NEWS


HTA Chairman calls on industry to cele- brate efforts of 2020


Stuart Turner, the founder of Plasplugs has died aged 83


James of


Barnes, Chairman


the Horticultural Trades Association has recognised the


remarkable efforts of


people in Britain’s horticultural industries and committed to getting straight back to business on their behalf in January 2021, urging the trade to do everything it can to be prepared for the year ahead. “The industry has arguably had both the best and worst of times in one short time period,” said Barnes. “A disastrous start to the spring season, followed by the relief of seeing garden centres classified as essential retail and the huge growth in new gardeners, has been followed by uncertainty and concern as we face post-Christmas lockdown. Throughout


it all, it’s been


heartening to see people pulling together to support one another. “I think we can take confidence that the future of our industry is bright and that we can have the plans, the resourcefulness and determination to capitalise on this,” Barnes concluded.


PEOPLE NEWS


Southern Trident national sales team hits the road


High quality coir product company Southern Trident, has recruited a team of salespeople to cover the UK, aiming to develop the business’ presence in garden centres. The team of nine hit the road in the new year with shipments for the new season.


The team is offering an exciting range of Coco & Coir branded compressed high-quality coir compost and door mats with plenty more in the pipeline to follow. The Coco & Coir compost product is a new concept for the garden centre, lightweight, compact, easy to pick-up and carry. It is easy for the consumer and even doesn’t take up too much space in the trolley, leaving plenty of room for other purchases. In addition, the team have a wide range of tough hardwearing coir doormats, available in a large number of attractive printed designs to suit any taste. Steve Harper, CEO at Southern Trident, says of this exciting announcement: “This is the next step of making Southern Trident a force to be reckoned with in the garden centre sector, bringing genuinely new and exciting products to market. Our peat-free coir blocks fit perfectly with the industries transition away from peat and meet the consumers changing requirements to be more environmentally conscious.” To book an appointment with your local sales


representative please visit: https://southerntrident. com/sales-agents


www.diyweek.net Team changes at Hozelock


After over 25 years with Hozelock, Head of UK Sales, Peter Martin is retiring from the leading gardening business. In the three decades he joined the


since


business as a Senior National Accounts Manager, having previously worked at Fiskars for 20 years, Peter has been instrumental in driving the business forward and developing a highly successful national sales team who have continued to seek new opportunities for the business. Speaking of his time at Hozelock, Peter said; “I have


thoroughly enjoyed my time at Hozelock, it is a brand which everyone from the head office employees through to the end user is passionate about. This ethos is also resonated through our distribution network and during my time at the business I have built great relationships with our broad network of garden centres, wholesalers and retailers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their support and I look forward to visiting them, in a leisure capacity, in 2021. Chris Hepburn, another long standing member of the


UK Sales Team with over 30 years of service, will step up to the role of National Sales Manager. A familiar face to many a garden centre across the UK, Chris will take over the direct management of key garden centre group customers whilst continuing management of Hozelock’s dedicated field sales team.


The Bransford Webbs Plant Company says it wants to support its customers in every way possible during this difficult and unprecedented time. During this most recent lockdown period, its reps are unable to travel around the country to visit centres and meet customers in person, as they normally would. Therefore, the company has launched a new initiative,


offering virtual reps visits to its customers across a wide range of platforms. Both Trina and Andy looking forward to being able to ‘meet’ with you and discuss the stock The Bransford Webbs Plant Company currently has to offer you to keep your plant area looking bright and colourful. David Chilvers, Sales Manager commented: “We love our usual face to face sales visits as not only does it give us the chance to show off our wonderful plants, it also allows us to understand our customers’ needs much better than in a phone call. Although we can’t travel at the moment, to protect our team and customers alike, a virtual visit offers the next best thing.


JANUARY 2021 DIY WEEK 7


Virtual rep visits from The Bransford Webbs Plant Company


Stuart was the man who invented the first ever plastic wall plug that gave its name to the company he set up in Burton upon Trent. Plasplugs was synonymous with the growth of DIY and home improvement in the 1970s. When he started, he made the fixings in the evening at his home in Burton-on Trent and then drove around businesses in the Midlands selling them in the day.


The business grew to be the


leading brand in the UK for plastic wall fixings and a large manufacturing plant was established in his hometown. Spurred by the rapid growth of home ownership in the seventies


Stuart Turner’s eldest son Alex soon moved the company into European markets, especially


Germany, Spain


and Italy. The product ranges continued to grow and the early 1990’s saw the introduction of the Mastersharp – a unique product that could sharpen drill bits, plane blades and knives. Stuart also had the foresight


and eighties, the Plasplugs range grew to encompass many more products for many different DIY tasks. Products such as the Pro-Tiler, Wire Stripper and safety knives soon became volume selling lines in DIY retailers like B&Q, Texas, Homebase, Great Mills, and Payless.


BiKBBI unveils big plans for


2021 with support from Quooker three-year package of support for BiKBBI, will drive the institute towards delivering the first phase of what it calls ‘Operation Next- Gen’ – the promotion of kbb Apprenticeship opportunities to


The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) HAS announced Quooker as the latest industry brand to support the organisation, with a specific focus on accelerating plans for work on the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installation apprenticeship initiative. The six-figure investment from Quooker, the first instalment of a


the next generation –


predominantly secondary school students in years 9-11.


Quooker (UK) Managing


Director Stephen Johnson said: “We’ve undergone some of the toughest


trading conditions to


establish a manufacturing plant in the United States; the factory design mirroring that of the Burton site. It was soon producing products for the rapidly expanding US DIY market. Sales grew with K-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Canadian Tire and many of the leading home center stores in


the US. At its peak, the plant employed over 100 people. It was during this


time of


expansion that Alex was taken ill and whilst making a recovery tragically died in 1990. Neale, Stuart’s youngest son became more involved with the business and continued the growth both in the UK, Europe and the United States, constantly introducing new innovative products like the diamond wheel tile cutters that sold consistently well.


The company closed in 2013


and the Plasplugs brand sold and is still prevalent today. During this time of turmoil and upheaval with our lives it’s worth remembering how people like Stuart Turner were the pioneers of building one of the biggest British DIY businesses from


nothing and


hard to continue to create and develop


new products


supported UK DIY retailers and UK exports.


impacted sales. However, during these difficult times, brands are faced with two choices – to shrivel up and remain inward focused, or to work together, sharing expertise, resources and help the industry rebuild, recover and thrive.”


In an emotional event that our industry has ever independent faced.


At Quooker we too have felt the strain of this crisis. We’ve seen first-hand how its affected smaller


retailers


and how changing consumer habits have dramatically


reviewed challenges faced by the industry and organisation over the last year, BiKBBI discussed its plans to open ten new Centres of Excellence regionally across England, ready for the delivery of KBB Fitted Interior


Apprenticeships from September.


working that


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