Choice Marketing has announced the addition of two new garden centres to the Group – Waresley Park of Sandy in Bedfordshire and Pacific Nurseries of Walsall, West Midlands. This brings the total number of centres within Choice Marketing to 45 and a group retail turnover in excess of £160m.
Steve Baker, owner of Waresley Park, said “joining Choice couldn’t have been simpler. I am now getting better terms with suppliers I was already dealing with, not to mention significant rebates, the comradery is excellent and I really am delighted to be a member of the Group“.
Peter Beharrell of Pacific Nurseries said “Pacific made the transition from nursery to garden centre in 2004 (it still retains its wholesale nursery on a nearby site). After a brief flirtation with a buying group a while back, we decided to paddle our own canoe, but life doesn’t stand still and as the business has grown, we now find it comforting to know that we are buying at or near the best prices. Not only have we enjoyed the benefits of buying but are now opening the doors to start saving other costs with Choice partners. The buzz on the Whatsapp chat is a constant reminder of who we have joined!! It will be turned off when my holidays start. But more seriously the friendly nature of our wonderful industry is strengthened further by being a member of Choice, we are looking forward to getting to know the membership at future events”.
Commenting on the 2 new additions, Michelle de Lavis-Trafford, CEO of Choice Marketing, said “We are delighted to welcome both Waresley Park and Pacific Nurseries to the Group. Two highly significant garden centres in our industry who are sure to make a great contribution to the Organisation. Following our best ever year in 2021, Choice has since repaid almost £2.6m back to its members in rebates. This exemplifies the power and positive rewards of working together within an established Organisation, with fantastic support from our key suppliers. Although all our member centres are independently owned and independently run, we do speak with one voice in our relationships with our suppliers”.
To mark its 20th Anniversary this year, Choice Marketing is currently putting the finishing touches on what is set to be a rip-roaring celebratory evening at its forthcoming
conference and trade show in October. Trade show stand space is already 90% sold out with evening attendance set to mark this as its largest ever event.
In addition to preferential purchasing arrangements, Choice members benefit from a comprehensive offering of marketing services, through its partner agency. Commenting further, Will Blake of St Peters Garden Centre said, “It’s so great being a member of Choice Marketing. St Peters have enjoyed the many benefits of Membership since it helped establish the organisation back in 2002. Choice is one of the industry’s leading buying and marketing groups and has forged strong, mutually beneficial working relationships with dozens of key suppliers throughout the garden centre, gift, home and leisure sectors. As an independent garden centre, we really value the combined influence and buying strength that Choice gives our business, as it far exceeds anything we could possibly achieve on our own. The enhanced service we receive from suppliers, combined with the direct lines of communication that the team at Choice have with key account managers across our supply chain, ensures that any issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently. The team at Choice negotiate the very best prices and trading terms on our behalf, which frees up countless hours in our own business and allows my senior management team to devote more time to the day to day operation of the centre. It also enables us to concentrate more on other important strategic issues facing the business”.
If you would like to know more about the benefits of membership, please contact Michelle de Lavis-Trafford at info@choice-marketing.co.uk to arrange an informal chat. www.choice-marketing.co.uk