Apr 2, 2015

California Here We Come! By Tim Hodson

Are you heading west to California Spring Trials at the end of next week? Are you ready to see the latest and greatest new varieties that the breeder companies will be introducing this year?

Do you have your trip mapped out yet? Do you know where you are going and when you have to be there?

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to bookmark GPN’s Spring Trials Companion on www.CaliforniaSpringTrials.com with all of the Trials locations and contact info. It will help get you to where you need to be.

And if you can’t make it to California this year, but want to see what’s on display at the Trials, be on the lookout for Jasmina Dolce’s Culture Connection enewsletter. Jasmina will be providing daily updates with her insight on the new introductions we see along the way.

For the past two months, Jasmina has been providing us with a sneak peek at some of the new items that are scheduled to debut but during Spring Trials week she will give you an up close and personal look at the new intros.

If you are not receiving the Culture Connection, just click here and sign up today.

Also, be sure to check out all of the photos that we post on www.CaliforniaSpringTrials.com as well as the on the GPN Instagram account at https://instagram.com/gpnmag. We’ll also be Tweeting and posting updates on Facebook too.

If you are headed to Cali for the Trials look for Team GPN in person. If you can’t make it this year, be sure to look for us in your inbox and online.

– Tim

Lowe’s Helps Ring in the 2015 Great American Cleanup

Earlier this week representatives from Lowe’s and Keep American Beautiful celebrated the launch of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup by ringing the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange. Now in its 17th year, the Great American Cleanup is the largest community improvement program in the country. Lowe’s is a national sponsor of the program that will take place in more than 20,000 communities involving more than 4 million volunteers and participants.

Home Depot Provides a Sunny Forecast

Despite major weather challenges and shipping issues with West Coast ports, the Home Depot’s CEO Craig Menear believes his company is due to have another strong year. Menear told CNBC that in 2014 “we set record performance, highest retail sales in our company history.” He said new technology is helping drive sales for the home improvement retailer as well as an increase in its digital business. You can view the CNBC interview here.

Wal-Mart Leans on Suppliers to Lower Prices

Wal-Mart is looking to boost its sales by lowering its prices. According to the Wall Street Journal, the retailer plans to achieve this goal by asking its suppliers to lower their prices. To do this, Wal-Mart is telling those suppliers to cut back on their in-store and online marketing efforts. In recent years, Wal-Mart’s competitors have been applying a full court press on the retailer’s pricing strategies and it has impacted the company’s overall sales.