The Gardens Group - everything you need to enjoy your garden

Published: 05 February, 2010

The Gardens Group consists of three garden centres, the most recent opened in March 2006. As specialist retailers of garden plants and premium products, talk us through who your customers are and what they can expect to find on a typical visit to one of these stores?

Customers are varied and although in the main they are mature and experienced gardeners we do have plenty of younger, less experienced gardeners too. We work a lot with schools to encourage children to take up gardening.

Please would you elaborate on your business work ethic of 'Relationship driven, not transaction driven'?

We believe that we should look after customers for the long term.

Our youngest regular customers are, I guess in their twenties, our oldest in their nineties. Six visits a year and about £25 per visit equals an awful lot of spending so it makes sense to look after them. We also believe in telling a customer if the product is not right for them even if that means losing a sale. That way customers trust our advice and keep coming back. It builds a community of customers and we also help this through links with schools , gardening clubs and other local organisations.

What would you say makes you different or unique from the rest and what of any new varieties for 2010?

What makes us different is the range and particularly the vast selection of trees, ornamental and fruit and larger specimen plants. Our planting service with these products is key. There will as ever be many new varieties around but particularly interesting are in the edible garden ranges.

What is your general opinion on the future of the garden industry and in particular what do you see?

The industry is at last realising its important role in the sustainable living and environmental issues not only in terms of corporate responsibility but also in enthusing customers and educating them. It also makes good commercial sense. We, by definition, are speaking to customers every day who are interested in their environment so it is up to us to get them interested in THE environment. The "Grow Your Own" trend is just scratching the surface of a bigger theme.

Do you have an online platform?

We have an active website www.thegardeneronline.co.uk for information and advice. We also supply a very successful selling website run by a third party - www.gardencentre.co.uk

Castle Gardens
(01935) 814633
castle@thegardeneronline.co.uk

Brimsmore Gardens
(01935) 411000
brimsmore@thegardeneronline.co.uk

Poundbury Gardens
(01305) 257250
poundbury@thegardeneronline.co.uk