pandemic- related supply issues: “They are ideal for Nordmann Christmas trees and are available in a range of sizes, styles and colours with metal or plastic varieties. With many of the metal ones made in our Sussex factory, there will not be any of the ‘importing problems’ so often encountered this year. With nobody sure how Christmas tree sales will go this season, our ability to manufacture means that retailers can rely on us for stock of this Christmas sales essential.” When it comes to Christmas gifts, Burgon &
Ball has a new sales-driver. Rainer Schubert, managing director of Burgon & Ball, explained: “The ‘British Meadow’ design in our ‘RHS Gifts for Gardeners’ series is an appealing new Christmas gifting option. Tapping into the trend for natural gardens and a rediscovered love of wildflowers, the collection includes best-selling lines such as the trowel and fork set, and pruner with holster set.” Rainer adds: “As we move into 2021, children’s gardening is going to continue its strong growth. Burgon & Ball’s new National Trust ‘Get Me Gardening’ collection of children’s garden tools and accessories offers retailers a high-quality and durable licensed range to bring to their customers.”
Newcomer Clear ‘N’ Collect has made great
strides despite only recently launching to market. The UK-made multipurpose hinged garden rake effortlessly picks up leaves and debris from gardens, patios and driveways, reducing the strain on gardeners’ backs. Manufactured from recycled plastic, it is already stocked by around 30 garden centres, including the Squires chain, while being supplied by Decco and Stax. Clear ‘N’ Collect’s Sally Coneron said: “Clear ‘N’ Collect is an ideal gift for the gardener who already has everything, with bright point-of-sale clearly explaining the benefits of this innovative product. As it retails at less than £25, it’s a good price point for Christmas gifts in the current climate.” During the build-up to Christmas, thoughts
turn to products that will drive future growth in core gardening categories. Empathy says its Rootgrow Mycorrhizal Fungi can be used all year-round and is an effective link-selling product for seasonal promotions and certain plant groups. Best added at planting, the fungi attaches itself to roots and grows outward, searching for nutrients and water to feed plants, assisting strong, healthy growth. An Empathy spokeswoman explains: “Rootgrow is our core product, included as a key ingredient across the majority of the range. It’s established among consumers and recommended by the RHS, so all products containing Rootgrow carry clear branding to highlight its inclusion.” To help expand container sales, elho has
unveiled Vibes – one of its new collections for 2021. A spokeswoman for elho points out: “With a textured finish, the range of indoor planters are ribbed both outside and in. They have a slightly rounded body and decorative pattern, utilising organic and soft shapes. This is furthered by the introduction of four new pastel shades – butter yellow, delicate pink, deep blue and silky white. As with all elho products, they are created with nature in mind, made from recycled plastic and are 100% recyclable.” Woodlodge has announced an expansion of its Root Indoor collection of pots, pot covers and design-led accessories – including an award-winning selection of quirky ‘family’ pot covers with faces that inspire consumers to explore the creative side of gardening indoors, in addition to pot stands, hanging pot covers, glass LED jars and pot covers influenced by global cultures. Michael Wooldridge, managing director at Woodlodge, said: “Root Indoor is at the forefront of tapping into the latest fashions to emerge from the world of interior design, fusing trend-led influences with modern lifestyles to create must-have products with the potential to fly off retailers’ shelves.” G Plants is on a mission to inject fun into
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growing with a new range of Easy Gardening products, in the form of Seed Bombs. G Plants’ Adele Hewitt said: “Simply scatter, water and await natural wild flower displays to attract pollinators throughout the season. Bee Friends & Speedy Seed Flower Bombs are the latest in gorilla gardening: each ECO-BAG is filled with 20 seed bombs and they’re available in a video display unit to entice sales instore – a perfect addition to the top-selling Shake n Rake Seed Shakers and Butterfly Garden Starter Kit already available.” With the rise in grow-your-own showing no sign
of slowing, Taylors Bulbs is bringing out a range that will help retailers to target new gardeners. Ian Clark, business manager at Taylors Bulbs, explains: “Ideal for novices, the new award-winning Vegetable & Seed Growing Kit contains a range of easy-to-grow favourites including onions, garlic, seed potatoes as well as lettuce, courgettes and tomatoes. The Potato Growing Kit is designed as a solution for new gardeners who are unsure what to select and how to grow them. The kit contains three varieties of seed potato with a potato growing bag for each variety, perfect for the smaller garden, patio or even balcony.” The kits are available to order now for delivery from January 2021.
Soil improvement will be on shoppers’ minds ahead of the spring planting season, so Bloomin Amazing is extending its successful product into new uses, a new size and a biodegradable pack. A Bloomin Amazing spokeswoman said: “Autumn and winter is nature's natural planting time and centres have seen a boom in plant sales. Bloomin Amazing Rich Planting Stuff is designed to help gardeners to successfully establish all new plants. Its convenient 50-litre size has been chosen to be lighter and easy to manage, containing enough Bloomin Amazing to plant up and mulch the average trolley full of plants. Merchandised adjacent to specimen plants, it presents a compelling add-on sale and has the added benefit of being packed in a new, unique and completely biodegradable bag.” Winter gardening presents the risk of treading mud into homes and Primeur’s Recycled Rubber Stepping Stone collection, crafted from recycled tyres, holds high appeal with consumers seeking to create non-slip pathways across boggy lawns. For 2021, Primeur’s best-selling stepping stone, the Railroad Tie (25x60cm) will be launched in fashionable grey. Primeur’s Jenny Douthwaite said: “Railroad Tie was previously only available in Earth, so adding a grey option will help gardeners to ‘get the look’ while doing their bit to divert materials from landfill.”
• For further information please contact GIMA on (01959) 564947 or
info@gima.org.uk.
GCU Winter 2020
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