Pohmer

August 2025

Planning for spring 2026: Lessons from ’25

By now, you’ve gotten all the “new stuff” — the hot new merchandise that’s going to change your business model for the better — and are well-versed in all the promising new social and consumer trends... more »

June 2025

Managing with a leadership mentality

In all my many years in retail and then in my consultancy, I thought I had experienced just about all the highs and lows of the economy, politics and social impacts affecting businesses and our... more »

April 2025

Change of plans

You’ve been there before. You’ve studied the past season’s wins and losses, the successes, failures and missed opportunities, studied the marketplace, analyzed the competition and your customer behavior predictions, read all the economic forecasts and... more »

February 2025

The many layers of sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, according to the UN World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). It... more »

December 16, 2024

Top 10 Garden Retail Articles of 2024

We ran the numbers and here are the results: Following is a list of the top 10 garden retail feature articles that received the most clicks from visitors to the Lawn & Garden Retailer website... more »

November/December 2024

A goal without a plan is just a wish

Based on my experience of working with retailers in many different fields and of a multitude of sizes, I’m constantly amazed that, when planning for the upcoming season or year, too many simply look at... more »

August 2024

Who packed your parachute?

As I was doing some research to write this column, I was taken back to a time many years ago — one that demonstrates, as much as our industry has changed, it somehow remains the... more »

June 2024

Measuring a customer’s value

Seasonal businesses — like many garden centers — pose some unique “opportunities” that year-round retailers don’t have to handle. Most seasonal stores’ customers shop them once or twice a year, yet almost none of the products... more »

April 2024

How to start your day off with successes and build on it

Can you relate to this? You’re enjoying your first cup of coffee of the day before you head to work, and, because you have so much you want to accomplish today, you grab your smartphone... more »

February 2024

Strong leadership breeds success: Are you ready to step up?

At retail garden centers, change is constant; it’s an integral component of your business’s DNA. But the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated and intensified the scope, depth and rapidity of the changes we faced — some government-mandated,... more »

November/December 2023

What will give you the most juice for the squeeze?

You’ve heard this before, but it’s even more critical in today’s hyper-competitive world: If you’re not changing, you’re losing ground, especially as your competitors (including both the IGCs and non-GCs in your market) are fighting... more »

September/October 2023

Headwinds or tailwinds as 2024 approaches

It never ceases to amaze me that any three people in our industry can view the same data and situation and interpret this information differently, each of the three arriving at different conclusions and plans... more »