The difficulties faced by the industry this year have brought the issue of maximising plant sales to the fore, and people from across the sector are calling for greater cooperation between different stages in the supply chain to help ensure that shocks like this year's weather can be overcome. Growers' involvement with how plants are sold by retailers is a key aspect of boosting plant sales. In a paper presented at the recent International Plant Propagators Society (IPPS) conference, HTA business development director Tim Briercliffe said maximising sales and profitability is a shared objective between growers and retailers. "The supplier of wild bird care products, for example, would not dream of leaving the sales of its products to the retailer alone," he argued. "They get involved in ordering, merchandising and promotion and are heavily relied on by the retailer for these services. The retailer trusts them to get it right and the category has seen huge growth.
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