Garden Growers Boost Spring Sales

M&M Timber set for big rise in garden product sales

Family run businesses share landmark hire record

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Garden Growers Boost Spring Sales

Worcestershire based manufacturer M&M Timber Limited has received record advance orders for its new range of all British ‘good life' timber products, indicating a nationwide return to the ‘grow your own' culture.

Garden centres and DIY outlets across the UK have swamped the Worcestershire based company with orders for ‘VeggieBeds' - the latest in the ‘grow your own' phenomenon sweeping the country. Orders have been received for more than £300,000 for delivery in the next four weeks alone, in anticipation of a record sales year ahead.

Since its launch last year, the ‘VeggieBed' has become one of M&M Timber's surprise sales toppers, with demand over the past 10 months taking annual retail sales via its outlets to over £500,000.

Says Sales Director Ian Rickhuss, “Our Worcestershire workshops are already busy completing forward orders for 15,000 VeggieBeds, which is a sure sign 2010 could be a record year for sales of this phenomenal product.”

Significantly, M&M Timber's new signing, Hilliers Garden Centre group, has opened its account with an order for several hundred VeggieBeds. With 14 major garden centres nationwide, the Royal Warrant holder will shortly be stocking the full range of M&M Timber garden and landscape decorative products.

A further 1,600 orders for the premium range of half round timber VeggieBeds have originated from the Morrison supermarket chain's ‘Let's Grow' campaign, a voucher collection promotion designed to encourage school children to get involved in gardening.

Easily sited in any garden, raised beds provide improved drainage and soil structure, at a more comfortable working height and are enjoying a boom in popularity with grow-your-own vegetable gardeners. Both the plain economy VeggieBeds and the premier half round range feature M&M Timber's micronized timber treatment process for extended service life.

Another likely best seller in M&M Timber's garden products sector is the new range of Bayton Greenhouses, featuring a heavyweight slabbed machine rounded timber base and double skinned polycarbonate glazing. Variations on the standard model include the Bayton Duo, a combined greenhouse and lockable shed, and the Bayton Mini for where space may be limited. All come with a full 15 year ‘in service' guarantee and can be supplied for self-assembly or delivered and assembled on site.

Garden centres are also placing early orders for M&M Timber's newly introduced ranges of cold frames, grow bag stands, herb troughs and half-round timber planters.

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M&M Timber set for big rise in garden product sales

Following its biggest and most successful showing at the recent Garden & Leisure Exhibition (GLEE), Midlands timber products specialist M&M Timber Limited is gearing up to stake a major claim in next season's garden products market.

M&M's products were showcased at this year's GLEE on its prominent 150 square metre exhibition stand alongside new partners Hillhout, Outdoor Life and Holgard. Business was brisk and there was huge interest in the array of products on display and a big increase in trade enquiries over the previous year. M&M Timber has signed up well over 300 independent retail garden centres over the past two years, and the number continues to grow.

Nigel Poyner, Managing Director, M&M Timber Ltd

“Although this year's show attracted fewer exhibitors than previous, the quality of enquiries was extremely promising,” says delighted Managing Director Nigel Poyner. “It appears the leisure market has fared well in recent months and has actually emerged from the recession in better shape than most other industry sectors.”

M&M Timber expect the ‘grow your own' market will see the biggest rise in popularity next year, with sizeable orders already originating from both garden centres and major DIY retailers. New introductions to the product range include a series of timber and polycarbonate greenhouses and cold frames.

Sales of garden products currently account for around a third of M&M Timber's annual turnover. Coupled with the sole distribution rights of the exciting new range of products from the Hillhout range, this could well increase to 50% by the end of next season.

“The trade has clearly welcomed our new alliance with the Dutch-owned Outdoor Life Group,” continued Nigel. “The new products are going down exceptionally well with retailers, alongside our ‘all-British' sourced and manufactured rustic range.”

Stocks of the new Hillhout, Outdoor Life and Holgard best selling products are being maintained at M&M Timber's Clows Top distribution centre and deliveries remain brisk in the run-up to Christmas.

In readiness for next year's anticipated sales bonanza the Kidderminster based timber specialist has released its all-new 12 page, trade price schedule, detailing the full 2010 range of garden, leisure and landscaping products. Included is an exciting range of pre-season offers, all available with extended payment terms on deliveries from November to January.

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Family run businesses share landmark hire record

Midlands garden and landscape products specialist M&M Timber Limited has notched up a landmark plant hire record by taking delivery of Hereford based HFT Forklifts' 3,000 th fork lift truck.

And by a remarkable coincidence, M&M's Timber's Nigel Poyner was also HFT's 1,000 th and 2,000 th customer.

Says Peter Crawford, Managing Director of family owned HFT Forklifts, “When the paperwork was completed for the latest hire contract I could hardly believe that M&M Timber had become a millenary customer for the third time running.”

With production output at an all time high at M&M Timber's Clows Top workshops near Kidderminster, the company is investing heavily in new plant and machinery to keep up with market demands for its new range of timber products. The Manitou F32 all-terrain telescopic fork lift handler will be kept busy handling timber products around the company's extensive 22 acre woodland site.

Like our own company, M&M Timber is a local home-grown family business,” added Peter, “And even though we now operate over 1,200 vehicles with some of the country's top name companies, ours remains a special working relationship that spans a quarter of a century.”

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M&M Timber Build on Smoke-Free Law

Helping revellers make the most of the great outdoors, designers at Midlands garden and landscape timber specialists M&M Timber have added yet another sales winner to their growing product range.

The Sundowner Bar is the latest in a continuing line of all-British outdoor structures from this innovative thinking Midlands company and, says Managing Director Nigel Poyner, the timing of the launch couldn't be better:

“With just days to go before the introduction of the new smoke-free laws, the Sundowner Bar is sure to appeal to hoteliers, pub landlords and restaurant owners who will be looking for ways and means of keeping their smoking clientele happy.”

When the new law comes in on 1st July it will be against the law to smoke in virtually all enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces, so anyone who wants to smoke will have to go outside.

Conforming to the new regulations for outdoor smoking shelters, the Sundowner Bar makes an ideal centrepiece as a temporary bar for barbecue areas, poolside or al fresco special events. Like the fast-selling gazebo, introduced by M&M Timber last year, the Sundowner Bar features a thatched roof and is available in three sizes. It is supplied with an integral decking style base and matching bar stools. The price includes a delivery and assembly service anywhere in the UK .

The new Sundowner Bar perfectly compliments M&M Timber's hand-crafted pergolas, gazebos, picnic tables with thoughtful wheelchair access, benches and other garden products that are proving extremely popular with the leisure trade.

Ahead of the new smoke-free laws, M&M Timber is also offering purpose-made smoking shelters, specifically aimed at providing business owners with a comfortable facility for staff or customers wishing to smoke. They are available in a wide range of sizes or can be built to bespoke design.

All M&M Timber products are manufactured from FSC certified timber and vacuum pressure treated for exceptionally hard wearing use and long life.

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M&M Timber Looks Forward to Showtime Glee

Midlands garden and landscaping timber specialist M&M Timber Ltd will be digging for victory at this year's Garden & Leisure Exhibition (GLEE), with its exciting new all British rustic garden products range.

A year long programme of new product launches has put the Worcester company amongst the market leaders and, with its sights set on growing an already considerable stockist base, there's plenty more to come.

Says Managing Director Nigel Poyner, “In the 31 years I have been coming to GLEE I have seen some tremendous changes in the marketplace, not least in the range and diversity of garden products now available. It's important that we keep ahead of the trends and in that respect our experience counts for a lot. Our own in-house design and manufacturing capability also means we can respond quickly to changing market demands.”

M&M Timber products can now be found in over 300 outlets throughout the UK and the numbers are growing. Last year M&M Timber became the first ever recipient of a ‘Service Performance Award' by Wyvale Garden Centres, one of the company's largest single accounts, in recognition of its dedicated customer service at more than 100 Wyvale outlets nationwide.

Latest from this innovative thinking timber specialist this year is a covered seating feature for that special place in the garden, together with some surprise new entries that will be kept under wraps until the exhibition opens. Earlier this year M&M Timber launched the Sundowner Bar, a must for anyone with a taste for sophisticated al fresco entertaining. It makes an ideal centrepiece as a temporary bar for barbecue areas, poolside or outdoor events. Like the fast selling gazebo, introduced at the start of the season, the Sundowner Bar features a thatched roof and is available in three sizes. It is supplied with an integral decking style base and matching bar stools. The price includes a delivery and assembly service anywhere in the UK.

Proving extremely popular with garden landscapers favouring the more natural look of machine round timber, both the Sundowner Bar and thatched gazebos perfectly compliment M&M Timber's hand-crafted pergolas, gazebos, picnic tables, benches, trellis panels and other timber products.

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