BIS - Business Improvement Scheme

The Business Improvement Scheme is a well-established and popular scheme which enables small to medium sized independent retailers to come together to benefit from sharing knowledge, feedback, support and business development opportunities.

Our BIS groups are split into regions and are capped at a maximum of 15 members per region to ensure a close-knit group in which members can learn from and support each other; providing confidence and network support as they make important business improvement decisions. Each group is run by a professional garden industry consultant who will lead the group in sharing experiences, identifying potential product winners and losers and giving and receiving advice on how to make significant business changes.

The Business Improvement Scheme is perfect for you if you are a retailer with an annual turnover of less than £2millon (although many of our members turn over less than this) and you are looking for ongoing support, business ideas, peer feedback and opportunities for growth and development.

View the BIS regions map

Benefits of being a BIS member

Each group holds five meetings per year, hosted by a group member on a rotation basis. During meetings, a wide range of topics may be discussed including plant retailing, catering, Christmas planning, visual merchandising, margin improvement, cost reduction, personnel management - you name it we cover it! A regular and popular feature of every meeting is a round table review of recent trade including a discussion on what is selling well and what is not. As part of this discussion members will, confidentially, share data about their business.
As a meeting host you receive peer feedback on your overall business or a specific business area if preferred (such as customer flow through the plant area or implementation of a new technology).
Your group will run one ‘study tour’ per year*. The study tour is an excellent opportunity to visit a different region or country and learn from other retailers about a particular business area.
You become part of the Garden Retail Monitor. You can encrypt your business data and compare it with garden centre data from across the country, benchmarking your business performance such as store sales, gross margin and average transaction value against regional and national averages.
You have a team of supporters always on hand to offer new ideas and perspectives, support and encouragement and opportunities for knowledge sharing and growth.

*additional costs may be incurred

Our consultants

Alyson Haywood

Our groups are run by Alyson Haywood. Alyson has over 30 years’ experience in garden centre retail in senior roles with both multiples and independent garden centres. As well as a strong background in horticultural training and development Alyson has been a Garden Centre Association inspector for nine years. Alyson has been working as a consultant since 2015 with new and emerging businesses, and with old and established ones enabling them to improve their offer, standards, and financial performance.

Will Armitage

Will has worked in the industry in one way or another since the 1980's. From running his 175 year-old family business to setting up a boutique garden product brand to chairing and facilitating industry associations, regional business forums and educational trusts, Will has tonnes of experience, knowledge and contacts, and with his relaxed and collaborative approach and his ability and willingness to help others succeed and build on their success, he makes an ideal consultant to work with our members.

Group membership fees

The annual BIS membership fee is £594 + VAT**. This can be paid upfront or monthly by direct debit. If you join part way through the year this fee will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

**cost correct as of April 2024

Here’s what some of our members are saying

As a business I have been involved with RBIS for many years. It is a great medium for sharing ideas, comparing performance and seeing first-hand how other similar businesses are organised and run; whilst also discovering that we all have common problems. The professional advice available for running a retail business is invaluable.
Charlie Willett, Olivers Nurseries

I have been a member of BIS for approximately 20 years and it has been invaluable to me. The group dynamic is unique by virtue of the common ground that is shared by everyone. The benefits of BIS membership include the positive member input, ideas, problem sharing, figures analysis and camaraderie to name just a few. I strongly recommend attending at least one meeting to experience the possibilities that BIS could bring to your business.
David Garnett, Garnetts Gardens

The BIS scheme has been a fantastic opportunity for us to network with other centres across Scotland. It has provided insight into how others approach areas within their businesses which may be a weakness of our own. This allows us to take the best of what each centre has to offer and apply it to ours. The group have been extremely welcoming and open in exchange of information. I would highly recommend joining and look forward to next year with the group.
Ben Laing, Threaplands

Being a member of the BIS is a very important part of our business. Over the many years we have been a member it has been an integral part of our calendar with meetings and study tours all over the UK. Without a doubt it has had an extremely positive effect on our garden centre in a great many ways including, of course, increasing sales and profits. The question is not why should you join but why wouldn’t you?
Carolyn Spray, Pentland Plants

In a word "confidence". The BIS shares experiences both good and bad and without doubt is an ideal meeting group for anyone wanting to take their business forward. Whether it is seeking advice on developing a centre or just trying a new supplier; there will be someone in the group who can offer impartial advice based on their own experiences. As a long-standing member of BIS it gives great pleasure to all of the group in seeing one of our member's succeeding in further developing their centres and gives us greater confidence when exploring our own opportunities. Our management team enjoy the meetings and always come back invigorated with more ideas.
Peter Beharrell, Pacific Nurseries

Having been a member of the BIS for over 10 years, I’ve always considered the meetings to be valuable and an asset to my business. The knowledge shared between members is always constructive, informative and helpful. The learning topics are usually decided by members and there is a lot of valuable information to be taken away from these and applied to our own businesses.
Jamie Ratcliffe, Botany Bay

Swarkestone Nursery have been members of both the BIS Midlands and RDF National groups for many years. We learn a lot from engaging with the other friendly garden centre owners and managers that are in the groups. We discuss different topics at each meeting from visual merchandising, marketing/ building loyalty, back-office functions, catering, plant retail etc. We regularly benchmark figures based on these topics i.e. departmental turnover per square metre. I find this particularly useful, as you can see what your store is doing well at, and where opportunities for growth are. Sometimes we visit centres that are outside of group membership that display best practice. Both groups are very friendly and the networking opportunities both in person and through our whatsapp group are fantastic.
Laura Jackson, Swarkestone Nursery

BIS Contact Form

If you are interested in joining a BIS group, please fill in the form below:

Important WhatsApp Documentation

HTA Whatsapp Community Rules

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HTA Guide For Members Using Whatsapp Groups

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