Greenbrook Garden Centre features on peak-time BBC News
Greenbrook Garden Centre in Chelmsford, Essex, found itself on peak-time BBC News on Thursday as it became the focal point of a report on the nation's ecomony...
Owner James Richmond was interviewed by the BBC's Economics Editor Stephanie Flanders after the UK's latest GDP figures showed there had been slight growth in the economy.
"The BBC contacted me a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of the GDP figures being announced," said James. "They said they were looking to film at a family-run business in the Chelmsford area, and after talkiing to us and looking at out website, they agreed to use Greenbrook for the report.
"I wasn't nervous at all, in fact I was really loooking forward to it. I follow Stephanie Flanders' reports and it was really good to meet her. She spent around two hours at the centre."
Following her visit to Greenbrook, Stephanie wrote on the BBC News website: "At the Chelmsford garden centre I visited for my piece for Thursday evening's TV bulletins, the owner, James Richmond, told me that business had fallen off a lot in the cold winds of March. But he would probably not be surprised to hear that services companies like his have expanded overall. Footfall at his centre is higher than last year, even though spending per head is slightly down."
In response James (pictured above) told GTN Xtra: "We do a lot of local advertising, and we're keen on offering great quality at great prices. We have been buying better, and we promote our products in a professional manner.
"There is so much negativity out there, caused a lot by the media, so we always have a positive approach to our business. There is a lot of what I call the 'shy pound' out there – businesses like ours need to make customers feel confident about spending it."
