association comment Networking and sharing ideas


Garden Centre Association (GCA) chairman Mike Lind believes there is significant value in chatting to likeminded businesses at industry events – and finding new ideas and inspiration


As I write this, I have just returned from Glee and it ranks as one of the most enjoyable trade shows I have attended, as this year I was able to join my colleagues on the GCA’s stand. It was great to catch up with lots of our long-


standing and recently enrolled members and, also, to say ‘hello’ to some new faces including centres and businesses keen to join us. The show is a great way for us to all share ideas and find out about new trends. It’s also a wonderful place to network and chat to likeminded people. With Christmas fast approaching, I’m sure many of you have been busy planning, and are due to unveil, your festive displays this month, if you haven’t already done so.


But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s not forget that the autumn is a great time for planting. A mild one gives us all a chance to seize plant sales opportunities before the potentially harsher winter weather sets in. We need more customers to get to grips with the fact that October is the perfect time


for planting. Hosting an event such as an apple weekend, which could also tie in with Apple Day on October 21, is a wonderful way of encouraging sales of new fruit trees. You could even hold planting demonstrations and give out information on aftercare. We also have opportunities later this month


to involve younger visitors in various Halloween activities throughout half-term week. Lots of our members host craft and pumpkin carving workshops and parties in their restaurants, some with special spooky menus!


While our members are busy in their centres creating unique autumn-themed customer experiences and wowing with their Christmas displays, the team at GCA HQ is working hard on our 2019 Annual Conference.


We’ve booked Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire as the venue for the event, which takes place from January 20 until 23, 2019, and members will be able to book their places this month via our website www.gca.org.uk. We’ll also start announcing speakers very soon.


But briefly, the schedule for the conference will be as follows: • Sunday – Greenfingers’ Challenge Cup • Monday – inspection and competition round ups plus keynote speakers – based around operational issues. A themed evening dinner, networking event for garden centres and associate members.


• Tuesday – a day of strategy with keynote speakers on subjects such as the economy, challenges facing business and direction of future market trends with an emphasis on maintaining and enhancing profitability. In the afternoon there will be the supplier exhibition. In the evening we will host our Annual Gala Dinner and awards presentation.


• For further information about the GCA or to book your place at the Annual Conference, please call 01244 952170 or visit www.gca.org.uk, log on to


www.facebook.com/pages/GardenCentreAssoci ation or follow the organisation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GC_Association


How to benefit as gardens get clever


BHETA home improvement and garden sector director Paul Grinsell sees opportunities for retailers who think smart


Like many of us in the garden market, last month saw me at Glee, checking out the latest trends and product innovations and as research companies and trend forecasters have been predicting for some time, one of the most striking aspects of the show was to what extent smart technology has come of age for outdoor applications. According to Mintel’s 2018 report on


gardening trends, smart-connected devices are now moving into the mainstream. Almost half of consumers who are not already in the market are now interested in purchasing. This fits in with what Scarlet Opus calls the ‘Eco 2.0’ trend which pushes clever, environmentally conscious, adjustable controls. Most smart garden devices do one of two


things. Either they automate a task, or they monitor the environment around them and inform the gardener of what to do next. More and more often, the two combine as for example with a greenhouse vent which opens and closes automatically according to the temperature it detects, or a connected sprinkler gathering weather information, and using it to automate a watering schedule. Not so long ago the most amazing product on demo at gardening shows was the robotic


GCU October 2018


lawnmower, but now we see plant pots incorporating plant sensor technology so that they can keep the householder informed about the need for watering, sending information to other devices, or simply to a display on the pot itself. Even the most basic plant sensors measure soil moisture and compare it with a plant database to yield specific advice on when to water. More sophisticated products do the same for ambient light, humidity, temperature and even levels of fertilizer. They can also measure multiple plants at once, enabling the use of a single sensor to monitor a whole garden. Take all these variations and multiply them by


the number of garden products and categories to which the technology can usefully be applied – greenhouses, cold-frames and propagators, watering systems, pots and container gardening, garden maintenance, garden lighting – to name but a few, and you start to appreciate the retail potential of smart gardening. The sales opportunities are as varied as


consumer motivations for wanting smart solutions. It may be saving time, or effort, or learning about what’s going on in the garden environment to enhance decision making or improve precision. It may be a seasoned


gardener looking for assistance, or an enthusiast trying to collect data. It may be a homeowner trying to cut a water bill, a grandparent trying to get the grandkids into gardening with the aid of novelty tech, or a Millennial apartment dweller who would otherwise struggle to keep a houseplant alive. Having assimilated all the possible sales


angles, how do you capture the sale? Mintel observes that while smart-tech is more and more popular, many consumers need help to use it well – especially when it comes to installation or optimum set up. Being able to answer questions about the


kind of signal used, whether the device is weather-proof, what kind of power source is needed, is it compatible with other devices, can it be voice-controlled ….is vital. Except for some robot lawn mowers, all smart outdoor devices have accompanying apps and communicate with the cloud in some form or another, so some technical understanding – which not all garden consumers will have to the necessary level – is a real opportunity. Smart garden sales require smart garden


retailers. It is the retailers who help with installation, aftersales and advice who will win the battle for sales.


www.gardencentreupdate.com | 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24