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…
Consultant, public speaker and author Linbert Spencer OBE will be presenting at our annual conference in Blackburn in January (January 23 until 26, 2022). Garden centre owners, managers and their teams will hear from Linbert on Monday, January 24 and discover how to leverage diversity to enhance their organisation’s corporate culture and business outcomes. Iain…
We’re excited to announce that leading economist Roger Martin-Fagg will be speaking at our 56th annual conference in Blackburn this January (January 23 until 26, 2022). Roger, who specialises in making economics accessible for everyone, will be presenting to our members on Tuesday, January 25 to help delegates think through their strategy with his expertise.…
THE UK’s current love affair with alfresco entertaining shows no sign of diminishing our October Barometer of Trade (BoT) report has revealed (2021). Prolonged mild weather kept sales of outdoor furniture and barbecues up 57.98%, topping our BoT figures for the fifth month running. Our Chief Executive, Iain Wylie explains: “The UK’s current love affair…