Christmas is just around the corner. It does not matter if you are a fun-loving festive type or a total bah humbug, as soon as the nights start drawing in you just cannot escape Christmas decorations, songs, films, outdoor markets and of course the traditional Christmas dinner.
British Garden Centres aim to deliver a memorable yet affordable shopping experience for all households and the ultimate in-store experience. The weeks in the lead-up to Christmas are historically some of the most important for retailers and consumers, as people prepare for the big day.
Christmas is a busy time of year and we Brits love a good festive tradition, so each of the teams at 62 stores has joined together to give you the biggest BGC Christmas ever!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Choosing a Christmas tree for your family is a magical time at the beginning of the festive season and a real tree is a focal point and at the heart of the celebrations. Cut trees are the most popular at British Garden Centres with an astonishing 29,925 ordered and sold in the run-up to the holidays. The most favoured is the Nordmann Fir, grown in Ireland by Emerald Trees, and is renowned for its rich pine fragrance, bushy branches, and even shape and needle retaining ability. The cut Fraser Fir is a pyramid-shaped tree with dense foliage and dark green needles.
Our supplier pot-grown trees, the Norway and Blue Spruce bring Christmas into even the smallest home and 3,559 households will have one in pride of place in their front room.
For those households that invest in a life-like Christmas tree, your local British Garden Centre is the place to shop as the group has just over 25,200 ready for you to take home.
The Poinsettia is the world's most popular winter flowering plant, and it is easy to see why with its star-shaped leaves that are said to resemble the star of Bethlehem. They come in an assortment of sizes and colours including the traditional red, pink, white, creams and even variegated making them a much-loved festive houseplant. 16,872 poinsettias will be taken home from the British Garden Centres group across the country, all grown in Essex, UK.
Eat and be merry
What would Christmas be without a celebratory meal to mark the occasion and to share precious moments with loved ones? The restaurants across British Garden Centres are serving up a great festive menu and seasonal treats, so you can save yourself the last-minute stress of organising your Christmas meal.
This year, it is estimated that 15,000 hungry diners will book into the Gardener’s Retreat restaurants across the country. 15,000 Christmas crackers will be pulled, 13,500 pigs in blankets will be consumed and 10,500 portions of Christmas pudding will be dished out, with lashings of custard!
Deck the halls
To get the most out of this season, all British Garden Centres have put together some attractive decoration themes to add a festive look to your home. With our help, you will have a Christmas like no other!
Of course, Christmas just would not be Christmas without a sparkling-lit tree standing proudly in your living room. Instantly transform your home into a magical wonderland with our collection of LED solar string lights. Christmas lighting is big business, and we have 35 million energy-efficient LED lights in store which is equivalent to1,325,240 metres of lit length – that is 823 miles which is just more than the road distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
Our Christmas stores are bursting with baubles with 581,750 in-store in every colourway imaginable to suit your theme. 65,785 garlands will adorn bannisters and doorways across the country whilst 32,825 wreaths will bring a warm and traditional welcome to your front door.
You can be sure that we have Christmas all wrapped up as our shoppers will use 158,026 metres, or nearly 100 miles of wrapping paper to dress up their gifts and presents.
Over the past few years, the UK has become a nation of gonk lovers. We love these little creatures as they are cute, festive, and fun and this Christmas, 14,893 of you will have a gonk in your home.