GIMA has negotiated a special package so that its members can exhibit at the Edible Garden Show and capitalise on the interest in Grow-your-own. The 3-day March show is backed by Mirror Group Newspapers, the W. I. and the Royal Agricultural Society amongst others. See more... Read more
Slugs and snails were the number one problem on the 2009 Top 10 garden pests list, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Read more
Visitors to six garden centres in The Garden Centre Group are now able to take their laptops with them and check their emails or surf the Internet while on-site. See more... Read more
Despite the rising popularity of the ‘grow-your-own’ movement, the majority of the population is in the dark about when to plant some of the most popular fruit and veg, according to research from Gardeners’ World magazine. Read more
GCA results for 2009 show that the smaller garden centre did best and that those in the Midlands and Northwest performed better than the South. Overall, sales were around 11% ahead of 2008, with the biggest increases coming from the farm shop. See more… Read more
The HTA has opened the decade with research on how consumers are responding to a challenging economic climate and concerns about the environment. What are the opportunities for the garden industry? See more... Read more
With temperatures 2C below average expect prolonged periods of frozen ground during January, says Wiseweather, especially in the North. See more... Read more
Jonathan Porritt, Lord Digby Jones and James Timpson will head an influential line-up of speakers at January’s GCA conference. See more... Read more
The marketing group Choice Marketing, is hoping to add like minded independent garden centres as the current members celebrate their share in a £1m rebate. See more... Read more
Yesterday's KPMG Retail Sales Monitor showed that Internet sales in November were 17% higher than a year ago. Recognising that garden centres cannot ignore e-commerce, the HTA is running a series of forums during January. See more... Read more
Garden companies must be very careful about signing any document from Expo-Guide. A signature is likely to commit them to payment of €1181 a year for three years. See more... Read more
Wiseweather predicts yet more unsettled weather for December with a wet and windy Xmas for most with gales in places. Read more
Garden centres that have been paying a license fee to Phonographic Performance Ltd for playing recorded music to the public may be in for a refund. See more... Read more
GCA figures confirm that October was a good month for garden centres. Outdoor plants have continued to sell well and there has been a strong start for Christmas lines. See more... Read more
Despite the recession, profitable nurseries and garden centres are selling for the same or more than a year ago, according to Quinton Edwards, who have completed a number of sales recently. See more... Read more
It is a repeat of last year with Bents Garden Centre beating Webbs into second place by the narrowest of margins in the competition to be GCA Garden Centre of the Year. See more... Read more
Awards announced yesterday on the first day of the GCA Conference honoured Stewarts Gardenlands, Sunshine Garden Centre and Taylors Bulbs. See more… Read more
After a short trial, Solus has launched Solus Connect, an online ordering system that makes restocking on Sunday night as easy as shopping on Tesco Online. See more... Read more
PetQuip backs innovative logistics scheme that helps exhibitors attend both PATS shows and Interzoo. See more... Read more
When Garden Expo was announced in June it was with the support of the HTA and Gardenex as founder organisations. The indications were that their backing would be exclusive. Now Gardenex has changed its mind. See more... Read more
With trade strong, attention turned to the battle between the increased number of trade shows in 2010. Many garden centres won planning permission to extend. Corporate activity continued among suppliers. See more... (This article is open to all) Read more
There was a nervous feel to the start of 2009. The Banking crisis was in full swing. No one knew whether consumer demand would come to an abrupt halt after Christmas and garden suppliers were anxiously waiting for confirmation of Wyevale’s financial restructuring.   This review is open to all. See more... Read more
Competition between the 2010 trade shows is getting keener. With months before many of the shows, they are vying with exhibitor lists and inducements for stand holders and visitors to get more from the shows. Read more
November was another good month for garden centres according to the Garden Centre Association. Sales were 8% higher than a year ago in November and for the last 12 months are 10% higher. See more... Read more
The inaugural Garden Expo in June 2010 is to be a 2-day tradeshow to match the HTA’s National Plant Show. At the same time Hozelock, Stewart and Fiskars / Sankey have been announced as sponsors. See more... Read more
Haws Watering Cans has secured a major order from Canada as a direct result of exhibiting in the British group organised by Gardenex at this year’s Spoga. Other exhibitors are following up on significant export enquiries received at Spoga and a recent Meet the Buyer event. See more... Read more
News has been released today that discussions between Webbs Garden Centres and Garden Organic are at an advanced stage for Webbs to take over the commercial operations at Ryton Gardens. See more… Read more
Garden retailers across the country including almost 1000 members of the HTA, will be supporting the BBC’s attempt to coordinate the world record planting of 650,000 trees in one hour on 5th December. Read more
Some garden centres are winning free publicity by creating newsworthy events and passing the news to their local press. Read some of the stories published in the last week. Many cover unusual ways to launch Christmas. See more... Read more
The Commercial Horticultural Association has moved its administration to Gardenex in a move to drive the association forward and boost its profile. See more … Read more