Festive Focus: Bdaily chats to Tong Garden Centre's finance director

Can you introduce yourself and your business to our readers?

“I am Charlie Barker, finance director of Tong Garden Centre. Situated between Leeds and Bradford, Tong Garden Centre is the largest independent garden centre in Yorkshire. 

“In addition to our extensive outdoor plant department, we have a range of gift and home accessories as well as garden furniture, BBQs and water features, not forgetting our café, restaurant and outdoor adventure playground, Grasshoppers.”

What was your company’s biggest achievement of the year?

“The team were very proud to win a hat trick of awards at the Horticulture Week Business Awards in London in 2018.

“We were delighted to win the Garden Centre Outlet of the Year (large/destination), the High Growth Business of the Year and the Service Excellence Categories.”

How would you approach 2018 differently, given the chance?

“We have had a very successful year and there is little we would change. However, as a management team, it would have been great to have secured another site in line with our strategy to develop a small group of destination garden centres in Yorkshire and the North East.”

What are your company’s plans for the new year?

“See question three above! New sites aside, we have exciting plans to extend and improve our existing facilities at Tong.

“We hope to commence this project early in the New Year and be complete by summer 2019.

“We are targeting continued growth in the business; we achieved sales and EBITDA growth of 14 per cent and 26 per cent respectively in 2018 and we hope to see this strong growth continue in 2019.

What’s your favourite Christmas song?

“Step into Christmas - Elton John.”

Tong Garden Centre is a member of Welcome to Yorkshire’s Y30 Club of Yorkshire-based business partners