Sir Jason Kenny a headline speaker at our 2027 GCA Conference Britain’s most successful Olympian of all time Sir Jason Kenny has been confirmed this month (June 2026) as a headline speaker at our annual conference in January 2027. The highly decorated cyclist will speak about performance, resilience and success on the Monday of the…
Why biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility Biosecurity is no longer a background consideration for British horticulture. It is central to protecting our gardens, landscapes and the wider environment. As one of the UK’s leading wholesale nurseries supplying garden centres nationwide, our Associate Member Wyevale Nurseries places biosecurity at the heart of its operations. Julia Giermaniuk, Plant…
We’ve confirmed the location and dates for our 2027 conference this month (May 2026). Our annual event, organised by Chairman, Ben Harrison, Operations Director for Haskins Garden Centres, alongside our CEO, Peter Burks, will be held in Stratford-upon-Avon from January 24-27, 2027. Fantastic praise Ben explains: “Following the success of our 2026 conference, which received…
Our e‑learning platform GROW releases milestone 100th course on trees Our award‑winning Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e‑learning platform has today launched its 100th course – representing a key milestone in its growth (May 21, 2026). The new release is entitled ‘Basic Trees’ and is accessible to GCA and Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) members to…
Summer regional award meetings dates & venues announced We’ve revealed the dates and venues for our summer regional award meetings when members find out who has come top in our area annual inspections. Garden centres are encouraged to attend their area event happening at four locations nationwide and to bring their teams along too. Explore…
Our BoT for March shows ‘robust sales’ Our Barometer of Trade (BoT) for March out today shows members recorded ‘robust sales’ and a positive year‑to‑date performance (April 21, 2026). The food hall/farm shop category topped the figures at +5.37%, followed by catering at +3.89% when compared with the same month in 2025. Variable weather Peter…
Members – join our business rates & lobbying government webinar We’re hosting a free members’ webinar examining the latest changes to business rates and the industry’s ongoing engagement with the Government. The session on April 24 at 3pm will provide insight into the financial pressures facing garden centres and associates and highlight current lobbying efforts…
GROW’s new cyber security course launched as e‑learning platform hits 99‑courses Today we’ve unveiled a new cyber security course on our award‑winning Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e‑learning platform (March 30, 2026). This marks the 99th course to be added to GROW, which is accessible to both our members and those in the Horticultural Trades…
We are delighted to invite you to our new GCA Study Tours 2026, which are being held on Tuesday, 12th and Wednesday, 13th May 2026. Members are welcome to join one or both tours. Full details here: https://gca.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GCA-Study-Tours-May-2026.pdf We look forward to an enjoyable few days exploring how garden centres across the country bring the…
Our Barometer of Trade (BoT) February figures released today show a ‘very encouraging month’ despite the ‘poor weather’ (March 20, 2026). More than two thirds of the categories recorded by our garden centre members, were up when compared to the same month in 2025 with clothing recording +10.48% %, followed by food hall/farm shop in…