Gardman have appointed former Hozelock MD Bernard Shannon as sales director.

He joins the board this month to drive an ambitious commercial plan designed to develop strong partnerships with customers.

“The past year has been incredibly challenging for most in the industry, and Gardman has risen to the challenge,” Shannon said.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the team to build an industry-leading programme that will help our retail partners trade their way profitably through the season.”

Before Hozelock, Shannon spent several years as sales director at Energizer Inc. with responsibility for the Energizer batteries and Wilkinson Sword brands.

He will report to the Gardman Group chairman Jonathan Halford, who said: “Bernard brings a wealth of highly relevant experience and he already knows our customers, which gives him a huge head start. With the support of the dedicated sales team at Gardman, I am confident that Bernard will successfully drive our plans forward."