2. Our Mission Statement… “To be the first choice supplier of house plants to the UK Supermarkets”

3. 3 A Short History Of Double H The first glasshouses were built on the site at Gore Road in 1961. They were built to grow tomatoes but were soon changed to produce cut chrysanthemums. In those days the product was shipped to market in London on the train from New Milton station. In 1965 Hugh Stevenson joined forces with Helmut Gimmler to grow a wide range of house plants and Double H was formed. The company grew steadily and in the mid 1980’s started to supply the supermarkets. In 1990 a second site at King’s Lane in Sway was bought to satisfy increasing demand from our customers.

4. 4 A Short History Of Double H In the mid 1990’s we decided to stop growing cut flowers and concentrate on flowering house plants. As a result we converted the Sway site and our current R Block from cut flowers grown in soil to pot plants grown on suitable tables. We set ourselves the target of getting a Double H house plant in 20% of homes in the UK. We were successful in increasing our sales by giving good service to our customers and developing new and different types of packaging. In 2001 we achieved our target. In the year 2000 we extended R Block to increase begonia production and in 2001 we were offered the opportunity to rent a third site in Devon and to take on supply to Mark’s & Spencer.

5. 5 As our customers grew further we began to reduce the range of plants we grew so that we could concentrate on being very good at growing a few selected every day crops. This enables us to increase volumes and supply better and better value for money. By 2004 we were ready to re-invest in a new glasshouse to grow chrysanthemums at New Milton and decided to close both our remote sites. A Short History Of Double H

7. Begonia1.7m plants per year, about 40% of the UK market

8. Pot Chrysanthemum1.4m plants per year, about 30% of the UK market

9. Calla Lily200,000 plants per year – the only UK grower

10. Phalaenopsis Orchids624,000 plants per year.

11. Sales of Phalaenopsis are growing rapidly and we plan to increase our

13. For a business to survive in the modern world it needs to be constantly challenging the way it does things not only for economicalreasonsbut also for environmentalandsocial

14. If a Company is seen to be valuing its people local environment community It will naturally help improve it economicallybecause its customers will be more willing to purchase / work with it, providing it is offering value for money.

15. Profitability Competitiveness Satisfaction Economics Environmental Issues Social Responsibility SUSTAINABILITY

16. A sustainable business is one which considers and takes action on all of these areas. 11

18. Photocopiers set to mono as standard & usage monitored

19. Introduced role of Supply Chain Manager to help reduce stock levels and improve supplier relationships

20. Reduced delivery times from China from 12 to 5 weeks

21. Employed person at M&S to help improve efficiency of ordering system.

22. Changed working contracts to flexi time approach to help fit in with both business & individual needs.

23. Total Preventative Maintenance carried out on each piece of equipment to improve the efficiency of running.

24. Saved 13,725 Hours labour in 2009 against 2008 by improving work efficiencies.......12

26. 100% of Begonia & Chrysanthemum irrigation water is recycled.

27. 90% of pest control is biological

28. Paper, plastic, cardboard are bailed for recycling.

29. Plant waste is collected by a local farmer for reuse in fields.

30. Installed Rapid close door in loading bay to help reduce heat loss.

31. All outside lighting is set on day/night sensors.

32. Visits to audit our suppliers in China for H&S, Ethical & Quality improvements.

33. Fairtrade products are stocked in our vending machines.13

35. Sports & Social committee

36. Staff recognition awards.

37. All staff sent birthday card of which a percentage of the cost goes to charity.

38. Staff pension scheme.

39. Late retirement opportunities offered to staff.

40. Plants donated to local Charities, Hospices & Community Events.

41. Annual visits from local schools including special needs schools.

42. Work experience offered to local school children.

43. Bernardos Teddy Bear raffle at Christmas.

44. Regularly host visits to share best practice with other UK Companies14

46. 2004 - Pressure from Tesco promoted us to speed up change but progress was limited.

47. 2005 - Double H visit Toyota assembly plant in Derbyshire - Autoliv Ltd decided to re-locate to Turkey.

49. 17 Estimated Cost Saving £17,600

50. 18

51. 19 So where did we start ?

52. 20 5s Workshops All employees went through a 5S Training workshop

53. 21

54. 22 Standardisation

55. 23 The Cube TPM Training Audits Suggestion Scheme

56. 24 Our Aim To create a workplace that is clearly organised which will enable us to tell the normal from the abnormal. To promote teamwork and employee involvement in enhancing our own working environment To create visual management within our workplace. To make the workplace cleaner, safer, simpler and more satisfying for all team members. To meet the overall business needs.

57. 25 Ongoing & Future Plans MDWT (Mission Directed Work Teams) Environmental Audit By Olive Set up Plan & Budget for 2011 Biomass Wood Burner