Longacres at Bagshot have launched an automated drive-in click-and-collect service, believed to be a UK garden centre ‘first’. It’s a response to the centre’s growing online business.

Using a dedicated drive-in lane, customers check in at a touch screen kiosk and advance to a nominated parking bay. Staff equipped with mobile devices use the customer name, order reference and parking bay number to deliver items to the car.

Longacres ecommerce manager Mike Ainley says the solution, provided by Collectec, has reduced average customer collection time by more than 50% to just five minutes and freed up staff to take order straight to their cars.

The average check-in time is nine seconds because customers no longer need to search for a parking space, walk into the store or join a queue.