Amenity Horticulture Sector Grows to €1 Billion - a growth of 71% over the past four years

The Arboretum Lifestyle and Garden Centre in Leighlinbridge was tonight announced winner of the Bord Bia Garden Centre Quality Awards 2006. This is the second year running that the garden centre has won the prestigious award. It also affirmed its position retaining its Five Star Garden Centre rating and is one of just two in the country with the highest accreditation possible on the Bord Bia programme.

This year the inaugural Bord Bia Landscape Quality Awards were also hosted on the evening. Ireland has seen a huge growth in the use of landscape services as many more consumers are using their garden as an outdoor room for entertaining. This is the first time that the Garden Centre Awards, the Nursery Quality Awards and the Landscape Quality Awards have been combined at one ceremony.

The Awards were presented in City West at a ceremony by Brendan Smith T.D., Minister for Horticulture and Food at the Department of Agriculture and Food.

Speaking at the awards ceremony Minister Smith said; "Horticulture Ireland, under the Bord Bia umbrella will continue to support horticultural business through its many tailored programs. The strength of the independent garden centre lies in its knowledge of plants, but customers are increasingly looking for the full garden solution. This provides a great area of opportunity for garden centres to develop gardening/landscape services in the future", he continued.

A recent TNS MRBI survey carried out for Bord Bia found that the amenity/garden products industry is now valued at almost €1 Billion and has grown by 71% over the past four years. Irish consumers purchased outdoor plants and flowers on 6.5 million occasions in the year up to April 2006. Females purchased more outdoor plants and flowers, but 60% of purchases on trees, fruit, vegetable and herbs were made by men. Consumers are making more use of landscaping services as many prefer to spend more time entertaining in their garden rather than actually doing the garden. Low maintenance and convenience are the most important factors influencing purchase behaviour.

Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive Officer of Bord Bia acknowledging the importance of the evening for the three sectors said: "The industry is growing at a phenomenal rate and it is great to see the parallel growth in standards. This year the Quality Landscape Awards will also be represented at the awards ceremony and it is a timely initiative that recognizes the highest standards in this sector. Bord Bia are committed to working with the nursery, garden centre and landscape sectors to exploit opportunities in this dynamic and fast changing market. We are also encouraged by the opportunities for the industry which will come about through innovative new products and services to meet the growing consumer demand for product that maximizes the amenity value of their gardens, patios and balconies", he concluded.

There were a number of special award categories in the Garden Centre Quality Awards including; Bord Bia Garden Centre of the Year (Large and Small scale), Best Plant Quality, Best Product Information and Signage, Best Customer Service, Best New Entry, Best Specialist Centre, Best Plant Merchandising and Best Local Plant Supplier. A total of 29 garden centres received awards this year. Ten landscape service providers received awards along with 24 nurseries.

The Bord Bia Garden Centre, Nursery and Landscape Quality Programmes are designed to define standards for the industry and encourage participants to reach them. The schemes are voluntary and participants receive two announced inspections over a twelve-month period. This year the first seven Landscape Quality Awards and three Certificates of Merit for the Landscape Quality Programme were achieved. The programme was developed in close consultation with the Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland and was launched in 2004. It is open to all landscape contractors in the country.

Fourteen Nurseries achieved the Bord Bia Nursery Quality Award and ten received a Certificate of Merit. The programme is a voluntary quality assurance scheme designed to assist Irish nurseries reach best practice in commercial nursery crop production and management systems. It sets out a 'code of practice' for the efficient running of a nursery business and provides a standard against which nursery businesses are evaluated.

-ENDS-

For further information contact:

Margaret Dorgan, Corporate Communications Manager, Bord Bia

Tel: 01 614 2245 / 087 263 2836