The Best of British Garden Centers

The Best of
British Garden Centres
GCA Conference Newcastle upon Tyne, January 2005
A pictorial guide to the Best Garden Centres in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands
to the GCA Garden Centre of the Year 2005 - Cooling
s Nurseries of Knockholt, Surrey
Congratulations
This magazine is sponsored by:
GCA Garden Centre of the Year 2005 - Coolings Nurseries
Paul Cooling of Coolings Nurseries had
this to say:
“It’s a fantastic feeling to know that Coolings
is The Best of the Best. I am very proud of
what the whole team has created here in
Knockholt, and it’s good for everyone
involved to have their hard work recognised
by others outside the business. It is hard work
being the best and everyone plays their part in
maintaining that position. Some would argue
that those who meet and advise the customers
are the most important in the garden centre,
however those who sweep the car-park, grow
the plants, deliver the orders, bake the cakes
and look after the office functions are also key
to Coolings success.
Why They Won
• Theatre in the bulb display
• Every variety has a bed card so customers
and staff have plenty of information available
Whenever we win an award, no matter how
small, we always let all our customers know.
We have a mailing list of 14,000 and it gives
them the reassurance that they are buying
from the best place when it comes to
gardening.
We have recently acquired a new site just over
a mile away, which we intend to run as a
department of our existing business, selling
products that we are not allowed to sell at the
original site because of planning restrictions.
We are, already, turning this site around by
applying the GCA standards - using the audit
form as a guide.
It goes without saying that membership of the
GCA has contributed hugely to the success of
Coolings over the years. The independent
standards audit, inspirational speakers and
informal regional visits all give immediate
tangible benefits and opportunities to improve
for the future.”
• Good links with conifers and heathers presented in a fun way
Coolings Achievements 2004
Highest score in GCA for:
• Checkout area
• Image and facilities
• People
Second highest score for:
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•
•
•
•
•
Patio plants
Hardy plants
Toilets
Information centre
Peat and compost
Special Award for Best Staff
2
• A new shade house feature makes an ideal
home for tree ferns
• Delicious food nicely presented and table
talkers to promote events, news and offers
• Excellent use of point of sale signs on super
quality plants
• Plenty of colour and wide paths
Runner Up - Bents Garden Centre
How Bents Continue to Improve
What Bents Achieved in 2004:
We achieve high standards first and foremost
because we have a strong management team
in place that is committed to achieving this.
Highest score in GCA for:
Our team is motivated by success and we
celebrate success. However, we are hard on
ourselves all the time, and get upset when we
feel we haven’t done the best job we could
have done. Each key member of the team
feels a real responsibility to achieve the best
for the company, the customer and
themselves. The GCA Audit is central to this,
and we use this as the ‘benchmark’ in setting
standards and improving on them.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Facilities for Disabled (joint)
Garden Furniture
Hard Landscape
Dry Goods Retailing (joint)
Catering
Website (joint)
Winner of The GCA Christmas Display
Competition
The results of the audit are well publicised
across each area of the business, with each
department receiving a copy of the entire audit.
• Massive range of furniture very well
presented
Prior to this, however, we start to increase the
awareness and general communication
around the garden centre and restaurant that
we are having an inspection.
The General Manager, and the relevant
Operations Manager carry out a ‘dummy run’ in
each area, using the criteria for the inspection.
The structure we have in place gives people
real responsibility within clearly defined
boundaries. A business this size has to operate
in a clear unambiguous manner – everyone
has to know where their role is within the team
– and everyone is accountable to someone in
the business for the achievement of the goals
and objectives for their position.
The organisation of people, time, product is
done at 3 levels :
• Stylish stoneware
• Good use of colour
1. Strategically by the Executive Management
group
2. Operationally by the senior retail
management, and on a day to day basis
3. By the Departmental Team Leaders and
Department Managers
We don’t buy a product or recruit a new
colleague until we have thought through all
the implications of those decisions. Our
reporting structures allow for creativity and
imaginative thinking – but within a well
defined framework.
Plants are still a very important offering to our
customers – we may be ‘More Than Just A
Garden Centre’, but our plant ranges
reinforce the quality perception amongst our
customers, and will always be a significant
part of our turnover.
Miles Holt, General Manager
Bents Garden Centre
• Impressive new display garden feature at Bents showing hard landscape materials in situ,
garden buildings and planted gardens
3
The GCA Top 100
Garden Centres From
the 2004 Audits
Members have been asking for a list
to show where they fall in the
rankings within GCA. Scores are
often very close, so here are this
year’s Top 100. If your centre isn’t
listed, keep trying!
Runner Up - Woodlands Nurseries
What Woodlands Achieved in 2004:
Highest score in GCA for:
•
•
•
•
Garden Care/Sundries
Silk and Dried Flowers
Third highest score for outdoor plant retailing
Runner up in Best Staff award
These Garden Centres Scored
between 70% and 86.4%
Place
Garden Centre
1st
Coolings Nurseries
2nd
Bents
3rd
Woodlands
4th
Webbs of Wychbold
Joint 5th
Barton Grange Woodford
Mid Ulster
6th
Grosvenor
Joint 7th
Trelawney
Whiteleys
Joint 8th
Armitages Pennine
Byrkley Garden Centre
Heighley Gate
Millbrook Gravesend
Joint 9th
Podington
Ransoms
Wisley Plant Centre
Joint 10th Armitages Mower World
Barton Grange Preston
Brimsmore Gardens
Lady Green
Squires - Reigate
• Stunning colour and plant quality in the
glasshouses
• Comprehensive use of information on hardy
plants, and clever triangular category signs
visible from any direction
• A new floristry section is reporting strong
sales
Joint 11th All in One
Aylett Nurseries
Bushmills
Cadbury Leisure
Cowells
Dobbies Gailey Park
Frosts at Brampton
Frosts at Woburn
Landscape Centre
Planters
Sanders
Squires - Twickenham
Van Hage Great Amwell
Joint 12th Evesham
Forest Lodge
Frosts at Willington
Gordale
Holland Arms
Millbrook Crowborough
Peter Barratts - Stockton
Stewarts Garden Lands
Whitehall - Lacock
Continued on Page 5
4
• The bedding and patio plant area at Woodlands features home grown quality plants with
excellent presentation
The Best Signage
The GCA Member with the Best Signage and Point of Sale material wins the Worrall
Cup each year - this year’s recipient is Mid Ulster Garden Centre in Northern Ireland.
Mid Ulster Garden Centre also won this award in 2002. Jim Bradley, Managing Director has a
favourite quotation about effective signs:
“If God gave you a sign in the plant area I bet you would pay attention”!
The GCA Top 100 (cont.)
Joint 13th Barton Grange Bolton
Endsleigh
Melbicks
Old Barn Nurseries
Wych Cross
Joint 14th Bayleys (Dobbies)
Baytree Nurseries
Donaghadee
Frosts at Milletts Farm
Raglan
Squires - Shepperton
Joint 15th Chatsworth
Dobbies - Atherstone
Dobbies - Clifton
Matlock
Polhill
Sandyholm
Stewarts Country Garden
Whitacre
Wilmslow
Joint 16th Barnet Hill
Bernaville
Dobbies - Lasswade
Garsons Farm
Haskins Ferndown
Highfield
Huntingdon Garden Leisure
Plymouth
Poplars Nurseries
Rivendell
Ruxley Manor
Secretts
Worcester
So How Do You Continue to Raise Standards?
Jim Bradley of Mid Ulster Garden Centre, Maghera, Northern Ireland says:
“Put the wind up them! Fear is a great motivator not knowing what you are missing. Emphasize
the importance of the experience and ambience of the Christmas package and not the
commodity and price driven obsession endorsed by many. Remember...SELL BY PRICE/DIE BY
PRICE and if you don’t come along..well...who’s the loser!
Jim’s Top Five Tips for Success are:
1. “You’ll never reach standards and make improvements with unimproved people”
2. “ Motivation is easy if it comes with a surplus of good attitude..... the only reliable form
comes from within”
3. “The biggest problem with achieving standards is imposing limitations...lack of fresh ideas and
“what if” strategies are not far behind.”
4. “ Most frightening are old ideas.... they frighten customers too”!
5. “ We crave young team members and divide them into groups. Creative infancy, childhood
and adolescence. And if they become the fourth which is obsolescence then you’ve got the
picture”!
Mid Ulster Garden Centre Achievements 2004:
•
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•
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Best Entrance
Second highest score for People
In the top 3 for garden care sundries, gifts and confectionery
Joint highest score for Dry Goods retailing with Bents and Woodlands
Winner of the Best GCA Christmas Display in the Northern Ireland Region, under £3 million turnover
Third place in Ruxley Rose Houseplant competition
Joint 17th Bourne Valley
Caerphilly
Haskins Roundstone
Jack’s Patch
Knights Bletchworth
Knights Nags Hall
Ness
Peter Barratts - Gosforth
St Bridget’s Exeter
Thurrock
Van Hage Stevenage
Weaver Vale
Wheatcroft
Joint 18th Birkacre
Burston
Bybrook Barn
Castle Gardens
Chessington
Haskins - Southampton
Monkton Elm
Otter Nurseries - St Mary
Pennells - Lincoln
Squires - West Horsley
Squires - Hersham
Ullesthorpe
5
The GCA Centres of Excellence for 2005
Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre
Barton Grange Woodford
Bents Garden Centre
Byrkley Garden Centre
Coolings Nurseries
Grosvenor Garden Centre
Heighley Gate
Mid Ulster Garden Centre
Millbrook Gravesend
Trelawney Garden Centre
Webbs of Wychbold
Whiteleys Garden Centre
Woodlands Nurseries
Barton Grange Woodford Achievements 2004
Highest scores for:
• Creative alpine plant section at Webbs
• Patio Plants
Second highest scores for:
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•
•
•
•
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Hard landscaping
Stoneware
Garden Furniture
Entrance
Image and Facilities
Website
Webbs Achievements 2004
• Easy to get your bearings at Grosvenor
Garden Centre
• Pleasing curving lines in Grosvenor’s shade
house
Highest scores for:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Car Park
Fencing
Indoor Plants
Hardy Plants
Outdoor plant retailing
Aquatics (joint)
Runner up in Ruxley Rose Houseplant
Competition
• Good use of height in Webbs new houseplant area in front of the checkouts
• Mrs Bridges makes exceedingly good cakes
on the premises and before your very eyes
at Barton Grange, Woodford
6
• A new logo and corporate image means new
pos signs throughout at Byrkley Garden Centre
• Welly good hanging baskets at Trelawney
The Most Improved Garden Centre
The Most Improved Centre each year wins
the Dick Allen Award. Well done to
Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth who
raised their score by 4.5 percentage
points on 2003.
Planters Manager Stuart Gooden says:
“We have been pleased with the business
performance in the last two years, considering
the level of competition in our area has
increased with the opening of two large
destination centres. We regularly submit our
figures to the GCA Barometer of Trade, which
has allowed us to see how other centres up
and down the country have been performing.
We have identified our areas of strength and
weakness, in particular the standards achieved
on the shop floor and have strived to make
great improvements to the overall shopping
experience for our customers; but most
importantly whilst doing that, retaining the
traditional Planters feel to the business.
We know that our sales per square metre
needs to be improved to ensure that our shop
floor really is working hard enough for us
before we have to push the walls out. This
being the case, it is and will be a constant
focus for the management team.
In 2005 we will be continuing to make
improvements to the shop floor but also
focusing our attentions to the future growth of
the business and how its current infrastructure
and services will be able to cope with the
increased footfall and sales growth expected
of it. Our aim is to control the everincreasing burden of running cost and
improve our stock turn by better stock
management.”
The Best Display Idea
The Barton Grange Trophy is awarded each year for the best display seen during the
GCA Audits. This year’s winner is Stewart’s Garden Lands for their “Many Hands Make
Light Work” display.
Bob Sawyer of Stewarts Garden Lands says:
“Without good imaginative displays our centre would lose a great deal of atmosphere, they can
put a smile on customers’ faces, bring new products to the attention of people and remind
people its time to do the lawns top dressing and so on.
Good planning by the backstage team tends to eliminate the normal rush and tear and a
dedicated team ensures things happen on time.
I feel that it would be a backward step to reduce the amount of time and effort we put into
displays and see part of my role to continually find ways of improving them.
As far as GCA membership is concerned we benefit from the open attitude of fellow members
and their willingness to help. Being an independent rather than part of a group can be lonely
but GCA membership changes that as you become part of the largest group of centres in the
country.”
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GCA Best Product Departments 2004
A photographic tour of some of the best in GCA. Its not possible to include photos of
every centre, so apologies if yours does not appear. A complete list of the best
departments is included.
The Best Product
Categories 2004
Entrance
Mid Ulster
Heighley Gate - joint second
Barton Grange Woodford - joint second
Facilities for Disabled
Grosvenor - joint first
Bents - joint first
Endsleigh - joint first
Dobbies Clifton - joint first
• Imposing entrance at Barton Grange Woodford
• New Entrance at Heighley Gate
Toilets
Mere Park
Coolings - joint second
Huntingdon - joint second
Childrens Play Area
Sanders
Grosvenor - joint second
Whitehall Lacock - joint second
Otter Plymouth (items for sale only)
• The Three Graces at Sanders - Pete Burks is
on the left
• Cadbury had the second highest score for
Image and Facilities along with Melbicks
• One of the best checkout areas at Melbicks
features bold displays and clear signs
• Blue lighting sets the mood as you enter
Grosvenor’s Blue Cafe
Information centre
Ayletts
Coolings - joint second
Podington - joint second
Paradise Park - joint second
Van Hage Great Amwell - joint second
Checkouts
Coolings
Polhill - joint second
Melbicks - joint second
Heigley Gate - joint second
Cadbury - joint second
Image & Facilities
Coolings
Cadbury - joint second
Melbicks - joint second
Barton Grange Woodford - joint second
Podington - joint second
Grosvenor - joint second
Continued Page 10
• The Best Play Area at Sanders Garden World.
Staff who do not perform are frequently
forced to walk the plank before falling into
the shark infested waters below. In fact it’s a
press photo for a sponsored walk in aid of a
worthwhile charity.
Peter Burks, MD of Sanders, comments on the
role GCA plays in running his centre:
1. The GCA has been useful for talking to
like-minded people.
2. Main benefits are bouncing ideas about.
3. The annual judging is excellent, and it
keeps standards to the fore front of your
mind.
4. We aim to visit more member centres
across the country.
• Mid Ulster Best Entrance - a very effective
black pot theme - selling lots of black pots at
the time of writing!
Comment from The Editor
Has it been an Annus Horibilis in 2004 for garden retailers? It might be a year some
will choose to forget - but take a look through the photographs in this magazine of
the stunning achievements among GCA Members - its been an exceptional year for
standards.
The effort going into displays and merchandising never ceases to amaze me when carrying
out the audits - and where do garden centre staff keep getting all these wonderful ideas from?
Many members say that the GCA Audit gives people the extra motivation to try that little bit
harder.
So keep up the efforts - and with a little help from the Met Office with the weather, 2005 will
be a great year.
Ian Boardman, GCA Standards Inspector
9
GCA Best Product Departments 2004
Trelawney Garden Centre achieved joint second highest score for their garden furniture
section. David Danning explains how his team feel about being a GCA Centre of Excellence
Obviously I get great pleasure from our centre achieving such an accolade and I’m pleased to
say that it doesn’t stop with me. Department managers and the staff involved in those areas that
have achieved the recognition of their hard work get a real “buzz” out of seeing their
department featured in the magazine, and in a way this generally then spurs them on to try to
retain that position for another year, or if they haven’t been selected, to try that little bit harder.
The great difficulty in being “one of the best” is staying there, other companies want to be there
and so this is what I feel keeps driving the standards up. From our own point of view we keep
looking to see how to improve our offer to our customers and obviously this doesn’t just mean
product range.
Being in an area of low population we rely on very regular visits by our customers to keep our
business growing and the answer to that lies within the attitude and friendliness of our staff.
Having staff that enjoy their work shows through to our customers and part of that enjoyment is
the creation of departments of excellence. So, this is where the GCA inspection and competitions
come into play, they give the feedback to us to see where we are in the industry.
The Best Product
Categories 2004 (cont.)
Seeds & Bulbs
Armitages Pennine - joint first
Millbrook Gravesend - joint first
Squires Twickenham
Garden Furniture
Bents
Trelawney - joint second
Barton Grange Woodford - joint second
Woodlands - joint second
Peat & Compost
Gordale
Coolings - joint second
Polhill - joint second
Landscape Centre - joint second
Grosvenor - joint second
Bents - joint second
Garden Care Sundries
Woodlands
Mid Ulster
Frosts Woburn - joint third
Armitages Pennine - joint third
Bents - joint third
• Clever use of POS signs at Trelawney GC
• Lets go down to the beach - furniture display
ideas at Trelawney
I would say that overall this has to be the most important benefit of GCA membership because it
is of use to all members of staff in their daily routine. My benefit is that a better run store gives
me more pride in my business as well as more money in my pocket!
David Danning, Trelawney Garden Centre
Giftware & Books
Grosvenor
Bents
Mid Ulster - joint second
Whiteleys - joint second
Heighley Gate - joint second
Confectionery
Dukeries
Mid Ulster
Huntingdon
Silk/Dried Flowers & Floristry
Woodlands
Heighley Gate - joint second
Whiteleys - joint second
Van Hage Gt Amwell - joint second
• St Tropez or Woodford in Cheshire? The
scene is set to sell even more furniture .....
Great use of wall murals at Barton Grange
• Compost at Gordale - under cover, brightly
lit, super signage, neat, tidy, shoppable,
helpful staff
Garden Machinery
Armitages Mower World
Marlows
Polhill
Pets
Heighley Gate - joint first
Badshot Lea - joint first
All In One - joint second
Cadbury - joint second
Dobbies Atherstone - joint second
Aquatics
Knights Ivy Mill - joint first
Webbs - joint first
Woodlands - joint second
Badshot Lea - joint second
• Compost at Bents
10
• Woodlands Nurseries had the highest score
for garden care sundries
Continued Page 12
GCA Best Product Departments 2004
The Best Product
Categories 2004 (cont.)
Stoneware
Grosvenor - joint first
Bents - joint first
Barton Grange Woodford - joint second
Woodlands - joint second
Fencing
Webbs
Bernaville
Barton Grange Woodford
• Left and right - good use of round tables for garden care sundries as hot spots on the way to
the Café at Woodlands
Terracotta
Grosvenor
Bents
Woodlands
Garden Buildings
Haskins Snowhill
Webbs - joint second
Sanders - joint second
Dobbies Atherstone - joint second
• The Best Gift Area was at Grosvenor where
inspirational displays feature strongly
• Woodlands Nurseries had the Best Silk and
Dried Flowers Department
Hard Landscape
Bents
Barton Grange Woodford
Daisy Nook
All Dry Goods Retailing
Bents - joint first
Woodlands - joint first
Mid Ulster - joint first
Indoor Plant Retailing
Webbs
Woodlands - joint second
Wisley - joint second
• Best Confectionery Section - Dukeries showed great flair in their fun display for Mothers’ Day
Outdoor Plant Retailing Patio Plants
Barton Grange Woodford
Dobbies Gailey - joint second
Coolings - joint second
Hardy Plants
Webbs
Coolings - joint second
Woodlands - joint second
• One of The Best Stoneware Areas at Bents
• The Best Terracotta Display at Grosvenor
All Outdoor Plant Retailing
Webbs
Coolings
Woodlands
Catering
Bents
Frosts Brampton
Whiteleys
• The Best Fencing Department at Webbs of
Wychbold
12
• Bents Achieved the Best Dry Goods Retailing
Overall Score jointly with Mid Ulster & Woodlands
A Message from Eve Tigwell about the Audits 2004
This year’s inspections revealed some notable improvements in retailing at GCA centres. The highlights showed the results of centres
widening their research, to great effect.
Although not checked as part of the GCA inspection system, an increasing number of centres are carrying out customer surveys and market
research. The results of this are evident in ranging, merchandising, presentation and the overall atmosphere.
The choice offered in many planned-purchase products group is being reduced, with concurrent improvements in uncluttered merchandising.
More and more centres are also introducing simple, but effective, signage to assist customers in their choice of products. This combination of less
confusing choice and reassuring information is a positive response to competition from the sheds and supermarkets.
One product group that many centres have had difficulties over the last few years is houseplants. An increasing number of customers pick up
either cut flowers or houseplants with their regular household shopping, thus decreasing sales for garden centres. However customers are much
less likely to use supermarkets for plant-based gifts. Those centres which have turned their houseplant sections into an extension of gifts have seen
impressive increases in turnover. This has the knock-on effect of increasing stock-turn, so that freshness and changes to the range improve:
customer appeal continues to improve on a rolling basis.
More professional signage was also apparent in this year’s inspections. Much of this is now possible due to improvements in technology, allowing
centres to produce high quality signage, very rapidly, in-house. It also increases the opportunities for branding: centres are becoming much more
individual and easier to differentiate from their competitors.
Inspiration and ideas are key features of independent garden centres, and there were several examples this year. Selling hard landscaping and
garden buildings through “model” gardens is a great idea, if space is available. Smaller centres used corners and other potential dead spots to
create inspiration. Adding good displays not only attracts a higher score in the inspection, but will also attract customers and their leisure spend.
Some centres also scored well for entrance displays: a great opportunity for creating an immediate, and positive, impression on customers.
Coffee shops have been a major attraction in garden centres for many years, and those in GCA centres are certainly impressive. It’s quite difficult
to pick out the main improvements in coffee shops from this year’s inspections, but I was certainly impressed by branding of coffee shops especially through pictures of the centre’s history. An increasing number of centres had added soft-seating areas, often with reading materials
provided: a great place to leave any non-shopping members of a party, so that everybody enjoys the visit. Finally, there seems to be an outbreak
of white chocolate and raspberry scones - a move that I can only support!
The Best Plant Areas 2004
• Great to see sales staff in action as here at
Barton Grange Woodford
• Above and right - stunning colour and good use of pos signs and living lables at Barton
Grange Woodford
• Adding value to patio plants at Barton
Grange Woodford
• Good use of coloured murals at Dobbies
Gailey Park
14
• Super colour and use of pos at Dobbies
Gailey Park
The Best Plant Areas 2004
Liddy Carver of Barton Grange Woodford Garden Centre who achieved the highest
score for Patio Plants, explains her view of standards:
How hard is it to keep driving standards up?
It’s a constant challenge but one that I find personally very rewarding. It takes a great deal of
energy and dedication but I’m lucky to have staff who are similarly committed to high standards
and genuinely thrilled when the Centre is doing well.
Why do you do it?
We do it to remain competitive as a business and because it’s what our customers expect from
us. But we also want to keep getting better, it’s a boost to morale and staff feel a real sense of
pride in their achievements.
What action do you take if you see standards start to fall?
Problems are discussed with department managers individually, and we use our management
meetings to deal with any underlying issues. Staff are kept informed of decisions taken through
weekly team briefs.
How do you get all the team to drive standards up?
Every member of staff is individually responsible for a specific area and they know they have
their own important contribution to make. This means they want to do well for their own
personal satisfaction but also so that they won’t let their colleagues down.
How do you motivate people?
By showing faith in them, being enthusiastic and full of praise for work done, constructive when
there are shortfalls and, above all, open to their ideas. Needless to say, a positive attitude is a
must, not a clichè!
Liddy Carver
Barton Grange Garden Centre, Woodford
Carol Paris of the Garden and Leisure Group who had several centres with the best
categories answers some questions on improving standards:
How important are high standards to the group?
Our retail standards are vitally important, it could be the first time a customer has visited our
centres and you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
How useful is GCA in achieving this?
Essential, we use the GCA audit scores as our senior manager bonus criteria (which probably
explains why they are so keen!) The audits are also very detailed and ideal to use when doing
floor walks as pointers to what we should be looking for.
• Above - three shots of the Best Hardy Plant
Area in GCA 2004 - Webbs of Wychbold
What action do you take if you see standards start to slip?
More floor walks! As long as people realise what we are looking for and what is acceptable they
will normally buy into our vision. Our centres start recovery at 5pm and no-one leaves until the
departments look ready to welcome our customers the next day - it’s amazing how quickly it
can be done! At key trading times especially Christmas we also have a night team. This ensures
we have the right stock in the right place and that tasks such as hoovering are done out of
hours. You would never invite a guest to your home and then start hoovering so why think it is
acceptable to do so with customers?
How do you motivate people to do ever better?
We use the GCA audits, and in 2004 we gave prizes for best department on the day. Also the
bonus scheme helps our managers to focus on our business-crucial issues. We always see
standards as essential. Retail is detail and our customers always have a choice. We try to make
evening working fun as well and have pizza or Chinese or Indian takeaways at some point in a
long night. People can then agree to work on the nights when their favourite food is on!
• Innovative citrus display at Endsleigh
Why bother with high standards?
If the stock is clean and well merchandised it makes everyone’s life easier. The customers benefit
but so do the staff. It is easier to see what stock has been moving quickly and what orders need
to be done. Customers can find the products they require and the whole centre has a clean feel.
It is also vital from a health and safety point of view. Our teams take a real pride in the centres
they work for and want them to be the best.
Carol Paris
Retail Director, Garden and Leisure Group
• Promotion of drive-thru compost at Cadbury
15
The Best People Award 2005
New For This Year - The Best People Award 2005, sponsored by William Sinclair Horticulture
Out of the ten finalists, the top three scored as follows:
Coolings - Knockholt 68.4%
Woodlands Nurseries 67.5%
Cowells Garden Centre 62.5%
The Ruxley Rose
Competition for the
Best Houseplant
Area
Gary Edwards of Tern Consultancy explains:
“Working from a shortlist of ten, Tern Consultancy set about identifying the centre that delivered
the best customer service by video mystery shopping each centre. Shoppers conducted the same
four enquiries in each centre and each enquiry was an opportunity for staff to engage the
customer and prove their service skills. We were looking for well presented staff who happily
volunteered their help, possessed excellent product knowledge and left the shopper feeling well
informed and motivated to purchase.
In this exercise, there were two centres that stood out from the crowd and these were Coolings of
Knockholt and Woodlands Nurseries of Stapleton. Both delivered consistent friendly service and
all staff displayed excellent product knowledge. These two centres were less than 1% apart in
their overall score. In the final analysis, the highly professional team at Coolings just took the
lead and are the deserved winner of the GCA Best People Award 2005.”
All In One Garden Centre staff came third in the GCA Inspections 2004 with their
People Score. Jason Stafford comments:
What does it feel like for you and your staff to have sections in the top three of GCA?
Achieving top three results in comparison to our peers makes us feel very proud of the job we
do and the way we do it.
• Van Hage, Great Amwell
• Webbs of Wychbold
How does it help you continue to raise standards?
Having the knowledge that we can be at the top of our game is a nice pat on the back, more
importantly it helps us focus on the areas of the business where we are not so hot. It gives us
more drive and ambition to raise the standards of our business and improve in other areas as
we know we can reach those higher levels.
What is the most useful aspect of GCA?
The platform of communication to discuss and share common and unique business experiences.
How difficult is it to turn suggested action in the audit into real action on the shop floor?
Of course we never agree 100% with the suggested action given to us on the feedback and I
doubt any member does. Sometimes suggested action can ask you to compromise your
principles and beliefs. If you can look impartially on the advice, and try it even if you don’t
agree, you can be pleasantly surprised. Regarding difficult action plans, I believe it is the small
easy to do things like, improve your signage, give that tatty fence a paint that often have the
most impact on your business.
• Mid Ulster Garden Centre
(Above Photos courtesy of David Gilchrist)
Judged this year by David Gilchrist and
awarded to Van Hage, Great Amwell
David’s brief was to look for “the best in
house plant retailing”. The competition was
very intense with some very good quality
plants and displays to admire. Judging was
not easy and the winner just got there by a
very close margin.
David says: “I was looking for consistency and
attention to detail across all the types of pot
plants that are offered for sale. Good
husbandry and hygiene across the house plant
area is vital. It needs to look fresh and the
plants cared for at all times.This I consider
important from the customers’ point of view as
they are expecting value for money. They are
spoilt for choice where to buy pot plants and
you need to be offering quality all year round.
This way you will get customers coming back.
Living plants need to be well displayed, giving
the customers ideas on how to use them as
well as how to look after them.”
David sums up by saying:
The Winner was Van Hage, Great Amwell
Second place went to Webbs of Wychbold
In third place was Mid Ulster
• Some of the team from Coolings (Photo courtesy of Coolings/Grower magazine)
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It was tight, Webbs and Mid Ulster have some
very good merchandising ideas but Van Hage
just got there overall!
Christmas Display
Competition Results
Exciting NEW 2005 range ...
This year the finals of the Christmas Display Competition were
judged by Andy Campbell in the last few days of November and
the first few of December.
Bents won the over £3m category with Garsons, Esher as runners-up
and Van Hage in third place. Whiteleys carried home the title in the
under £3m category closely followed by Garsons, Titchfield and then
St. Peters, Worcester. Andy commented "The standards of ranging,
display and merchandising were extremely high right across the board,
but what set the two winners apart were exceedingly high levels of
creativity and excellence when it came to executing the offer."
(Photos below by Andy Campbell)
• Spectacular themes at Bents
... crammed full with new ideas!
• Excellent merchandising at
Garsons Esher
• Stylish presentation at
Van Hage, Great Amwell
Every aspect of the Johnsons seed
range is new for the 2005 season.
NEW Designed Flower and Vegetable Packets
NEW ‘Jumbo’ Collection Packets
NEW Fun Shaped Children’s Packets
NEW Compact Square Packets
NEW Imaginative Themes
NEW Innovative Display Stands
NEW Exclusive Varieties
And Two NEW Sales Promotions
• High impact displays at Whiteleys
For more information contact your local sales
representative or our sales office on
01638 554111
Gazeley Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7QB.
tel: 01638 552200 fax: 01638 554085
www.johnsons-seeds.com
• Innovative approaches at
Garsons Titchfield
• Christmas ambience throughout
at St. Peters, Worcester
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The Best Restaurants 2005
The Best Restaurants
1. Bents
2. Frosts at Brampton
3. Whiteleys
GCA visits
Heighley Gate
Heighley Gate Achievements in 2004
Highest score for:
• Pets
In the top three for:
• Entrance
• Checkouts
• Giftware
• Silk/Dried Flowers
Gerard Humble answers questions:
How hard is it to keep driving standards up?
It is easy because all garden centres are a
long way off the standards of a Tesco Extra,
House of Fraser or Gleneagles. We can all
take things from thousands of other businesses
out there and adapt them. Excellent service is
excellent service and it is still adapting.
What action do you take if you see standards
start to fall?
Discuss at all levels, rectify, improve and move on.
How do you get all the team to drive
standards up?
Everyone in the team has their own areas of
responsibility. Peer pressure breeds high
standards. Dare to be different and try new
ideas. Inter-changing of individual
departments also makes a big difference.
How do you motivate people?
Praise effort not just results. Improve dialogue
with all staff. Management must be
approachable
• A range of options at Frosts Brampton
• Impressive Deli and Salad Bar at Bents
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More aspects of Coolings, GCA Garden Centre of the Year 2005
• Flexible display area well used
• Neat compost area and bags stood up in front
• Own grown shrub promotion with branded
pots and clear pos signs
• Plentiful customer information in all sections
• Is it hardy or not? Simple explanation gives
guidance
• Going to pot - adding value with home produced planted containers Coolings had the joint
second highest score for Patio Plants
Compiled for GCA by Ian Boardman, IBBIS (UK) Limited. Tel: 01283 820174 Website: www.ibbis.co.uk
Photography by Ian Boardman and Eve Tigwell (unless stated otherwise)
The Garden Centre Association, 19 High Street, Reading, Berkshire RG7 5AH. Tel: 0118 932 3360 Email: [email protected]
Design and print by Parker & Son (Printers) Ltd., Burton upon Trent. Tel: 01283 568820 Email: [email protected]
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