Westland Horticulture-sponsored Rising Star winner announced at GCA Conference LOUISE Lockwood from Planters Tamworth was named as the winner of 2025’s Westland Horticulture sponsored Rising Stars programme at the Garden Centre Association’s 60th anniversary year Annual Conference yesterday (January 26, 2026). Five individuals from member garden centres presented at the industry body’s annual conference after…
Champion of champions garden centres unveiled The winners of our most prestigious awards including our Garden Centres of Excellence were announced at our annual conference today (Tuesday, January 27, 2027). The awards ceremony took place at the Carden Park Hotel, Cheshire, as part of our 60th anniversary year celebrations. Our Chief Executive, Peter Burks, says:…
Monday’s awards at 2026 conference Garden centre teams from across the country are celebrating after receiving awards at our annual conference today (Monday, January 26, 2026). They were presented to our highest scoring member garden centres during a special ceremony at the Carden Park Hotel, Cheshire, as part of the GCA’s 60th anniversary year celebrations.…
December’s BoT shows a ‘nice’ end to the year December’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) figures out today show ‘another nice increase on sales’ and a year-to-date figure of +7.31% (January 23, 2026). Of the 13 categories logged by our member garden centres, nine were up when compared to December 2024 with seeds & bulbs top…
Things to do in the garden in January January may feel quiet in the garden, but it’s the perfect time to prepare for the year ahead. While growth slows during winter, there are plenty of tasks to keep you busy and set the stage for a successful spring. Plan your planting Use this downtime to…
November BoT shows ‘strong growth’ Our November Barometer of Trade (BoT) out today reveals ‘strong growth’ of +9.04% when compared to the same month in 2024 – with the year-to-date figure up +8.18% too (December 19, 2025). From the 13 categories recorded by member garden centres, 11 were positive, when likened to November 2024 with…
Bank’s Head of Retail & Leisure at our Annual Conference An expert on Retail & Leisure for HSBC is presenting on retail trends at our Annual Conference at Carden Park Chester next month (January 2026). James Sawley, the bank’s Head of Retail & Leisure, is speaking at our 60th anniversary year event on the Tuesday,…
Our Westland Horticulture-sponsored Rising Stars finalists Five individuals from member garden centres have been revealed as finalists in our Rising Stars programme sponsored by Westland Horticulture (December 2025). Put forward by their garden centres, the staff completed a series of workshops in 2025 and will now present at our 60th anniversary year Annual Conference in…
Packing up your tools for winter A bit of prep at this end of the year will pay dividends in the spring, so rather than watching the telly this afternoon, get a bit of fresh air. Once the jobs are done you have every right to feel very smug indeed and think about how much…
Climate scientist to speak at our 2026 Annual Conference Climate scientist Professor Tamsin Edwards will be speaking at our 2026 Annual Conference at Carden Park Chester on the Tuesday (January 27, 2026). Prof Edwards, who regularly appears on TV and radio, specialises in quantifying the uncertainties of climate model predictions, particularly for the ice sheet…