There are a few activities this industry seems to really enjoy. Attending trade shows to buy lots of cool stuff and climbing on a bus to visit garden centers are two at the top. While both are important for IGC retailers to stay abreast of opportunities for improvement, we'll leave the buying process for another time and focus on the road trip experience known as garden center tours....READ MORE
Mike Hurley is a neighborhood guy who works hard - and has built a thriving garden center business in a competitive market because of it. The owner of Minneapolis' Sunnyside Gardens has capitalized on opportunity with creativity and smart decisions that have paid off for this trendsetting, hyper-local IGC retailer....READ MORE
Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery 8005 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ Shopper's Favorite The stage is set for this visit by the bold, colorful signage, the expertly designed and maintained front landscaping, and the directional arrows guiding me into the spacious paved parking lot. From the free bottles of ice cold water at the entrance to the smiling staffers at the checkout counters, this IGC retailer nails it.I find decor galore in the gift shop and intermingled with plant displays indoors and out....READ MORE
As the winds of winter give way to the blooms of spring, you should address a "perennial" question: "Is the entire staff at my garden center as knowledgeable about their jobs, our products, our mission and our current and potential customers as they should be?" Knowledge is cash, and each employee, regardless of their job, is a bank teller!...READ MORE
During the last few months, I've had the pleasure of working with garden centres on four continents. This has been a wonderful opportunity to take a global snapshot of the industry and look at what's going well - and what's not. The industry is doing better in some countries than others, but what intrigues me is when in the same country some garden centres are doing well and others are not. This is happening in a situation where the economy, consumer confidence and weather are the same. It's fascinating to see the differences....READ MORE
