HSBC Economist Chris Hare to address GCA Conference
Chris Hare, an economist at HSBC Global Banking and Markets, will be a keynote speaker at the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) 60th anniversary Annual Conference at Carden Park, Chester, on January 27, 2026.
Chris brings extensive experience to the event, having spent five years in the UK forecasting division at the Bank of England, where he supported the Monetary Policy Committee with economic forecasts and briefings on the national outlook.
Ben Harrison, GCA Chairman Elect and Operations Director at Haskins Garden Centres, says securing Chris as a speaker is a significant achievement. He highlights that economic trends remain one of the key areas of interest for GCA members, making Chris’s insights particularly valuable for delegates.
Since joining HSBC’s European Economics team in 2017, Chris has focused on European and UK issues, specialising in inflation, housing markets and long-term growth trends. Prior to this, he worked as a UK and global economist for an international investment bank.
GCA CEO Peter Burks expects Chris to deliver a comprehensive ‘state of the nation’ economic overview, including analysis of the recent budget and forecasts for UK inflation compared with current market expectations.
Representing more than 200 garden centres nationwide, the GCA continues to support high standards through shared knowledge and its inspection programme. Its 2026 Annual Conference runs from January 25–28 at Carden Park, Chester. For booking and further details, delegates can visit the members’ section of the GCA website or contact the conference team directly.
To book tickets, please visit our conference pages in the members’ section of our website or go directly to https://gca.digitickets.co.uk/.
For any further queries, please contact the dedicated conference email: conference@gca.org.uk. If non-members are interested in joining us to attend the event, please email info@gca.org.uk.
For further information, please visit www.gca.org.uk.