Nestled away in Yarton, Oxfordshire, you will find Yarnton Home & Garden. Brimming full of garden and home products, gifts, delicious foods and local delights, the store is far removed from what you might envisage as a traditional garden centre. It perhaps comes as no surprise that Yarnton – uniquely enchanting in its approach to store design, product merchandising and the brands it works with – has long been a loyal stockist of LifestyleGarden®, leading supplier of garden furniture that places sustainability at its heart. But this relationship has done more than keep the tills ringing. Instead, it has helped the Yarnton team undertake its own exciting move towards a more sustainable future. Yarnton’s Retail Manager, Kevin Beckett tells us more in this exclusive interview.
Talk us through Yarnton’s experience of selling the DuraOcean® chair from 2019/20 and your customer response. How do you think the Nassau powered by Social Plastic® will develop this relationship with your customer?
As DuraOcean® is endorsed by the Eden Project, which is instantly recognisable for driving environmental change, we can sell these to our customers with authority.
There is no question that our DuraOcean® customers feel that they are doing something good for the planet, marine life, and our ongoing battle against pollution, so there is a tangible feel-good factor involved in the purchasing journey. The Nassau collection, powered by Social Plastic®, is the next chapter in this story book, and we are excited to be able to bring this to our customers. We have been building our brand alongside the developments in sustainable products and this latest version of Nassau has been a key brand indicator on our rebranding journey.
Yarnton previously stocked LifestyleGarden®’s ground-breaking DuraOcean® collection, which we know was incredibly well received by your customers. The new Nassau collection powered by Social Plastic® takes the notion of sustainability up a level, introducing benefits for individuals and communities in poverty-stricken areas. What was your reaction when the LifestyleGarden® team first presented the range to you?
We first saw the original Nassau collection at SOLEX in 2018 and it really grabbed our attention! It stood out to us as something so new and different. It looked modern with its unusual bucket seat, and we just had to investigate further.
With DuraOcean®, the sustainable story continued to build even further and it was clear, right from the start, that this was an ideal product that we could embrace. As a retailer, we have always looked to future-proof our business model and strive to embrace the sustainable message we have placed at our core, as well as looking at ways to increase our ‘sustainable’ product offer. For us, DuraOcean® had ‘winner’ written all over it. A brilliant, innovative, relevant product, with a great story and with a recognisable endorsement. It was exactly what we were looking for.
We really felt that this was something that we, as a business, trying our hardest to become more sustainable, could get behind.
Why is it important to be able to offer products, such as Nassau powered by Social Plastic® and DuraOcean®, to your customers?
With a market saturated with woven furniture and a declining interest in wooden furniture, the new Nassau collection powered by Social Plastic® offers something uniquely different. The range is of exceptional quality, is inclusive and the colours are on trend; meaning it will appeal from both a visual and environmentally responsible standpoint.
Customers are increasingly looking to retailers to help them find sustainable alternatives. Up until the amazing DuraOcean®, and now the new-for-2022 Nassau collection, we had not been able to offer this choice in the garden furniture sector. As a retailer, to be able to say to customers that we have found something sustainable – and that there is no compromise on quality and comfort – is fantastic.
Do you believe that consumers desire, not just sustainable products, but those that close the loop fully? And, if so, do you think they actively seek them out? Do you believe people truly understand the concept of a closed-loop economy?
The public conscience is certainly fuelled by environmental issues and our customers are, most definitely, asking for and purchasing more sustainable products. As a retailer, we make sure we keep up to date with current innovations and products and, as a garden centre destination, we can encourage all of our customers to engage with the sustainable message and choose to purchase with the environment in mind.
Currently, a closed-loop economy is a term that is possibly less talked about and is not something with which all consumers are readily familiar. As responsible retailers, we work with our suppliers to ensure the provenance of these products and then pass that knowledge and information on to our customers. The more we can get consumers to invest in these products, the better for everyone.
How important is it to tell the story at point of sale (and on social media channels) – can you tell us more about what you did to capture attention around the DuraOcean® in store and also reveal any of your plans for showcasing Nassau powered by Social Plastic® in store?
We always look for a product with a story; and a product with sustainability at its heart is one that we love to tell.
When we launched DuraOcean®, we did this both instore and online. First, we wrote a blog for our website and then used our newsletter (which goes out to many thousands), plus our social media channels, to tell the story of the product and its journey to us. We made sure we had some brilliant images and copy to enable us to tell the ‘sea change’ story.
The DuraOcean® collection has become a part of our own Yarnton story! It was the perfect choice for us, when it came to refurbishing our in-store restaurant and, as the range then consisted of two very distinctive colours and stories, it enabled us to zone the restaurant very easily.
We used the DuraOcean to highlight the plight of our oceans, which was being so widely publicised at the time with David Attenborough’s Blue Planet (‘Sea Change at Yarnton’), and to show our customers a tangible solution.
The pastel colours of the original Nassau recyclable chairs were an instant hit – young, fresh, and exactly right for the wider customer base that we were aiming to attract. The accompanying FSC-eucalyptus tables came in two sizes (four and six seaters), which enable us to seat families and groups, whilst the bistro two-seater is perfect for the coffee drinkers. All in all, a great relaxed vibe, which is thoroughly enjoyed by all!
We now also use the mouth-watering ‘mint’ DuraOcean® on our outdoor patio area amongst the plants, surrounded by planters with eucalyptus trees and herbs – including mint, of course!
Storytelling is key, so the Nassau story has also been re-enforced across the store with eye-catching contemporary displays, which really get people talking. A promotional focal wall was installed for this purpose – a shop window into ‘what’s hot’ – and, as part of our ‘core’ range, we highlight them across the store with other sustainable products.
Once our customers reach the café, they can sit on the furniture, so we are able to show our customers something tangible that they can relate to, use, and remember – try before they buy if you like! They have been in situ now for over three years, are standing up to a huge amount of wear and tear and are still looking as good as new!
We have BIG plans for showcasing the new Nassau powered by Social Plastic® offering in store and digitally! We will be contacting our local press to help promote the range, will be telling our customers all about the range and, of course, promoting it with our displays in store. We also hope to take the chair with us to external events, such as our stand at this year’s Blenheim Flower Show.
Yarnton is a centre that is taking significant steps to increase its own sustainable practices – can you tell us more about this?
This is an ongoing journey for us and one that is in constant review and work in progress. What we have tried to do is show our customers that, by working with companies like LifestyleGarden®, we are headed in the right direction, and are giving our customers a sustainable alternative, where we can. We have sourced a whole plethora of products, from belts made from plastic bottles and books you can plant, to organic cotton jumpers. Compost sold is now 50% peat free, with a further target of 70% by the end of the year (supply permitting).
This year, we went a step further and invited The Village Refill into our store. The Village Refill provides our customers with earth-friendly household cleaning products and larder staples. Their aim is to reduce the reliance on single-use packaging by offering a convenient and circular solution to customers.
Other steps we have taken include replacing lighting with LED’s, installing a cardboard bailer, reducing the paper in our offices by moving towards online systems, and we have used environmentally friendly water-based paints throughout our store refurbishments.
Why is it important to have an ongoing relationship with a brand like LifestyleGarden®?
We have a great relationship with LifestyleGarden®, which has been fostered over many years. We have a common goal and a shared vision. LifestyleGarden® is at the forefront of sustainable initiatives and the best supplier for customer leads nationwide. This is a great example of industry collaboration: working together to get the environmental message across and the products to market – and ultimately to the customers.
Retailers rely heavily on their suppliers. Nurturing these relationships is essential. It allows us to feedback customer concerns and feelings, whilst being the first to know about amazing developments, such as Nassau powered by Social Plastic®. Working together benefits us all and, ultimately, the customer whom we are serving.
Find out more
If you want to find out more about Yarnton Home & Garden, please visit www.yarntonhomegarden.co.uk.
To find out more about LifestyleGarden® and its premium-quality outdoor furniture, please visit us at www.lifestylegarden.com and follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.
