GTN August 2020 - Garden Trade News UK

gtn AUGUST 2020

Adviice & infformattion for garden centre professionals

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Road to Damascus on-line moment for garden centres

The highs and lows of garden centre retailing during the Covid-19 crisis GTN Bestsellers All Barcode Products Index Epos Data Sales Volume Week by Week March - July 2016-2020 Pre- lockdown panic buying before closure on 23rd March

Garden centres re-open on May 13th with restricted customer numbers for social distancing. Volume sales improve to 23% down by end of July.

Garden Centres closed for seven weeks. Volume sales down 53% before re-opening

2016

2017

2019

2020

2018

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Can we have our cake and eat it?

Post lockdown garden centre catering

For garden pleasure Warren Haskins interview and pictures from Snowhill

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IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK

Reasons to be Cheerful… 1,2,3 1 2 3

That gardening has become so popular and vital to many during the COVID-19 crisis That garden centres found ways of keeping trading during lockdown

That garden centres were allowed to re-open ahead of other retail and that garden centres are considered the safest retail places to visit…

We saw indications that gardening was going to be a big area during lock down in the weeks leading up to closure – and at the time many garden centre owners were doing all they could to keep their doors open even converting coffee shops into veg shops. But when closure came we were facing the stark possibility of the whole season just disappearing. LOFA made the early decision to cancel SOLEX because even if people could get to the show garden centres may not have sold any thing and therefore would not need to buy again for 2021. Oh how wrong we were! Thanks to the determination of gardeners, old and new, to keep buying products for their gardens, and the efforts of garden centres who didn’t want to throw the towel in, for seven long weeks, gardening was delivered to homes, ordered by phone and the internet and clicked and collected across the country. A few even managed to find ways of staying open as essential food or hardware retailers. The weather played a huge part in all of this. More than ever before people had time on their

hands and their garden became a special place. Then came the media storm to save UK ornamental horticulture and to get garden centres open again. As a result garden centres re-opened ahead of the rest of retail with social distancing implemented in the middle of May and boom..! Sales went through the roof, and still are, with some centres who kept trading during lockdown reporting nearly back to parity year on year. GTN Bestsellers volume has moved from minus 51% to minus 23%. And, as a sector we have managed the re-opening of retail, and subsequently catering, really well. Garden Centres are still the stores people say they feel most comfortable returning to, according to results of a YouGov poll in June. Our in-built sense of “nurture”, born out of caring for plants, has meant we have really cared about our staff, our suppliers and our customers. That is special. In this issue of GTN, the first since lockdown, we’ve tried to capture some of the highlights from the crisis, there were many more covered in the GTN Xtra e-mail newsletter, and create a printed record of just how special garden centres have been during a truly unprecedented time. Next month we’ll be covering all that would have been happening at Glee. It may be another six months before we can all meet up at a trade event to share tales of lockdown, but in the meantime please keep sending us your stories of cheerfulness. We’ll publish as many as we can over the coming weeks and months. > trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING Garden Trade News Potting Shed Press Ltd Dairy Drove Thorney Peterborough PE6 0TX Tel 01733 775700 www.gardentradenews.co.uk THE GTN TEAM Editor Trevor Pfeiffer trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk Associate Editor Mike Wyatt mike@pottingshedpress.co.uk Digital Editor Neil Pope neil@pottingshedpress.co.uk Publisher Mandy Davies Mandy@pottingshedpress.co.uk Advertising Sales Alan Burdon Alan@pottingshedpress.co.uk Ben Greenwood Ben@pottingshedpress.co.uk Design & Production AT Graphics Ltd www.atgraphicsuk.com Kirsty Craner – Design Alun Jones – Production Manager Robert Tipping – Managing Director James Tipping – Technical Director Printing CG Print Ltd Potting Shed Press Ltd Garden Trade News is published by Potting Shed Press Ltd who also publish: GTN Bestsellers, GTN Xtra, Glee Daily News and the Glee Catalogue, and the Solex Sun. Potting Shed Press also supply Garden Radio to over 100 garden centres across the country. Director Trevor Pfeiffer SMALL PRINT: All material [copyright symbol] Potting Shed Press Ltd 2020. No part of this publication may e reproduced in any form whatsoever, either for sale or not, without the express permission of the publishers. The information supplied in this publication is published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Potting Shed Press Ltd cannot accept responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on information contained in this publication or in the vent of any bankruptcy or liquidation or cassation of the trade of any company, individual or firm mentioned, is hereby excluded.

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August 2020 3

FAMILIES OF LOCKDOWN

Family Values Win Through As garden centres closed across the country on March 23rd owners and directors made the choice between total closure of the business during lockdown or finding a way to trade through the crisis. For strong family run garden centres the decision was summed up by Derek Bunker at Altons in Essex. “After 49 years building the business I’m not about to throw in the towel.” Damage Limitation On that fateful Monday, Derek met with his three sons at eight o’clock in the morning to decide what they had to do regarding water, security, etc. and to decide if they could trade it all. Derek recounts: “It said on the news that internet trading was OK and as we had a small on-line business we decided to run with that and maybe take phone calls for delivery or prepaid collections to see how it

4 August 2020

goes. Andy was going to run the plants, Jay the barbecues, Peter the transport and me just doing the rest. “By Wednesday, we were swamped with phone orders for delivery, mostly compost and plants. We did a free delivery service for orders over £50. “The internet started to get busy with all sorts from plant food, tools and chemicals, grass seed propagators, etc. Bearing in mind this was March and it was that key gardening time. On click and collect everyone wanted fence paint and many were happy to collect compost. “Jay was selling barbecues faster than if we’d been open. Andy sold 8,000 bags of compost in four weeks, that’s 50% higher than normal. “After Mothers Day the phones were ringing off the hook. We had twenty staff members on site in the Internet office, in

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aquatics, barbecues and machinery which had been very busy with servicing. “We could see the writing on the wall regarding demand. So, we put lots of big orders in to many suppliers on the basis they’re not all going to come in. That basically that kept us going. And then when we reopened, we had loads of stock and everybody else didn’t because we’d already pre bought it. “Damage limitation has always been the main thing, trying to make the most of every opportunity because there’s always opportunities there. At the end of July we’re going to be 3% up on last year and we’re still busy.” A real family enterprise A trip to our local garden centre, Baytree at Spalding, for essential pet supplies meant we were able to peek behind the scenes (observing proper social distancing of course) at their click and collect and delivery service. The benefits of a large family meant that while almost all of the staff are on furlough leave, family members were working all hours to keep their 3 delivery vehicles and a steady stream of click and collect customers supplied. Rheinhard, Vonny, their daughters, sons in law, grandchildren and their partners all pulled together to deliver, click and collect and phone and collect it was a real family enterprise. “We got right down to having only 1 bag of multipurpose compost left last week, but just as that was sold the Westland lorry turned

FAMILIES OF LOCKDOWN

up and we were able to keep supplying, almost directly off the artic while it was unloaded,” explained Nigel Wallis. “Our compost sales are almost on a par with our normal volumes for this time of year, it’s just been a lot more effort getting it to customers. “In the Pet department, open for Essential supplies, only 2 customers are allowed in at any one time, and sales have been up to 1/3rd of normal pet trading. With the demand constantly growing other members of the team are being un-furloughed to get more people on the end of a phone taking orders from customers. We couldn’t have done it without them. At Torwood Garden Centre in Scotland, John Stevenson told GTN: “My wife and my son Jamie’s wife have been in every day and we couldn’t have done it without them. Probably the hardest 10 weeks in my over 40 years of working but so glad to be doing it where so many businesses cannot. “Originally only family worked, then plant

staff came back off furlough to help and then all garden centre staff available for the last couple of weeks and now some cafe staff are assisting with watering and customer help. Our staff have been superb! Garden centres couldn’t re-open in Scotland until 29th May but John and his family went with a soft opening the day before to test the water. “It was busy. Friday was the official opening, very busy. Saturday was very, very busy in fact best takings ever, and that includes previous best with cafe/full day trading and unrestricted areas. “We are doing 6 days 10-3:30 for customers to allow us to water, re stock and importantly sort deliveries to shielding customers. Our staff situation is down 25% due to shielding/family care issues and means at the moment we can’t open 7days. “Sunday we were closed to customers although our road to the centre was a constant stream of cars looking for us to be open. Some staff were in watering and stocking. “The weather has been exceptional, sunny and warm. Furniture sales were through the

roof and now we have mostly run out especially relaxers and corner sets. Luckily, we had taken preseason delivery from Glencrest however another supplier had cancelled our order when we postponed the original delivery date. Glencrest have topped up but now run out. “Plant sales are very good and although stock is in short supply our local bedding suppliers have kept us stocked. We kept good faith with them, taking stock right through lock down as we never closed completely doing deliveries then latterly also click and collect. “

Jays BBQ Social Experience “The doors were locked on the BBQ showroom at Altons, so I needed to come at it from another angle. We used Instagram, which we had eleven hundred followers on and did some live videos, question and answer sessions. We explained that the website was fully loaded and we have click and collect. “By using that as a tool the followers started going up because they noticed we were actually active and doing stuff and people just came from all over. The problem was getting stock in and then we just used Instagram and live videos to post that we had stock available. “Then when the doors were opened, we had this buzz around us with customers coming from all over the country to get down and see us. Altons BBQ World now has over 4,000 instagram followers. “Last year we sold just over the 750 BBQ’s, by the end of July we’ve now sold just over 1,400 and we’re aiming for 2,00 by the end of the year.”

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August 2020 5

BEHIND THE SCENES

How re-opening was won The fact that garden centres in England reopened ahead of other retail on Wednesday 13th May was not down to chance. From the moment lockdown started, the team at HTA, led by James Barnes, James Clark and Boyd Douglas-Davies were straight on the case talking to DEFRA and building a campaign that resulted in unprecedented media coverage for gardening and garden centres. Questions were even asked about garden centres re-opening in parliament and that resulted in garden centres being added to the list of essential businesses allowed to re-open and trade in an update from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. So how did that campaign take shape? James Barnes explained to GTN: “There was an awful lot that happened behind the scenes. The level of media coverage that we got on that campaign was corporately pretty massive. “We got ourselves up there along with aerospace and several other big airlines, some big industries that the government that were seriously concerned about. “I think that the whole lockdown piece and that media campaign, has possibly created another one million more gardeners in the United Kingdom.” A key feature of the campaign was the support of the garden media press. James explained: “A lot of it was due to Boyd being well connected in the garden media press. We were able to influence people just to get

6 August 2020

excited about that. Yest it clearly required a lot of management and 24/7 effort. That was all weekends, all hours of the day and night for the senior team and for the media team. “We managed to get Alan Titchmarsh involved by picking up the telephone and chatting to him. Alan is familiar with the industry is on the governing council of the RHS. So he was very happy and willing to front the campaign. “I think what makes these things a success is when you press on every single available means of conversation communication, because it means anywhere anybody turns in the political world that you’re trying to face into, the conversation is exactly the same. Whether it’s just the media, whether it’s television personalities, whether it’s industry leaders, everybody is aware of what’s happening and what’s going on. “Wherever Boris Johnson or Michael Gove turned either privately at a dinner party, sitting in front of a cabinet office or wherever, they were being hit with the same message: We weren’t saying open garden centres. We were saying we need to rescue the UK nursery industry and a way to do that is by opening garden centres. It was important the message was that way round.” Boyd explained that angle made a big difference in the type of media coverage: “Suddenly the business journalist of the Daily Mail that was talking to us about the commercial scale of impact on our industry and things which

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is why we ended up with some big space in the newspapers written by the business teams. We were getting early pages and double pages in the Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Express because it was their readers and their potential ability to buy plants in the future that was the story.” James in agreement said: “I think in terms of influencing that was the key. We also got ourselves in to the leader columns of both The Times and The Telegraph, which is pretty unprecedented.” Another key factor behind the success of the campaign was the levels of co-operation and communication within the industry. Weekly zoom meetings across all sectors of garden retailing, growers and suppliers took place as well as constant co-operation with the RHS and NFU. James believes that the social distancing protocols created were a key decider in allowing the decision to re-open, protocols which set standards higher than many supermarkets. Both James and Boyd deserve wholehearted thanks from all involved in our industry. But there are many others who played their part: the HTA communications team lead by James Clark, the HTA media team, all gardening media celebrities, everyone who lobbied their MP and of course all garden centre operators and suppliers who then made re-opening such a success.

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GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS

Tales of re-opening How have garden centres fared since they were allowed to re-open after lockdown. Four garden centre operators told their stories in a webinar organised by Glee, hosted by GTN’s Trevor Pfeiffer. Will Blake, director of St Peter’s Garden Centre in Worcester, re-opened just the centre’s food hall on Tuesday 28 April, only for his local authority to serve a prohibition notice forcing the business to close on Thursday 7 May. The centre then fully reopened on Wednesday13 May. Will B: It was not something I expected to happen in my lifetime, really. We closed the business down on Monday 23 March, doing the right thing by our customers and our staff and went into lockdown – and that included the food hall. Together with the butchery, it turns over about £1m. It’s a significant part of the business so during that lockdown period, we planned to reopen it. Our local trading standards department confirmed we could reopen those elements, along with the pets department, because these were deemed essential. They also said that we could we could sell other items, providing customers were making an essential purchase. We planned our reopening for 28 April - and within two or three hours, I was contacted by the environmental health department to say that we shouldn’t be open. I got two letters advising me that I needed to close. We did stop selling all other products except for essential items and I believed that there was good justification for keeping food, butchery and pets open. I got lawyers involved to try and argue my case but the result was a prohibition notice. Because carrying on the fight would have meant legal costs of £30,000, I closed down. We re-opened fully the following Wednesday, along with everbody else. So it’s been a hugely stressful, as you can probably imagine. And a real waste of time, energy and money in trying to defend the situation. I still feel very strongly that garden centres, and particularly food halls within garden centres, have not been treated fairly by the legislation, which has allowed places like B&M, Wilko or The Range, who sell flimsy amounts of food, to continue to trade, whereas garden centres with traditional butchers have had to close. We heard of other garden centres that were allowed to trade because they sell garden tools, which are hardware and is therefore considered essential. It seems different local authorities were interpreting it differently. Because the legislation was put together in a rush, it was clunky and left a lot to discretion,

8 August 2020

I suppose. But it’s just very frustrating, both from the business’s perspective but also the community’s. Being able to supply our local community with food purchases was the right thing to do. Quite a few of our customers have complained to he local authority. Some of our staff were in tears when I told them they had to close down on 7 May. BBC national news were here when we re-opened the gates on 13 May to a big round of applause. It was a great feeling. Mike Burks, is MD of The Gardens Group, which operates three garden centres in the south and west of England. He is also chairman of the Garden Centre Association. Mike B: We had the BBC here when we re-opened, too, and they were worried that we wouldn’t have any customers for them to film. I said, don’t worry, you will. The first one arrived an hour and a quarter before we actually opened. The relief for the customers was huge. We had been taking telephone orders for local deliveries but there is no way that can get to everyone – and it’s a very expensive way of trading. I’m not sure we made any money out of it but I think it was the right thing to do because, as garden centres, we serve our communities and one of the crucial things for us was to keep people at home, keeping them safe, keeping gardening, keeping them mentally fit as well as physically fit. That’s an important role that we play in the

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community although it’s not a profitable way to trade. We are continuing with telephone orders because those who need home deliveries are those who are ‘behaving’ and those who really need to be at home anyway. At the peak during the shutdown we were making 350 deliveries a day between the three centres but we’ve got four vans on the road now rather than six. Straight after re-opening, it was not at all easy beginning to cope with a backlog of deliveries and the vast number of people coming through the doors again - a ‘perfect storm’. Adam Wigglesworth, is MD director of Ayletts Nurseries in St Albans, an independent singlesite business. Adam W: We didn’t open on the first Wednesday because we didn’t feel that we were ready. We’d been bombarded with orders via email and had not been answering the phone for nine weeks. The thought of re-opening, to be honest, was quite nerve wracking. A lot of the staff were very nervous. I hadn’t seen a customer on site for eight weeks and in a peculiar way, we’d become quite a good little team. Everyone was safe, there was no one about, the phones weren’t ringing. So in a way, it was a weirdly pleasant environment. Will Blake was cheery on the Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day Walk, but not so when he was served a prohibition notice in early may

GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS really in the spirit of things”. “They shouldn’t be out shopping,” he said.

Adam and Julie Wigglesworth receive their GCA Garden Centre of Excellence Award from GCA Chairman Mike Burks On the day we did reopen, we had 175 people queuing up, the first one at 7.50 in the morning. We’re managing the site with 100 trolleys. The first 100 people are given a colour-coded trolley, so when it pops out at the other end, we let another person in – so even with 175 in the queue, the people at the end are probably in within half an hour of opening. Allowing one person per 1,000 sq.ft as the HTA and GCA are recommending is a really good guide and definitely creates a feeling of safety within the centre. Our garden centres are exemplars of how to manage people on that front. Boyd Douglas-Davies is PR and communications director at the British Garden Centres group, which operates 56 centres of widely differing sizes across the country, most of which re-opened on 13 May. Boyd is also the current HTA President. Boyd D-D: Like Will, Adam and Mike, we we also had queues at every site at opening time. The smaller ones got congested in the bedding plant area. You can only get so many people in until they’ve moved on. So that was the difference, I suppose, between the small sites compared to the larger ones. But it’s been very, very straightforward, really. People are well used to thinking about social distancing so they’ve been respectful of the teams and keeping away from the staff. The challenge is really the speed customers go through the centre. It is a real market street type shopping zone they’re in. They fill a trolley and then they’re looking for a second and a third trolley and then they’re out. We were caught out in the first two days when the tills were filling up very quickly with people, so we’ve adjusted that early admission numbers to spread the flow. For many customers, it seems, one trolley is not enough. Ayletts solved this by advising customers after receiving their colour-coded trolley that more were available inside.

Had anyone experienced people using the trip to the garden centre to meet up with others and start doing some socialising - a widely shared fear was very fear? Mike B: People will seeing friends by chance but I believe most customers are behaving and respecting why we reopened and are following the rules. You will always get the tiny percentage who go the wrong way in the one way system. While most people are behaving, I think it’s starting to change. It feels slightly different this week. Adam W: I’ve been amazed that people have been queuing so well and so pleasantly, and 70-80% of our customers have been wearing masks. There are more families at the moment.I find it a bit unnerving when we have to tell them only two people can come in together and not six. People are getting over it. We have a massive sign at the front which says ‘Shop and Go’ and more signs in store encouraging people to shop and leave. We’re in a supermarket model now - it’s quite key to stop people browsing and to keep their average transaction value up. We can only get a limited number of people through he door so we have to massage the way we do that. Mike B: When a customer wanted to know why he couldn’t buy greetings cads, we had to explain it’s to reduce browsing. When you explain it, they understand it, although some people think it’s ridiculous. It will be interesting once we come out of the core gardening season to see how that changes, but then we’ll probably have fewer customers so browsing will be less of an issue. We’re releasing categories carefully to avoid bottlenecks - furniture after four days, for instance, and that’s started to work. Garden centres are in no hurry to welcome back vulnerable customers. Will Blake said the arrival of a couple aged 92 and 86 was “ not

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Adam W: That’s why you’ve also got to be able to offer the delivery service, for people who can’t come in and who we don’t want to come in yet. Obviously, we only need a minimal team. There’s virtually no customer service. We shut our plant information building. We shut up customer service points and those people are now handling the email inquiries, telephone calls and now the web shop. We’re still doing 100 deliveries a day. We stopped doing click and collect because it was so disruptive in the car park. The team who we’re trying to get the orders together were then mingling with customers, so we just ditched it.

Many centres have reported record sales since reopening. Are they holding up? Boyd DD: It’s like the ninth bank holiday in a row! The average spend is still right; 50% of what’s going out of the door is plants, 35% core gardening and it’s carried on exactly the same. Saturday was the big day. Things have almost been the same throughout year. Mike B: We found the same. I can just feel it tailing off a bit now. But that might be because we’ve had two very, very warm days. And so the middle of the day is not quite as busy as you might expect. Will B: I ran some interesting numbers earlier. The sales report up until lockdown started on 24 March showed we were 6% up year to date and then ran the report to show where we were on the 12 May, the day before we re-opened. We were 48% down. And then up until yesterday, we’re now 39% down. So we’ve pulled back nearly 10% of our sales gap. Since re-opening, we’ve been running at 54% up. It is incredibly busy and average transaction value is, roughly speaking, double where it would normally be. Adam W: Last night we ended our first week back and sales were up 13% on the year compared to last year. Now our customer numbers are down 54% and our average transaction value is up 207%. And every day it’s the same. We can’t compare this to a bank holiday. We are taking half what we take on a bank holiday. But the point is that every day we’re pulling 725 customers through the garden centre. Weirdly enough, the most disappointing day was Sunday. I’d expected it to be absolutely rammed because of the reduced opening hours and there was no one out there at 10

August 2020 9

GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS o’clock. Today we’ve done 765 transactions; 765 people every day, average transaction £81. If we can do that for June, July and September, I’ll be happy. Mike B: I think it’s really interesting how we all settled down to this new norm. One of the things I was thinking about is what we would take from this. And actually some of the management, particularly going into the tills, is something I think will we will take forward in some way, because the till operators are feeling really quite calm since they’re not having big rushes all the time.

How did staff take to the Covid-19 restrictions, the wearing of face coverings and the like? Mike B: We did lots of rehearsal. That was really important. We did lots of run-throughs and adapted things as we went along. And then we would send the team through to rehearse how it was going to go and we would adapt it again. By the time we actually opened, that helped enormously. The initial nervousness has gone away now. With no customer getting close to any of the staff outside it, it’s limiting the risk. Boyd D-D: I was surprised that the youngsters on the teams have generally been the ones who’ve been most keen to wear PPE. They’re buying their own super-duper masks and coming into work with some quite amazing contraptions on their faces. The staff are, I think, more conscientious in our industry than in the supermarkets, where, in my experience, it’s sort of fairly rigorous in the car park and falls apart once you walk past the cucumbers. It was nerve wracking initially. I don’t think you can underestimate how nerve wracking it is for people when they’re not sure how the public are going to behave. But the public have been exceptionally well behaved with just the random odd person.

10 August 2020

There’s been a huge pent up demand for lot of stuff, we’ve got a healthy supply of our own plants. How long is that going to last on coming through. or how long can supply match up with demand? Are centres seeing new gardeners or just existing core gardeners coming Boyd D-D: back? The single biggest thing we realised is actually people just want lovely plants. Cottage garden is rocketing, I think as a replacement for the bedding that they’re maybe not finding in the centres, but they’re very happy. Mike B: I think the other thing is that everything is so unusual at the moment, with very few reference points for everyone to know where we are in the year and where we are in the season. Also, because of the way that the nurseries have had to get rid of sort of second batches, you’ve got a lot of bedding that is a little bit bigger than you would normally expect and a lot that’s a bit smaller. But anything that’s looking good will sell. Some of the quality coming through is fabulous. Adam W: We’re putting roses in places where people would expect to find bedding and they’re picking them up. Will B: We’ve all had to make some pretty challenging decisions, shall I say, during this period. Some, we got right and some we got wrong. And I’m glad one of my right decisions was to carry on planting on our nursery. Although we’ve run out of pack bedding and struggled to get supply on a

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Boyd D-D: We’ve just been gifted seen weeks to ‘find’ our gardens so without doubt, there are first-time gardeners coming into the centres now who have cleared the space, made some effort to get ready and now feel it’s the time to buy something. And that’s all ages.

British Garden Centre’s staff are out on the road collecting stock from nurseries to get it into their centre faster. Boyd D-D: We’ve got to remember that while we’re all having a bumper time, it still hasn’t come good for the commercial nurseries, many of whom just won’t recover the gap from the spring season because they lost the tail-end of spring and the start of summer hasn’t been good. I’d encourage anybody who’s got a van to consider going and collecting their stock. And please don’t bash the growers for discount at the moment – just take the plants at the normal price.

Have centres had to accept accept plants without labels or bar codes? Mike B: Yes. As soon as the trolley comes in, we get it unwrapped and into the centre.. Even though you can’t really get it merchandised properly, it doesn’t matter. But I think it’s really important for us to work with the industry. It struck me enormously with the work we’ve been doing with the HTA. Every Friday we have with an industry-wide forum, which has been massively useful in helping us understand what the nurseries are going through. We should really do whatever we can to support them, taking deliveries any time of day or night, letting the driver park in your car park overnight, so they can get offloaded early or get away early in the morning. Just making it possible is hugely important. > You can see the full recording of this Glee Webinar, and others, at www. gleebirmingham.com

GTN BESTSELLERS ANALYSIS The GTN Bestsellers Pots Chart Weeks 20-30 2020 This week Last week

Top of the Pots Pots sales have risen by 96% since garden centres re-opened according to analysis of Epos data supplied by garden centres for GTN Bestsellers. The GTN Bestsellers team have carried out detailed analysis of All Pot Sales to compare against 2019 sales levels and see just how big the total increase is.

It would seem that if you've got pots to sell, customers will buy them! With all these pots being used in the garden just now, are you getting ready to sell those customers plenty of bulbs for planting in their post this autumn ready for spring? Or have you got other plans to maximise on this pot mania opportunity? Subscribe to the weekly GTN Bestsellers printed newsletter with Top 50 charts from aggregated garden centre Epos data for only ÂŁ145 a year at www. gardentradenews.co.uk or e-mail trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk

The analysis shows that All Pots, sold with barcodes, (and that excludes pots with plants already planted in them) increased in volumes by 96% and there has been an increase in the number of Pot lines in the Epos data of 79%. Here are the Top 50 Bestselling Pot Lines of 2020 since reopening:

continued on page 14

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Apta RHS Lead Pot Feet - 5022413557198

14

New

Woodlodge Plain Pot 35cm - 5021346403893

15

6

Apta Standard Pot Feet - 5022413003381

16

2

Elho Corsica Single Easy Hanger - 8711904251697

17

New

Oreya Cretan Pot Feet - 5060048830781

18

39

Apta 31cm Standard Pot - 5022413029343

19

5

Stewart Flower Pot Saucer 10 inch, Terracotta - 5022938846142

20

17

Stewart Flower Pot Terracotta 10 inch - 5022938836143

21

28

Stewart Smithy Patio Tub, Gun Metal, Small - 5022938558366

22

34

Apta Pot Standard 11cm - 5022413029244

23

20

Growth Technology Orchid Pot Clear 15cm - 5025644911623

24

9

Stewart Flower Pot 7 inch, Terracotta - 5022938834149

25

30

Apta Pot Standard 15cm - 5022413029268

26

43

Growth Technology Orchid Pot Clear 12cm - 5025644911616

27

New

Woodlodge Plain Saucer 8 inch - 5021346365146

28

New

Stewart Flower Pot 4 inch Terracotta Multi-Pack - 5022939831147

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40

Stewart Smithy Patio Tub Large, Gun Metal - 5022938559363

30

New

Woodlodge Pot Saucer Plain 4 inch - 5021346365115

31

25

Growth Technology Orchid Pot Clear 13cm - 5025644913658

32

48

Stewart Flower Pot 3inch Terracotta Multi-Pack - 5022939830140

33

New

Scheurich Cover Pot 7cm - 4002477587158

34

18

Woodlodge Large Green Malay Glazed Pot Feet, pack of 4 - 5021346198102

35

New

Apta Plain Malay Planter 26cm - 5022413537008

36

26

Woodlodge Slate Pot Foot - 5021346431797

37

32

Stewart Clear Saucer 11-18.5cm - 5022938647084

38

New

Stewart Flower Pot Saucer 5-6 inch, pack of 4 - 5022939842143

39

New

Apta Plain Malay Planter 30cm - 5022413537015

40

New

Woodlodge Saucer Plain 5 inch - 5021346365122

41

New

Woodlodge 5 inch Spang Half Pot - 5021346365054

42

22

Stewart Terracotta Flower Pot Saucer 12 inch - 5022938847149

43

33

Woodlodge 10cm Chocolate Pot - 5021346395303

44

11

Stewart Flower Pot 8 inch Terracotta - 5022938835146

45

New

Scheurich Pot Cover Mini 10cm - 4002477591193

46

New

Apta Verona Standard Pot 13cm - 5022413029251

47

35

Woodlodge Spang Pot 6 inch - 5021346405972

48

New

Woodlodge Standard Spang Pot 2.5 inch - 5021346364897

49

New

Apta Verona Water Resistant Saucer 11cm - 5022413029497

50

New

Growth Technology Orchid Pot Saucers 13.5cm - 5025644912767

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2020 11

GTN PROMOTION

Primeur reflects on the season to end all seasons!

Covid-19, rubber tyres, online & no Glee There is no question that 2020 will need its own thousand-page chapter in the history annuals of the future. No-one could have predicted just how much this year could throw at us, and how quickly the entire world – including the garden retail sector - has had to adapt to a new normal. Primeur is one such company that faced the challenges 2020 had to throw at it head-on. In fact, the company has thrived. Here we find out more about why the Primeur team has more than one reason to remember the last 12 months. Covid-19 didn’t put the brakes on, neither did Primeur Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first - Corona virus. Never before has one event changed the way the garden retail sector operates. Overnight Primeur, along with all suppliers and retailers, was forced to rip up the rule book and find news ways to navigate the unknown. Remaining open throughout lockdown was a key target for Primeur and remain open they

12 August 2020

did! Securing all pre-season stock in early 2020 stood the company in good stead as it meant it had direct and immediate access to its full 2020 stock offering. That said, the unprecedented demand for product as the nation took to their gardens in droves as it y safe haven they had, represented the only meant that demand was starting to outstrip supply. Some quick thinking and optimising good relationships with its ners manufacturing partners meant more stock ver than Primeur had ever anticipated needing,, was quickly winging its way to the UK. ew love Online created a new ration of story for new generation gardeners essures, and Despite all these pressures, the ‘unknown’ being the only tayed ahead constant, Primeur stayed mes remained of the game. Lead times

www.gardentradenews.co.uk ntradenews.co.uk

within the expected three to five-day range, and despite reduced team numbers, Primeur was able to continue to support its retailers who were driving sales through both bricks and mortar, and online channels. There is no doubt that online was the king of lockdown. With the entire country ‘king’ homes online was the confined to their homes, only option for securing product. Without online, many new gardeners garde would not have been able to engag engage with this glorious pastime, somethin something Primeur hopes will continue long into the future. Jenny Douthwait Douthwaite, Sales Director at Primeur said: ““Traditional garden centre stores are ssuch an important part of our business, but we also welcome a move to incorporatin incorporating more online sales t Covid-19 lockdown channels. If the has show shown us anything, it is that o online sales cannot be igno ignored but should be used to complement instore sa sales to reach a much

GTN PROMOTION wider audience. The convenience of home delivery and ‘click & collect’ has helped to make gardening more accessible to not just vulnerable customers but also the younger demographic, considered by many as the holy grail of shoppers as they represent the future of retail. For so long we have been asking how we can capture this audience and now we have done so. The job is now focussed on how we keep them engaged with gardening and continue to inspire and influence them once we get back to our day-to-day lives.” Environmentally friendly agenda ever more important in a post-Covid world Since launching its Eco Garden range in 2018, Primeur has been leading the way for environmentally responsible material usage thanks to the range’s reimagining of recycled rubber tyres. Recent months have seen consumers make more conscious choices, favouring products that do good for the world. Bestsellers throughout lockdown were the award-winning Tierra Verde planters. This range has already received praise from the industry having scooped the GIMA Sword of Excellence, and two Glee New Product Showcase awards in 2019; these planters were tipped for big things and they have certainly proven their worth. From growing plants to making the good life a reality in small spaces, the Tierra Verde planters have earned legions of new fans. The company has also invested in building the brand profile to help drive sales. To date the range has been featured in national newspapers,

gardening supplements and leading garden and home consumer publications. Filling the void left by Glee With a significant void to fill following the cancellation of the 2020 Glee event, the Primeur team has already been working tirelessly in the background to ensure that they continue to communicate with the market during this pivotal time of the year. Jenny said: “Whether it’s keeping in touch and networking, showcasing new product development or helping our retail customers better understand the successes of the season through sales and trend data, Glee is an incredibly important part of our annual strategy. So, whilst we can’t meet at the NEC this September, we will be creating our own

mini-Glee via virtual tours, product launches, and online meetings with our customers. Throughout autumn we will be continuing to communicate with our customers either directly or via the media, to continue to showcase the many ways we can help drive sales both during the anticipated extended season, as well as long into 2021. “We appreciate that this year not all retailers will be focused on new products, so in addition to having exciting new additions to showcase, we will also be sharing merchandising support and advice, as well as information on the latest trends and colours that are driving sales. We will continue to adapt what we have on offer to ensure that our offering, both product and customer service focused, remains relevant, valuable and effective for all.” Details of Primeur’s virtual showroom tours, and new product developments will be announced shortly. Jenny finished by saying: “There is no doubt that 2020 is a year we will not forget anytime soon. It’s been incredibly hard at times, but the support of our retail customers and the wider industry has been phenomenal, and I’d like to say thank you from all of us at Primeur. We still have a long way to go but we remain optimistic about the future and we welcome an ongoing dialogue to ensure that we all ride this storm together. Here’s to the next 12 months, let’s hope they are a little kinder to us all!”

Find out more To find more about Primeur’s full product range as well as how to access its leading merchandising displays, please contact the team on 01274 518800 or email sales@primeur.ltd.uk

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2020 13

GTN BESTSELLERS ANALYSIS

A new-found love for gardening helps to drive record breaking pot sales, says Woodlodge At the start of lockdown, pot suppliers such as Woodlodge would have been forgiven for fearing the worst. With warehouses full of stock and no orders forthcoming during what should have been peak season, the outlook was bleak. However, as 2020 has proven time and time again, the only thing we can expect is the unexpected. The turn of events which followed demonstrated just how resilient the garden retail sector can be, with pot sales quickly breaking record after record. The summer months have also, perhaps more importantly, demonstrated how imperative gardening is to a nation that craves normality and a support structure to boost mental and physical wellbeing during the darkest of times. Woodlodge’s Managing Director, Michael Wooldridge, explains more about this recordbreaking season: “Like many businesses, we were unsure of the outcome of lockdown, with stock continuing to arrive into our warehouse we thought we were going to have stock for years to come. However, when the garden centres opened on 13th May it

was a huge relief and in anticipation we had brought back many of our sales staff the week before to check on centres and help them get set up for opening.” “Once the garden centres opened, the demand for flower pots was incredible and it is thanks to all our amazing team at Woodlodge that we managed to take on this opportunity, from loading over 20 lorries a day to the many pallets of pots merchandisers put out in garden centres.” “Consumers from across the country were snapping up our full range of pots and planters, and whilst doing so they were also engaging with the brand more than ever on social media. From sharing pictures of their gardening projects or showcasing how a planted pot can brighten a front door, lockdown saw the biggest increase in social media traffic we have ever witnessed as these consumers looked to find new ways to communicate with the outside world and celebrate their new-found gardening expertise.” “The challenge now is to ensure we stay

continued from 11

14 August 2020

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

engaged with this audience as we transition into a new normal. Lockdown has presented us all with a significant opportunity to communicate with many consumers we would not have traditionally reached, and we do not intend on letting this opportunity pass. At Woodlodge we will be working closely with our retailers to arm them with all the merchandising support we can to entice more shoppers into stores and to increase the average basket spend. We will also be optimising our social media activity to ensure we keep the dialogue going long after lockdown.” > www.woodlodge.co.uk

INTERVIEW

For garden pleasure Just before lockdown, Haskins re-opened their Snowhill garden centre. This proved to be GTN’s last visit to a fully stocked garden centre this year and what a pleasure it was at the time. Little did we know what would happen the following week as the garden centre, closed, not to re-open again until May 13th. At the opening event an interview with Warren Haskins was arranged for later in the season at their newest acquisition, Forest Lodge. As with many other industry meetings that got moved to a zoom meeting: The well-documented story of the Haskins garden centre empire - now five outlets with a staff of 800, turning over more than £32.4m and an ambition for growth - becomes all the more fascinating when relayed from the mouth of the man who made it happen. Warren Haskins, whose boyish manner belies his 71 years, was just 20 when his father’s unexpected death thrust him into the driving seat, with little inkling that he was destined to become one of the garden industry’s most influential pioneers. Under his leadership, Haskins was among the first centres to broaden its horizons way beyond plants and eventually take the business on the risky road to catering, blazing a trail the entire industry later adopted. Cafes and restaurants now account for around a quarter of the group’s turnover. Warren believes that when the centres shut at the start of lockdown, it was possibly the first time the business had had to close its doors since Harry Haskins set up his nursery in Poole in 1882. Warren oversees the business these days as non-executive chairman, leaving day-to-day management in the hands of chief executive Julian Winfield. He tells me he has favoured a hands-off style from the start: “It could be one of the lessons I learned in life. At the start I was way out of my depth. I had seven staff and they all knew more about the business than I did, “he says with typical modesty. “So I encouraged them to get on with what they

i and d th t’ b th d ffor 50 were d doing that’s been my method years. That’s why you don’t see my face very often. We have a fantastic team.” I asked him what triggered the transition from the original nursery (turnover £17k in 1969) to a garden centre. “We had a very diverse nursery and landscaping business,” he recalls. “We decided to stack up big bales of Irish moss peat near the entrance to the car park - and they started going.” This led to the opening of a small shop on the ground floor of the house next to

The Haskins/Stewarts ‘rivalry’ Visitors to Garden Centre Association conferences will be aware of the joshing between Warren Haskins and his rival Martin Stewart (10 years younger) of nearby Stewarts. Both found themselves running family businesses in their 20s after their fathers died. “We formed this great bond at that time because we supported each other,” Warren says. “There’s a friendly rivalry. What we need in our businesses is good competitors, not cheap competitors or price cutting.”

Just before social distancing became the norm, Warren Haskins formally opens Snowhill with a beaming Haskins team

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2020 15

INTERVIEW

the nursery. A large shed also pressed into retail service was then replaced by single bay Robinsons greenhouse, erected by Warren himself and his team. “I was the only one with the courage or the head for heights to do the glazing of the roof…” Another few acres were acquired for expansion as sales grew, highlighting the need for a long-term development plan - so Warren hired the legendary US-based planning consultant Ernest Wertheim to map the route. A collection of GCA Chairmen celebrate the opening of Haskins Snowhill. Warren Haskins, Sue Allen, Mike Burks (current GCA Chairman) and Julian Winfield

16 August 2020

“We learnt an awful lot from Ernest,” he says. Catering had arrived in the business in the mid-80s – “a 30-seater cafe doing coffee, tea and sandwiches”, succeeded by a 100-seater that frightened the life out of the catering manager but proved so successful that a plan was hatched to treble its turnover. In fact, it became central to the redevelopment brief for the new site soon to appear on the horizon. By the early 1990s, the old site had attracted an offer from Sainsbury’s, who pledged to re-locate the garden centre but failed to come up with an appropriate location. Warren’s team eventually found

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Do you remember the promise of Spring? The displays at Snowhill looked so good, only for them not to be seen for 7 weeks. the ideal land at Longham, where Ernest Wertheim was able to put his masterplan to work on the new Haskins Ferndown, which opened in 1994. “The deal enabled us to build our new garden centre concept and not worry about the cost,” Warren says. “We weren’t extravagant but we did it properly. We put a building up which after 27 years is still a really good building.” Following the example of retailers like

INTERVIEW

Open inviting walkways in the new planteria. Colour matched to the interior walkways and much, much quieter than the old block paving walkways.

Mind, Body & Soul. What a timely POS message for Haskins customers.

A stunning houseplant area at Snowhill, positioned between home and fashion, just before the tills.

Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, the emphasis was on quality shopfittings and lighting, rather than big showy entrances. “I don’t see the benefit of them,” says Warren, “as most people decide to visit a garden centre before they leave home.” The Ferndown formula was applied to the redevelopment of Haskins West End at Southampton in 1996; four years later, Roundstone at Angmering became the group’s third centre, with a fourth site, Snowhill at Copthorne in. 2003. In between, of course, there was Hobbycraft, founded in 1995 after a conversation with a US garden centre and craft centre operator over a couple of bottles of wine in Detroit. “I wish I could remember what we were drinking…”, he says, but he remembers the thrust of the discussion. “Gardening and craft have a similar customer base, although crafts is younger. Gardening is something you do when the days are longer and crafts something you do when the days are shorter.” The idea came to fruition on an unused part of the Ferndown site. After a second Hobbycraft was installed at West End and further stores opened

Dean Ridley shows off one of the many new types of trolleys at Snowhill. at Gloucester and Northampton, Warren realised there was an opportunity to develop a national chain - a project which pulled him away from the garden centre while he scoured the country for sites. “I realised I couldn’t run two businesses, so in 1999, I brought in my first chief executive and I became non-executive chairman.” After de-merging the two businesses, Hobbycraft experienced an alarming 8% decline in sales in 2000. “We were stretching ourselves financially… We thought we might lose the business.” Then someone came up with a theory – the internet was luring younger people away from crafts as they spent hours of their daily lives surfing the world wide web. The realisation led to a root and branch

Haskins garden pleasure starts in the car park where the colours and materials are co-ordinated perfectly with inside the shop and out into the planteria

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2020 17

INTERVIEW Sunday Trading Test Case

A fully stocked growing media area, the last one we’ve seen this year! Note the custom built panels to tidy up the pallets

Even the far reaches of the planteria get great POS treatment at Snowhill

Another rarity this year, a fully stocked garden products area!

review of the business, tougher deals with suppliers, and a gradual nudging up of retail prices. “Now suddenly, when we rationalised the business, we became very much more efficient.” With the number of Hobbycraft stores approaching 50 and the business needing significant investment in new systems, Hobbycraft was offered for sale. It attracted the interest of an astonishing total of 31 private equity companies. With Hobbycraft eventually offloaded, Warren resumed his Haskins non-executive chairman’s duties – but still at arm’s length. How does he see the future? “Before the pandemic, we were very optimistic. We had just spent a lot of money developing Snowhill. The demise of the High Street was helping us. Most of what we sell you can’t buy on the internet - like hot coffee and cups of tea. With a lot of gardening products and garden furniture, you’ve really got to see it before you buy it. Gifts and clothing are both very impulse. You’re not going to buy seeds and h cheaper on the internet. So bulbs much I’m very co onfident about the future of our business. Or was!”

Warren Haskins played a key role in the last big issue facing garden centres back in the ‘80s; Sunday Trading. “We used to sell freely on Sunday - partly illegally. We could sell peat but only if used as animal bedding. The local authority came in one day and bought a can of bromophos and then took us to court for Sunday trading. We had always had a great relationship with the local authority. They said you should close. We said we’re not going to. At the hearing the prosecuting solicitor could not pronounce brompohos. He was trying to compare the case to speeding. The clerk of the court replied that you can kill somebody through speeding but you can’t kill somebody with a garden centre. We were fined £3. The HTA got counsel’s opinion, which was that you could open a shop of less than 200 sq.m. so we opened up our outside sales area. The council took us to court again and we got a conditional discharge. We appealed to the Crown Court and got another conditional discharge. So we ended up in the High Court, but the judge had made up his mind before he entered that this was a waste of his time, so we lost. In the meantime, we got so much such good publicity.” Despite a high-profile campaign, the industry had to wait until July 1994 to see the Sunday trading laws amended to allow retailers above 280 sq.m. (3000 sq.ft) to open for six hours on a Sunday, giving garden centres an opportunity to stay legal. But, still, never on Easter Sunday.

The Snowiill resttaurantt was packkedd the week before lockdown with hundreds of happy customers... Even the restaurant trays came into the branding mix thanks to Lisa Lookers marketing team.

18 August 2020

www.gardentradenews.co.uk w.gardentrad denewss. s.c co o.u uk

OUTDOOR LEISURE

Solex – the show must go on Solex was the first of the garden industry trade shows to be affected by the crisis, bit the show went on, digitally of course, providing much needed information for buyers anxious to restock after selling out of all furniture and BBQ’s this summer. Gina Hinde, LOFA Marketing Manager and organiser of Solex said: “Although we weren’t physically at the NEC for this year’s Solex show we decided to do something completely different instead, with the help of Trevor and Alan from Garden Trade News we put together the ‘Solex Sun’ a digital version of Solex which ran from 6 – 10 July. It was filled with new products, virtual showrooms, videos and great images from all our 2020 Solex exhibitors. “It was a great success and we generated lots of interest, the Solex Sun had almost 22,000 openings and 31,111 viewed pages and generated 4177 unique readers. “We even had a top 40 most read stories which made for very interesting reading! Our number one spot was taken by none other than Alfresco Chef, Hartman had two new entries at 6 and 10, and Kaemingk the new kids on the block this year stormed in at Number 2. Climbing to third place was Alexander Rose and Bramblecrest and 4 Seasons outdoor were just behind coming in at 4 and 5.

SOLEX SUN 2020 Most Read Stories 1 Top of the range, wood fired ovens and accessories by Alfresco Chef 2 Kaemingk Spring Summer: “Best UK range ever” 3 Alexander Rose - Different by Design 4 Relax, It’s Bramblecrest Garden Furniture 5 Unique designs, high quality materials and contemporary styles from 4 Seasons 6 Be Inspired - Hartman Opens its Showroom Doors 7 All Welcome at LeisureGrow’s 1,500m2 Open-Air Showrooms 8 Firepits UK, traditional, natural and kind to the environment 9 A.Mir & Royalcraft proudly celebrate 30 years of trading 10 Hartman Launches Virtual 3D Showroom Experience

“Then there was a New Entry at 7 for Leisuregrow followed by Firepits UK at number 8 and Royalcraft at number 9. “ Gina adds: “We also sent out a virtual Solex Catalogue which was filled with new product information from our 2020 Solex Exhibitors but if you missed this online catalogue don’t worry, a hard copy of the catalogue is included with this edition of Garden Trade News, and you can read first-hand about all the Solex Exhibitors and what they have on offer for Spring/ Summer 2021. “Thank you to exhibitors and visitors for participating in this year’s Solex Sun it was great fun and we look forward to seeing you next year at the NEC 6-8 July 2021.”

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2020 19

GREENFINGERS CHARITY

Floral Friday spreads social cheer for Greenfingers Supporters of the Greenfingers Charity spread a whole load of cheer over social media during lockdown by posting #FloralFriday photos on facebook, Instagram, twitter and linked-in. Over a 12 week period, hundreds of photos were posted gaining huge numbers of likes and shares for the Greenfingers Charity. There were also fundraising donations made as a result of the activity, much needed during the crisis when all other fundraising had to be put on hold. By the end of June, even the Duchess of Cambridge appeared to be getting into the #FloralFriday spirit during her visit to EACH hospice The Nook. #FloralFriday for Greenfingers will be back on Friday 18th September 2020 in the Glee Daily News, during the week that would have been Glee at the NEC. See you then!

20 August 2020

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

GREENFINGERS CHARITY

Garden Re-Leaf Day 2020 – Walking and cycling into lockdown Over 100 walkers and cyclists took part in the Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day Charity Walk and Cycle Ride in Chilton, Oxfordshire on Friday 13th March 2020, just before lockdown closed all garden centres. The walkers and cyclists raised over £15,000 in sponsorship to add to the thousands of pounds raised across the country on Garden Re-Leaf Day. Director of Fundraising and Communications Linda Petrons said: “I cannot thank people enough for their ongoing support and dedication to making Garden Re-Leaf Day such a continued success. “I am endlessly touched by the generosity, creativity and selflessness that so many demonstrate, both on Garden Re-Leaf Day, and throughout the year. “Every penny raised makes a huge difference to those that spend time in Greenfingers fundedgardens, which we are now able to start building again. On behalf of them, and my team, the biggest possible thank you.” Mark your diaries now – Garden Re-Leaf Day 2021 will take place on Friday 19th March!

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2020 21

OUTDOOR LEISURE

Extreme Assured Lounging Extreme lounging are the pioneers of the B-bag, a British-made luxury bean bag that provides an uber-comfortable place to sit back and relax. They also produce hammocks, boxes, cushions and B-beds, all of which bring the ultimate experience in relaxation to any space, inside or out. Extreme lounging has been a LOFA member since 2012 and joined the LOFA Assured initiative in October 2017. We spoke to Joe Shrimpton about what it means to them as a business, the retailers they sell to and the consumers who buy their products to be an accredited LOFA Assured member. What do you feel is the main benefit of being LOFA Assured? I think the biggest benefit lies with the retailers we supply and, ultimately, the consumers who purchase the end product. It provides reassurance to the retailers that the goods they are selling conform to regulations and assists in fulfilling their duty to supply products that are fit for use by the general public. Being LOFA Assured also helps all members to operate on an even playing field and ensures there are unjustifiable gaps in pricing from one LOFA Assured supplier to the next – yes, we may be competitors in the marketplace, but it is reassuring to know as suppliers that we are all on the same wavelength when it comes to adhering to the same high standards throughout the industry; nothing gets missed and that goes right back to the start of the manufacturing process. At one time, many suppliers were failing

n rules, to follow certain which enabled them to hat were sell products th much cheaper. They may milar but have looked sim inherently nothing about e product the fabric of the was. We all want to be etitive fair and compe in the market when u m e rs selling to consu and the consumers themselves want to know they are getting products that are safe. LOFA Assured is another way of reassuring consumers that a regulated structure is in place for every stage of the production process, right from the factory through to the shop floor. Sadly, there are suppliers out there who are still not complying to regulations, but everyone who is a LOFA Assured member has essentially made that commitment to supplying safe and compliant products. Our next job is to push awareness of what the LOFA brand stands for and to make it recognisable. Consumer awareness has been increasing over the years but there is still work to do. Has it been difficult to communicate the benefits of LOFA Assured to your customers? Absolutely. When we demonstrate our products to potential suppliers their immediate reaction is that they can get it cheaper elsewhere. Our challenge has been to explain to them WHY we cost more and what that extra cost is giving them. It is

something we are increasingly explaining to suppliers in our meetings. Has becoming LOFA Assured been a difficult process? As a business have always followed compliancce – it’s been a major ur business growth. We part of ou deal with a lot of the big multiples and, as such, have always had to comply with audits. When we introduced a new branding product into our outdoor range, we just organically and automatically made it compliant as it’s what we’ve always done. We’ve even spoken to other competitors and helped them to understand the benefits too. That said, it is always good to have that audit in place - regulations will change so by having a re-audit intermittently you can be assured that your products continue to comply with up-to-date standards. Have you had any ongoing support from LOFA since becoming LOFA Assured? Yes. We have launched a couple of new products, which are not your ‘run of the mill’ outdoor items so to speak! As something completely new to our range, it was great to be able to refer to LOFA Assured and ask them for guidance. That’s the beauty of being a member; it is an accessible and open channel for trustworthy advice whenever you need it. You always know that the information you are receiving is from the source, which helps to ensure that you are following the correct guidelines and that your products have the best chance of complying first time around. If a consumer went into a store, how would they distinguish between a LOFA Assured product and another product? This is the main challenge for us, but I think educating consumers is a challenge that resonates across many industries, not just ours. We have the LOFA Assured tags on our products but, ultimately, we need the support of the retailers to pass that message on. It would be great if retailers could view the LOFA Assured initiative as a USP for their business, not just a tick box exercise. > For more information on LOFA Assured, please visit https://www.LOFAAssured. co.uk/. To view Extreme Lounging’s range of products please visit https://www. extremelounging.com/.

22 August 2020

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Lofa Assured is an intitiative to ensure all cushions sold by LOFA Members comply with current Government Fire Safety Regulations. To find out more visit www.lofa-assured.co.uk In Partnership with Hertfordshire Trading Standards and FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association).

www.lofa-assured.co.uk

GARDEN CENTRE CATERING

Can we have our cake and eat it? After years of successful garden centre catering the COVID-19 crisis has prompted much re-thinking about garden centre catering, both in the short and longer term. Garden centres in Northern Ireland have been able to open their catering facilities since 3 July and in England from 4 July, with Scottish garden centres following suit two weeks later. In Wales it is different again with garden centres only being permitted to allow indoor diners from 3 August. There has been a mixed response from garden centres with some opening their cafes and restaurants, in line with guidance and protocol, and others choosing to remain closed for the time being. ‘Can we re-open profitably?’ is a key question being asked by many before deciding to open. Never has it been more important for garden centres to know their break-even figures as well as their weekly food and labour costs as a percentage of sales. So, for those centres that have opened their catering offer what changes have they had to make? What are the challenges involved? Are some of the changes here to stay? How have customers responded?

Trade is steadily increasing Typically, garden centre cafes that have re-opened tend to be bringing in 30-50% of their usual sales in the first few weeks. Initial visits have tended to be shorter with customers buying coffee and cake rather than full meals. This is gradually building week by week as people get more confident and word of mouth gets the message out that they are ‘safe’ places to visit. Biggest challenges Bents Garden and Home have gone from full counter service to full waitress service reducing their covers from 1000 to 300. Managing Director Matthew Bent comments, “It’s like opening a new restaurant from the start and having to re-plan new systems and re-train the team into the new way of doing things. It has been a challenge but also great to see the team working together.” Sam Bosworth, owner of Bosworths Garden Centre agrees that the service aspect is the most difficult element to get right. Staffing levels have been difficult to balance, “At times staff appear to be standing around as there are not enough customers and the next minute we have a queue to use the tills and card machines.” He adds, “We have vastly reduced our menu and it is largely based Left: Clear messaging on websites has proved reassuring to visitors

How has it been for you? Three garden centres share their experiences from the first month of opening their indoor catering offer. Sally Cornelissen, Managing Director of Burleydam Garden Centre, comments, “The re-opening of our restaurant, ‘The Orchard’, has gone very smoothly. We were very concerned, obviously, and were not sure where to pitch our response to the restrictions. If you are too heavy-handed it becomes repellent to customers but also you can’t downplay the seriousness of the situation and your responsibilities.” “We have reduced covers by removing furniture to

24 August 2020

Customeerss enjjoyingg an aftternooon tea at Greeen Paasturees

ensure spacing of 2 metres. A one-way system is in place with designated entrance and exit. Queueing has been channelled so that there is no cross over with retail traffic. Screens are in place and PPE is mandatory on the counter and in the kitchen. Profitability has increased due to more food being prepared to order, lower staffing levels and lower food costs. We will examine this further as we return to normal trading to see if it can be continued.”

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The introduction of an outdoor dining area has been a big success at Green Pastures

Mike Burks, Managing Director of The Gardens Group, comments, “We started gently with the reopening of our cafes to make sure that all of our new systems were working. They have, and with a few minor tweaks, we expanded the range and the menu after a few days. The changes that we have implemented include placing screens at the counters, masks for staff, trays taken to the tables and left there, cleaning down every table and chair between customers and making extra space available outside with fewer covers inside. The adaptions, including smaller menus to start with and the new flow routes through the area, have worked very well and we plan to stick to some of them moving forward. We

GARDEN CENTRE CATERING 15% off voucher to redeem either in the café or the garden centre within four weeks. Rosebourne CEO, Carol Paris comments, “We introduced the vouchers when the VAT reduction came into force. This has been extremely well received and helped to drive footfall and importantly return visits where customers are spending substantially more than the value of the voucher.”

Making life easier for customers at Haskins Garden Centres with an Easy Access card

around cold food to avoid ‘firing’ up expensive kitchen items that run all day until we know how much trade we will do.”

has worked much better to the point where we have added a few more tables and are now ooking to expand the menu choices again.” lo Technology is playing its part with some centres introducing an ‘order and pay at the able system’. This has real potential to help ta with labour costs moving forward and paves the way for a card rather than cash-based future. Others are using menu apps, allowing customers to place their order directly on arrival and providing disposable menus for those not wanting, or unable to, to use the app.

Adaptions – here to stay? The move to full table service has been positive for many centres – so much so that some are considering making the change permanent. Table service provides an additional opportunity to add sales helping to raise the average spend per transaction which is vital with lower footfall. However, this hasn’t suited all businesses. After switching to table service initially when they re-opened Torwood Garden Centre decided to revert to counter service a couple of weeks later. Owner John Stevenson explains, “Whilst most tables were occupied or reserved for much of the time we found it difficult to balance takings with staff costs, not helped by a number of no shows. We decided to revert to counter service with cook to order items delivered to the table. Plastic screens have been added along the counter, all staff wear visors or face coverings and all food including scones and cakes are covered or individually wrapped. This

A positive response Customer reaction to how garden centres have re-opened their cafes has been extremely positive. From videos and blogs to eshots and social media postings clear messaging to customers ahead of their visit has been well received and helped to reassure them. Customer’s too have done their bit by sharing details of their experiences on social media, assisting garden centres with their word of mouth marketing.

have had to reinvent the business but we are slowly getting back up towards near normal performances.” James Debbage, Owner of Green Pastures Plant Centre and Farm Shop, comments, “To our great surprise our restaurant sales are approaching what they were for the same week last year. This is considerably better than we anticipated and the changes that we have implemented have been easier to manage than we expected.” “We have introduced full waitress service, extended our outdoor seating area and created an outdoor garden dining room. This latter feature has been created in our bedding plant canopy by removing nearly all the plant benches and furnishing

it with dining furniture, plants and arbour seats. We have also introduced a streamlined menu which we first felt it was necessary to do as we didn’t anticipate that we would be so busy. “The response to our new outdoor area has been massive and has become a real talking point. It encourages people to come in and eat who were too scared to go and sit indoors in a confined area. It has given us a USP and many customers have asked us to keep the outdoor dining area as a permanent or seasonal feature. Our staff have responded to the changes very positively but find it hard work having to cover a much greater floor space, especially whilst wearing visors.”

Innovative approaches When it comes to Track and Trace Haskins Garden Centres have made it much easier for customers to return without the hassle of registering every time they visit the restaurant by introducing an Easy Access card. Once their information has been entered onto their database customers can swipe the card on return visits without having to give their details again. Across Rosebourne’s three sites all customers purchasing in the restaurant are issued with a

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Eat Out to Help Out Many, but not all, garden centres are taking part in the Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ (EOTHO) initiative to drive sales across the hospitality sector this August. Customers eating out on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday can benefit from a 50% reduction in the cost of their meal (up to the value of £10). Some businesses feel that they would be at a big disadvantage compared with local competition if they don’t take part. The initiative provides a great opportunity to drive footfall especially given that garden centre catering is more of a midweek habit than eating out at pubs and restaurants. However, some feel that the initiative is far better employed in small evening meal restaurants with higher meal costs and argue that customers are eager enough to return to garden centre catering without incentives. There is also a feeling that the VAT reduction was to assist businesses to get up and running again helping them to prevent trading at a loss and allowing them to retain staff when the furlough period ends. Whilst the EOTHO initiative is very much for the customer. Garden centres are proving to as agile and adaptable as ever with their approach to catering. With change providing an opportunity to take stock and focus this will stand businesses in a strong position for the future.

Written by Gill Ormrod Many thanks to the following garden centres that contributed to this article. Bents Garden & Home, Blue Diamond Group, Bosworths Garden Centre, British Garden Centres, Burleydam Garden Centre, Fosseway Garden Centre, Green Pastures Plant Centre and Farm Shop, Haskins Garden Centres, Rosebourne, The Gardens Group and Torwood Garden Centre.

Customeerss enjjoyingg thee arbbour at Greeen Paasturees

August 2020 25

ON-LINE RETAILING GrowNation Gordale

Road to Damascus On-line Moment for Garden Centres The moment garden centres closed on the 23rd March huge focus shifted to on-line retailing and order by phone. Those centres with existing e-commerce websites sought to ramp up their offering quickly but the initial solution to meet customer demand was taking phone calls and setting up a call back system to clarify requirements. Taking gardening orders over the phone proved to be a lengthy process as many customers didn’t know exactly what they required so bring staff back in from furlough leave provided the extra resource needed. At Blue Diamond Alan Roper created a call centre at Head Office to deal with all of the calls from across the group. However, as many centres experienced, even that wasn’t good enough to meet demand so

26 August 2020

enhanced e-commerce solutions had to be put in place, with a focus on local delivery and click and collect. Some businesses were able to quickly add in a web shop linked to their epos system, some used existing shopping services such as shopify and some created their own offerings. There were even some new entrants to the market such as GrowNation. All of that instant on-line activity generated much needed revenues while centres were closed, Blue Diamond took £11.4m on-line during closure, and the ability to service local communities via a web shop, with out taking up huge amounts of time on the phone has convinced many that their on-line shop will play an important role in their business going forwards, especially for Christmas 2020. Adam Wigglesworth at Aylett Nurseries

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describes it as a “Road to Damascus” moment. “I never thought a web shop would be such an important part of our business but I’m so happy now that we can service the local needs of gardeners for whom it is easier to shop on-line.” Here we bring you background from e-commerce suppliers as to how they got garden centres up on-line so quickly along with their views for the future of garden centre online retailing. How Garden Centres Got Their On-Line Operations Up So Quickly Chris Corby of Corby & Fellas writes: During the recent lockdown, garden centres were deemed to be non-essential retailers and had to be closed for seven weeks. This coincided with the busiest time of the year, when, as if to ‘rub

ON-LINE RETAILING

salt into the wound’, the weather was warm and sunny. Given that many people suddenly had lots of time to spend in their gardens, it seemed like the ‘perfect storm’; garden centres had the stock, which they simply couldn’t sell to customers who were ready, willing and able to buy. Many will remember Gary Carvosso’s heartfelt TV interview, which perfectly expressed the anxieties felt by those running garden centres,

who felt trapped by circumstances. It was clearly the time to find another way of trading. As Superman and Captain America were busy with other matters, the ever-resourceful horticultural community started to look for other ways of selling and supplying their goods. Whilst most of our garden centre clients had web sites, few had an e-commerce capability, giving them a virtual store through which to sell. Up until the 23rd March 2020 many hadn’t deemed it necessary or even desirable to sell via the web. But things had to change. Normally setting up a web site with e-commerce capabilities is the work of weeks rather than days. But users of C&F’s WinRetail EPoS and Retail Management System already had all the ‘bells and whistles’ in place to sell via the web, it was just a matter of activating the e commerce module. Once it was ‘switched on’, users were able to start selecting the stock they wanted to sell, establish prices, promotions, etc. in preparation for selling on-line. The next step was to create the ‘graphics’ needed for the site. This was done with the aid of our web developers who were able to offer templates, based on previously developed, tried and tested sites, in which they could embed their own branding. A few garden centres were able to deliver goods using their own transport, but most had to rely on customer’s collecting their purchases. Given the social distancing constraints, it was necessary to create pre-bookable collection slots, allowing customers to collect their goods at a pre-determined time, with short queuing times and minimal interaction. In the end C&F created seven new, fully functional, e-commerce web sites in less than 3 weeks, much to the relief of those involved. It is true that C&F developers pulled out all the stops to get sites set-up. However, the work of the garden centre management and staff involved, who worked tirelessly to set-up, commission and operate the new sites, must be applauded. The challenges that they faced

Aylett Nurseries On-line shop

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were enormous, especially given the short time frame and their lack of previous experience. Adam Wigglesworth of Aylett Nurseries said: “I was delighted with the speed with which C&F were able to get us up and running with a fully functioning, integrated e commerce site. I believe that it demonstrated the importance of our excellent relationship and the spirit of cooperation that exists between us” Steve Meleka’s GrowNation story For us, it all started with a nurse crying in a car park. On the 19th of March 2020, Dawn Billborough, a critical care nurse from York, made an emotional and moving appeal on Facebook. After finishing a 48 hour shift, she pleaded for people to stop panic buying and leave some food for critical workers, so that they could take care of the sick. Only eight days after the WHO had declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic, people’s behaviour had already begun to change. My colleagues and I, along with countless businesses across the UK and the world, took stock of the situation to see how we could adapt and do something to help. In just over a week, we built a marketplace where NHS staff could order and contactlessly access food from the stalled hospitality supply chain. But as the pandemic unfolded it became harder and harder to reach decision makers within NHS trusts to deliver our service. Score 1 to the pandemic. When lockdown officially began, only a few essential sectors were permitted to remain open. But horticulture wasn’t among them. Overnight - and at one of the most critical periods of the year for retailers and suppliers alike - all UK garden centres were forced to close. Soon after, Alan Titchmarsh and the HTA were fighting to highlight the plight of the UK growing industry, appearing in the national press and on TV news. GTN’s very own Trevor Pfeiffer provided an opportunity for us to pivot our platform towards helping garden centres to sell again via local deliveries or click & collect. We decided to call it GrowNation. Josh Egan-Wyer from Pershore College Garden Centre was the first to join us. As a small, plant-focused centre, he had plenty of stock ready to go but no way to sell it. As Josh himself said: “Without GrowNation, it would have been impossible for us to launch a webshop and continue to trade. We tried the taking calls and emails method but after the first day knew this was going to be impossible and considered stopping altogether. However, with GrowNation being able to build and populate the web-shop for us, we could continue to bring in income in a manageable way. “We still have customers ordering online to

August 2020 27

ON-LINE RETAILING

Bluue Diaamoondd on-linee shoop

secure stock for delivery and click and collect which has opened up a a new avenue of sales for us that seemed impossible before.” Mark Scott, Commercial Manager at Gordale Garden Centre was another early adopter, quick to see the potential of having a new and immediate route to market, saying: “Moving forward, being online is inevitable for the whole industry. With GrowNation’s help, we’ve been able to get our web-shop off the ground in record time. “Sales of garden furniture were way beyond expectations from the day we went live. They’ve made the whole experience quick, easy and above all, profitable.” Whilst all of our experiences during lockdown were unique, the one common constant was change, and by extension, uncertainty. That’s still true today. As we watch countries who are ahead of us in suppressing infections and then beginning to reopen their economies, clusters and surges of cases are rapidly taking hold. The prospect of a resurgence of the virus in the UK as temperatures drop and people spend more time together indoors is a real concern for both public health and the economy. Kingfisher’s B&Q were quick to seize the opportunity during lockdown, building on their existing online platform and introducing a contactless click and collect service. Had garden centres already invested in their online channels, much of the business picked up by the likes of B&Q and the supermarkets could have been theirs for the taking. Perhaps most importantly moving forward, B&Q are now much more resilient to business interruption and more able to continue trading, even during a local or national lockdown. There are countless stories of incredible demand for plants and gardening products during lockdown. Blue Diamond were able to make the most of that by quickly building and populating their brand-new online offering for local, and later national, sales. The group managed to turn over an astonishing £11.6m on-line while the centres were closed. This has left them in a stronger

28 August 2020

financial position coming out of lockdown, whilst spreading their risk across multiple sales channels. Retail has undergone a seismic shift in emphasis from physical to online over the last few months. Whilst this trend was already in play before the pandemic, it’s had the effect of accelerating things forward by around six years. It’s not just the environment that’s changed. Customers have evolved rapidly as well. According to Forrester, 90% of customers say their behaviours have changed as they avoid physical stores and buy exclusively - or as much as possible - online. Half of customers surveyed have shopped on digital channels for products they’ve never bought online before. Since garden centres reopened, a huge number of new, younger and less experienced customers have been introduced to gardening or ‘garden decorating’, contributing to some extraordinary sales across the industry. It’s important to do everything possible to retain this new audience, who see and interact with the world quite differently. As ‘digital natives’, most start their journey online, if only to research products before coming into store to finalise their purchase. Existing garden centre customers have undergone a transformation as well. Research firm Mintel say that the older generation (aged 65+) are likely to be major drivers of e-commerce growth in the short to medium term. In May 2019, just 16% of this demographic shopped online at least once per week. That figure now stands at 43%. After a period of months shopping online, these newly-formed habits are very likely here to stay. As the pandemic and its economic impacts play out over the coming months (or more likely years) retailers who invest in minimising their risks while maximising their opportunities stand the best chance of not only surviving but thriving as buying habits evolve.

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Will garden centres hang onto their ‘experiential’ roots and resist going online? Or will they seize the opportunity to diversify their routes to market and take advantage of the incredible uplift in demand? Only time will tell. But in the words of Henry Ford, who knew a thing or two about disruption, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right!” Keep calm and sell Online CSY Retail Systems launched their Ecommerce Lite package at the start of lockdown to help customers start selling online as soon as possible. Ecommerce Lite sites are customised to customers branding, however sticking to the same templates for the core functions of the site, leading to quick turnaround times, resulting in some getting fully set up and running in less than a week. A strategy was set in place for our customers to begin preparing their product data for their Ecommerce Lite site whilst their new website was being developed. This helped reduce the time for the website going live. Freddie at Bell Plantation Garden Centre told CSY: “I just wanted to thank-you for your hard work and speed at getting our online shop up and running last month. Josh worked really hard on it and was very helpful throughout, despite being busy I’m sure. The website contributed hugely to our cash flow position, kept our plant waste down and helped pay the wages of the team I kept on.” Ecommerceliteblogg

TRADE SHOWS

Glee Gathering – coming together, virtually, this Spetember Glee might not be taking place physically this year, but coronavirus isn’t stopping the Glee team from bringing Glee to exhibitors and visitors. On 15th and 16th September 2020, the Glee Gathering will be happening, a virtual forum designed to bring our industry together, even when we’re apart. Community is at the core of what makes Glee so special, facilitating connections first and foremost. The Glee app will enable one-to-one meetings and virtual networking with the individuals who matter most to your business. Meanwhile, GIMA proudly presents GIMA Connect, an exciting speed networking opportunity designed to put the best brands in front of pre-qualified and purchase-ready buyers. The Glee Gathering will host an impressive array of brands from across the

horticultural retail space, as an expertly curated line up goes digital. Brought to Glee Gathering by popular demand from buyers, the Product Showcase is set to feature exciting walk-arounds, brand presentations and introductions to the latest products in exciting video profiles. But that’s not all: Glee Gathering will also present two days filled with content. From peer-to-peer panel sessions, exclusive industry insights and essential business tips and tricks, Glee will keep you up to date with the market from the comfort of your own home or office.

Last, but by no means least, discover once and for all the best garden products for 2020. Hosted by Glee partners Garden Trade News, the Glee New Product Awards will offer brands the opportunity to pitch their latest product to an expert line up of buyers who will choose the best product in each show sector. And throughout the week, the GTN team will also be bringing you The Glee Daily News to keep you up to date with all that’s happening at the Glee Gathering as well as product news from the Glee exhibitors. > www.gleebirmingham.com

Dijk roll out mobile showroom across Europe

Trade stands go mobile As the autumn season of trade shows is cancelled some suppliers are taking their trade stands out to customers to save them mile of travelling in the search for new lines to stock in 2021. Honeyfield’s and RSPB are going on the road Marriages are going on the road with their bird care brands, Honeyfields & RSPB. The specially designed exhibition truck is filled with samples of the Honeyfield’s new range of hardware, from feeders and dining stations through to their range of Bird Tables

which were launched for this season. That is not all, RSPB, who are distributed and packed by Marriages, have an area within the rolling showroom showcasing the charities range of bird care. Sam Marriage, owner of Marriages Millers, said of this new roadshow; “we were planning for there to be no Glee exhibition this year and began putting plans in place to keep our customers safe whilst ensuring they are able to see our ranges for the 2020/21 season. Throughout the Covid-19 situation, safety and supply has been our priority, we know how precious our customers' time is and we don’t want them to waste any time in long car journeys to visit us, so we will visit them!” > If you would like to book an appointment to see all that Marriages have to offer, please contact your local agent or call Marriages on 0845 257 0232.

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The biggest mobile trade stand we’ve seen so far is this artic trailer from Dijk, a progressive Dutch medium sized company with over 30 years of experience dealing with garden centres and retailers in the Netherlands. Elke Beuvink gave GTN a tour around the showroom on it’s first visit to the UK last month. “Dijk has a point of difference, good sourcing with an exotic & natural edge, which I think the world is ready for, competitive pricing and they create an amazing showroom. Apart from themed seasonal collections they also are a specialist and market leader in dried flowers in the Netherlands. Plus they supply an array of floristic items in concepts to garden centres.” Sara Cooksley, senior buyer for Leisure at Haskins said: “Great introduction to the company, new world, new ways of working..... mobile showroom for the day!” After a week in the UK the mobile showroom headed off for two weeks in Scandinavia and will be back here week commencing 7th of September visiting the Midlands and North > ebeuvink@dknc.nl

August 2020 29

VIEWPOINT

Suppliers work around the clock to help get garden retail back on track as optimism returns ahead of autumn VICKY NUTTALL DIRECTOR OF GIMA The first six months of 2020 can only be summed-up as a rollercoaster ride for the garden retail supply chain – from the announcement of lockdown in March and the unthinkable reality that peak season garden centre trade would be a write off, to a post-lockdown boom that has left suppliers grappling with unprecedented levels of pre-season size orders. There is no question that 2020 has been a season unlike any other, and while it is positive to witness a resurgence of interest in gardening, the monumental challenges facing suppliers should not be underestimated. Despite so many obstacles, I am pleased to report that the sector has risen to the challenge with unbeatable resolve, helping retailers to cater for demand not just from their loyal customer base, but from a new generation of consumers who dabbled at gardening for the first time during lockdown. It is vital that we all work together to nurture this enthusiastic new audience. Analysis of Google search trends during lockdown in March and April lays bare the surge of consumer interest in horticulture. Web-based searches for gardening, compost, pots and bedding plants are up by around four times compared to the same period in 2019 – with garden centres closed at the time, there can be no clearer indication of the shift to online for sourcing gardening products. Online retailers, and the efforts of bricks-and-mortar outlets that quickly set-up web-based ordering, helped to save the day for suppliers and consumers, but this move represented just the beginning of a series challenges that lay ahead. In a normal year, the supply chain’s efficient logistics, combined with carefully planned seasonal labour recruitment, ensure that businesses are ideally positioned to cope with seasonal peaks that are part and parcel of the seasonality of garden retail. But this year, with employers taking extensive responsibility for implementing social distancing measures, flooding workplaces with additional staff wasn’t a safe option.

30 August 2020

Extended lead times were an inevitable consequence, resulting in frustration throughout the sector. Managing increased demand with reduced productivity is only part of the story. As lockdown gradually eased, suppliers faced challenges keeping up with demand, while stocks of packaging ran out. It soon became apparent that shortages of compost were widespread: suppliers faced challenges in obtaining raw materials, while stocks of packaging ran out. As a consequence, lead times for compost extended to as much as five to seven weeks at one point. Similar obstacles arose as consumers sought essential supplies to complete landscaping and garden makeover projects. Quarries had remained closed during lockdown, resulting in shortages of aggregates and materials when retailers re-opened and witnessed heightened demand. Press reports indicate that garden retail is not alone in experiencing such predicaments: post-lockdown shortages of plaster and timber are hampering recovery in the construction trade in exactly the same manner. With shortages clearly evident, suppliers had to manage stock carefully, to ensure it was distributed fairly and evenly among their customer base. Lines of communication were hampered, with retailers struggling to get through to suppliers operating a skeleton, socially distanced workforce, as employers attempted to bring staff back from furlough. Similarly, cases arose where suppliers’ efforts to make contact with

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retailers were unsuccessful, as retailers’ lines were besieged with consumer orders for home delivery, fuelled by vulnerable customers who remained shielding from Covid-19 at home. Mid-summer normally offers a little bit of respite following the exhaustion of peak season trading. Not so in 2020, with orders coming through from May to July at levels way above anything that is witnessed in a normal year. Cooler weather in July, combined with phased re-opening of High Street and leisure attractions, may turn off the pressure taps by a fraction, but demand is expected to remain strong into autumn, as suppliers work their way through full order books. Many of these post-lockdown frustrations came to light in an online forum attended by around 50 GIMA and GCA members in July. For the first time since the crisis struck, suppliers and retailers had a platform to voice concerns in an open and honest manner. Dialogue paved the way to finding solutions to obstacles that have thrown a spanner into the works this season, but the discussion also offered a degree of comfort to many taking part, who realised that they were not alone in experiencing complex challenges as the sector attempts to return to some form of normality. The overriding message that resulted from the forum is that communication is king, and even in these most difficult of times, businesses need not face hurdles in isolation. GIMA remains dedicated to helping its members come out of the other side of this crisis, and will continue to work with its partners to plan further online forums as we head into what’s set to be a busy autumn. With healthy order books and innovation for 2021 beginning to surface, the light at the end of the tunnel is growing stronger. Let’s all keep talking closely. > For further information please contact GIMA on (01959) 564947 or info@gima.org.uk

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