Glee 2025 Live: Amy & Libby Stubbs(British Garden Centres) andRev Dave Walker (Birley Moor): Big Groups, Local Roots

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The Underground

The Underground Pod

75 episodes

4 days ago

Exploring the future of garden care. The underground podcast is a place where the disparate worlds of horticulture and marketing collide. Kate Turner, the Gardener Guru and Phil Wright, co-founder of creative agency WrightObara, team up to discover the trailblazers and innovators shaping the future of garden care in the UK. With content that’s as relevant to start-ups as it would be to established players, we look to cover the hottest topics and trends you need to know. From plants to products, environmental concerns to legislation, we’ll dig deep to bring you the inside story.

Home & Garden

Leisure

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Home & Garden

Leisure

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Glee 2025 Live: Amy & Libby Stubbs(British Garden Centres) andRev Dave Walker (Birley Moor): Big Groups, Local Roots

The Underground

53 minutes 17 seconds

1 month ago

Glee 2025 Live: Amy & Libby Stubbs(British Garden Centres) andRev Dave Walker (Birley Moor): Big Groups, Local Roots

Recorded live at Glee 2025, this episode brings two very different lenses on garden retail performance and growth. First, Amy and Libby Stubbs share how British Garden Centres has scaled to 73 locations while keeping each site’s individuality, from centre-level social media to data-driven benchmarking and a renewed focus on tech, process and customer loyalty. Then Reverend Dave Walker explains how he’s reviving Sheffield’s Birley Moor Garden Centre with community at the core: forest school education, nature-based improvements on site and a clear-eyed approach to cash flow, planning and supplier partnerships.
In this episode you’ll hear:

Leadership and next-gen talent: Amy’s step up to Managing Director, the sisters’ complementary strengths, and how giving younger leaders real responsibility builds momentum.
Destination thinking, not just tills: Events, evening opportunities and “point of difference” from suppliers that help educate newer gardeners.
An independent’s turnaround playbook: Why Rev Dave bought his childhood garden centre, drove a 43% turnover uplift in year one, and grew the team from 4 to 28, before even opening the café.
Community as a growth lever: Forest school provision, Help for Heroes meet-ups and on-site biodiversity plans including a wetland to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain and mitigate local flooding risks.
Planning in the real world: Lessons from a 15-month Green Belt change-of-use process, and why popular street-food outlet Grandpa Joe’s remains part of the future mix.
Supplier takeaways: What will make buyers at large groups stop at your stand at Glee, and what independents need from suppliers right now, from extended terms to stronger POS and marketing support.

Who should listen:
Garden centre owners and managers, heads of retail and catering, supplier teams planning 2026 ranges, and anyone interested in loyalty, operational efficiency and community-led footfall growth.

British Garden Centres: http://britishgardencentres.com

Birley Moor Garden Centre: http://birleymoor.co.uk/

Sussex Seed Balls: https://www.sussexseedballs.com