Number 17, April 2013
Do be sure to register your interest for the IGCA Congress in Australia.
October 6 – 11, 2013.
Have a look at www.igccaustralia2013.com
for information.
Web registration system is live and waiting for you to register.
News from the President
The IGCA board and administrators met during February in Ireland
where a very impressive 25 people from 15 countries got together
to exchange ideas and best practices around managing associations
in the Green industry. This is the biggest group of people that the
IGCA has ever pulled together for the administrators meeting. We
were treated to good Irish hospitality by Rachel Doyle and her
family, and got to visit some very impressive garden centres during
our time there. There are pictures on the IGCA Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/IGCAssociation.
There was also huge excitement about out upcoming tour to Australia, which is
taking place from the 6th – 11th October this year in Melbourne. If you haven’t
registered already, visit www.igccaustralia2013.com/registration. Australian garden
centres offer valuable insights into how to deal with drought, a strong and growing
DIY presence and economic pressures.
I look forward to seeing you in Melbourne, Australia later this year!
Nick Stodel | Managing Director | Stodels Nurseries
EMail: [email protected] | www.stodels.com
Vice President Rachel Reports
It was such a privilege and a pleasure to host the administrators and the
executive meeting of the International Garden Centre Association in
Ireland just a few weeks ago and to give them a taste of what Ireland
has to offer in Horticulture in general, Our Garden, our Garden Centres
and food. We had 27 delegates from 16 countries and we enjoyed every
minute of your stay with us.
Thank you all for coming and we look forward to seeing you all in
Australia and to welcoming you to Ireland next year. While our guests
were here we had no rain and the weather was really good, since then it
has changed (I forgot to pray) and it’s really cold, with some snow and rain. This has had a
huge impact on plant sales and is preventing people from going out in their gardens. We are
all ready for the coming season but know that the weather is the determining factor. What’s
selling? Colour, Colour and more Colour. Never before were the customers so aware of and
looking for value for money. Our customer count is up but our average sale is down, again the
cafe is ‘King’ and bringing in the customers and they impulse buy on the way out.
Bord Bia are investing in the industry promoting a ‘Garden Time Promotion’. A suite of
posters, flyers etc, covering 12 themes has been developed and are available for us to use
throughout the year. They are also investing in one of our national Newspapers with a 32
page supplement on gardening to get people out in their gardens. The title of this supplement
is ‘April a Garden Time’. This ‘Mothers Day’ while we were all geared up and our centres
awash with pink we had -3 degrees Celsius, compared to last year at +17 degrees Celsius.
Kind Regards, Rachel Doyle – Arboretum Garden Centre, Ireland. E:
[email protected]
Sad News from Sue Allen
I am sorry to be the bearer of such sad news. We are very sorry to have to tell you that our
good friend Oswin Struik passed away all too soon, on Saturday March 16.
We will remember Oswin in his time as IGCA International Administrator. Who can forget his
energy and sense of fun particularly during congresses? The Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Dutch bus particularly stands out for me, and the crazy Birthday hat that anyone celebrating a
birthday during congress was obliged to wear. Very sad news!
Oswin Struik Condolences Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oswin/597370763626315
Sue Allen, The Millbrook Garden Company UK. E: [email protected]
Another great tip from Erwin
Thank you for your Email. I’m glad to hear that the administrators’ meeting has
been successful. When it comes to meetings for their members many
associations are still struggling to break out of the old communication silos.
Maybe you could share the following link on Richard Branson (founder Virgin
Group) top 6 tips to screw business meetings as usual: http://virg.in/3Aigy.
ERNST MEIER AG, Erwin Meier-Honegger
EMail [email protected] |
www.meier-ag.ch
News from Switzerland
This winter the snow stayed rather long in Switzerland. This meant that
business was very slow and enterprises were able to prepare for the spring
season. Because primroses and viola cornutas need to be sold until Easter,
there was 3 thrilling weeks ahead of us. Let’s hope that the weather gods will
be in good spirits to help us. At the beginning of March employees of
JardinSuisse (Associaton of entrepreneurs of gardeners, Switzerland)
distributed at 3 train stations altogether 15,000 spring flowers to make aware
of the beginning spring season and to promote the Giardina (Lifestyle
Exhibition in Zurich). The plants and a flyer were packed in a small paper bag and handed out
to passing people with greetings from the Swiss Gardeners (Producers). The reactions were
positive throughout. Particularly the younger generation was made aware of a topic that may
not be so well known or of great interest so far.
Best regards, Othmar Ziswiler, mail: [email protected]. www.jardinsuisse.ch
IGCA office update – Rebecca’s last report for us
Twenty five delegates from 15 countries participated in the International
Garden Centre Association's largest administrator's meeting to date!
Participants travelled from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Spain,
Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States. The meetings and
tours took place in Ireland with lots to see and do. Special meetings were
held for the administrators where they shared information about their top
3 member benefit programs - this was a great learning opportunity so that
our country associations can provide our garden centre members with the
best programs and services possible.
Visit the IGCA Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IGCAssociation) to see more pictures
from our recent meetings and pre-tour in Ireland!
The IGCA office has some staffing changes to announce - as of March 4th Rebecca Doutre
has moved into a new position and has been replaced by Julia Ricottone - Julia will work
alongside Victor Santacruz out of our office in Canada to provide great service for our
member countries. Julia can be reached by email at [email protected] with any
questions or concerns.
Editor’s note. Thank you for help over the year’s Rebecca. Your smiling face at
meetings will be missed.
Here is the E-News from Germany:
First of all I want to thank Rachel and Anne for the wonderful hospitality in
Ireland – it was great! A fantastic Congress hotel!
Not that much news since we met each other. Actually we do offer our
members a competition to promote the Sunpatiens Flower. The
Sunpatiens established worldwide, in Germany it is still little unknown -an
opportunity for the trade. Therefore we entered a partnership with the
breeder Sakata. They support 60 of our garden centres with a competition
and the appropriate plants for at least 50 m² exhibition planting. Additional
plants are sponsored for 15 roundabouts. In 2014 - we hope the request for Sunpatiens is
high.
Finally, because of the sunshine, Easter business was running early! We’ve had the darkest
winter since 50 years and the horticulture farmers will expect high energy costs. Best Wishes.
Jutta Lenz, Executive Assistant, German Garden-Center Association
And our first report from Hungary
Here in Hungary, we all are waiting for the spring. Temperatures are now
around 4-8 degrees C, which shows that winter is soon disappearing,
despite the weather forecast that says snow fall for the week end. All the
consumers are hungry for the view of green, so they are ready for
shopping for the garden or the patio, balcony. The best selling items are
in this time of the year the bi-annuals (Viola x wittrockiana, Bellis
perennis) or the flowering spring plants in pots, like Primula sp,
Hyacinthus , Tulipa, Crocus etc.
Some people plant the bi-annuals in autumn, some people buy them
now, to plant them in flower beds in the garden, or in pots or window boxes.
Since the trend Grow it Yourself! is very popular also in Hungary, fruit trees or soft fruit
bushes ( red-current, raspberry, gooseberry) are selling very good. Most of these are sold
bare rooted, fruit trees in container are quite a novelty, and they cost double as much as the
bare rooted ones. Spring is also the best planting season of the hardy nursery stock: fruit
trees, ornamental trees. We also advise the customers to buy plants in container all year
round, but traditional planting time is spring and autumn. Young plants of tomatoes, pepper
and other kinds of cold sensitive vegetables are planted out in the vegetable garden only after
the 10th May, as temperatures can still sink under zero Centigrade until that date.
Nursery plants are also imported from Italy, the Netherlands and from Belgium. They are
nowadays on their way to Hungary. As there was 20 cm snow in Belgium recetly, it's quite a
challenge to have them down here on time.
.March 15 is a national holiday in Hungary; this was a long week-end, when Hungarian people
(hungry for the view of greens) are eager to go shopping to garden centers. Good news for
the trade!
Regards: Klara B. from Hungary, [email protected]
From France - The 15th annual “Semaine du jardinage pour les écoles”
This year, for the 15th time, FNMJ and its partners, are
organanizing ‘The Week of gardening for schools’. Nearly 64,000
students from kindergarten and elementary are following, with 360
professionals gardening, practical workshops and educational
discovery of plants, gardening initiation awareness and respect for
nature.
If all workshops will show every year how to sow, plant and grow
plants, plus a new, particular focus on best practices in the garden.
Whether the water management in the garden, making compost to
feed the soil, facilities to promote good or auxiliary associations between plants,
animations will be an opportunity to educate children to respect nature gardening practices
and environmentally friendly. They will also learn the concept of ecosystem in which plants
and animals maintain close and essential.
This operation allows professionals of the distribution garden to answer a thousand questions
of children and pass on their passion for plants and gardening pleasure. At the end of the
animation, teachers will receive a kit with many educational materials in the classroom to
extend the discoveries made with professionals and engage in gardening activities throughout
the school year. And after half a day rich in exchanges, each child will leave with the joy of
self-fulfillment and the deck of the operation.
Christiane Weiller, [email protected]
The Japanese Report - It’s 112%.
What are these figures? It’s the number of our last year’s sales up.
Actually we have struggled for an increase in sales during several years,
because of continuing negative trend on our industry and economy.
Therefore we have tried to reconsider the value of our shop whereby we
come up with a new concept, and we re-opened on March 16, 2012.
That’s the reason we could make 112% up. We issued ‘three keywords’.
‘The convenience’ that takes an advantage of one of the shops located in
dense populated area. We provided our function to customers in the 1
kilometer radius as a convenience shop. The second course will go to properly convey
‘Beauty’, flowers and green you have essentially. The third is ‘fan’. We decided we would
improve our atmosphere, and enjoy an assortment such as leisure shopping. We have a big
goal to go to the shop having ‘three keyword’ value in the community.
At the same time we have increased the number of customers to add a lot of products other
than gardening itself (especially the stationery was contributed) and we have seen positive
trend whereby families and the customer who never visit us before are using our garden
center. I will talk the about result of the gardening sales after re-opened in next opportunity.
Akihiro Ozaki, Ozaki Flower Park, [email protected]
Jeff Morey reports from the USA
US Garden Centers Put their Own Spin on Pink Days, Draw Crowds
More IGC retailers across the United States than ever are hosting Pink Days to the benefit of everyone involved. Proven Winners ColorChoice’s Social
Media and Cause Marketing Specialist Stacey Hirvela says she’s had more
than 40 new inquiries from garden centers, including those with multiple
locations, interested in holding their own Pink Days this year.
Garden centers say Pink Days are a win-win all around: customers feel good
about supporting a cause and shopping with a local independent who’s
making a difference; the charities benefit from the fundraising; and the garden centers gain
publicity, traffic and sales.
Since 2009, when Proven Winners ColorChoice introduced the Invincibelle Spirit pink
hydrangea, the company has donated $1 from the sale of every plant to The Breast Cancer
Research Foundation. To date, garden centers have helped raise more than $642,000, as the
march moves forward toward the $1 million goal.
To help IGC retailers plan and host Pink Days, Proven Winners ColorChoice offers a toolkit of
Many garden centers are
resources available for download at www.invincibellespirit.net
putting their own spins on the event as well.
To help market its Pink Day, Nature’s Corner in Holland, OH, coordinated the event with the
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, held locally on a Sunday in late September. The garden
center hosts its Pink Day the day before, on Saturday. “Everyone in the community is
psyched about it, and they have a huge turnout, so it helps us,” says Store Manager Jenny
Amstutz.
Nature’s Corner does a live TV spot every Saturday with a local news station, which is also a
sponsor of Race for the Cure. That partnership has paid off. “During the whole week leading
up to the event, Channel 11 gives us a shout out, saying, ‘Don’t forget, next weekend we’ll be
out at Pink Day at Nature’s Corner.’” While the Pink Day is going on, Amstutz does her two
Saturday TV segments.
To excite managers and staff about holding their Pink Day for the first time, Meadows Farms
Nurseries, with locations in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, created a friendly
competitive challenge among the garden center’s 22 locations. “We had one contest for the
store that created the best atmosphere and another for the location that raised the most
money,” says Vice President of Marketing Bobby Lewis. “The winners of those contests saw
an extra $500 donated to the cause in their specific name. It was a pride thing.”
Jeff Morey, Chairman, Garden Centers of America. [email protected]
CEO, IGC Show Founder & Publisher Chairman – Garden Centers of America, LLC.
We introduce a new garden App!
In Denmark we now present a new and easy-to-use app for smartphone and iPad.
The App is directed towards the consumers and consists of a database with expanded search
capabilities for more than 16,000 plants and flowers. You can search for names, plant groups
or properties as flowering season, growth form, location, colour, height, scent, etc..
In addition, you can read current articles about the seasons in the garden and watch videos.
And finally, you can search for the nearest garden center and get driving instructions.
We introduce the new App in the garden centers and in App Store just before Easter. It will be
free to download and use.
Per Boisen Andersen, [email protected]
Gerdie keeps us in touch from South Africa
Christmas and New Year have come and gone and everyone is settling
into Autumn Trade. Autumn is a mini-season in South Africa and the
warm weather has had a positive effect on sales. Through the past
season the “Grow your Own” trend has remained strong with positive
sales in herbs, vegetables and seeds. Impulse colour buys are also still
popular.
Coinciding with Autumn Trade is our SANA Trade Fair – this trade show
provides a one-stop shopping experience to retail nurseries and
landscapers with a variety of plant and nursery supply exhibitors. With
more than 130 exhibitors, this show that is hosted in March and August has grown to become
the largest green trade show in South Africa.
Our marketing initiative, Life is a Garden, is still growing strong, and the administrator contract
has recently been renewed for another year. This project that has been going for over 5
years promotes gardening to the general consumer and part of the new strategy is to focus
primarily social media. Facebook, Twitter and even YouTube are used to spread the
message to consumers and are supported by regular print media (local and national
magazines and newspapers). Promotional themes have been developed and are marketed
through our extensive media strategy. These themes are also supported by POS material
that is available for retailers to use in their garden centres.
Our annual Garden Centre Competition is currently in its moderation phase and we are all
excited to have the results announced at our Annual Convention in May.
Gerdie Olivier, [email protected]
Growing our Share
Our third Garden Retailers’ sundowner was held at Zanthorrea, after the
previously chosen venue became unavailable. As GCA in WA has only 4
metro and 1 country members, the meetings are held jointly with NGIWA.
This season’s get-together featured Esther Ngang, EO of NGIWA, giving a
guided explanation of the revised retail accreditation scheme (AGCAS)
pointing out features at Zanthorrea. Certificates of accreditation, and also
three AGCAS ‘Garden Centre of Excellence’ awards were presented.
The presentations were followed by a light hearted look at working with the
media. TV gardening presenter Trevor Cochrane spoke with the group about: "Standing out in
a crowd – Getting the most out of media". There was much discussion and many ideas
suggested re marketing in general. This talk fitted well with our mission – “Growing our
Share”.
Over 20 attendees this time enjoyed the opportunity to network with other garden retailers.
Our next meeting will be held in May at Dawson’s Garden World, Forrestfield.
WA has just had its dried summer on record, and until yesterday had no recordable rain since
early December. Garden centres have been understandably quiet, however gardeners are a
resilient lot and trade is now picking up with cooler autumn mornings and the promise of
showers.
Jackie Hooper, Zanthorrea Nursery, [email protected]
Queensland Feedback
Queensland has experienced a summer of two extremes: extreme heat followed by extreme
wet! Unfortunately, our market has been dominated by adverse weather compounded by
continuing general poor economic climate. We cannot do much about the weather so it has
been a good time for businesses to focus on store refits, cleaning and
plans for Autumn sales.
Despite generally below par sales for summer in most regions, there are
a few positive trends emerging in our market which gives heart to
independent garden centres. Potted colour, small shrubs and indoor
plants continue to perform well. ‘Plants for fashion/décor’ is certainly a growing trend where
consumers are looking to accent their living spaces with appealing plants, particularly when
combined with pots with modern colours. A noted emergence of people giving a plant and pot
as house warming gifts is also positive and develops new sales categories for garden centres.
Sales of homewares, garden decor and cafes (in stores which have them) have helped many
businesses persevere through the tough times and garden centres are now becoming more of
a lifestyle choice rather than just somewhere to buy plants.
We look forward to the cool, clear days of Autumn and the promise of exciting sales in
colourful plants.
Jason Searle, GardenWay Home & Garden. [email protected]
Karen Moad - Rivers of Yarrambat, Victoria AUSTRALIA
Events, Education and Experiences are the way in which our lifestyle centre
is tackling the ever challenging retail market at the moment. We have been
working away at developing up a range of garden, food and lifestyle
workshops, talks, events and parties to offer our customers something
different from our competitors and to attract additional foot traffic into the
whole complex.
We are seeing great success with this new approach which excellent
feedback from our customers. We are constantly developing other things to
offer and also using social media to attract a range of markets.
Karen Moad, [email protected]
Garden Centres of Australia President Milton reports from South Australia
Just as a precursor, SA has had the driest spring and summer for a long
time. The last time we saw an inch of rain was last June. We have had
some sprinkles of rain but nothing of any significance.
Trade post Christmas has been on the soft side due predominantly to
excessive hot weather. Most categories are down for the post season
trading with the exception of cafes where steady trade has been the
norm to trade up by double figures. Furniture sales started well early but
faded as the season progressed.
A new large showroom has opened at Garden Grove and is looking magnificent, with a good
range of garden hardware, gifts, furniture and a modern cafe all under the one roof. So good
to see such a big investment being made in our industry.
Sales have been driving business for those going to the trouble to put them on so not all
doom and gloom.
We do see the potential of good autumn sales this season if the weather turns it on for us.
There is some caution in the market still but the signs are there for it to just take off and go
crazy.
I like it crazy!
Milton Vadoulis, Vadoulis Garden Centre South Australia, E:
[email protected]
Cheers everyone, Leigh Siebler, IGCA E-News Editor E: [email protected]