Hozelock

Give back to nat ur e w hat nat ur e gave to us!

EasyMix 2-in-1 Composter

EasyMix 2-in-1 Composter

With the EasyMix 2-in-1, a tumbling composter with unique features, gardeners can recycle their food and garden waste efficiently. Boasting quick composting times and an innovative ‘Click & Spray ’ feature, a high-nutrient compost liquid is collected under the drum, then the user can simply click and connect it to a hose to easily fertilise their garden!

THE CORE HOZELOCK RANGE OF KNITTED HOSES NOW UTILISE 40% RECYCLED MATERIALS*

*On average across the range; as the % is dependent on the diameter of the hose

Recycled Materials

During 2022, we have successfully increased the sustainability of our products, packaging, and manufacturing processes. We are proud to have achieved our goal of utilising 40% recycled materials across our entire knitted hose range, resulting in the removal of 535 tonnes of virgin PVC material. For 2023, we are taking our sustainability efforts even further by removing an additional 400 tonnes of virgin material. We are dedicated to providing innovative solutions that allow gardeners to enjoy their gardens in a more sustainable way. Find out more at

www.hozelock.com/sustainability

New AquaSave Oscillating Sprinkler

The NEW Rectangular AquaSave Pro range of sprinklers are designed with a robust anodised spray bar that promotes durability and longevity. The sprinkler can be controlled to adjust the water flow from 0-100% to target the area being watered - be it a small or a large outdoor space The Innovative 3D Control gives the user full flexibility to adjust the width, direction and range with ease; providing even coverage for all gardens and most importantly, helps to avoid wasted water.

2 0 2 2 - A ye a r o f m i s s e d e xp e c t a t i o n s

At the start of the year, everyone was holding their breath with expectations for another year of growth, albeit at a much lower level than seen in 2021. As a result, garden retailers were stocked to the gunnels. But then the economy tightened, people made up for holidays lost during COVID and sales dropped off a cliff after the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday. Garden centres sold plenty of items but high-ticket price lines slowed up and while there was so much stock in the system suppliers expectations of new orders for re-stocking weren’t met.

The summer of trade shows delivered plenty of innovation (actually above expectations) and provided opportunity for some brave retailers to take up warehouse clearance offers which fuelled good footfall and sales in the early autumn.

Then when Christmas got off to an earlier than normal start, the weather delivered the longest cold spell since 2010 and that means Christmas expectations are now being missed too.

From our Greatest Christmas Awards visits we get general feedback that garden retailers are not panicking, just seeing value in retained stock to sell next year.

And while the general hospitality industry is still struggling to recover, garden centre restaurants and coffee shops have been back to their pre COVID best, proving that even while there are concerns about the economy garden centres are still a place of choice for people to visit, enjoy and spend their hard earned or saved money.

What we need next is a really good Spring for gardening to get 2023 off to a great start. That is the hope and great expectation!

Happy New Year to you all.

As the year comes to a close our GTN Bestsellers All Products Index shows that sales in the second half of the year only occasionally exceeded 2021 or 2020 levels. The index for the year after Week 49 sits at 3.4% down on 2021 but 14.5% up on 2019.

In this issue...

4 Blue Diamond buys Van Hage – GTN Interview with CEO Alan Roper 8 So much more than a chair – GTN visits LifestyleGarden 12 Towards net-zero gardening with Southern Trident

14 Ensuring a Peat Free Growing Media future – Glee TV supplier discussion 18 Artisan brushes and brooms from Redecker

22 Apsley Farms - Heating homes and feeding gardens 24 New Sustainable Houseplant Products 25 Saving the planet with Carbon Gold 25 STV’s Sustainability Journey 26 Plant a tree with LOFA in the Lake District

28 GCA Westland Rising Stars – 13 Garden Centre Sustainability projects 31 Lasting Sustainability at Squires 32 GTN’s Sustainability Directory for 2023

37 HTA Column – Finding inspiration in Scotland

Advertisers in this Issue

2 Hozelock

7 Spring fair 13 Gardena 13 Sipcam Ecofective 17 STV International 20 Woodmansterne

23 Primeur 33 Bio-Bean 35 The Solar Centre 36 Hortiwool 39 Fordingbridge 40 Solex 2023

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 Features Editor Anisa Gress anisa@pottinghsedpress.co.uk Associate Editor Mike Wyatt mike@pottingshedpress.co.uk Digital Editor Neil Pope neil@pottingshedpress.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

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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.

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.