the big interview


Gardening gets smart


Garden manufacturer Gardena talks to Garden Centre Update about the way the company has revolutionised the garden tool industry, with a specific focus on smart technology.


W


ith over 50 years’ experience, Gardena’s extensive product range supports passionate


gardeners in taking care of their garden and the strengths include this continued product innovation driven by consumer insight, design and above all, quality. Gardena says it is the European market leader in watering and electric products, and has the strongest positions in all product categories that it plays in. The company differentiates itself by its commitment to constantly innovating the product sphere for passionate gardeners, by developing solutions and systems that work for both urban and rural gardens. A core focus lies in ergonomic features – making its gardening tools and equipment comfortable to handle and accessible to all. Gardena says its unique selling point for the brand is its promise to offer the very best in quality and service to consumers.


Innovation shapes the future Ulrike Nagel, Gardena UK Sales Director says: “As we are constantly innovating and looking to revolutionise the gardening market, we have been able to develop more than 60 new innovations for 2020 alongside with a new


4 | www.gardencentreupdate.com


sales and marketing strategy to further strengthen and promote the display of our products both instore and online. “Gardening is finally becoming ‘sexy’ and


there are several drivers for that ranging from the technological advances increasing appeal, promotion across social media from peer groups and influencers, TV chefs and just a general increased awareness around the benefits of gardening,” she continues. “As home technology continues to grow,


and gardening becomes more accessible on- the-move, time-poor generation X and millennial audiences seem to be lapping up things like Smart System – being able to control their watering and lawn care at the touch of a mobile button makes gardening seem less of a chore.” City gardening continues to be a growing


trend and allotments in the UK have never been more in demand, with the grow-your- own movement hugely popular. TV chefs such as Jamie Oliver and James Martin, to name a couple, have spiked interest by often cooking produce picked from their garden on their respective shows. Desirability for consumers to have their own patch or spot to grow-their-own is huge and shows no sign of slowing down.


GCU March/April 2019


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