Certis held its annual luncheon at the House of Commons on Wednesday and received the support of a gaggle of MPs, as well as its own local MP Robert Key, who hosted the event.

Guests covering a wide cross-section of the horticulture industry listened to four speakers between courses, who all spoke about their businesses and how their experiences related to a central theme of 'Adapt or die: Making the market work for you'.

One of those speakers was Martin Greaves of RA Meredith & Son Ltd, who talked of role that trust and working together has played in building the company's turnover to £13.5m from £250,000 in 1976. 'Our market, like others, has grown dramatically in recent years and continues to do so,' said Greaves. 'But to capitalise on the opportunities you have to be brave enough to embrace change, to lead the market in product innovation and marketing and in this modern world to build partnerships based on trust with your customers.' RA Meredith's has a significant role in the Nomad (National Ornamental Marketing and Distribution) operation which has grown exponentially, reflecting the general boom in the garden plant market.

Nomad was formed in 1989 to meet the needs of the multiple retailer. 'It now consists of four major UK growers with 145 acres of glasshouses and a combined turnover of £70 million at retail,' said Greaves. 'A product support company with the regionally based growers combining to supply and store live plants for the national retailer at a uniform cost with standard barcodes, product specifications and presentation. Live plants do not like long distribution chains. Local stores like a quick response.' The Nomad growers combing in this way requires 'trust with a big T', he added, and has created more resources for product support in partnership with the retailer to increase both the growers' and the retailers' share of the marketplace.

Greaves had a five-point plan for the future. Two of those aims were 'to provide our customers with a complete service they cannot do without – supplier/customer partnerships are the way forward' and to work with selected suppliers on a partnership basis for the mutual benefit of both parties'.

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