Inflation is to fall, interest rates and wages are to rise. GIMA hears now is a good time for exporters, and how to reduce the currency risk with foreign exchange specialists.  Read more

Recently published figures show that the gender pay gap in garden retailers is generally smaller than the UK average. However, there are some interesting differences between the garden centre groups. Read more

A Scottish Horticultural Action Plan, highlighting the contribution of parks and gardens to the wider Scottish economy, has been launched. Read more

Garden Re-Leaf Day is fast approaching! With just under three weeks until the garden retail industry comes together to kickstart the season and raise much needed funds for Greenfingers, the event organisers are urging interested parties to sign up now and take part before it’s too late! Read more

HTA and Greenfingers Charity have cemented their partnership with the announcement of a number of initiatives at the Garden Press Event this week. Read more

Economist Roger Martin-Fagg forecast 2 interest rate rises and volatile exchange rates for 2018 as we head for a soft Brexit. The Government will have to consider a property tax. Read more

Veteran Sun columnist and broadcaster, Peter Seabrook has called on garden centres to back a National Rose Festival Week in the 3rd or 4th week of June. Read more

2017 started with a flourish but lost momentum and settled to be an OK year. Suppliers worried about Brexit, the living wage, higher costs and Wyevale. Retailers and growers worried about Xylella. Takeover activity reached new peaks among suppliers, but no major garden centres changed hands. The industry said goodbye to some old friends. Read our review – (open to non-subscribers). Read more

Lower plant and gardening sales means that October income was level with last year according to the latest figures from the GCA. Plus, we look at gardening totals for 2017. Read more

Last week’s 3 day conference and trade show, held by Choice Marketing, eclipsed the HTA Futures conference that it clashed with, by drawing 160 delegates. 90 suppliers exhibited at the trade show. Read more

Declining gifts sales and slow restaurant growth has knocked the performance of bigger garden centres according to the half year figures from the GCA. Read more

The chat at Solex centered around topics like: Wayfair, empty warehouses and price rises. And has 2017 really been a vintage year? Read more

Why, at the end of May, are small garden centres up +11% for the year while large garden centres are up +5%? And where's the houseplant boom? Read more

Due to illness one of the new GCA inspectors has been forced to step down this year. So two, who had intended to retire, are back as judges and will address the newly announced regional awards meetings.  Read more

GCA garden centre sales were 13% up on last year after a strong April, with massive growth in plants and garden furniture in the warm, dry weather. What will they be after May? Read more

Perennial is reviving its traditional Festival Dinner, a fantastic evening of fundraising, with the help of partners and supporters from across the UK horticulture industry. Read more

Sales may be down +/- 15% on last year, but garden centres are confident they can catch up. 2013 was worse. But as one garden centre owner explained, “A season normally consists of 7 strong weeks, so we can still recover but we need those strong weeks to start!” Read more

Considered the garden industry event of the year, the GIMA Awards are set to return later this summer (12th July, Celtic Manor), with another glittering night of celebrations. Entry to this year’s awards are now open – with suppliers being urged to not miss out on their chance to win one of the industry’s highest accolades. Read more

The forthcoming GIMA Day Conference is set to offer a varied selection of speakers, including two popular retail stalwarts who will be providing an insight into the state of retailing in the year ahead. Read more

To celebrate the fourth year of National Children’s Gardening week and it’s ‘adoption’ by the HTA, a new look website for National Children’s Gardening Week has been unveiled, along with a suite of free resources for the garden industry to get behind the initiative. Read more

Wyevale, the country’s largest specialist garden centre group with 147 stores, has published a report on the latest gardening trends revealed by a survey of 15,000 garden lovers. Read more

Bents has pipped Barton Grange and Webbs of Wychbold to be the GCA Destination Garden Centre of the Year. Smart Garden has regained the prestigious Supplier of the Year cup. Read more

Christmas buying is getting earlier and overall sales have dropped in many centres, not helped by snow on the peak live tree weekend, closing some centres. Despite this, overall garden centre sales are up for 2017. Read more

Bents have wrestled the GCA Christmas Display award back from Barton Grange, while Castle Gardens in Sherborne prove invincible yet again in the category for smaller garden centres. Read more

BHETA has created a new National Home Improvement Week for the home and garden industry on dates in the middle of March that clash with Garden Re-Leaf Day. Read more

Syngenta and their Calliope brand are to sponsor David Domoney’s community gardening campaign, Cultivation Street, which adds a mentor scheme in 2018. Read more

Glee has opened the vote to find the UK's best garden buyers. They have revealed a shortlist of 25 buyers across 5 categories: independent garden centres, multiples, DIY / Builder Merchants, online and other. Read more

The top GIMA awards went to Westland for Product of the Year and Smart Garden for Supplier of the Year. Briers took the export achievement award. Read more

Do we face opening the UK market to imports from the US? LOFA members fear exchange rate volatility. The HTA is concerned about retaining the relationship it has built with Government on ways to promote plant health and cut plant imports.  Read more

Despite an only ‘average’ May, which fell well behind May 2016, most garden centres report they are still well up for the year. Cautious optimism defines their view for the rest of the year. Read more