Catering sales at garden centres across the country have performed well in March (2022) according to our latest Barometer of Trade (BoT) report. Sales in the department were 3,679.31% up compared to the same month in 2021 and have been up throughout 2022 so far. Our Chief Executive, Iain Wylie explains: “We’ve seen an understandable…
We will once again be running our Rising Stars programme, sponsored by Westland Horticulture, focusing on core gardening, and are encouraging our members to put forward their employees. The application process for our Rising Stars programme is now open and if garden centre managers or owners feel they have a member of staff who is…
Garden centre staff across the country are celebrating after receiving awards at our virtual presentation day held yesterday (Tuesday, February 15, 2022). The live streamed event looked back on best practice in 2021 and included a pre-season inspection area presentation. Following the understandable decision to cancel the January conference, we felt it was important to…
Tammy Woodhouse was officially named as our Chairman for 2022 – 23 with Will Blake becoming Chairman Elect, during our virtual AGM meeting, which took place on February 10. Tammy, who is Managing Director of Millbrook Garden Centres, which has centres in Gravesend and Staplehurst in Kent, said: “I am thrilled to have taken on…
Garden centres were rallying and recovering from the pandemic in 2021 according to our overall Barometer of Trade (BoT) figures for the year. Excluding catering, retail growth stands at 30.47% up during 2021 compared to 2020 and up 29.77% compared to 2019. The growth in retail sales during 2021 demonstrates the increased popularity in gardening…
We are hosting some of the first elements of our annual conference virtually for members next month (February 2022). Our annual general meeting (AGM) will take place on February 10 for full members only. A virtual awards presentation will take place on February 15, which is open to all GCA garden centre and Associate members.…
Over the last 30 years the Trust has been delighted to help many students of horticulture with the costs of their courses and research, whether full or part-time and within all the recognised horticultural colleges of the U.K. Increasingly the Trust has encouraged applications particularly relevant to the Garden Centre Industry and the furtherance of…
We’re postponing our 56th annual conference due to take place at the end of this month as a result of the ongoing spread of Omicron (January 2022). Our executive committee has taken the decision to defer the event based on safety concerns and made the announcement to members this morning (January 10). Tammy Woodhouse, our…
Outdoor living items continued to come out top in our Barometer of Trade (BoT) for November (2021) – beating Christmas for poll position (December 2021). It revealed furniture and barbecues were up 59.97%, boosted by the ongoing trend for alfresco entertainment, which has become an all-year-round event. Our Chief Executive, Iain Wylie explains: “Although during…
Bee ecologist and founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust Dave Goulson will share his expertise on sustainability at our annual conference in Blackburn in January (January 23 until 26, 2022). The Professor of Biology at University of Sussex will speak about the importance of ecology and the impact insects and bees have on the environment…