Featured Articles
  • Sunnyside Gardens' Hyper-local Niche

    Sunnyside Gardens' Hyper-local Niche
    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
     
  • Secret Shopper - Tucson, AZ

    Secret Shopper - Tucson, AZ
    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
     
  • Knowledge Leads the Way to a More Profitable Future

    Knowledge Leads the Way to a More Profitable Future
    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
     
  • Think Like a Winner, and You'll Win Big

    Think Like a Winner, and You'll Win Big
    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
     
  • Foodies Dish Up Fresh Opportunities for Garden Center Sales

    Foodies Dish Up Fresh Opportunities for Garden Center Sales
    Making a place for foodies in your garden center is a natural fit, because to them, there is nothing more appealing than to pick and prepare vegetables without ever leaving home. It's truly evident when we see the wealthy locals flock to Tomatomania at Roger's Gardens in Corona Del Mar, CA, in the spring to buy their veggie seedlings. You couldn't give a tomato plant away 10 years ago, but now this opulent coastal town of Southern California is home to backyard gardens wherever there is enough space for a single tomato plant. What are the driving forces that are fuelling our love affair with cuisine? It depends on your age....READ MORE
     
 
News and Opinions
  • Big Things In Store

    August 17, 2012

    New ideas, new products, new excitement at IGC 2012 - you’ve never seen anything like it! Spring sprang - and sprang big. Now garden center owners, managers and staff are making big plans

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  • ‘It Was Awesome,’ Say IGCs of the Season that Broke Records

    July 20, 2012
    Spring’s early arrival across the country, along with consumers’ willingness to open their wallets, made for a sunny selling season for many this year. “Weather-wise, it was awesome; sales-wise, it was awesome,” says Peter Bowden, Garden Expert and Public Relations for Hewitt’s Garden Centers, NY, ranked No. 49 in IGC Retailer’s 100 report with $10.4 million in sales....

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