SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 2026
gardentradenews.co.uk
Advice & information for garden centre professionals
REGISTER NOW FOR GTN’S GREATEST CHRISTMAS AWARDS
Gleeful times at the NEC GTN’s review of Glee 2026
JANE LAWLER HTA PRESIDENT Making horticulture unforgettable
HAPPY CUSTOMERS
Dobbies CEO on insights and learnings
SAM DIXON AT SQUIRES GTN’s Exclusive Interview
Comment
Great Expectations L ast week I had the pleasure of joining several growers at their HTA Nursery Business Improvement Scheme meeting (NBIS) in the midlands and was enthused to hear their positive outlook on next year and the future for their businesses despite the second difficult growing season running. Of course, at this time of year they wished more centres would keep up the quality and quantity of plants in their planterias, not only for sales, but also as living adverts for their core business. But even through all the problems of staff recruitment and water security their general outlook was positive. As was the overall message from Glee 2026. The quality and quantity of products launched this year was second to none and it was great to meet so many GTN readers during the three days at the NEC. Our highlight was the presentation of The Greatest Restaurant & Food Hall Team Awards following 6 weeks of public voting during July and August. Cheers of joy reverberated around the
SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 2026
Advice & information for garden centre professionals
halls and many tears were shed as winning teams called in to their Restaurant & Food Hall teams back at base to share the good news. Now we start the great expectation of Christmas 2026. We’ve already called in to centres as they start their Christmas build and can report that it is going to be a traditional Christmas this year! If you think your team are The Greatest at Christmas scan the QR code below and register for our awards now. It will motivate both your teams and your customers! May I be the first to wish you: Happy Christmas! Silverbirch building a traditional Christmas for 2026
Trevor Pfeiffer
In this issue... 4 8 12 16 18 21 23 30 31 34 37 38 39
Exclusive Interview with Sam Dickson, Squires MD Fantastic at Food - GTN’s Greatest Restaurant & Food Hall Team Award winners Wall art additions at Woodmansterne Launch of the 2026 Greatest Christmas Awards Report from the annual HTA Conference Glee 2026 review starts here All the New Product Award winners at Glee GTN In conversation with Dobbies CEO at Glee Glee exhibitor news Floral Thursday for Greenfingers at Glee Zig Zag retailers - Adapt or Die Retailing with values - GCA Viewpoint Unforgettable messages - HTA Viewpoint
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gardentradenews.co.uk
REGISTER NOW FOR GTN’S GREATEST CHRISTMAS AWARDS
Gleeful times at the NEC GTN’s review of Glee 2026
JANE LAWLER HTA PRESIDENT
Making horticulture unforgettable
HAPPY CUSTOMERS
Dobbies CEO on insights and learnings
SAM DIXON AT SQUIRES GTN’s Exclusive Interview
EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING Garden Trade News Potting Shed Press Ltd Dairy Drove Thorney Peterborough PE6 0TX Tel 01733 775700 www.gardentradenews.co.uk THE GTN TEAM Editor Trevor Pfeiffer trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk Features Editor Anisa Gress anisa@pottinghsedpress.co.uk Advertising Sales Alan Burdon Alan@pottingshedpress.co.uk Digital Editor Neil Pope neil@pottingshedpress.co.uk Subscriptions Karen Pfeiffer karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk Design & Production AT Graphics Ltd www.atgraphicsuk.com Lucy Carnell – Design Alun Jones – Production Manager Robert Tipping – Managing Director James Tipping – Technical Director Printing CG Print Ltd Do you qualify for a copy of GTN?
If you’d like to be added to the GTN distribution list, please send your details to Karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk to see if you qualify to be included. Alternatively, if you prefer your Garden Trade News digitally, sign up for GTN Xtra, our weekly e-mail newsletter at www.gardentradenews.co.uk
Advertisers in this issue 2 Durstons 7 Vitax 11 Greenkey 14 Perennial 16 Lava-lite 17 Smart Garden Products 19 Algon 20 Angro 22 Meadow View Stone 24 Agrigrub 25 Burton McCall 27 ElectRoad 28 Sam’s Field 32 Marriages Honeyfields 40 Pelsis Doff
Potting Shed Press Ltd Garden Trade News is published by Potting Shed Press Ltd who also publish: GTN Bestsellers, GTN Xtra, Glee Daily News and the Glee Catalogue, and the Solex Sun. Potting Shed Press also supply Garden Radio to over 100 garden centres across the country.
Director Trevor Pfeiffer
SMALL PRINT: All material © Potting Shed Press Ltd 2026. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, either for sale or not, without the express permission of the publishers. The information supplied in this publication is published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Potting Shed Press Ltd cannot accept responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on information contained in this publication or in the event of any bankruptcy or liquidation or cassation of the trade of any company, individual or firm mentioned, is hereby excluded.
September/October 2026 3
Interview
Building on strong retail experience F
Just over a year ago, Sam Dickson became MD of the 17-strong group of Squire’s Garden Centres. Coming from a sharp end of high street retailing, Sam talks to GTN about her ambitions for the family business and where she sees the strengths of the garden centre sector.
or Sam Dickson, Managing Director of 17 Squire’s Garden Centres, its all about retail. “I’m obsessed about the customer journey,” she admits. "I’m not a horticulture or plant specialist which is a good thing because Squire’s already has those. I bring a different perspective." That’s certainly true, especially as Sam’s CV includes operational and management roles, data and loyalty programme experience at Sainsbury’s, B&Q, Waitrose and Asda. Having Colin Squire, Chairman Emeritus and his daughter Sarah Squire, Chairman, on hand certainly helps Sam with her remit of ensuring the success of day-to-day performance and longer-term plans of the group. “My role is about growing and supporting people, helping build capability across the business and sharing best practice. “One thing I know from retail is that the sum of the parts is greater than the individual elements. You can really optimise what people learn from each other.”
Experience aplenty At Sainsbury’s Sam started in regional roles working up to management and operational, plus buying for fresh and non-food categories. She helped launch the TU clothing brand. This gave her the springboard to help B&Q develop its own brand product range which extended to sustainability, design and strategy. As a commercial director at Waitrose, Sam’s role was varied. This included online strategy, linking food with established chefs such as Delia Smith and launching the Heston at Waitrose range. The Asda Essentials range is another one of Sam’s successes, along with the Have Your Elf a Merry Christmas campaign in 2022 featuring Will Farrell. She found
4 September/October 2026
As MD of Squire’s Garden Centres, Sam Dickson brings a wealth of retail experience.
her time as Chief Customer Officer on the Asda board extremely valuable.
Coming to Squire’s The role as Squire’s MD following the retirement of Martin Breddy came at the perfect time for Sam. “With Asda based in Leeds, I was away from home a lot, and I wanted to get back to a business where its purpose, values and the way of working were more in line with mine,” Sam explains. “I wanted to stay in retail because I just love it and think it's one of the best industries. It’s fast paced and its about people, product and customers which is what I love.”
Garden centre retail is nothing if not strongly linked with its customers which Sam can see at Squire’s. “I like the values of the business. Squire’s has high standards, and we want to grow and evolve in the right way at the right pace.”
Delightful surprises An obvious difference for Sam at Squire’s is that even with 17 centres, the business is comparatively smaller than those she has previously worked with. “But actually, the size of the business isn't that important,” she says. “It's about the values and how a business wants to grow and evolve. I just love the fact that I can put my arms around
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Interview
Owning Barnsfold Nurseries means Squire’s can create its own themes for seasonally planted containers.
the business and our customers and with the team, we can make a real difference.” Having differing customer types and various sized centres at multiple locations, plus a diverse and wide product range adds a layer of complexity. “It’s also a highly competitive sector, and I think Squire’s is in one of the most competitive garden centre areas in the UK. We operate in a very competitive part of the country, with some excellent garden centres on our doorstep, including Longacres and Garsons, as well as Blue Diamond, Notcutts, British Garden Centres and Hillier.” But Sam adds one of the most delightful surprises has been the openness and collaboration of the sector. “When you're in the supermarket industry or high street retailing, you don't talk to any of your competitors. It's so closed. The garden centre industry clearly is competitive, but the principle is ‘let's make our cake bigger’ and help more people to experience gardening.”
are a destination, a place for people to not only shop, but enjoy. I think the opportunity for the garden centre industry is significant because it can promote and satisfy online customers and encourage more people to come to the centres. It's about understanding and building on the information you are giving customers. Ease is an important thing for online so they can get compost, big plants and pots which can be quite difficult to get home. “ The still relatively new loyalty programme, Friends of Squire’s, is driving
Sarah Squire welcomed Sam to the family business in 2025.
customers to centres and given Squire’s invaluable data enabling more personalised mail outs and promotions. “We want customers to come in as much as they can because it benefits us all and we want to drive that extra footfall. Friends of Squire's is really instrumental in terms of how we are supporting customers and the information we are providing.” Sam cites the example of now knowing if a customer bought a rose. If so, they can follow up personalised communications with tips on healthy rose growing. With her background in strategy, she can then combine this customer insight and
Changes in retail Sam admits to being ‘slightly obsessive’ about retailing and the customer journey. Since starting at Squire’s in June 2025, she has visited around 100 garden centres from Scotland to Devon. “In the last five to 10 years retailing has fundamentally changed, and high streets have become more challenging,” says Sam, who sees how online growth, interaction with mobile phones and Covid has changed people's shopping habits. “But I can see we [garden centres]
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This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Squire’s family business. Working with local company Toasted Crumpet, a bespoke range of celebrationary housewares, gifts and gardening has been created.
September/October 2026 5
Interview
By studying Christmas in 2025, Sam believes changes she and the teams have made will result in a 20% increase. With Christmas team leaders from all stores, they looked at customer feedback, what worked well, what didn’t perform, and what they wanted to change. A healthy process strewn with Post-it notes, it resulted in a plan of action for Christmas 2026, which includes new merchandising and the introduction of a Christmas Hat Shop.
behaviour data with market information from the GCA and HTA, seeing what competitors are doing, and market trends now and in the future. The key, she says, it is translating the data and turning into something meaningful for customers. Along with working with the teams, this can then inform buying decisions and has helped with a strategic review, which began last year, looking at the Squire’s customer mix now and projecting what it’s likely to be into the next decade. “We can start to get a deeper understanding of who's shopping with us at the moment and in the years ahead and work out if they are experts or want a quick solution.” Sam compares it to cooking, where you have those that make all their meals from scratch, those who cook half of it and buy a sauce and lovers of ready meals. “You've got to be able to have a proposition and an offer that suits all those different customer needs through their life stages,” says Sam.
What’s on the cards Family values are a large part of the Squire’s brand, along with service, quality and people. “You’ve got to be clear who you are as a brand and what we have will never change. But we are starting to grow our restaurants, have substantially updated
6 September/October 2026
our menu in the last six months and elevated the quality,” says Sam adding this has been backed up by more and better training and support for restaurant teams. “We will update restaurants visually and, where appropriate, look to get in more covers but that will not be at the detriment of gardening.” Squire’s is also looking at its space and ranging, ensuring customers can get comprehensive core gardening in all centres plus products local to individual centres. The centres are not gifted with space, so decisions need to be purposeful. “There’s a lot of work and it'll be a two- or three-year journey. You can’t stay exactly as you are because everything, and your customers, are changing, but you have to be mindful to keep hold of the greatness you’ve got,” Sam says.
Working with the best retailers Sam has been lucky enough to work with and learn from some great retailers including Mark Price, former MD of Waitrose and Anne Heath who introduced sushi to shelves at Sainsbury’s. Now adding to that list is Colin Squire. “I can honestly say, Colin is one of the best retailers I’ve worked with. His retailer intuition is amazing.”
Home-grown plants
Squire’s now owns two plant production locations – Barnsfold Nurseries and Liss Forest Nursery. The former supplies bedding plants to Squire’s, which has increased its percentage of stock from Barnsfold in the last two years and the nursery also sells to local authorities and other retailers. Hardy plants are grown at Liss Forest and next year it will exclusively supply only Squire’s and fellow Tillington group members. “Having Barnsfold Liss means Squire’s can have a more bespoke range to differentiate its offering” explains Sam. “The nursery industry is very complex and fragile, so having our own is crucial because it means we can keep hold of range, offer different, quality plants and pride ourselves that 85% of the plants we sell are from British nurseries, which matters to our customers.”
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GTN’ss Greatest Garden Centre Restaurant and Food Hall Awards 2026
Fantastic at food
Your customers voted and at Glee, GTN gave out awards to garden centres doing a fantastic job in food and catering.
8 September/October 2026
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
GTN’s Grreaatest Gard den Centre Restauran nt and Food d Hall Awards 2026
W
ith hospitality playing such an important role in customer experiences at garden centres, GTN felt the time was right to recognise the hard-working teams that make it happen. Which is why, in August we launched the GTN Greatest Garden Centre Restaurant and Food Hall Awards, with results announced at Glee. Winners were voted for by your customers and more than 2000 online and paper votes were submitted congratulating garden centre teams on their friendly approach, excellent service and first-class food offerings. A new category, The Greatest Tantalising Garden Centre Menu, was also introduced and judged by the experienced team involved with our Christmas awards. They poured over images of menus and dishes with fabulous names and were impressed by the tempting array of seasonal selections, many inspired by flavours from across the world.
The Greatest Tantalising Garden Centre Menu 2026 Judged from photographic entries. • Gold – Pughs Garden Kitchen, Abergavenny • Silver – The Fairview Gardener • Bronze – Baytree Garden Centre • Bronze – Woodbank Garden Centre & Nurseries
Customer service is outstanding and the varied selection of cakes are amazing. Customer at Charlecote Garden Centre.
Below: One of Pugh’s creative and tempting dishes.
The best cappuccino in the county. Customer to The Fairview Gardener. Winners of The Greatest Tantalising Garden Centre Menu category.
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Above: Baytree’s tantalising small bites menu.
September/October 2026 9
GTN’s Greatest Garden Centre Restaurant and Food Hall Awards 2026
Winners assemble on the Feed Your Business Stage.
The Greatest Food Hall Team 2026 Judged by customers. • Gold – Pughs Radyr • Silver – Walkers Nurseries & Garden Centre • Bronze – Longacres Bagshot The Greatest Restaurant Team 2026 Judged by customers. • Gold – Hamstreet Garden Centre • Silver – Charlecote Garen Centre • Bronze – Monkton Elm Garden Centre • Bronze – The Fairview Gardener • Bronze – Woodbank Garden Centre & Nurseries • Highly Commended – Canterbury Garden Centre • Highly Commended – Trioscape • Highly Commended – Tenterden Garden Centre • Highly Commended – Folkestone Garden Centre • Highly Commended – Walkers Nurseries & Garden Centre
The most wonderful chips, perfect every time and the servers are always so pleasant. Customer at Woodbank Garden Centre & Nurseries
10 September/October 2026
The Greatest Food Hall Team winners
Customer favourites In alphabetical order, these are the top 20 garden centres which received the most customer votes. • Baytree Garden Centre • Canterbury Garden Centre • Charlecote Garden Centre • Folkestone Garden Centre • Gates Garden Centre • Hamstreet Garden Centre • Longacres Ashford • Longacres Bagshot
• Longacres Shepperton • Monkton Elm • Old Railway Line Garden Centre • Perrywood Buckhatch • Planters Brookfields • Pughs Radyr • Pughs Wenvoe • Tenterden Garden Centre • The Fairview Gardener • Trioscape • Walkers Nurseries & Garden Centre • Woodbank Garden Centre & Nurseries
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Promotion
L-R Andy Paterson, Sales Director; Louisa Guelce, Head of Marketing and Seth Woodmansterne, Managing Director launch the new Art Print collection at Glee.
Wall art addition
With its new Art Print collection, Woodmansterne marks expansion into a category beyond greeting cards and gift packaging.
W
oodmansterne has recognised the power of imagery to communicate and bring joy since 1953, and this remains at its heart since those early beginnings. From colour slides to greeting cards, it has curated imagery and products to help people express who they are and connect with loved ones. That same passion for exceptional design and quality continues today, and at Glee, Woodmansterne introduced retailers to its carefully curated Art Print collection. “This collection of art prints continues that legacy, with each piece carefully chosen to bring colour, character and everyday inspiration into the home,” says Seth Woodmansterne, Managing Director. Each of the 51 designs has been specifically specifically
12 September/October 2026
chosen to make beautiful artwork accessible to a vast audience. With an eclectic mix of genres, styles and subject matters to appeal to a wide variety of customers, the art prints are an ideal addition for retailers looking to
expand their home décor or gifting range. “Getting into a new product category is an exciting step for Woodmansterne and we know good content when we see it, so art
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Promotion
The gallery wall examples at Glee showed how the prints work well together.
“It’s vital to get a collection that looks good merchandised in-store to create a bit of theatre.” Tory Roberts
prints were a natural product adjacency to our existing card and gift packaging portfolios,” says Tory Roberts, Head of Product Development. Featuring artwork from more than 20 artists, including Stephanie Dyment and Kate Leach from Essoldo Design, the prints bring the opportunity to decorate the home with illustrations from much loved greeting cards. Some work well as individual statement pieces, while others can be grouped together to become a collection or gallery. “Being able to give our talented studio designers the chance to see their designs in this release was important for me putting together the collection. Mindful of the variety of settings for prints in our homes, I considered what would suit a kitchen, a teenagers’ bedroom or
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a nursery so there would be something for people of all ages to buy for themselves or to give as a gift.” Tory adds.
Retailer opportunities Printed on UK premium-quality board, the unframed prints, presented in recyclable,
cardboard sleeves, come in three sizes (A4, LP and A3) to suit the artwork. Retail price points ranging from £22 to £36. Display is easy with a tailor-made freestanding solution, or a wooden v-shaped display allowing customers to flick through and make their selection. Or having framed images on a nearby wall is an excellent way to show the prints off to their full potential. Prints are available to order now, and reordering is simple as part of restocking orders for cards and gift wrap.
Woodmansterne’s Art Prints offer retailers an opportunity to introduce or expand their gifting range. Available in a selection of formats and designs, they’re a simple way to inspire new purchases, encourage footfall and browsing, and create an engaging in-store display. Visit: www.woodmansterne.com Email: hello@woodmansterne.co.uk Call: 01923 200600
September/October 2026 13
Work in a garden centre? As the charity for the horticulture industry, Perennial supports everyone working in garden centres and our services are free.
HELPLINE AND NATIONAL NETWORK of support
SPECIALIST SERVICES such as legal advice
Contact Perennial for support with every day or more complex challenges:
perennial.org.uk 0800 0938543
APPS AND DIGITAL TOOLS for financial wellbeing, physical and mental health, career development
INFORMATION AND ADVICE online
Perennial is here to support you Single mum and garden centre employee, Rachel, contacted Perennial when she found herself facing financial challenges after a sudden health issue. She says: Thank you for all your help and support over the last 18 months. It’s been amazing to have met you and the support was incredible. I will be forever truly grateful. Not enough nursery staff and garden centre staff are fully aware just how helpful and supportive Perennial can be.
perennial.org.uk/ways-we-help/
As a charity we rely on support from horticultural businesses to continually be there for people when they need us. Can your business support Perennial? Find out more at
perennial.org.uk/ partners
Registered Charity Nos 1155156 Scotland SC040180
Christmas Awards 2026
Is your team The Greatest at Christmas this year? Scan this QR code to register your centre and your teams for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2026.
A
s Christmas displays start opening the GTN team are already planning the mammoth task of visiting as many centres as possible to establish just who is The Greatest at Christmas this year. To be sure of a judging visit make sure you register using the QR code above before 19th October. Or email trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk As ever, your customers will be the final arbiters of The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre Teams across the regions. Voting will run through November and December. Look out for the voting posters and in-store paper voting artworks in GTN Xtra over the coming weeks. Subscribe for free at www. gardentradenews.co.uk
Here is a list of the categories for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Team Awards 2026.
• The Greatest Winter & Christmas Houseplant Team • The Greatest Outdoor Plant and Christmas Tree Team • The Greatest Gardening as a Christmas Gift Sales Team • The Greatest Christmas Gifts Team • The Greatest Garden Centre Christmas Marketing Promotion • The Greatest Christmas BBQ & Outdoor Leisure Team • The Greatest Festive Garden Centre Restaurant Team & Menu
• The Greatest Festive Retail Food Team • The Greatest Christmas Wild Bird Care & Pet Team • The Greatest Garden Centre Grotto Team • The Greatest Group Small Garden Centre Christmas Team • The Greatest Group Large Garden Centre Christmas Team • The Greatest Small Garden Centre Christmas Team • The Greatest Mid-Sized Garden Centre Christmas Team • The Greatest Large Garden Centre Christmas Team • The Greatest Giant Garden Centre Christmas Team
LAVA-LITE®
Made from premium volcanic minerals, every product in the collection offers a clean, sustainable alternative to chemical-based options while driving repeat purchases season after season. The collection covers key problem-solving categories: slug control, fungus gnat reduction, soil improvement, decorative top dressing, and home composting. Each SKU is designed to be easy to merchandise, visually appealing on the shelf, and simple for customers to understand. Retailers consistently report fast turnover, strong basket-building potential, and high customer satisfaction thanks to the products’ proven effectiveness.
www.lava-lite.co.uk 16 September/October 2026
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Horticulture – The Conference 2026
Fran Barnes opened the conference and launched the new Broad Horizons programme.
Everyone’s ‘must have’ At this year’s HTA Conference, delegates were left in no doubt that horticulture is critical in the climate action tool kit.
I
f anything good can come out of the searing and dry summer it’s the realisation, from government departments and wider industries, that horticulture is a key to delivering benefits to the planet, people and economy. Opening the conference at the end of September in London’s Barbican Centre, Fran Barnes, HTA Chief Executive said: “Horticulture is not just a ‘nice to have’. It has gone beyond important and has tipped into a ‘must have’. Our future needs what you grow and what you sell. It’s an opportunity but we need certaintly. We can’t control the weather or world events, but our government can control policy and planning.” As part of strategic foresight work for the HTA, Pippa Goodman, Managing Director of Next Up, sees plants as part of climate technology. It also looked at horizon scanning to identify emerging shifts and possible outcomes. Opportunites might be found by tapping into the ageing population and the potential 14.5% of UK GDP spending on public health by 2073, and the new markets for horticultre in climate adaption and nature finance. Globally this could reach $9 trillion by 2050. Retailers could benefit from a boost in demand by consumers looking for exclusive brands, a shift in how they are finding gardening information, and
18 September/October 2026
controlled ownership as residents come together to raise the environmental value of local places. The HTA also used the conference to launch its Broad Horizons programme. Applications for this year-long scheme are now open for members to help develop, invest and retain people in their teams. Those working in all horticultural sectors, including garden retailing and manufacturing are welcome to apply.
Industry recognition Allensmore Nurseries swept the board in the Grower of the Year Awards winning three categories and the coverted Overall Grower of the Year title. Frank P Matthews and Robin Tacchi Plants were also winners on the night and have the option of going forward to the International Grower of the Year Awards announced at IPM Essen in January 2027.
The Value of Green Spaces
Containing the latest data and evidence to support the significant economic, environmental and health benefits from horticulture, comes The Value of Green Spaces, the HTA’s latest report. The third in the ‘Value’ series, it provides an excellent source of figures for garden centres and nurseries to use when promoting horticulture for physical and mental health and climate resiliance to their local MP’s and decision makers. Excluding retailing and the manufacture and wholesaling of garden goods, horticulture contributes around £31 billion to the UK GDP and supports 500,000 jobs. Of the eight calls to action for the Government are a Greening Business Rates Relief to incentivise businesses that create green spaces, and the need to put green design at the heart of planning. World renown plantsman Roy Lancaster received the HTA Pearson Award from new HTA President Jane Lawler, for his outstanding service to the gardening industry and in recognition of his career spanning seven decades.
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Glee 2026 review
More than
7,900 buyers visited Glee – an increase of 52% on 2025.
Buyer’s paradise
Glee 2026 brought the industry together and for three days in September was the hub for retail innovation.
C
ohosting Glee and Autumn Fair at the beginning of September has paid off for the industry and organiser Hyve. For the two days the shows coincided, gift buyers maximised their visit to Birmingham’s NEC by seamlessly moving from one show to the other. Footfall at Glee stubstantially increased and the halls were consistantly buzzing with business for the three days. As Glee closed, 68% of exhibitors had
rebooked for 2027, ensuring they get their products seen and continue to be part of buying conversations next year. And with more than 100 new companies, there was plenty of opportunity to find something different for the retail shelves. “We had positive feedback from day one to the end of the show, which validated our decision to co-host Glee and Autumn Fair,” says Matthew Mein, Event Director. “Glee exhibitors got the benefit of seeing some off the Autumn Fair audience which opened up new lines of conversation, and retailers bought bigger teams along so they could get around and find new things. We also ound dwell times were longer.” fo
More than exhibits The New Product Showcase put more than 300 emerging products on a pedestal and provided a focused area for buyers and exhibitors to visit and see innovation in one place. The Centre Stage had a full programme of talks and ‘in
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conversations’ featuring industry experts, while the Feed Your Business area was busy throughout with presentations to inspire catering teams. Surrounded by suppliers of food and beveraages, it was the place to see the presentation of certificates for GTN’s Greatest Garden Centre Restaurant and Food Hall Teams competition launched this year (see pages 8-10).
Diary date
In 2027 Glee takes place from 6-8 September, with Autumn Fair running from 5-8 September.
September/October 2026 21
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Glee 2026 review
Pick of the crop
Out of more than 300 entries in the Glee New Product Showcase, judges found winners with a litt ttle t bit ext xtra t to offffer f retailers. Simon Mcardle, Divisional Director, Hardware; Marie Williams, Head of Category, Hardware; Georgia Howland, Assistant Brand Manager.
Overall Glee Best New Product Winner: Garden Tools & Machinery Kent & Stowe Landshaper K-SHOK Shovel. Westland Horticulture. Bringing professional-grade performance to garden centres to satisfy landscape customers and home gardeners. Exclusive K-SHOK™ Technology dampens vibration, helping reduce fatigue, while reinforced construction delivers strength, durability and control. “After years off workk it is extremelly reward ding for the whole team for the Glee judges to pick the Landshaper K-SHOK Shovel in the Landshaper range as the overall winner.” Simon Mcardle, Divisional Director, Hardware.
Judge’s comments: “I think we were all surprised it was possible to improve the simple shovel. The addition of a shock absorber will make a real difference when using on hard stoney ground!”
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The Glee Sustainability Award Eco Slow-Feeding Ramial Mulch. Eco Crops Ltd. A premium, nutrient-rich mulch made from UK-grown ramial (small, young branches) willow, matured and pre-composted for 12–24 months into a stable humus full of fungi, microbes and organic compounds. “We were grilled by the experts, and they gave us the award, so it must be good! We represent the farmers and the team and it is a dream to get our second award in only our second year at Glee.” Neil Watkins, Founder and Managing Director.
Jud dge’’s comments: “We were reallly impressed d with the genuinely renewable nature of this product. The story of using UK famers to grow the willow crop to create a product that improves and protects our soil is a great example of a truly sustainable and planet positive product.” Neil Watkins, Founder and MD; Emily Dodd, Media and Marketing Manager; Martin Fletcher, Key Account Manager.
September/October 2026 23
Glee 2026 review
Derek Bunker presented the award to James Oldham, Head of Sales.
The Andy Bunker Best of British Award Apple Legacy™. Frank P Matthews. Excellent for pollinators, Legacy is a diseaseresistant, compact apple with apples that hang until January for natural storage. “We feel really privileged to win this award. It is a great variety, found by a former production director who retired after 40 years. It is his legacy, our legacy as a company celebrating 125 years, and a legacy for the NGS on its centenary.” Steph Dunn James, Director.
Judge’s comment: “The most appropriate winner for this award - good breeding, great grower and a very good plant for a customer’s garden. All the qualities that Andy would have valued as a judge.”
Stephen Kinsella, Business Development Manager. Kate Treviss, Account Manager.
National Garden Scheme Centenary
Leisure & Entertaining
NGS Dahlia Border Collection. Taylors Bulbs. Exclusive Dahlia Collection to celebrate the National Garden Scheme’s centenary with £2 donated from every sale. Each pack is a mix of three dahlias - Bishop of York, Bocharella and Honka. “We are delighted to win the award in support of the NGS, and hope customers will get behind it and help generate income for the charity.” Richard Carrick, National Sales Manager.
Sahara Outdoor Kitchen. Sahara. Keenly priced kitchen island, sink unit, open corner unit and upper shelf with stainless steel worktops, galvanised steel frames, high UV-resistant powder coating, soft-close cabinet doors and adjustable feet. Fully customisable outdoor kitchen for every garden. “We are delighted with the award. The exposure it gave us at Glee helped attract new customers.” Stephen Kinsella, Business Development Manager.
GLEE 2026 NEW PRODUCT AWARD WINNER
Wild Bird Care & Wildlife Products
LITTLE GRUBS, MIGHTY BENEFITS People buy insect treats because they want to do something positive for wildlife. Little Grub Farm gives that good intention something to take home: a wildlife treat with benefits beyond the feeding bowl. Safe for all garden visitors A year-round, calcium-rich treat
Farmed in Cambridgeshire: A shorter supply chain for fresher grubs
Raised on surplus British food: Nutritious insects reducing food waste
Visit our website for more
24 September/October 2026
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Glee 2026 review
Wild Bird Care & Wildlife Products
Garden Materials
Dried Calciworms. AgriGrub. British-farmed calciworms for wild birds, hedgehogs, fish and more offering retailers a fresher and more traceable alternative. Naturally rich in calcium, they are raised in Cambridgeshire on food which would otherwise have gone to waste. “This is our first foray into retail and first time at Glee and are grateful to be recognised for being a small, sustainable business.” Helen Mytton-Mills, Co-Founder.
Kelp Shot. Terra Marra. Certified organic plant feed from rope-grown Atlantic kelp off the Devon coast which also supports marine restoration. Its low-energy, zero-waste extraction preserves nutrients for healthy plant growth, and it’s supplied in fully recyclable cans. “We are very excited and delighted to win in our first year at Glee. It has been a great opportunity for us to learn more as we meet people in the industry.” Humphrey Atkinson, Co-Founder.
A delighted Kerr Jeferies, Partnership Manager.
Pet Products
Helen Mytton-Mills and Georgina Gardener.
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Sam’s Field Goose with Sweet Potatoes & Spinach. Sam’s Field. Delicious crunchy treats combining quality animal protein with nutritious vegetables to create a wholesome reward. “We are thrilled to have won this fabulous award – which actually comes 18 years after our first Glee.” Colin Rodger, Managing Director.
Colin Rodger, Managing Director.
September/October 2026 25
Glee 2026 review
Tom Tree, Sales Executive and New Product Development Manager.
Plants Seeds & Bulbs Sedum La Vie en Rose. Darby Nursery Stock. Attractive variegated leaf colour - creamedged green, and large, pretty powder-pink flowerheads. “We are always thrilled to win an award as it genuinely results in increased sales. This sedum ticks every box for the consumer – it doesn’t need the Chelsea chop or staking, it has good variegation and is hardy across the whole of the UK. The award is the cherry on the cake.” Tom Tree, Sales Executive and New Product Development Manager.
Home & Garden Improvements (DIY) WD-40 Specialist® Bio Lubricant Multi-Use. WD-40 Company. An eco-friendly multi-purpose lubricant formulated with 85% renewable, bio-based
The Meadow View Stone team celebrate at Glee.
26 September/October 2026
Tiffany Cann, National Sales Manager Retail and Victoria Reece, Assistant Marketing Manager.
ingredients. Designed to lubricate, penetrate, and protect. “We are really excited to share our new product innovation, to explain the importance of the eco label classification and for retailers and end uses to embrace the new formulation.” Tiffany Cann, National Sales Manager Retail.
Garden Decoration Elementa water features. Meadow View Stone. Collection of 13 plantable contemporary water features with bubblers, rainfall or cascades. A mix of solar and mains-powered designs bringing movement, sound and visual interest to outdoor spaces. “We’ve had lots of interest in the range and are really happy to have won the award. The product has been so well received.” Sarah Hill, Managing Director.
Jill Warburton, Senior Account Manager.
Home and Fashion Night Lark® Plain Dye Coverless Duvet SetDusky Rose. Night Lark. Traditional bedding reimagined with an all-in-one duvet that needs no separate cover, is washable at home and quick to dry. Plain dye fabric and super-soft Smartfil® recycled fibre filling. “We are super excited to be at our first Glee and couldn’t be prouder of how well our products have been received.” Jill Warburton, Senior Account Manager.
Gifts Apollo Adult Xmas Tree Display (171 pairs). Angro BV. First time exhibiting at Glee with a cardboard Xmas Tree Display frame filled with warm and comfortable winter socks for adults in a variety of Christmas themes and colorful designs. “The award is terrific and has bought an amazing amount of traffic to our stand.” GeertJan Loomans.
The team from Angro BV, a company exhibiting at Glee for the first time.
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Could your car park be working harder? Your customers already spend time shopping, eating and browsing. Why not let their cars charge while they do it? ElectRoad helps garden centres and destination retailers turn existing car park space into a new revenue opportunity through intelligently designed EV charging. Our approach starts with your business, your customers and the power capacity you already have. We identify the right charging solution for your site, then support installation, monitoring, maintenance, payments and 24-hour driver support. You retain ownership of the infrastructure and, importantly, the customer relationship. With destination charging, bigger and faster isn’t always better. It’s about matching charging to natural dwell time and making your existing space work harder. Your customers are already stopping. Their cars could be charging. Your car park could be earning.
Discover what EV charging could do for your business at www.electroad.network
r n u o y th a ge! t s i ran o w o B les ng a nni s t pe d-wi r a aw
New e Product Prodd Winner 2026
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Glee 2026 review
Jason Frost (centre) with Sarah Wood and Jim Curry.
Xanthe Brennan, Sales Manager.
Food & Drink Datekin Wheat & Bran Date Cake. Datekin. A naturally sweet fruit centre, wrapped in a wholesome sponge to create a snack that is as nutritious as it is delicious. “We’ve had people coming over [to our stand], eager to try the product and see the rest of the range. It is also nice to have been part of the award ceremony – it’s felt really good and we are very proud.” Xanthe Brennan, Sales Manager.
Garden Accessories Potting Mat. Creative Products Ltd. Easy to assemble potting mat to create an enclosed working area. Made from durable Oxford fabric with a waterproof lining and four fibreglass rods to provide stabiltiy. “Thrilled to win another New Product Award at Glee. We are pleased the judges could see the potential of the product with its easy storage and practical solution for amateur and professional gardeners.” Mark Hall, Director.
Mark Hall, Director.
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Garden Growing Containters 75cm Corten Effect Cylinder. Rago. A striking planter crafted from Stonelite to combine the appearance of weathered Corten steel with a practical, easy-to-position construction. UV and frost resistant, it is designed for year-round indoor or outdoor use. “Really good for the product to get the award, not only here at Glee but also SOLEX a few months ago. The pot is a great size for garden centres and priced at just the right sweet spot.” Jason Frost, Owner.
Retail Services ElectRoad EV Charging. ElectRoad. EV charging with an attractive contract in places people enjoying spending time. “As a company that’s new to the sector with a product that really answers questions that need answering about EV charging for garden centres,
L-R: Andy Drinkell, Technical Director; Ben Battledore, Operations Director and Richard Seppings, Founder.
we are highly proud of the award. It represents a big step for us in making the industry aware of what we can do.” Richard Seppings, Founder.
Landscaping Bamboo Fence Screening. Lows. Made from natural, sustainably sourced materials in two colours (Natural or Java Black) and a selection of sizes. Screens are offered as split half vertical or fully round bamboo sections.
“We are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to win a Glee New Product Award with our stunning bamboo fence/screening panels.” David Wrigley, Director. In the next issue of GTN look out for a full list of winners, finalists and every single entry in the Glee New Product Awards.
David Wrigley, a Director at Lows of Dundee.
September/October 2026 29
Glee 2026
On the up
Centre Stage at Glee was the venue for David Robinson and Trevor Pfeiffer to talk about all things garden centre.
In converstation with GTN Editor Trevor Pfeiffer, the CEO of Dobbies, David Robinson reveils how a return to core gardening is keeping financiers happy.
T
alking candidly at Glee, David Robinson admits that Dobbies had lost sight its gardening credentials but says it has definitley turned a corner. “We’ve thought about what customers want and spoken to colleagues who are with customers all the time. The thing that came back was, ‘we can’t buy everything from you in one go’. That’s really serious. The first thing customers come to a garden centre for is gardening products and plants, and you can’t sell them anything else unless you’ve got a good gardening offer,” he says. As a result, ranges have been rebuilt with new products and returning old favourites. David says: “Developments in Dobbies over the last year have all been driven by customer and colleague insight.” This includes the food halls at its 53 centres, overhauled at the beginning of 2026 with 2000 products and new suppliers. “Waitrose is a really good brand, but customers didn’t want a supermarket experience in a garden centre. They wanted something quieter, calmer and to be able to browse and find something that can’t be found in a supermarket,” David explains. “It has received a really good reaction, which is much better for customers, and personnel as well.”
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Micro seasons Internally, the Dobbies team recognises micro seasons and David is keen for suppliers to also see the opportunities. “There are points in the year when horticultural things are massive,” says David, alluding to the six-to-eight-week window of sales of tomato plants and feed. “But as an industry, we aren’t very good at giving customers the whole solution. If you’re an experienced gardener it’s not a problem, but if you’re growing for the first time it’s hard
clean, we think your kitchens are clean’, and we’ve spent time finding space to relay the store, make it easier to shop and get more ranges in. “The payback is much quicker than I’ve seen on store refurbishments in any other business I’ve run, and in year two, we’re still seeing the increases. It’s not just a one hit wonder. There are another 40 to do – and that’s a lot of potential. “My most positive surprise is that in garden
Developments in Dobbies over the last year have all been driven by customer and colleague insight. to know what to do and when. So, each month we have a micro season, and bring together all the products needed to grow strawberries or tomatoes or to do watering to make it easier for customers. And guess what? They’ve been happier and we have sold more.”
More opportunities Of the seven completed store refurbishments David says: “We’ve looked at each site and its customer flow and said, ‘how can we make this centre better for the customers’?. Typically, we’ll do something in the restaurant and the toilets because feedback is ‘if your toilets are
retailing one plus one equals three. The better each garden centre component is, the more reasons to come and visit, the more reasons to stay, the more reasons to spend. In other retail situations an initiative moves that part of the business but probably doesn’t impact everywhere else. You were always trying to find a halo effect that probably wasn’t there. But in garden centres it is. “We’ve stepped back and just about all the KPI’s we track have gone up. Customers are happier and come more often, colleagues are more engaged and, therefore, sales are up, margins are up and profits are up.”
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
Glee 2026 review
Store Fittings Direct helps fight back against theft
RentaDinosaur increases footfall, engagement, business and fun The team from RentaDinosaur kept everyone entertained by wondering through the halls in their dino costumes and operating hand puppets and robotics. According to the team, RentaDinosaur dinosaurs love garden centres and can bring fun regardless of venue size. From shows, and walkabouts to meet and greets, it offers a range of dinosaurs and can even cater for seasonal events with the Spookysaurus and Santasaurus shows.
News from the halls
Theft is climbing, margins are tight, and your shop floor must work harder than ever. Store Fittings Direct was at Glee with products and solutions to help garden centres fight back. From shelving and point of sale to loss prevention and impact protection, it kits out retail spaces that sell more and lose less. Already trusted by M&S, Waitrose, The Crown Estate and Gates Garden Centres, Store Fittings Direct brings major-retailer fit-out standards to independents, at trade prices and delivered fast.
Feeding plants is as easy as making a cuppa Steep & Sprout, an innovative Shropshire-made plant tea from LOHAS Fertiliser Ltd, won the 2026 GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund at Glee. The prize offers a package of funding and support to accelerate the product’s journey to market. Launched just a week earlier, Steep & Sprout combines organically derived nutrients from domestic resources, such as poultry manure with LOHAS Fertiliser’s patented enzyme technology. Dropping one fertiliser bag in a watering can with cold water and letting it brew delivers, high nitrogen, easy to apply plant nurtients. “It results in fertiliser that’s a rich colour but also rich in humic and amino acids,” says Alice Cooper, Retail Partnership Manager. “This makes it excellent for houseplants and plants grown in peat-free compost.” Once used, spent feed can be sprinkled as a top dressing leaving the empty bag to be composted. Retailing at £7.99 for a pouch of 15 fertiliser
Berry & Bird sets its sights on the UK
New to the UK market but well known on the domestic gardening scene in China for around eight years, is Berry & Bird with a range of hand tools and expanding line of gardening accessories. English hertiage and tradition are strong drivers of product design. Premium stainlesssteel tools have ash wood handles and the
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
! Colin Smart, (left) and Jon Davis, Sales Manager are bringing Berry & Bird to UK garden centres.
Alice Cooper with the GIMA certificate at Glee.
bags, Steep & Sprout is an accessible and easyto-understand alternative to traditional liquid plant feeds.
list of 70 skus will, potentially, rise to 150. Colin Smart, European Business Manager, told GTN the home gardening market in China is small by percentage, but because the population is so vast, numbers are significant. “Town houses have gardens, there are lots of balconies and the market is rapidly growing,” he says. In a country of few garden centres, D2C is strong, and anything that looks traditionally English is popular.
Berry & Bird has been trialling products in around 100 independent garden centres this year and feedback has been positive. Because of his experience in the garden marketing, Colin knows the UK market will be a tough one to build, and success will not be overnight, but he is confident the new tie up with Treadstone Products will seamlessly bring Berry & Bird to UK garden retailers.
September/October 2026 31
Autumn feeding for wild birds Autumn is one of the most important seasons in a bird’s calendar. It’s a time of preparation, when wild birds need to build up vital energy reserves, complete their annual moult and get ready for the challenges that winter will bring. It’s also a busy time for migration and these travelling birds need safe spaces to rest and replenish their energy. By offering energy-rich products such as sunflower hearts, peanuts, suet and quality seed blends, you can make a real difference to the birds that depend on the food you put out. Rewild your world®.
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® Honeyfields is a registered trademark © Honeyfields 2026
Glee 2026 review
FELCO has its eyes on the Christmas gift market
Simon Wright with the display stand available to retailers.
Water wise with Water Less After the hot, dry summer, gardeners are wanting to make the most of the water they use, so now is the perfect time for Vitax to launch Water Less. In liquid or gel formulation, it improves water penetration and distrubtion in soil and growing media enabling plants to more easily access the water applied. Taking experience from the commercial sports turf sector, Vitax has reimagined the surfacant product to make it accessbile to home gardeners in terms of price, packaging and application. Gardeners can apply liquid Water Less via watering cans, and it can be also be added to liquid feed resulting in three jobs in one. The gel formulation is mixed in to growing media and has the advantage of additional slow-release feed. Simon Wright, Area Sales Manager, says retailers can prepare for spring and summer 2027 by taking delivery at the end of 2026.
The Webb’s answer
Presented in an attractive tine case, FELCO’s Floristry Box has everything professional and amateur florists need. Retailing at £130 it can be displayed alongside the similarly presented Service and Maintenance Kit (RRP £135), with essential tools for keeping FELCO secateurs in tiptop condition.
Move over to robot mowers By 2034, the global robotic lawn mower market is expected to be valued at 30.30 bn USD – almost three times what it is currently registering (11.81 USD). According to Fortune Business Insights, the UK is expected to ‘witness a noteworthy development’, and garden centres are a key factor in this growth. At Glee, Darren Murley, Senior National Account Manager, Beam Group, says its new MOVA good, better and best mowers will appeal to older, financially stable customers and a younger demographic who are looking for low maintenance and convenient gardening solutions. “Robotic lawn mowers are now part of the category and customers are expecting to see them on offer in garden centres,” he says. Within the Beam Group, robotic mowers are the biggest and fastest growing line in its robotic category which also includes floor washing and vacuuming. With rrp’s starting at £549 up to £1249, the six models come with features including all wheel
Understanding it had to offer something different, Webb has opted for a mower with attractive price and ease of use. Its Webb Eco 20V Drop & Mow range has an rrp starting at £349.99. Fresh out of the factory for Glee, the ‘plug in and drop’ mower is lightweight and powered with the same batteries used in its Webb Eco 20V range. Available in March 2027, Mark Moseley, Sales and Marketing Director, says the key message is simplicity – no wires, no border
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The top of the range MOVA can tackle 38-degree slopes.
drive and 360-degree vision which allows them to be used at dusk and at night. “There is genuine interest in the sector and customers are doing a lot of research before they buy,” says Darren. Recognising garden centres need support, MOVA can offer stock or direct despatch.
cables, no charging station and no app. “We have been asked for this type of mower for a long time,” he says. There are two models in the range, covering 220m2 and 400m2, and both can detect and avoid objects, paths and borders. Once energy in its battery has been exhausted, the mower will stop working and because it has a convenient carry handle, it can be easily picked up and stored in a shed.
Mark with the new plug in and drop robotic mower.
September/October 2026 33
Floral Thursday 2026
Flower power at Glee
Another industry fun day with Floral Thursday at Glee.
M
ore than £3580 is winging its way to The Greenfingers Charity thanks to everyone at Glee who donned their floral finery for a day of FUNdraising. The Glee halls were lit up on Floral Thursday with seas of colour as the horticultural industry came together to support children and families who spend time in hospices. At the annual raffle, Bob Marley picked out 50 winning tickets with two lucky people taking top prizes of a Sahara bbq and a Webbs mower. Individuals and teams in floral floral uniform gathered at The Centre Stage for the raffle and for the awards given out raffle to those who’s efforts efforts could not go unrecognised. Congratulations to team Miracle-Gro, Elho, and Gardena but also to Gardeners Kitchen who went the extra mile in their sunflower sunflower costumes. In addition, Woodmansterne held a draw for an original painting created live at the show by artist Kate Rebecca Leach. Along with Woodmansterne’s other fundraising initiatives more than £300 was donated to the charity. In 2027 the last day of Glee falls on a Wednesday but the FUNdraising in florals will continue with Wild Flower florals Wednesday.
34 September/October 2026
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
Floral Thursday 2026
Greenfingers Charity extends heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the initiative. The continued efforts of so many are helping to bring the gift of a garden to more life-limited children and families who need it most.
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
September/October 2026 35
Planteria
From Glee’s Green Heart Highlights for your planteria
Lee Chambers, Head of Sales, says the newly formed Plant Power Group offers plant buyers ‘one root to retail’. With a single point of contact, buyers can source plants from four nurseries, including Florina Plants and Pinnacle Plants. “One nursery can’t grow everything so by sourcing from specialst growers that do what they do well, garden centres know they are getting quality,” says Lee.
The Horti House is making houseplant gifting even easier with its new decorative cardboard outer. Retailing at £19.99 with the plant, it offers a simple but highly effective way of boosting impulse sales and anchors plants at the heart of garden centre gifting.
Melcourt’s range of specialist composts has now expanded with Bulb Compost joining the SylvaGrow line up. The new formula comes with updated packaging to compliment the existing range of other specialist growing media and is sold in a 15L bag with an rrp of £5.99. For autumn, spring and summer bulbs, the small bags are easy to display adjacent to related plants and bulbs in planterias.
Star gazing Examples starring on Glee’s Future Plants, curated by Michael Perry, should all have a place on planteria benches now and in years to come. Potential winners include Alstroemeria Fashionista. Currently only available as a cut flower, it has five months of flowering and 100 flower stems per plant, so should have a place in garden borders. The Cercis Garden Gems collection, selected for their compact habit and foliage colour are also perfect for modern gardens. Michael also hinted at upcoming trends. He says the UK is missing out on tabletop planters where viola and Calibrachoa Minifamous work well, and unusual plants like Lily ‘Tropical Dragon’ which appeal to a noncore gardening demographic.
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www.gardentradenews.co.uk
Adapt or Die
When retailers zig, you zag M
An international perspective on marketing from John Stanley, Sid Raisch and Dries Jansen Onliness
arketing is experiential and experimental and in a fast-moving market, successful retailers survive by zigging and zagging into new concepts. Food service is the most innovative retail sector. Because it is fast and relatively easy to experiment, chefs are always testing new ideas to find their next niche. Food trends inevitably lead store retail, with fashion following closely behind. Garden retail tends to lag and is often uninspiring. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Shifting The first urgent shift requires embracing the modern consumer. Omnichannel retail is here to stay across all commercial segments and while garden retailers are adapting, they are doing so slowly. This is a critical place to zig quickly. If you do not meet consumers online, your otherwise loyal customers will divide their in-store shopping among your competitors. Worse, they might abandon you entirely if buy-online, pickup in store or home delivery are missing. If you have not embraced omnichannel, zag over to it immediately. If you already have, ensure your entire ecommerce technology platform is fully up to date. Once the rest of the industry has zigged over to omnichannel, you must zag to truly stand out, and to do this, we must look to the broader retail landscape for clues.
Piggy backing Garden retail has historically been a standalone, land-intensive concept. But the future belongs to those who zag. Petitti Garden Centers in Ohio, has successfully taken up residence in several lifestyle centres. Even
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
Created by Marty Neumeier the term ‘onliness’ is discussed in his book, Zag. To explain his concept in a garden retail perspective, there are four types of retailing styles.
The RHS zagged over to Kent’s Bluewater centre, to open a temporary houseplant shop.
the Royal Horticultural Society opened a retail shop in a Kent shopping centre. These spaces come with built-in advantages: expansive shared parking, ready-made infrastructure, and existing zoning, leaving the retailer to focus purely on the garden retail experience. Another powerful zag is the evolution of the temporary retail space. Pop-up garden centres have existed for decades, usually on unused sections of otherwise busy car parks. It is a proven and highly successful concept and while prime grocery store outlets are difficult to secure, spaces abound where local regulations permit seasonal retail. Second Chance Plants in the USA, is a zag concept capitalising on the prime spring selling season. It opened three temporary locations in the Baltimore area in 2025 and rapidly expanded to 12 for 2026. The model touts overstock plants at up to 50% off store prices, and focuses strictly on fast-turning lines like annuals and perennials during a tight 8-12week window. It consistently sells out between restocks.
1) Sell plants at the side of the road. This is how many businesses start. 2) If style one works, then set up a shop with improved signage and layout 3) The business develops into an experiential garden centre. We have seen the expansion of this retail model with better customer flow, development of lifestyle displays and customer experiences. Alas, many businesses do not evolve past this style. 4) This is what Marty calls the Onliness Retailers. They do something unique to them in their catchment area, become a regional retailer and have a niche market. Bass Pro in the USA would be classed as an Onliness store, and Zanthorrea in Perth, Western Australia, would be classified too. Zanthorrea only sells indigenous plants; it has kept to its niche and has the whole state as its market.
How will you zag? Innovation is not limited to traditional pathways. The future belongs to the experimental so stop lagging behind food and fashion and find your zag by creating an unforgettable experience and become the onliness outlet in your part of the world. For more information contact John on email: john@johnstanley.com.au
September/October 2026 37
Viewpoint
Retailing with shared and trusted values Peter Burks – CEO of the Garden Centre Association
We work to our six values, and our current mission statement is: ‘To connect the best garden centres in the UK, to inspire and support them to grow and adapt’.
After rounds of inspections, the team at Ruxley Manor Garden Centre where delighted to be named ‘GCA Destination Garden Centre of the Year’.
T
he Garden Centre Association (GCA) was formed exactly 60 years ago by a group of like-minded nurserymen who were at the very start of the garden centre evolution. This birthday was celebrated at our conference in January this year. We think the very first garden centre was formed 70 years ago by a GCA member Stewarts Garden Centre in Christchurch, Dorset after being inspired by plant sales in America. One of the Association’s first decisions was to set up an inspection scheme for members, who could then work towards
shopper phone calls and emails and of course the toilets. It is from these visits carried out by our team of five inspectors, all with extensive retail or horticultural experience, that we can get firstly our area awards programs together, which get presented in July, and then our national awards presented in January at our annual conference. By bringing together leading garden centres from across the UK, we have created a trusted and professional community where members can openly share knowledge, learn
We celebrate achievement, facilitate collaboration and represent the interests of our members within the wider industry. and be entitled to “Approved Centre” status. The inspections still take place today, unannounced and annually. These are a great way for members to be able to have an external person come and visit and audit the centre against the GCA’s 220 different criteria. This covers every part of the garden centre from appearance from the road frontage, through the car park, entrance, all retail departments, including the restaurant, and through to tills and exit. It also includes an overview of the website, includes mystery
38 Sep ptember/October 2026
from one another and continually improve. Our structured inspection and benchmarking programmes provide clarity, accountability and measurable standards, helping members raise performance and deliver excellence. We celebrate achievement, facilitate collaboration and represent the interests of our members within the wider industry. Through events, networking, insight sharing and partnerships with our Associate members we combine commercial rigour with a personal connection.
Our Values • Inspiration To inspire our members to do better and improve their businesses. • Friendship and Support To nurture a network of like-minded people who support each other. • Communication To encourage open channels of communication and collaboration between our members, associate members, and industry organisations. • Trust To encourage respect, integrity, and reliability amongst the membership. • Quality To strive for the very best in everything that we do, including an inspection system that drives up the standards across the industry. • Growth To grow the GCA and help our member businesses to grow. Together we will grow faster.
Find out more
The GCA is more than a trade body it is a professional community with a commitment to progress, and we happily accept more members. If you would like to join, please do get in touch. Email: peter@gca.org.uk
www.gardentradenews.co.u uk
Viewpoint
Making horticulture’s message unforgettable Jane Lawler, HTA President.
H
orticulture has a powerful story to tell. The challenge is inspiring the people who can take that story and bring about meaningful change for good. That was my main takeaway from Horticulture, The Conference at London’s iconic Barbican Centre. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking day, with a great range of speakers covering diverse topics and some really insightful panel sessions. But I wonder what the conference delegates actually remember of the content?
Forgetting to remember Award-winning speaker and TV magician Ben Hanlin delivered the day’s closing session with some sobering statistics. Did you know that we retain only around 40% of what we have heard in a presentation after an hour? A week later, it falls to less than 10%. Writing this just 24 hours after the conference, here’s something that stuck with me. Horticulture holds the keys to unlock many of the UK’s environmental, social and economic challenges. Our job is to make sure the legislators understand this and join the dots across all Government departments to develop policies that can harness these opportunities and deliver tangible impacts. • The climate mitigating effects of planting trees • The mental health benefits of green spaces • The physical benefits of owning a garden
Will Armitage handed over the HTA presidency to Jane Lawler at the association’s AGM.
• The economic growth opportunity in our growing sector We heard from Jenny Riddell-Carpenter MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Defra, and Conservative MP Robbie Moore, Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Both talked positively about our sector and sounded supportive of many of the issues we need see addressed.
...focus on finding one high-impact, concise and memorable message.. But I felt a nagging sense of déjà vu. I thought that much of the narrative sounded remarkably similar to what we heard from politicians at last year’s conference. So, how can we turn positive words and good intentions into meaningful action? That leads me back to something else I remembered from Ben Hanlin – “keep your narrative short and simple.”
New core message
Ben Hanlin’s entertaining presentation had a serious undertone and gave useful tips on engagement and connection regardless of your audience.
39 September/October 2026
The horticultural case is undoubtedly complex. We span environmental policy, health, education, planning, housing, employment and economic growth. Perhaps our core message would benefit from being much shorter. Ben’s memorable example was from Steve Jobs at the launch of the iPod: ‘1,000 songs
in your pocket’. A simple idea. Loaded with meaning. Easy to remember. Potentially viral! So perhaps we should pull back from looking for more things to say, and focus on finding one high-impact, concise and memorable message that the politicians – in whichever department they work - cannot forget. Because if we agree that horticulture really does provide some of the answers to solving the UK’s biggest challenges, we need to make sure the people holding the keys remember exactly what it is they have the power unlock. So, over to you… any ideas for a new environmental horticulture slogan?
New position As the HTA’s new President, I look forward to connecting with members and listening to your ideas to ensure our sector is front and centre on policymakers’ agendas. I am very grateful to my predecessor, Will Armitage, for his incredible work over the past two years, and I’m proud to lead us into the next period of growth.
Find out more
The Horticultural Trades Association is the UK industry’s leading membership organisation and welcomes all sectors of environmental horticulture. To learn more, please visit www.hta.org.uk or to enquire about membership please email: membership@hta.org.uk
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