Representatives from across the garden retail industry came together for the GIMA Awards at the Celtic Manor resort last night, with winners crowned in 16 categories.
GIMA director Vicky Nuttall said of the event: "I would like to be the first to extend my congratulations to all of the winners. It's been another tough year of judging, due to the incredibly high standard of entries. In fact the quality has been so high this year that we have actually introduced an additional award in order to accommodate excellence across the board. My sincerest congratulations to all our winners, who are truly deserving of the accolade given to them. They have all demonstrated exceptional qualities, from cutting edge design to inspirational retail support."
The winners on the night were:
GIMA Sword of Excellence
Burgon & Ball - Weed Slice
The judges also awarded Eden Greenhouses with a GIMA Sword of Excellence Special Commendation for its Zero Threshold Birdlip Greenhouse.
GCA Supplier of the Year
Smart Garden Products
Finalists: Woodlodge Products, Westland Horticulture, Elho B.V., Hozelock Ltd
Gardenex Export Achievement Award
Eden Hall Greenhouses
Garden Care
William Sinclair - The GrowQube
Finalists: Westland Horticulture - Resolva Liquid Shots; Westland Horticulture - Gro-Sure Tomato Easy Feed
Growing, Planting Equipment and Sundries
Combipots A/S - PotatoPot
Finalists: Burgon & Ball - The Essential Tools Range; Elho B.V. - Corsica Easy Hanger Trio
Garden Tools, Machinery and Implements
Burgon & Ball - Weed Slice
Finalists: Wolf Garten - Telescopic Bypass Tree Loppers; Burgon & Ball - RHS Endorsed Culti Rake; Batavia - Multi-Shifter
Outdoor Leisure
Zest 4 Leisure - Cheltenham Arbour
Finalists: Zest 4 Leisure - Hampshire Arbour; Forest Garden - Sleeper Bench Furniture
Plants, Seeds and Bulbs
Mr Fothergill's Seeds - GroBox Gardens
Finalists: Johnsons Lawn Seed - 'The One'; Mr Fothergill's Seeds - RSPB 'Let's Make Wildlife Welcome'
Garden Landscaping
Winner: Eden Hall Greenhouses - Zero Threshold Birdlip Greenhouse
Finalists: Kelkay - Granite Cobble Mat Sets; Kelkay - 2.4m Abbey Circle Patio Kit
Garden Clothing & Gifts
Winner: Burgon & Ball - Love the Glove
Finalists: Fallen Fruits - Nature Print Collection; Town & Country - Fleecy Cloggies; Briers - Gruffalo Garden Tool Bag
Pet Care, Aquatics and Wild Bird Care Products
Winner: Gardman - Ernest Charles range of dog foods
Finalists: Wildlife World - The Urban range; Deco-Pak - Bayside Beach Hut Birdhouses
Garden Lighting, Water Features & Ornamentation - NEW FOR 2015
Winner: Smart Garden Products - Cornish Jar Lantern
Finalists: Gardman - Cole & Bright Solar Powered Motion Sensor Black Nickle Wall and Post Lights; Smart Garden Products - Ollie (owl rattan ornament)
Best Point of Sale Material
Winner: Burgon & Ball - Love the Glove mobile display stand
Finalists: Burgon & Ball - Weed-Slice display system; Briers - Gruffalo range merchandising stand
Best Consumer Product Packaging
Winner: Burgon & Ball - Essential Tools packaging
Finalists: Briers - Kids range packaging; Briers - Digital Weather Station
Best Marketing Communication Award
Winner: Westland Horticulture - Resolva Liquid Shots launch campaign
Finalists: Ronseal - Garden paint launch campaign; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company - launch of the new Weedol Power Sprayer
When it came to the export category the judges were inundated with entries from both garden and pet suppliers, with pet supplier entries matching garden suppliers entry for entry. As a result the 2015 GIMA Awards included a newly introduced PetQuip Export Achievement Award. The winner of this award in its inaugural year was Beco Pets.