Everyone at the GCA is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our former Inspector, Ian Boardman. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Ian when he was as an Inspector for us, and he was instrumental in improving our inspection process. He was a huge part of the horticultural industry, with a fantastic knowledge, which…
Furniture and barbecue sales remained positive throughout August according to our Barometer of Trade (BoT) report (2022). Sales in the outdoor entertainment department were up 26.93% compared to the same month last year (2022), despite other areas flagging in the heat. After the heatwave in July, we continued to see good weather in August, which…
We recently (September 2022) visited the Four Oaks Trade Show’s 50th anniversary show and met current and potential new members and we’d like to thank everyone who came along to see us. We participated in the new Educate, Collaborate & Innovate zone, which featured all the major associations, membership groups and charities that operate in…
The Knight family would like to inform the GCA of Brian’s passing. At heart Brian was a gardener and like so many in the very early days of our industry Brian saw an opportunity in market garden production. He became a member of the HTA and from there became involved with the newly formed GCA.…
We would like to send our condolences to the royal family after Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. She had a keen interest in horticulture, and she will be greatly missed.
Our members in Scotland and Northern Ireland are celebrating after picking up awards during a presentation evening this week (Tuesday, August 23, 2022) at Klondyke Polmont Garden Centre. In Scotland, Simpsons Garden Centre was awarded Garden Centre of the Year in the Destination Garden Centre (DGC) category and Klondyke Garden Wise, Dumfries (GC) category. In…
We will be exhibiting at Four Oaks Trade Show this month (September 2022) and available to meet current and potential new members. The show, which is a belated celebration of its 50th anniversary, takes place on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at Farm Lane in Cheshire. We’re thrilled to be attending this year’s…
Furniture and barbecues were the best sellers at garden centres across the country in July (2022) according to our latest Barometer of Trade (BoT) report. Sales in this department at garden centres were 19.88% up compared to the same month last year (2021). As a country we saw our driest July since 1935, with temperatures…
THE GARDEN Centre Association (GCA) is supporting a new report published by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) about reducing crime in garden centre retail (August 2022). The report reveals how costly crime is to UK garden centres and uses psychological theory and some tactics and methods to deploy to help deter crime. Tammy Woodhouse, Chairman…
Our Chief Executive has today (August 15, 2022) announced he has resigned from his role to pursue other opportunities. Iain Wylie, who has been in the position for nine years, has grown the GCA to its highest level and has overseen the development of existing benefits and the addition of new ones. He said: “It…