association comment Flourishing in challenging conditions


Garden Centre Association (GCA) chairman Mike Lind reflects on a successful third iteration of the association’s Plant Area Forum


It’s been a busy summer so far for us all here at GCA HQ and for our member garden centres too. As part of our on- going annual events calendar, plant area managers and buyers joined us for the third year running at our Plant Area Forum at Ball Colegrave in July. The event was facilitated by our inspector Roger Crookes, who spoke about why plants are still central to the everyday business of all garden centres. It was a truly inspiring and motivational day.


This year we’ve responded to feedback from delegates who said they wished to work more closely with suppliers. We have an opportunity now to shape how the UK’s plant areas look and perform in the future, and for this to happen going forward, we need suppliers of plants, pots and plant area services to join us at future forums and be part of the discussion. During this year’s event, Roger helped delegates to understand their customers better, to think about what they were looking


for and how we can help them to invest time and money into their gardens. There were also wonderful discussions on how our suppliers and our members can develop plant presentations to make it easier for customers to become life-long, successful gardeners. Roger was joined by fellow GCA inspector Michael Cole, who brought his knowledge of commercial plant retailing to the forum too. It was also wonderful to see the Ball Colegrave trials grounds in their full glory and to be one of the first to view their new introductions for 2019, as well as networking with like-minded people from garden centres across the country.


The potential to grow our market is still huge and the Plant Area Forum is a fantastic opportunity for delegates to share ideas and information, discuss the challenges we face, as well as analyse sales and profitability and discover potential opportunities. By talking with other plant area teams and suppliers at the event, everyone who attended was able to develop more commercial opportunities to boost their plant retailing into the 21st century. We’ve also just completed our members’ inspections and handed out the regional


awards to the best garden centres, as well as providing invaluable feedback to all members on their performances.


In order to remain a member of the GCA, our members have very high standards to meet and are inspected annually to ensure they maintain them. Through sharing of best practice and our comprehensive inspection programme, we aim to help our members achieve the highest standards across all areas of their business including customer service, merchandising, plant quality and marketing. Our awards are the pinnacle of success for members. Each year the quality just gets better and better and members thrive off the success of each other.


Our inspection process and awards are also a way of sharing best practice with all member garden centres and it helps them look forward and plan for next year.


We’ve also found from this year’s results just how resilient and determined our members have been to survive and flourish despite the terrible start to the year with the extreme weather conditions we’ve experienced. We’re all now moving towards the autumn feeling much more buoyant.


Showtime! British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) home improvement and garden sector director Paul Grinsell advises taking a wide perspective on the market


Here we are in the middle of the consumer selling season and it’s time to be getting ready for 2019.


SOLEX is already upon us with its array of garden furniture, barbecues, outdoor lighting, parasols, gazebos and outdoor play equipment. Hard on its heels will be spoga+gafa, Glee, Four Oaks and Saltex to name just a few and collectively they will be a massive opportunity to preview the garden industry in 2019 and beyond.


While I’m keen to support all these events, it’s equally useful for garden suppliers and retailers to explore what closely related industries have to say about future trends and opportunities if possible. I’ve just recently returned from the Global DIY Summit in Barcelona, an event which very much includes the garden industry, and there, while analysts continue to predict a positive future for garden sales, the overall theme of the event was a challenging one: Reinventing our Industry - three revolutions at once - geographic, demographic and technological. The expectation of the arrival, by 2030, of a billion new consumers in China and 500 million


GCU July/August 2018


in India, the change in consumer behaviour due to the rise of the millennial consumer group – now at perfect home-making age - and the global penetration of mobile phones are the main factors. With social, economic, technological and environmental change continuing and accelerating, suppliers and retailers will both need to be agile to survive. The view that the best way to prosper is to take the lead is increasingly prevalent and many companies are changing their strategies, structures, and business models… A global perspective that may be, but nearer to home another closely related sector has also been exhibiting. Last month we saw ‘the best ever’ Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical, with visitors 10% up and sales aplenty during the show. For the garden centre buyers who attended it was the perfect opportunity not only to source cookshop and gift ideas, but also trend predictions and the latest trading intelligence. It’s all vital knowledge as retail metamorphoses towards online and the experience economy, demanding flexible operating models with customer data and integrated ‘tech’ solutions


such as social media and mobile apps to drive customer engagement and loyalty. So, what did Exclusively have to offer the garden market? The answer - many relevant products, an attractive bira Bonus buying initiative, the Sirius small electricals presence and an inspiring seminar programme, sponsored by BHETA. From outdoor living and camping-friendly ranges to the latest in eco and recycled products, tips and advice for using social media to drive footfall and promote offline shopping experiences, seminars including GfK market updates, Scarlet Opus, highlighting the trends in the home and housewares sector over the next couple of years, advice on where to advertise online – it was all there.


Moral of the story - there is so much to learn at exhibitions and a wider perspective is always beneficial. This applies equally to suppliers and retailers, so whichever shows you are planning to attend, do some preparation about the opportunities they may present. Don’t just wander round – or indeed – exhibit - without a plan. There is lots to be gained, so just turning up is never going to be good enough.


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