Comment
After the shows…
P
hew! That was a busy period trade show period through June into July. And what a great showcase for our industry. The high volumes and outstanding levels of innovation that were on show reflect a market of suppliers who are really getting to grips with what the “new” post covid gardener wants. All those who made the journeys to the NEC for Glee and Solex, plus those who have been to the Summer Spectacular at Ball Colegrave, will be fuelled up with new merchandising ideas and ready to order the best new products for 2023. Having been waiting so long for a warm spell this summer we then get a heatwave and parts of the country are now headed for drought. It appears that the weather is determined to have the final
say on garden centre sales performances this year. As this issue of GTN goes to press total volume sales this year, as tracked by GTN Bestsellers, are now static with 2021 and 16% up on 2019. In this issue we include a story about the Peat Free growing trials carried out at Aylett Nurseries. The team at Aylett Nurseries love to give advice to customers based on their own growing activity and that is a very powerful sales tool. We’d like to share stories of other garden centre staff product trials over the coming issues of GTN. Please send me an e-mail about your experiences: trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk Now, with the show season past us and holidays on the go at the moment, thoughts and action turn to Christmas! Will Christmas 2022 be hit by the economic situation or will we benefit from people
EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING Garden Trade News Potting Shed Press Ltd Dairy Drove Thorney Peterborough PE6 0TX Tel 01733 775700 www.gardentradenews.co.uk THE GTN TEAM Editor Trevor Pfeiffer trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk Advertising Sales Alan Burdon Alan@pottingshedpress.co.uk Associate Editor Mike Wyatt mike@pottingshedpress.co.uk Digital Editor Neil Pope neil@pottingshedpress.co.uk Features Editor Anisa Gress anisa@pottinghsedpress.co.uk Subscriptions Karen Pfeiffer karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk Design & Production AT Graphics Ltd www.atgraphicsuk.com Kirsty Craner – Design Alun Jones – Production Manager Robert Tipping – Managing Director James Tipping – Technical Director Printing CG Print Ltd Do you qualify for a copy of GTN?
If you’d like to be added to the GTN distribution list, please send your details to Karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk to see if you qualify to be included. Alternatively, if you prefer your Garden Trade News digitally, sign up for GTN Xtra, our weekly e-mail newsetter at www.gardentradenews.co.uk And, if you want the fastest garden centre sales analysis, take out a subscription to GTN Bestsellers our printed weekly sales data newsletter. For just £145.00 per year you get Top 50 sales charts created from weekly garden centre epos data. Contact trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk for more details and to subscribe.
In this issue... Primeur’s Recycled Revolution
34
GCA Regional Awards 2022
6
Farm shop revolution in St Albans
36
LOFA Column – Thank you for making Solex a success
10
Growing and retailing plants together at Ball Colegrave
37
HTA Column – 2030, Here we come…
12
Glee Review
38
GIMA Column – 2022, abnormal or normal?
14
Buyers Power List results
Advertisers in this Issue
15
GIMA Seed Corn Fund winner
5
Lifestyle Garden
16
Winning New Products at Glee
20
Zest are winners at Glee and Solex
9
STV
22
The future of eco firepits – El Fuego
19
Fordingbridge
23
Mrs A’s Peat Free trials at Aylett Nurseries
19
Hydria Life
24
Floral Thursday for Greenfingers breaks records at Glee
39
PATS Telford
27
Outdoor trends in the spotlight at Solex
39
Four Oaks Trade Show
31
GIMA Golf Day 2022
40
SOLEX
1
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
Potting Shed Press Ltd
Garden Trade News is published by Potting Shed Press Ltd who also publish: GTN Bestsellers, GTN Xtra, Glee Daily News and the Glee Catalogue, and the Solex Sun. Potting Shed Press also supply Garden Radio to over 100 garden centres across the country.
Director Trevor Pfeiffer
SMALL PRINT: All material © Potting Shed Press Ltd 2022. No part of this publication may e reproduced in any form whatsoever, either for sale or not, without the express permission of the publishers. The information supplied in this publication is published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Potting Shed Press Ltd cannot accept responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on information contained in this publication or in the vent of any bankruptcy or liquidation or cassation of the trade of any company, individual or firm mentioned, is hereby excluded.
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