North Yorkshire plant nursery Johnsons of Whixley marks its centenary in 2021

WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF JOHNSONS OF WHIXLEY? WHEN WAS IT ESTABLISHED, AND WHAT DOES IT SPECIALISE IN?

Johnsons of Whixley is one of the longest established and largest commercial nursery businesses in Europe. The family-run plant nursery business, based in Whixley, North Yorkshire, was initially founded in 1921 as ER Johnson, before I took it over in 1964. It became known as Johnsons of Whixley Ltd in 1993 and is still run by three generations of the Richardson family, with 11 family members operating in different roles within the business.

Johnsons supplies in excess of 6 million plants and trees annually and has enjoyed working relationships with organisations such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, the Department of Transport, the National Trust, Commonwealth War Graves, HS1 and Royal Parks, alongside thousands of landscape contractor practices and more than 600 garden centres nationwide from the Scilly Isles to Shetland.

Accredited to the international quality standard ISO 9001:2015, and the environmental standard ISO 14001:2015, Johnsons is one of the few true net business contributors to the environment.

The business employs a workforce of 120, rising to 160 seasonally, across its Commercial, Wholesale Xpress and Garden Centre Sales divisions.

THE UK GOVERNMENT HAS RECENTLY REAFFIRMED ITS COMMITMENT TO TREE PLANTING, WITH THE PRIME MINISTER UNVEILING HIS 10-POINT GREEN ACTION PLAN – CAN NURSERIES MEET THIS DEMAND? HOW HAVE JOHNSONS OF WHIXLEY REACTED?

Tree planting projects will undoubtedly help tackle climate change, reduce the risk of flooding, clean the air and improve health and wellbeing; we have already been involved with a number of projects. Until we are told which tree species and quantities are required, we are unable to make any plans, as tree seed must be found, and seed production is by no means a regular occurrence. At this stage, it is too early to assess our future needs for land, and more importantly, the availability of suitable labour, which is already of concern to our sector. We must be aware that such massive projects will be in addition to a heavy workload already in hand.

John Richardson.

HOW HAS COVID-19 IMPACTED THE BUSINESS? WHAT HAVE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES BEEN, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS?

While many other businesses downed tools, it remained very much business as usual at Johnsons, albeit the most significant challenge the company had faced in its 99-year history.

The approach was driven by the need to ensure both personal safety and job security of all staff. Our business is manufacturing a perishable product which has a limited sales window; it also has to be tended so we couldn’t just stop, we had to keep growing the plants of the future.

Overnight staff who were vulnerable stayed home, members of staff were furloughed, and COVID-19 policies were created. Thousands was spent on disinfectants and sanitisers, and no external visitors were permitted.

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The biggest challenge was the uncertainty of the impact this would have on the business and the fear of stock wastage, mostly our garden centre plants. We relied on our online retail customers and new customers, which included some large supermarket chains, to help sell our plants.

While it has been a tough year, we stand by our decision to keep trading safely, and our sales are our second highest ever. This creates an excellent buffer for the remaining challenges of the pandemic and Brexit.

WHAT OTHER CHALLENGES DOES THE YEAR AHEAD PRESENT?

When Brexit comes into effect from the first of January, stock will have to be inspected and a phytosanitary certificate issued before dispatch, so this will add additional cost and time into the dispatch process. We are often asked for stock by our clients that will have to be procured in the EU. In terms of plant health inspections, this could mean an inspection in the EU prior to collection, an inspection on arrival in Great Britain, an inspection prior to dispatch from Great Britain and an inspection on arrival in Northern Ireland – four inspections in one week. These new checks will slow down the supply chain and increase the price of imported plants.

Johnsons supplies in excess of 6 million plants and trees annually.

WHAT DOES JOHNSONS OF WHIXLEY HAVE PLANNED FOR 2021?

We are not looking too far ahead at the moment. We want to get through Brexit and the challenges that will face us, and we hope the new vaccination brings an end to the challenges COVID-19 has brought us.

YOU ARE CELEBRATING YOUR CENTENARY YEAR – HOW DO YOU INTEND TO MARK THE OCCASION?

We plan to have a party in June for staff and their partners; whether it can go ahead due to COVID-19 is another matter. To mark our centenary, we have created branded bygone calendars, and our own centenary wine and biscuits.

Johnsons’ first lorry, pictured in 1966.

HOW HAS THE BUSINESS ACHIEVED THIS MILESTONE? WHAT WOULD YOU ATTRIBUTE JOHNSONS OF WHIXLEY’S LONGEVITY TO?

I’ve always had a love of horticulture and physical hard work; six years’ mixed practical experience – two years at college and four years as a commercial horticultural advisor – gave me a great insight into why some people thrive, but others always struggle.

Having bought the nursery, turnover £30,000, I focused on developing the business to accommodate my three sons, who worked on the nursery during their young lives, and still continue with the traditional philosophy of how the business should be run.

Many staff have stayed with us throughout their working lives, and to them we are indebted for their continued support. With six grandchildren now in the business and rapidly taking more and more responsibility, the company is assured of heading into the future with a raft of experience, security, goodwill, enthusiasm and customer support.

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