Business excellence and operational strategy take centre stage at GCCE 2025

GCCE – Stage One

The Business Strategy Stage, themed “Driving Future Growth”, opens with insights from Saxon Moseley, Partner and Head of Leisure & Hospitality at RSM UK and Kay Griffiths, Director – Leisure and Trade Related Property at Savills on consumer and business trends, drawing lessons from hospitality, leisure, retail and garden sectors.

Paul Pleydell leads a session on diversification, helping businesses assess new opportunities and unlock incremental growth. The afternoon focuses on financial strategy, with Sam Bosworth, Owner of Bosworths Garden Centre and James Phipson, Founder, Chairman & Head of Advisory at Dragon Argent discussing funding, succession planning, and taxation.

The GCCE concludes with a session on sustainability, featuring Jason Danciger, Managing Director at Hana Group, Kersten Catella, Sales Director at Wyevale Nurseries and others, exploring how garden centres can leverage their environmental strengths to drive growth.

Stage Two

Meanwhile, the Operational Excellence Theatre, themed “Improving Performance and Efficiency”, offers practical sessions to boost profitability. Andrew Burton kicks off with pricing strategies, followed by Neil Grant, Managing Director at Ferndale Garden Centre and John Cowan, Senior Associate at The Retailer Group on maximising festive events. Sustainability returns as a theme in this theatre too.

Labour challenges are tackled in a session on productivity amid rising wage costs, featuring Agata Mabena, Senior Associate of The Retailer Group and Louise Brake, Co-founder of In-Workforce. The day wraps up with a masterclass on loss prevention, led by Corin Dennison, Managing Partner of Insight Retail Risk Consultancy Ltd and John Redfern – Former Head of Security Solutions for Sainsbury’s.

With a mix of sector specialists and business experts, the event promises actionable insights and peer-led learning to help garden retailers grow smarter and operate more efficiently.

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