Sid Raisch Becomes Bower & Branch CEO
Bower & Branch, Trees for Life, a group of 52 independent garden centers in the northeast and Midwest, pledged this month to grow their e-commerce brand by an additional 50 to 100 garden centers by 2017. Sid Raisch, retail expert and consultant to independents across the country, will lead the growth as Bower & Branch’s president and CEO.
Don Eaton, founder of Bower & Branch sees the changes as bold moves toward taking back market share for independents. “Sid has been consulting with me on this journey from the beginning. Garden Centers and growers like Eaton Farms needed to do something drastic to get the industry headed to where consumers are, and we knew that e-commerce was the way,” said Eaton. “At first this helped us serve our customers, then it grew into something much bigger and more powerful,” added Eaton. “That’s tough to execute on your own, but when you’re part of a group like Bower & Branch that prioritizes creating an exceptional online, social and in-store experience, then real change can happen.”
In 2015, for the first time, Bower & Branch made it possible for homeowners to find the exact tree they were looking for online, along with the services and support they needed from their trusted local independent garden center. Today Bower & Branch sales could happen from the floor of the garden center or from the comfort of a customer’s living room.
In the last 12 months, there have been more than 16 million searches—on Google alone—for ‘trees for sale,’ so we know we’re headed in the right direction.” In just one year, more than 67,000 customers shopped at bowerandbranch.com and online sales increased 300%, benefiting 52 member garden centers.
“Bower & Branch is changing the game in what has been a flat category for most garden centers for years,” said Raisch, Bower & Branch president and CEO. “A high performing tree category has been unheard of until now. Members capture sales that otherwise are completely lost and that is happening with less onsite inventory, a broader selection and greater depth from Bower & Branch.
Raisch’s background in the independent garden center industry on both the retail and supply side will be instrumental to the expansion of Bower & Branch into other regions. He has been a vital business partner to independents as the President of Horticultural Advantage, and will continue to act as a consulting Service Provider to The Garden Center Group.
Danny Summers, Managing Director of The Garden Center Group, shed some light on the change. “Sid has a unique perspective of garden retailing and the ability to identify opportunities that bring about success. He has built strong relationships throughout our industry over the years because he understands the nature and nuances of the business. He’s earned our trust and ushered in vital change to the industry.
“While Sid will maintain an active role as a consulting Service Provider for The Garden Center Group, we look forward to seeing how Bower & Branch and its members create and act on click and brick retail opportunities,” said Summers.
Raisch will continue to reside in Hillsboro, Ohio, with his wife and two of their sons. His oldest son, Owen Raisch will continue with leading the Advantage Development System moving forward, with a focus on building and supporting local independent business alliances, providing business and leadership development, marketing, merchandise management and sales support to small businesses in all segments.
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