Gardman announces appointment of new Sales Director

The Gardman Group, one of the UK’s leading gardening sundries and wild bird care companies, has announced that Bernard Shannon has been appointed to the role of Sales Director. Bernard will join the Gardman Board this month and will immediately begin driving an ambitious commercial plan that will see the Lincolnshire-based supplier further develop strong partnerships with customers.

Bernard said "It’s a very exciting time to be joining Gardman. The past year has been incredibly challenging for most in the industry, and Gardman has risen to the challenge. I’m really looking forward to working with the team to build an industry-leading programme that will help our retail partners trade their way profitably through the season."

Bernard was Managing Director at Hozelock in 2012 until November, where he was responsible for the business through both the independent garden centres and multiple retail sectors. Prior to his role with Hozelock, Bernard spent 15 years as Sales Director at Energizer Inc. with responsibility for the Energizer batteries and Wilkinson Sword brands. Bernard will report to the Gardman Group Chairman, Jonathan Halford.

Jonathan said "I am delighted to be able to appoint Bernard to drive our ambitious sales strategy and I look forward to working with him. He brings a wealth of highly relevant experience and he already knows our customers which gives him a huge head start. With the support of the dedicated sales team at Gardman, I am confident that Bernard will successfully drive our plans forward."

Gardman is also in the process of recruiting a new CEO.