Garden Center or Lifestyle Center?

Europe’s destination garden centers offer complete lifestyle solutions
Part 2 of 2

To say that the rules of retailing have become blurred would be an understatement. Not too many years ago, hardware stores sold nails, hammers, ladders and small tools. A pharmacy was a store where you could buy shampoo and other personal care needs while waiting for your prescription to be filled. Department and discount stores offered a wide range of inventory, but the merchandise offerings were stable and standard. Today, you can expect to find food in pharmacies and furniture in food stores as retailers look to meet the eclectic lifestyle needs of today’s consumers.

Across Europe, independent garden centers have embraced this concept with energy and imagination. To the North American eye, some of the offerings may seem unusual and sometimes even bizarre, but for the typical European shopper, it’s all part of the shopping experience.

The following is but a small offering of European retailing trends, product offering and merchandising displays collected on a recent tour of several Dutch garden centers.

Perennial sales benches benefit from large and colorful signage. Here plants are grouped first according to their bloom season and then in alphabetical order.
Most European garden centers carry an extensive line of pet supplies and pet foods and some even carry a diverse assortment of pets! Here’s a photo we just had to share of a marketing concept that pretty much covered all the bases -- pictured here is “beer” for dogs, complete with a free soccer ball promotion.
Using color as a unifying theme allows this retailer to merchandise everything from pots to high-end outdoor furnishings. It’s like telling the consumer “I dare you to buy just one accessory!”
In the outdoor display area we found even more products for creative accessorizing. No matter how these rocks are used in the garden, they’re sure to be a conversation piece!
These modular outdoor fireplaces, while substantial in size, are easy for the customer to take home and assemble in the backyard.

Read part 1 of this series
 

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