talking trade: GCA Conference The


Greenfingers charity


received a cheque for


£25,150 thanks to fundraising efforts at the GCA


Conference


Inspector Michael Cole gave his thoughts on where the garden centres he inspected did well, and where they can improve


“For some departments you score and do really well in but others, not so well. So, can you transfer some of those skills to your other departments? That should be your challenge for next year.”


Michael Cole also added some of his thoughts on the inspections he carried out: “Several garden centres, including Wyevale Wych Cross, had a chalkboard out where someone had handwritten the local weather for the week or weekend. That’s great. I saw a lot of chalkboards used in POS and displays in the garden centres I visited and I don’t think they are ever going to go out of fashion. It’s market-stall retailing and people love and relate to that.


“Think about your customer. Squires of Milford has a tissue dispenser up with a sign alerting customers to use it if they have a wet trolley to wipe the handle.


“Pots stacked up in outdoor areas do look a bit like graveyards but Garsons of Esher had planted up pots and displays and it looked fantastic. Some of you do it but a lot of you don’t. Some people say, ‘There’s no one to water the plants’ – well get a tap and blimmin’ well do it!


“And we could do well to try and demystify compost. There are so many composts I think we make our lives a lot harder. At Wyevale there was a great display helping consumers to choose the right one. “Well-dressed furniture can really entice


customers. Look at using backdrops – whether that’s wallpaper or scenery – as well as cushions, brightly-coloured fruit and bowls, glassware and so on. Make it look appealing and then have a sign highlighting the fact that they can ‘buy


6 | www.gardencentreupdate.com


today’. You need to let them know that this suite is in stock and ready to take home or be sent for home delivery today, so they haven’t got to wait. That could clinch a deal.


“Garden centres are really thinking about merchandising , which is great. A lot of these displays are as good as some of the top retailers in the country.


“You should promote your catering offer throughout the centre – at basket bays, in toilets – don’t miss an opportunity. In fact, why not have promotions in frames on the outside of toilet doors rather than on the inside? Anyone who has been inside a women’s toilet knows there is always a queue. “Then make your café a compelling environment – why not have it overlooking the plant area, so people have a lovely view but might also be inspired to buy more. “And, when it comes to your offer, you don’t have to have a huge amount of stock. It’s about having the right range and amount for the size of garden centre you are.”


‘We are all different and unique. We should celebrate that’


One of the headline speakers at the conference, Lesley Rochat, encouraged delegates to observe and learn from nature. The campaigner and shark and marine conservationist, who is widely known by the name Shark Warrior, said: “When you tug at a single thing in nature, you will find it connects to the rest of the world. Animals understand they are part of the bigger picture – they are in it together. They don’t do things to the detriment of each other or the environment. “Nature would be fine if it were left to get on


with what it does best but it’s been thrown a curve ball and has been hit by the sixth mass extinction - it’s already underway. If we continue business as usual and do nothing about things like climate change, will we survive the extinction? Who knows.” She continued: “We need to implement five survival techniques and we will thrive: 1) Diversity – we are all different and unique. We should celebrate that. We need to incorporate these things into our business.


2) Adaptability – we need to change our destructive ways and the harm we are doing to our planet. It’s not a weakness to do that.


3) Senses – we need to turn up the volume of our sensitivity. We, as a society, have become de-sensitised, so we need to increase sensitivity so we can pick up early warning signals for potential threats. Then we need methods to decode these threats and protect our businesses.


4) Passion and purpose – we need bundles of enthusiasm and obsession. When your business is no longer determined by outside influences but by your own drive, you will outpace your competitors and get that market traction. The reason you do what you do won’t make you millions necessarily but, without purpose, you can’t build anything powerful.


5) Big picture – understanding our place in the ecosystem. Businesses need to think of themselves as co-dependent rather than isolated, independent competitors. We are all connected to the wider economy. “Re-think your place in nature and the way you run your business and live your life and the impact that has on the environment.”


GCU March 2018


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