Houseplants = Happiness

As someone who started their career in houseplants there is something incredibly exciting about seeing retailers getting so excited about their houseplant offer. Sales of houseplants are soaring, and captivating a new generation of gardeners. But so many Garden Centres are missing out on this trend, with tired displays that lack relevance and wow. Our…

New thinking in Garden Retail

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a preview event for the RHS Garden Wisley Plant Centre and Gift Shop. The new Plant Centre is light, airy, confident and sophisticated. it lives out the RHS values with regards to sustainability, from the environmental credentials of the build, through to the reduced use of plastic, the…

The magic is back

#themagicisback That is Tong Garden Centre’s Christmas hashtag, which accompanies their TV advert, portraying the role that Tong plays in creating the perfect Christmas… While Timmermans Garden Centre is taking the magic further with a new twist on Santa, – Afternoon Tea with Santa It is also worth noting Timmermans also have the circus in…

10 Ways to attract Millennials to your Garden Centre Cafe

Here is the latest feature we have written in our 10 Ways series for Garden Centre Catering. (The link will take you through to the latest edition of the magazine) 10 Ways to attract Millennials to your Garden Centre Cafe  Just click on the image below to read the feature… And if you are looking…

10 Lessons to learn from a visit to Barton Grange Garden Centre

Barton Grange Garden Centre continue to push boundaries in Garden Retail. Recent visits reveal a strategic desire to communicate that this is a place that is all about plants. A place that is engaged with its customers, a place that is fun, vibrant, and most important of all relevant to them… Here are the 10…

Blue Diamond’s East Bridgford Garden Centre sets new standards in Garden Retail

Blue Diamond’s website boasts “our groundbreaking flagship garden and home centre is now open at East Bridgford, with over 81,000ft2 of undercover shopping to discover. The new Blue Diamond centre also boasts two beautiful restaurants – Cafe Home & Garden and The Greenhouse Kitchen, where all our food is always homemade. “We offer our customers aspirational environments in which to…

Apple refresh their retail offer

Apple have opened their new refreshed Apple Store at Sheffield Meadowhall, and its not about selling product it is about selling the experience of using the product. It is about showcasing creativity not stating specifications… Just think, if we did the same with our plants, if we sold the dream of what the customer could…

Interesting information for buyers and marketing plans…

We help several Garden Centres with their marketing and so are always on the lookout for factual information about how people use their outdoor spaces… The RHS have just published the results of a recently commissioned a survey on 2,000 adults across the UK, looking at their thoughts about gardening and growing plants. The RHS…

What a wonderful of way of showing both respect and integrity…

The commemoration of the start of WW1 is a hard one for a business to commemorate and get right.

Thirsk Garden Centre showed good taste and sensitivity in their Facebook post.

This is marketing, community involvement and plain old fashioned common sense of the highest order.

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A shed load of facts

Did you know? 1 in 5 Brits admits to spending time time in their shed to get away from their partners.  9% store secret unhealthy snacks 8% store secret cigarettes 7% store secret shopping receipts 4% store secret love letters from an ex-partner 11% of Brits even admit to using their shed to make secret…

Marketing Weeks offer us a huge opportunity!

Marketing Weeks and Special Interest Days offer all Garden Retailers the opportunity to boost footfall, have fun, and increase sales. At Waring Stewart Towers we have been busy compiling a list of days for Garden Retailers. To download the list click here: Marketing Weeks If you would like help to create a 12 month marketing plan…

Belle & Joe’s Kitchen at Timmermans Garden Centre

Timmermans have a Gardening Supper Club, a delicious 2 course meal at 6.00p.m. followed by a talk from Stuart Dixon from BBC Radio Nottingham… The menu for the Supper Club, £15 to include the gardening talk, makes this a good value evening out. We love the display of jams and chutneys at the entrance to…

Would you pay 3p per minute?

A new player has entered the cafe scene, and they have an interesting and game changing model. Ziferblat is London’s first pay-per-minute cafe, based on a Russian chain where ‘everything is free, except the time you spend there’ That means the coffee, cake, fruit and biscuits are free. But you pay 3p per minute while…

How to engage customers and increase sales the John Lewis way

Like many people at Waring Stewart Towers we receive the John Lewis marketing email. In todays email is a link to their Sheffield Store, which is celebrating its 50th birthday. They are doing this by holding workshops, These allow them to Gain credibility as experts Engage customers Give customers a reason to visit (which is…