​At Glee, I had the pleasure of chairing a panel discussion titled "People, Pay and Perception: Fixing the Talent Challenge in Garden Retail" (standing in for our very own Guy Moreton, who chaired a similar session on the Glee Roadshow at Gates’ Garden Centre). The session brought together voices from across the industry, including Martin Ward from GIMA, Emma Poulton from Scotsdales and Henry Pleasance from Skylark Garden Centre. Together, we explored one of the most important challenges facing our sector: attracting, developing and retaining great people.

As a recruitment specialist working exclusively within food, agriculture, horticulture and garden retail, we spend every day talking to candidates and employers. The point that often feels prescient is that a lot of the talent challenges we face aren’t due to reality. They are due to perception.

Hence the session – could we myth bust some of those? Of course we could…

Myth 1: Salaries in Garden Retail Are Low and Uncompetitive

Perhaps the most persistent misconception is that garden retail simply doesn't pay enough to attract ambitious people. While there may have been some truth in this perception historically, today's reality looks very different.

The garden retail market is worth more than £7 billion annually, and salaries, particularly at management level, are increasingly competitive with wider retail and hospitality sectors. Entry-level roles are typically at or above the National Living Wage, while many businesses provide clear progression routes within the first couple of years. We are also seeing department heads, buyers and senior managers earning between £30,000 and £60,000+, demonstrating that there are well-paid career opportunities available.

The challenge isn't necessarily the level of pay. It's communicating that reality to people who may never have considered the industry before.

Myth 2: Garden Retail Isn't a Serious Career Choice

The second myth is one that many people in the industry will recognise immediately. Too often, garden centres are viewed as pleasant places to visit rather than serious businesses to build a career within.

The reality is that a single garden centre can offer 20 to 30 different career paths across retail, hospitality, logistics, marketing, finance, HR and horticulture. The wider environmental horticulture sector employs more than 700,000 people in the UK, making it a significant employer with genuine long-term career prospects. Many of today's leaders started on the shop floor and progressed into senior leadership positions within five to ten years.

Hearing how Emma’s career has developed and especially Henry’s (he’s only seven months into the role and the industry, so his views seemed really valuable as a former ‘outsider’) provided powerful evidence that garden retail offers far more opportunity and progression than many outsiders realise.

Emma was big on promoting training and development - citing the famous Branson quote 'Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.' We agreed on the panel that if all the companies in the industry play their part, then – even if specific candidates move on, they tend to stay in the sector – we will all benefit.

Myth 3: It's a Small Industry with Limited Opportunity

Sitting on a stage inside the NEC with hundreds of stands and thousands of people walking around, it does feel a faintly ridiculous myth, but as I said on the day, ‘we have to ensure that we aren’t just preaching to the choir and talking to those who are already ‘inside the building’.
Many people underestimate the size and reach of garden retail. In reality, there are more than 2,000 garden centres and retail nurseries across the UK, ranging from family-owned independents to large multi-site operators. Businesses such as British Garden Centres have demonstrated the growth potential available within the sector, while millions of customer visits each year confirm the industry's continued relevance and strength. Far from being a niche market, garden retail sits at the intersection of retail, leisure, hospitality and horticulture.

It is a vibrant and evolving sector with significant opportunities for growth. Martin confirmed this and talked about just how many great businesses exist within GIMA (join up if you aren't already!)

The Real Opportunity

There is meaningful work, genuine career progression, competitive pay and an industry clearly filled with passionate people who are rightly proud of what they do. The challenge for all of us is to tell that story more effectively.

If we want to attract the next generation of talent, we need to champion the opportunities available, celebrate career success stories and challenge outdated assumptions whenever we encounter them.

Because when people truly understand what modern garden retail offers, it becomes a sector that many more talented individuals will want to be part of.