RANGE REVIEW: HOUSEWARES


TheGIFTthat keeps giving


With the housewares and giftware categories proving lucrative for businesses in the garden industry,


Kiran Grewal finds out what’s doing well and whether these ranges are likely to expand.


it’s after completely decorating their homes or a few cheeky decorative items they just can’t say no to, and with new trends identified at events such as Exclusively, which had a 5% spike in visitors this year, there’s more reason than ever to look at refreshing this section in your business. Our DIY Week poll shows 100% of voters believe the housewares category is important to its business, but is everyone making the most of it? Taking up the helm as managing


H


director at Squire’s Garden Centres three years ago, last year Martin Breddy highlighted plans to grow the business by 20% and increase footfall across the independent network of centres by 15% in five years. With shopper numbers a key part of Mr Breddy’s growth plans, he has set himself a five-year goal to increase footfall across Squire’s 15-strong


network of centres


by 15%, by “bringing more new customers through the door and getting infrequent customers to visit more often.” An increase of footfall and focus on enticing new customers


18 DIY WEEK 28 JUNE 2019


ousehold goods and housewares is a category that will always grab consumer interest, whether


is paramount to the housewares category succeeding, Sarah Squire, chairman at Squire’s says: “The home, gift and clothing categories together now make up around 20% of turnover at Squire’s so they’re very important to us. The huge variety of products that we sell helps attract new customers, and ensures we offer an enjoyable shopping experience for everyone - which means people spend more time browsing and buying in our centres. The category also makes us slightly less weather-dependent than our core gardening offer.” Housewares and giftware have


really evolved over the years and and Sarah says “we now have a large range on offer from home fragrance to kitchenware and more recently, fashion accessories. The range is changing and growing all the time following retail trends. Our specialist buyers choose items that are commercial, but also those that are little different to what you might find on the High Street. We deal with a mix of suppliers from established brands like Portmeirion and Wax Lyrical to smaller companies such as St Eval and Lua. We are always on the lookout for something new to offer our customers,” she adds. Garsons managing director, Ian


Richardson says cookware is huge for its housewares and gift turnover


but


there’s


a


new focus with


environmentally friendly household products: “We currently offer an extensive range of kitchenware which includes on trend product. Cookware, gadgets and table ware ranges, eco-friendly products are trending. We sell the big brands such as le creuset, Joseph Jospeh, sophie allport and kitchencraft. Cookshop is approx. 17% of our gift turnover.”


He says he thinks housewares are “synonymous with garden centres that have a good range of giftware and it fits nicely as a category within this offer. It is extremely important to us, second only to toys within the gift department.”


The perfect proposition Garsons already dedicates a large area to its hand-picked gift and homewares selection, it covers all the bases – from home interiors, kitchenware, toys, bath, cards and crafts – and Ian doesn’t want to stop there. “It currently warrants the area it has and we have seen an upturn in sales over the last six months as we introduce new products and promotions. I think more theatre, better displays and perhaps


product demonstrations


would be beneficial,” he suggests. When asked if garden centres are making the most out of housewares


and giftware, Ian says its first important to establish your identity as a business and what your core focus is, he explains: “I think that you need to know your customer base and type of centre that you are so you can focus on your strengths. Some more plant based centres will not be able to sell this category of product.”


Expanding on the eco-friendly theme, Ian confirms: “we are definitely beginning to shift across the business regarding sustainability and sales of this product within all categories is increasing as people become more aware.” A representative from Notcutts


garden centre says the company remains very firmly at its roots as a plant orientated business. “Notcutts was founded 120 years ago through a passion for plants and we’re proud that we remain true to our horticultural roots today. Plants and gardening are still very much at the heart of everything we do at Notcutts, as we aim to inspire our customers with advice and ideas for their own outdoor spaces,” the company says.


But it’s open to adapting its ranges to suit customer needs: “However, we recognise that customers look for a wider overall experience when they visit a garden centre today, so we have expanded our gift and


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