Some would say it has been a year of lows and even deeper lows. There have certainly been some tough times, with retailers and suppliers coming to the end of the road, whether that is in their trading relationships with each other or just in trading. Focus closing its doors for the last time hurt a number of people, most of all their staff but also the staff at their suppliers who were left smarting too. Some were ‘taken by surprise’ when the end came – I’m not sure why.

-   December 2010 saw the heaviest snow falls in much ofBritainfor years. It crucified the sales of Christmas trees, houseplants and decorations for retailers.

We are seeing a wave in patriotism driven by ‘Buy British’ and rightly so. Plant Miles are as important to garden centre customers as food miles are to shoppers in the supermarket. Is this just a ‘flash in the pan’ driven by wedding fever or is it a sustainable trend?

Two phrases used everyday and with a definite link between them. However in the garden products industry, when so much of what happens is weather dependant, do we make our own luck? Whether a supplier or retailer the answer has to be ‘yes’: because it is down to how you react to what comes along.