Welcome to the May issue round-up of Garden Centre Retail

News Centre: A round-up of news from the industry

News Extra: Notcutts Redevelopment: Tunbridge Wells

Association News: The Garden Centre Association and Horticultural Trades Association share more of their thoughts on what they have planned for 2014.

Business Tips: Guy Moreton discusses recruiting the right staff, Keith Bateman of Davidson Richards muses on the future of EPoS, David Standing talks about knowing your customer, and Simon Quinton Smith discusses opportunities in this resurgent market.

Opinions: Kevin Waters identifies the reasons why customers buy from us and Jane Perrone talks indoor plants and May trends.

View From The Top: In our third big interview, we talk to Dennis Espley of Squire’s Garden Centres. Dennis shares his knowledge of the industry as well as tells the story of how he came into the industry. He also tells us of the history behind Squire’s, and where it all began.

Store Design: Paul Pleydell, in the third instalment of his series, discusses the importance of customer flow and how directing the customer can maximise profit.

Plant Focus: Lucy Summers, garden designer and plant lover, shares some of her favourite country plants that complement an English country garden.

Catering Q&A: Garden Centre Retail looks at five different garden centres, who tell us about the importance of catering, and tell us what their caf’s and restaurants mean to their business.

Product Lines: A selection of product news and latest kit features that look at garden buildings, garden furniture, and pots and planters. In this month’s Trading With feature, Garden Centre Retail speaks to Mike Brown of Liquid Lever Irrigation Ltd.

Jobs: A collection of vacancies from across the garden retail industry.

Staff Room: A selection of little interviews, a calendar of “what’s on”, and Alex’s blog all feature in our Staff Room section.