A London decorating and hardware merchant will extend its opening hours from next week after reporting a surge in demand for products from professional tradespeople and DIY enthusiasts during lockdown.Leyland SDM, which has 23 branches across the ...

John Lewis will begin to reopen its shops for customers as part of a gradual approach from Monday 15 June, starting with its Poole and Kingston department stores, followed by 11 others on Thursday 18 June. Depending on the response from customers ...

What More UK, the organisation behind the famous home storage brand Wham, has announced the latest in a series of multi-million pound investments at their Altham manufacturing site. The new development will provide 26,000 sq. ft. of extra ...

The HTA has launched a new mobile app, to give horticulture businesses access to up-to-date industry information, resources, and training opportunities. The HTA app can be downloaded for free on any smart device. It has an extensive library of ...

The Scottish Government has announced that garden centres will be allowed to reopen on or after May 28, as part of Phase 1 of its strategy for exiting lockdown. Scotland is currently out of line with the rest of the UK, and one of the last ...

Non-essential retail stores will re-open in less than three weeks, but how will Britain's retailers fare in the post-Covid landscape? Founder of shopping app Ubamarket discusses why stores must go beyond cleanliness guidelines and offer a more ...

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, GIMA’s Consumer & Design Trends seminar was sadly cancelled, however delegates – including GIMA members, non-members and for the first time, retailers - are being offered a second chance to learn more about the ...

Toolstation has launched an initiative to help provide support to the mental health and wellbeing needs of those working in the trade. Working together with the mental health anti-stigma campaign, Time to Change, ‘Head First’ will encourage the ...

The HTA (Horticultural Trades Association) has announced today that it will be hosting its New Plant Awards as a ‘virtual’ event this year. The New Plant Awards are usually one of the highlights of the National Plant Show, held by the HTA in June ...

As self-isolation and staying at home become the new norm, there are concerns that the measures in place to protect our physical health may have an adverse affect on our mental wellbeing. Mental health charities, including SANE, have noted a spike ...

Ahead of National BBQ Week (beginning on Monday 25 May) Weber has released its latest market report, as good weather and lockdown have combined to create a BBQ boom in Britain!Barbecuing has never been more popular in the UK says Weber Barbecues (...

As stores prepare to open from June 1st, retailers must adapt their operations to be successful amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the example of stores which have successfully navigated the crisis will help bring customers in-store safely, ...

Management at a Bradford garden centre have thanked members of the public who have made the reopening of the centre safe and successful. Like many garden centres nationwide, Tong Garden Centre opened its doors to the public last Wednesday after ...

Last week, the UK government confirmed that it will step in to prop up the trade credit insurance market, bringing welcome relief to GIMA members and other suppliers within the garden retail sector. Trade credit insurance is a contract bought by ...

Leading garden care brand Evergreen Garden Care (www.lovethegarden.com), has teamed up with Charted Horticulturalist and TV Gardener, David Domoney, to create the ‘Grow with David Domoney’ series. Aired on Facebook Live via Evergreen Garden Care’s ‘...

British consumers have praised social distancing measures put in place by DIY retailers with over 80 per cent saying that it was easy to follow protective guidelines inside stores, according to a study by Kantar. Kantar asked shoppers who visited re-...

It’s hard to think of a way that will truly demonstrate our gratitude for all the keyworkers that are holding this country together during the Covid-19 lockdown. LifestyleGarden - one of the UK’s leading outdoor furniture suppliers – knew they ...

New research from home improvement and repair service, Local Heroes, has today revealed that three in five (60 per cent) skilled tradespeople across the nation feel the COVID-19 outbreak has caused a negative effect on their mental health. Ahead ...

Wickes is to begin a phased reopening of its stores to the public in the next two weeks, with strict new safety measures in place to protect customers and colleagues. Despite being an essential retailer, Wickes took the decision to serve its ...

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has issued this industry response to the reopening of garden centres in England from Wednesday 13 May.HTA Chairman, James Barnes, said: “Following on from Friday’s announcement that garden centres in Wales ...

Last week saw the launch of Lockdown Gardener, a new type of business in the horticulture sector that is very customer-focused, digital in nature, born out of lockdown and driven by a sense of purpose.The business was started as a response to the ...

According to The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA)’s latest weekly Covid-19 financial update for members, the forecast for growth in DIY and garden expenditure for 2020 has shown a small improvement – thanks largely to the gradual ...

Historic Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic is experiencing a renewed demand from homeowners in its handmade Greenhouses during lockdown, as the benefit of being more self-sufficient and ‘growing your own’ is thrown sharply into ...

Following the latest government Covid 19 updates and a thorough overhaul of our warehouse operating procedures, we can extend the ranges we have available to our customers throughout the UK.However, the health and safety of our team remains ...

Global gardening brand GARDENA has teamed up with sustainability influencer, Lynne Lambourne, to launch a social media sunflower growing competition for families to enter this spring. The competition has been launched with the intention to get ...

Dulux Academy has launched Dulux Academy Live, a series of free online workshops to continue to support the painting and decorating trade despite the challenges of lockdown. Dulux Academy Live sees the Dulux Academy team of industry experts share ...

Fiskars has released the results of its annual Happiness and Wellbeing Study, which analyses consumer insight into gardening and its beneficial effect both on physical and mental wellbeing. The results are more poignant than ever due to this current ...

The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) has launched a campaign to support supplier members on all issues arising from forthcoming legislation on packaging.Its opening move was to lobby Government on an extension to the consultation ...

In a first step towards getting back to normal following the government’s Covid-19 lockdown, from April 30 Wickes has reopened six of its stores: Pudsey, Cheltenham, Preston, Sevenoaks, Cricklewood and Hailsham are now open to the public.In addition ...

To support the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) campaign to reopen garden centres, a guidance document has been produced to ensure all garden centres open in a safe manner for staff and customers alike – should the Government formally announce ...