Peas next to Petunias, this is what we can expect in
future garden centre. Well, they may not be located on same shelf, but they could be located in same building.
In recent years, one of fastest growing retail sectors has been farmers market. This growth has been stimulated by consumers desire to buy healthy produce from as near source as possible, rather than from supermarket. Supermarkets have and are losing market share to retailers who are using fresh produce to provide a retail experience.
One of earliest innovators of this trend was Stew Leonard, who opened his world famous store in Daneville, Connecticut over twenty years ago.
This style of produce retailing has proliferated and similar stores can now be found around Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and USA. But, what does this have to do with garden centres?
Dealing with Perishables I believe two important criteria are affecting evolution of garden centres and farmers markets. The retailers in both these retail sectors have discovered they are attracting same consumer who is looking for experience retailing. The farmers market retailer can attract them in high volume once a week. The garden retailer can normally attract them three to four times a year, but get them to linger longer. The result of combining two businesses is a powerful retail opportunity to grow a business.
