For years, garden centres have found new ways to make their physical space work harder. Restaurants, farm shops, concessions, home and lifestyle departments, events and leisure experiences have all helped turn the traditional garden centre into something far broader: a destination where customers choose to spend time. Now, according to destination EV charging specialist ElectRoad (and Glee New Product 'Best Retail Experience winners), there's another part of the site with untapped commercial potential - the car park.

As electric vehicle ownership continues to grow, the opportunity for retailers isn't simply about providing another customer facility. Done properly, EV charging can create recurring income, strengthen the customer experience, support sustainability ambitions and give motorists another reason to choose one destination over another.

The key, says ElectRoad founder Richard Seppings, is to stop thinking about EV charging as a piece of infrastructure and start treating it as part of the wider retail proposition.

"Garden centres are almost uniquely suited to destination charging because customers are already spending meaningful time there," Richard explains. "They might be buying plants, having lunch, browsing homewares or visiting with the family. Charging doesn't have to interrupt that experience. It happens naturally while they're doing something they already wanted to do."

A different kind of charging

Much of the public conversation around EV infrastructure has focused on motorway services and roadside charging hubs, where the objective is simple: charge the vehicle as quickly as possible and get the driver back on the road. Destination retail works very differently.

ElectRoad's research suggests customers typically spend around 57 minutes at a garden centre, creating a natural charging window. That's why the company typically recommends 50–60kW rapid chargers for destination sites rather than automatically specifying the most powerful equipment available.

"Bigger isn't always better," Richard says. "The question shouldn't be 'What's the fastest charger we can install?' It should be 'What's the right charger for this location, this customer and this business?'

"You have to consider dwell time, available electrical capacity, installation cost and the return the retailer needs from that investment. In a destination environment, there's a commercial sweet spot."

It's an approach built around customer behaviour rather than charging specifications.

Turning an existing asset into income — without giving up control

The commercial case extends beyond the fee generated each time a vehicle plugs in. A charging facility gives EV drivers another reason to choose one garden centre over a competing destination, and the time spent charging creates further opportunities for customers to eat, browse and shop. Richard sees it as sitting alongside the other investments garden centres have already made to increase dwell time and broaden the offer.

"Garden retail has been incredibly good at understanding the value of its physical space," he says. "We've seen restaurants become major parts of the business. We've seen concessions, food halls, events and experiences develop because retailers recognised customers wanted more from the visit. The car park is part of that same conversation. It's already there, it's already being used by customers, and it can become an income-generating asset in its own right."

That's where ElectRoad's model differs from the traditional Charge Point Operator approach. Rather than leasing sections of a retailer's car park and taking over the charging operation, ElectRoad works on a partnership basis, letting businesses keep ownership of their charging infrastructure, their customer relationship and the long-term value the installation creates. ElectRoad provides the expertise behind it — feasibility assessment, installation management, monitoring, maintenance, payment administration and 24-hour driver support.

"We don't want to take over somebody's car park. We want to help them make more money from it," Richard adds. "The garden centre already has the site, the footfall and, importantly, the customer relationship. Our role is to put the right infrastructure behind that and make it straightforward to operate."

That philosophy extends to branding, too. Rather than the charging area being dominated by a national network's identity, ElectRoad supports a branded experience that stays part of the retailer's own customer journey — opening the door to loyalty schemes, café incentives and other engagement activity down the line.

Making the complex simple

For many retailers, the biggest barrier to EV charging is the perceived complexity of installing it — questions around grid capacity, electrical infrastructure, planning, installation costs, payment systems, maintenance and ongoing customer support.

ElectRoad starts with the site itself. Rather than assuming expensive electrical upgrades are needed, it first assesses the power capacity already available and how intelligently it can be used. Load management can balance charging demand against the site's wider requirements, while battery storage and existing renewable generation open up further options. For garden centres that have already invested in solar, EV charging can also give that electricity a daytime use it might otherwise lack, potentially improving the return on that investment too.

"Sustainability matters, but it should also make commercial sense," Richard says. "The smartest solution isn't necessarily the one that involves putting in the most equipment. It's about understanding what you already have, what your customers actually need, and how we build the most effective commercial model around it."

Wherever practical, ElectRoad also works with existing or local electrical contractors for installation and maintenance — supporting local supply chains while letting retailers carry on working with contractors they already know and trust.

The charging experience customers barely notice

Ultimately, ElectRoad believes successful destination charging should feel almost effortless. A customer arrives, plugs in, goes for lunch or shops, then comes back to a car with significantly more range. The charging itself becomes almost secondary to the visit.

"The best destination charging experience is probably one the customer barely notices," Richard explains. "They haven't driven somewhere specifically to sit beside a charger. They've gone somewhere they actually want to spend time, and their car happens to charge while they're there."

This is where ElectRoad believes garden centres have a real advantage over many other potential charging locations: large, accessible car parks, longer dwell times, food and beverage facilities, daytime opening hours and an increasingly broad leisure offer all combine to make a particularly strong case for EV charging.

Planning for tomorrow's customer

There's a longer-term question for retailers too. As EV ownership grows, charging availability is likely to play a bigger role in where motorists choose to shop, eat and spend their leisure time. ElectRoad believes retailers should view charging not just in terms of current usage, but as part of futureproofing the destination.

"There was a point when cafés, accessible parking and good customer facilities moved from being differentiators to things customers simply expected," Richard says. "We believe EV charging is heading the same way. That doesn't mean every retailer needs to rush out tomorrow and install the biggest charging hub they can — quite the opposite. It means taking the time now to understand your site, your customers and your existing power infrastructure, and working out what the right long-term solution actually looks like for you."

For ElectRoad, that's the real destination charging proposition: not simply selling chargers, but helping retailers understand how EV infrastructure fits within a wider commercial strategy.

Because as garden centres continue to evolve as destinations, the next department that pays its way may not be inside the building at all. It could already be sitting outside the front door.

Could your car park be working harder for your business?

ElectRoad helps garden centres and destination retailers understand the commercial potential of EV charging — from assessing existing power capacity and identifying the right charging solution, through to installation, ongoing management and customer support.

To explore what destination charging could look like for your site, visit electroad.co.uk or contact the ElectRoad team to arrange an initial conversation.