NEWS


How big is Christmas for British Garden Centres?


The highly anticipated Christmas season arrived early this year for British Garden Centres, as it opened its doors to customers in September to an influx of pent-up shoppers. Following a temperamental and wet summer and a few years of subdued Christmases due to Covid-19 lockdowns, people have been eagerly seeking ways to kick off the festivities, and British Garden Centres was ready to deliver. With people now planning for Christmas months in advance to spread the cost, British


Garden Centres’ 62 stores were fully stocked and decorated. But how big is Christmas for the largest family-run garden centre group?


For many families, choosing a Christmas tree is a cherished tradition, and British Garden Centres offered a wide range of options for every home. November saw the arrival of 30,040 cut trees, with 6,417 pot trees. Additionally, customers could choose from 15,134 pre- lit or ready-to-decorate trees at their local British Garden Centre. British Garden Centres’


restaurants served up a delicious festive menu and seasonal treats, providing customers with an easy way to enjoy the holiday. This year, an estimated 17,000 diners will book into the Gardener’s Retreat restaurants across the country, consuming 3,500 turkey butterflies and 15,000 portions of Christmas pudding, To make homes look and feel festive, all British Garden Centres curated a collection of decoration themes to suit all tastes. From classic and traditional styles to bright and bold glamour, minimalist winter and natural


decor or the sweet candy cane and gingerbread trends, there are ideas to suit every taste and every home.


Christmas lighting is an Peach Fuzz is Pantone’s Colour of The Year for 2024


Pantone, the global authority on colour has released its Colour of The Year 2024. Peach Fuzz, or Pantone 13-1023. Described as a “compassionate and nurturing soft peach shade conveying a heartfelt kindness”, it’s a velvety hue that picks up on our need to find more calm and peace after a tumultuous 12 months.


It also marks the 25th anniversary since Pantone began this annual ritual, informing us of its officially chosen colour each year. And it’s a long way from


2023’s choice, Magenta, which was all about AI and the virtual world.


Pantone thought a gentle peach whose “all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul” was better placed after recent events. Instead of focusing on AI and technological advances, Pantone has realised many of us crave community, collaboration, and togetherness.


“A cosy peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, Peach Fuzz brings belonging, inspires recalibration, and an opportunity


for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm, offering us a space to be, feel, and heal and to flourish from whether spending time with others or taking the time to enjoy a moment by ourselves,” explains Leatrice Eiseman of Pantone Color Institute. “Drawing comfort from Peach Fuzz, we can find peace from within, impacting our well-being. An idea as much as a feeling, it awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth.” To bring Peach Fuzz to the masses, Pantone has partnered


Job satisfaction soars at Leyland SDM


Leading decorating and DIY specialist Leyland SDM has been named as one of the best companies to work for in the UK.


Job satisfaction and workplace happiness are at a record high at the company, an independent survey of colleagues has revealed. Leyland SDM, which has 33 stores across London, was ranked ninth out of all retail businesses for quarter three in the latest Best Companies report. Leyland SDM collaborated with Best


Companies to survey all of its 448 colleagues to gauge their opinions and views, with an impressive 93% response rate. The company carries out the confidential survey annually and


Westland launches New Horizon fund to support community gardening projects


Westland Horticulture, home to brands such as Big Tom, Boost, Resolva, Unwins, and Kent & Stowe, is excited to announce the New Horizon Fund that will support community garden projects across the UK and Ireland in 2024. Westland believes everyone deserves to enjoy a thriving


4 DIY WEEK DECEMBER 2023


outdoor space and have the opportunity to get closer to nature. The New Horizon Fund aims to create a greener future for all, and will support a variety of gardening projects, from schools, allotments, hospices, and care homes, across the UK and Ireland. The funding will comprise of a collection of gardening


essentials, including compost, seeds, tools, and fertilisers, from Westland Horticulture, to the value of £1,000. Each prize bundle will be individually created based on the project’s needs to


the results help to shape policy and strategy moving forward. The results showed Leyland SDM has continued to improve on all aspects of its colleague engagement, with the business progressing from a ‘One to Watch’ ranking to 1 Star. The business is also in the top 50 large companies to work for in London – and in the top 100 across the whole of the UK. An impressive 72% of Leyland SDM colleagues said their workplace was “pleasant”, an increase of 7%. Of those surveyed, 60%


with various brands across lifestyle, retail, beauty and interiors. It has also collaborated with Motorola, which will launch two limited-edition phones in the peachy hue next year. Laurie from Pantone adds:


“We see an increased focus on community and people across the world reframing how they want to live and evaluating what is important – that being the comfort of being close to those we love. The colour is one whose warm and welcoming embrace conveys a message of compassion and


of respondents said they were highly engaged or highly satisfied in their job. Cliff Rendell, HR Director at Leyland SDM, said: “The happiness, satisfaction and engagement levels of our colleagues is vitally important to us here at Leyland SDM as we strive to be one of the best businesses in London to work for.


“The Best Companies survey gives us a clear way to measure our progress in this area in a structured and confidential way. We’re absolutely delighted to progress to become a 1 Star business and to be ranked highly in the league tables.”


help them transform their space. Westland has developed a variety of point-of-sale materials to bring to life the New Horizon Fund in-store, encouraging consumers to choose a bag of New Horizon when they purchase compost, in order to help community garden projects thrive.


If you know of a gardening


project that could benefit from receiving a donation from Westland’s New Horizon Fund, nominate at www.gardenhealth. com/new-horizon-fund.


whose cosy sensibility brings people together and enriches the soul.”


Frosts wins Home Hardware’s Magic of Christmas window competition


essential part of the holiday season, and British Garden Centres stocked a staggering 33 million energy-efficient LED lights in store, making up 1,314,302 meters of lit length, equivalent to 816 miles, or flying from London to Porto in Portugal. They also stocked 1,286,344 baubles in every imaginable colourway to suit your preference, 56,828 garlands to adorn bannisters and doorways, and 40,807 wreaths to welcome guests to your front door. Wrapping gifts is a cherished tradition, and British Garden Centres offered a wide range of recyclable wrapping paper to choose from. With over 258,608 metres or 160 miles of wrapping paper available, shoppers could find the perfect festive print to adorn their gifts under the tree.


Frosts Home Hardware (Saundersfoot) has won Home Hardware’s Magic of Christmas Window Dressing Competition receiving £100 in M&S vouchers. Ledbury Hardware (Ledbury) received the runner’s up prize of £50 M&S vouchers. The competition was introduced to support Christmas decorations and to inspire retailers to create eye- catching window displays. The results speak for themselves. All Home Hardware retailers


were invited to participate in the competition and the overall standard of entry was exceptionally high. The competition was judged by an independent panel. Home Hardware would like to thank all members who participated in the competition.


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