Merchandising

August 2007
Are Your Restrooms Working For You?

Space is precious for garden centers. The more products and displays customers see, the more likely they will be to make purchases, which means every available store space needs to be used. While it may... more »

August 2007
It’s the Time of the Season

Summertime in this industry is one of my favorite times of year because it is garden center tour time. This year, the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) and Garden Centers of America (GCA) once... more »

August 2007
The Impact Of Display Structures On Consumer Purchasing Behavior

You want consumers in your store. A new study on how consumers make their gardening purchases from display structures might help you find new ways to increase sales. Over the past five years, Florida retail... more »

August 2007
Merchandiser Of The Year Finalist – Village Green Home & Garden

When I walked into Village Green Home & Garden, Rockford, Ill., for the first time last November, I was amazed. The store was beautifully decorated with many inventive displays, wonderful design ideas and great color... more »

June 2007
How Do Our Customers Behave?

Do we really know our customers? Retailing today is becoming more and more of a science. Consultants monitor shoppers from the point they enter a stores until they leave, noting and analyzing every action. There... more »

June 2007
Making An Old Garden Center New

Rocks weighed down the first floral arrangement that left H.J. Benken Florist in 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The flowers came from my grandparents' greenhouse and beds. The rocks did, too. Harry and Johanna Benken, second-generation... more »

June 2007
Boost Sales With Live Creatures

There's something mesmerizing about sitting next to a pond full of fish and watching them glide effortlessly through the water or seeing a turtle sitting lazily on a piece of wood just soaking up the... more »

June 2007
Seductive Sensory Surroundings

It's hard to believe most sellers of plants and flowers can't find the time to make their products and the surroundings that house them as romantically desirable as the product (and sales space) demands. It's... more »

May 2007
Surprising Uses For Terra Cotta Pots

Terra cotta pots are a great low-cost container option that most garden centers carry, but customers aren't breaking down retailers' doors trying to buy these basic gardening staples. Get consumers excited about terra cotta again... more »

May 2007
Merchandiser Of the Year Finalist – Churchill’s

If you have ever been to New England in, well, any time of the year, you will realize how surreal it all seems. There is nothing that isn't beautiful or breathtaking to look at, and... more »

May 2007
The Gardener’s Design Review

What can you do with aprons, work pants, tool belts, wide-brim hats, boots, kerchiefs, old work shirts, carry bags, machines and all the "stuff" that is found around a home garden area? Certainly it is... more »

April 2007
Introducing Consumers To IPM

With agricultural sustainability on the minds of many people in the industry and elsewhere, you may want to consider ways you can share its message with your employees and customers, especially in the area of... more »