The Garden Centre Group, the UK’s largest chain of garden centres with 140 stores, today announced it will rebrand as Wyevale Garden Centres.
Kevin Bradshaw, Chief Executive Officer of Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “As we continue to grow and transform our business, adopting a consistent national identity for our 140 garden centres will bring increased awareness and visibility to our estate among consumers. This is an important step in taking advantage of our national scale as the UK’s largest garden retailer and differentiating our offer.”
Sarah Fuller, Marketing Director for Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “The garden has a special place in British culture, and with roots dating back to the early 20th century, the heritage of Wyevale Garden Centres ties deeply to that joyful tradition. Our ambition is to make our brand synonymous with the joys of the garden, as well as a place where anyone can come to find help, ideas and inspiration.”
An historic legacy in the garden
A well-known brand within The Garden Centre Group, Wyevale Garden Centres began as a mail-order nursery in 1932 and later expanded into one of the earliest garden centres in 1966. Wyevale Garden Centres continues to enjoy strong recognition among consumers and online is currently the most searched for retail brand name in the garden-specific sector.
“We chose Wyevale Garden Centres as our brand name due to its strong existing recognition and positive associations among consumers as well its history of being at the forefront of the UK gardening tradition,” said Sarah Fuller.
“Best of local, best of national”
The new brand name and visual identity will roll out across garden centres, completing in early 2015. Individual garden centres, which currently carry an assortment of brand names, will adopt the national brand but retain their local name, in the spirit of maintaining their strong connections with local communities.
“We aspire to offer our customers the best of national and the best of local when it comes to their gardens, and we will continue to nurture the unique characteristics and community-focus of our centres under the unifying umbrella of our new national brand,” said Sarah Fuller.
A new visual identity
A new logo and visual identity will accompany the change in brand name, featuring a blooming leaf design as well as vivid green and purple lettering. The design incorporates elements of the traditional Wyevale Garden Centres logo and that of The Garden Centre Group’s popular Gardening Club, the UK’s largest garden loyalty club, with more than 2.5 million members.
The company say: "Wyevale Garden Centres’ mission is to bring the joy of the garden to everyone, providing a place where anyone can come to find help, ideas and inspiration. Our centres are here to provide:
- Guaranteed quality customers can trust
- Innovative and inspiring solutions to make it easier and quicker for people to create the look they want
- Centres that are part of the local community and feel naturally inspiring, where plants are centre stage
- A team that is passionate about sharing their expertise and helping customers choose
- Restaurants that offer garden-fresh, wholesome food that celebrates the season
- Retail partners that provide more choices for gifts, clothing, home and leisure time
- A force for good in our communities and our industry, where we aim to act and source responsibly and support good causes."
Ninety per cent of Wyevale Garden Centres’ plant stock is British-grown, and much of this stock is grown in its own nurseries. Wyevale Garden Centres employs more than 5,000 staff and runs its own gardening membership club, The Gardening Club, which has more than 2.5 million members.
For more information visit www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk
