BoT figures for October show an ‘excellent month’ up 10.71% on 2024 October’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) out today (November 19, 2025) reveals an ‘impressive increase’ of +10.71% when compared to October 2024. From the 13 categories recorded by member garden centres, 10 were positive, when compared to the same month in 2024, with clothing…
‘Positive habits’ expert to speak at our Conference AN INTERNATIONAL speaker on workforce burnout, anxiety and stress is taking to the stage on the Tuesday of our 2026 Conference at Carden Park Chester (January 27, 2026). Kat Thorne, who is a teacher and consultant, is presenting to delegates at our 60th anniversary year event on…
Garden centre members are being asked to nominate their Associate Member of the Year 2025 – with the winner crowned at our Annual Conference in January (January 25 until 28, 2026). The award recognises companies or individuals that have contributed to the success of the sector and that are highly regarded and valued by garden…
Google leadership team member to speak on AI A member of the leadership team at Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) HQ in Dublin will be speaking at our Conference at Carden Park Chester on January 26, 2026. Edoardo Bortolato, who heads Google’s Large Customer Sales Team for Italy, Spain and Portugal, is speaking…
September’s BoT figures are out now! September’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) shows a ‘strong start to Christmas sales’ and some ‘encouraging’ figures. From the 13 categories logged by member garden centres, 10 were positive, when compared to 2024, with clothing in the top spot at +12.89%. Encouraging figures Our Chief Executive, Peter Burks explains: “Members…
Greenfingers’ Charity Shield returns to our 2026 Conference GARDEN centre and horticultural industry staff are invited to sign-up for a fundraising event being held at our annual conference at Carden Park Chester in January (2026). Teams will compete for the Greenfingers’ Charity Shield on January 25 to help raise money for Greenfingers, which is dedicated…
Members are welcome to join one or both tours, and bring as many team members as they wish — just RSVP by 26th October to laura@gca.org.uk to confirm your places. Tickets will be between £10 & £20 per person depending on numbers. A coach will be arranged for the day for transport between sites. For…
New GROW food safety course released We’ve launched a new Food Safety Level 3 course on our award-winning e-learning platform today (October 6, 2025). It’s the 98th course to be added to our Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) and it’s available to both our members and those of the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA). Legal requirement…
‘National treasure’ at our 2026 Conference We’re delighted to reveal that writer, broadcaster, former MP and Government Whip Gyles Brandreth will be a keynote speaker at our Annual Conference at Carden Park Chester next year (January 25-28, 2026). Gyles, who is now a Chancellor of the University of Chester, is well-known for sporting jolly jumpers,…
First headline sponsor for 2026 conference We’ve secured Evergreen Garden Care as our first headline sponsor for our 60th anniversary year annual conference taking place in January (January 25-28, 2026). Evergreen Garden Care has also pledged to sponsor one of the main keynote speakers for the event – retail guru, businesswoman, broadcaster, author and activist…