| Priceless Inspiration - 2007 Perennials Marketing Contest Winners visit The Netherlands and Belgium |
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 "Inspirational" is how Pauline Intven-Casier, VP and general manager of Canadale Nurseries of St. Thomas, Ontario - the grand prize winner of the 2007 Perennials Marketing Contest sponsored by Plant Publicity Holland and the Perennial Plant Association - described the European garden centers, growers and nurseries she visited on her Winner Trip to Holland and Belgium this past July. Pauline leapt at the opportunity to travel to the homeland of her parents and extended the winner trip into a family vacation with her husband and two of their teenage children.A very full three day itinerary was planned to showcase the broad spectrum of horticultural innovation in Western Europe, and treat the contest winners to some great cuisine and accommodations. The trip started off in Leiden from where they visited three very different wholesale growers. A nursery specializing in growing for the export market (bare-root to North America), another growing containerized plants specifically for domestic garden centers and one that does both. Intven-Casier was impressed by the organization of each of these operations. An unforgettable experience for any visitor to 'The Low Countries', as Holland and Belgium were once called, is a canal boat tour through the small, but productive, nurseries of the Boskoop region where the fertile peat soil is an amazing 40 feet deep. The whole area is located eight feet below sea level and drained by interconnecting canals that separate the individual nurseries. The family enjoyed the behind-the-scenes tour of where many of the perennials and shrubs they sell in Canada are grown. The ubiquitous Dutch rain provided the only damper to the day.
Three different retailers, each with different approaches to their craft, were visited. All were examples of 'destination retailing' but with diverse levels of attention to plants. Canadale is known for its plant selection and Pauline was eager to observe European marketing and display ideas. One stop - perhaps better described as an outdoor living retailer, rather than a garden center - sold anything that one could possibly imagine using in a back yard living room. From olive oil for the BBQ, cappuccino makers for the outdoor kitchen, portable cribs for the babies and oh, of course, some plants. Everything was beautifully displayed, but live goods were obviously not the focus at this location! Even so it was a valuable visit with much cross-merchandising inspiration to offer. When thinking of horticulture and the Netherlands, most people in the industry immediately think of the famous auction clocks. In Venlo on the German border, one of the smaller of six auction facilities was the target for day two. An early morning visit was accompanied by an intriguing presentation highlighting marketing strategies which use integrated concepts as opposed to branding. This involves detailed knowledge of the target consumer and creating products specifically with them in mind. Lots of adventurous color and fun designs for young professionals exploring their first home and job, and calming single-hued palettes for the more settled, stressed-for-time, early forties woman. Intven-Casier was fascinated by the types of promotional material and décor goods, such as: endcap headers, bench cards, containers and vases, all color coordinated to themes being developed by specialized firms dedicated to the industry. "Why don't we have this type of service at home" she lamented. "It would make it so much easier to create wonderful enticing displays". In addition, at this location, there was a great example of the power of co-operative marketing. Six other on-site businesses selling everything else that could possibly be needed with which to successfully market plants and flowers. Giftware, containers, POP that can be refreshed on a weekly basis allowing for quick reactions to consumer trends, and the ability to purchase hard goods on a 'just in time' basis rather than the once-a-year gift show buying trip that ties up capital and storage space. The rest of the day was filled with wonderful fragrances of a rose nursery and a greenhouse specializing in potted herbs for the grocery store market whose logistical challenges and solutions were fascinating. A couple of hours south took the group to another great example of co-operative marketing, this time aimed at the landscape design/installation professional in Belgium. A full array of nursery stock and herbaceous plants displayed and labelled with retail pricing, so that designers can bring their customers in to inspire and induce impulse purchasing, but not jeopardise their mark-ups. Did you know that the humble french-fry was not in fact created in France, but in Belgium? The odyssey ended with a delicious meal of 'frites' and mayonnaise the traditional topping in Europe - ketchup is a North American addition. Pauline Intven-Casier left to visit the point where it is possible to stand in three countries at once (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany) before heading to the airport for the journey home. Profuse thanks for the trip and the many inspirational ideas which, over time, will find their way into the Canadale Nurseries operation, were expressed, as well as encouragement for other retailers to enter the Perennials Marketing Contest. The insight provided by travelling abroad and observing how colleagues deal with similar challenges is priceless. |
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