Neil Gow

With more than 30 years experience in the garden centre market, both as a retailer and supplier, Neil Gow, currently director of GIMA (Garden Industry Manufacturer’s Association) is perfectly placed to speak with authority about the garden centre sector and what it means for housewares.

Neil trained in horticulture as a student and, once qualified, cut his teeth in retail working for Dodge City, a large DIY chain, which later became part of B&Q.

From there he made the move into independent garden centres, taking a position as a department manager at what was then a small, family-owned garden centre chain operating five branches. That small business, Wyevale, is now the largest national garden centre chain ion the UK, operating 122 centres across the country.

Neil stayed with Wyevale for 12 years, by which time he was a regional manager for a much larger company than he had joined, and went to work for design and management consultancy Malcolm Scott Consultants, specialising in garden centre design and management.

From there he moved back into the retail arena, and for 13 years ran the Byrkley group of garden centres. When the group was broken up and sold off, Neil moved on and tried life the other side of the fence working for a garden furniture manufacturer and supplier before being appointed director at GIMA (Garden Industry Manufacturer’s Association) in October 2006.

Latterly, Neil and his wife Nicci have realised a lifelong dream and bought a garden centre of their own – Burcot Garden Centre in Worcestershire, a former Wyevale site which was bought by Hurrans in 2004 before being sold on to Neil and Nicci.

Visit the GIMA website at www.gima.org.uk