Following the round of final presentations, the names of the five finalists of the Westland Rising Stars and Garden Centre Association (GCA) programme have been announced.
They delivered presentations on the topic ‘how to boost autumn sales’. These covered growing media, autumn lawn care and bird care. Increases in sales of 40% to 70% were reported, with more than double digit growth in one case. Before and after images were included, which really brought to life what was achieved.
Daniel Holden (Barton Grange), Rupert Sleight (Squires Cobham), Kathryn Crouch (Haskins West End), Hana Parker (Monkton Elm) and John Bradley (Stewarts) have all made it through to the GCA Conference at Fairmount, St Andrews in Scotland in January 2017. There they will deliver their presentations on stage, in front of colleagues and peers. The overall winner – the 2016 Rising Star of the Year – will then be chosen by conference delegates.
The finalists are the last ones standing after an eight month programme in which candidates attended three Masterclasses run by IBBIS director and training facilitator Ian Boardman. Skills taught included the importance of keeping hotspots fresh, creating clear signage, organising themed displays and the benefits of teamwork.
Ian said: “Over the past eight months, I’ve had the pleasure to see a group of people who have grown in confidence and self-belief, delivering some tangible and impressive sales results for their garden centres. They are all stars in their own right, but only one will go on to become the Rising Star of the Year!”
Westland marketing director Keith Nicholson added: “On behalf of Westland I’d like to congratulate the five finalists. Each year the Rising Stars programme goes from strength to strength. The programme is designed to guide our managers of tomorrow and give them a platform to develop their careers within garden retail. It is this kind of investment that ensures the long term growth of our industry.”
GCA chief executive Iain Wylie commented: “The Rising Stars presentations are always the highlight of the GCA conference. It’s a great way for us to celebrate the real talent and professionalism in our industry. I can’t wait to find out who will be crowned Rising Star of the Year.”
