Creating a positive shopping experience is crucial to a garden centre’s success. Discover how a smart retail greenhouse can help.
Gone are the days of a standard garden centre. An innovative exterior design and strategic retail displays will positively influence a shopper’s visit and entice stronger sales.
From simple to complex structures and fit-outs – the best garden centres are:
(a) Enjoyable and easy for shoppers to navigate.
(b) Smart, sustainable and interesting – a setting where plants thrive, while looking great on display.
(c) Memorable and unique from competitor stores.
At PrimeHort, we have been researching and refining a specialised Greenhouse Crop Cover and Fit-Out service for our retailer customer base.
How does it work?
We have collaborated with our longstanding supply partners for kitset greenhouses based in Europe. Together, we are offering customers a full turnkey service for garden centre construction and fit-outs.
Our unique point of difference lies in a data-driven approach. What does that mean? We use real data from our customer’s stores to create tailored greenhouse fit-outs, remodels and/or extensions. Analysing store data removes the guesswork and allows us to design solutions that maximise store traffic, revenue and staff productivity.
This research and development phase is crucial for a successful outcome. While many Garden Centre concepts look smart on paper – we take it further by exploring key information on location, climate, competitors, sales by product, customer profile, turnover, margins per sqm, KPIs and so on.
This comprehensive approach ensures our Garden Centre concepts look great yet rely on fact-based decisions to drive success.
What is the process?
From experienced Garden Centre designers to project managers and installers, our collection of skills in the retail and horticulture industry is extensive.
Every project follows a similar approach:
- BREAKDOWN & OPTIMISE – the current store/shopper experience is analysed e.g. what works and what could work harder to build customer loyalty? Sales figures are examined, including product areas doing well and/or poorly based on turnover, margin and surface area.
- CONCEPT & DESIGN – we consider (A) Emotional Factors: how the store should look and feel, including materials, brand guidelines, colours e.g. everything that stimulate a shopper to buy. (B) Shopper Requirements: aisle sizes, depths and best walking route e.g. how the customer moves through the store.
- DETAILS & DECISIONS – he information from steps 1 and 2 form the basis for the finer detailing, including retail display bench systems (optional). A full outline of materials and pricing is completed along with 3D modelling and renders.
- INSTALLATION & AFTER SALES CARE – Complete project delivery, including installation, industry-standard warranties (subject to conditions) staff training as required, aftersales servicing and maintenance.
Additional services
Along with customised exterior Garden Centre concepts, our services can also include optional Retail Display Systems to drive shopper engagement in-store. For example, we recently completed a comprehensive project for Kings Plant Barn Stonefields Concept Store. Check out the full story here.
Kings Stonefields wanted to create a new standard for plant shopping. Calling on PrimeHort, their brief was for a modern approach to retail display solutions – maximising usable floor space, making products easily accessible for shoppers, and ensuring all displays were highly functional e.g. simple to move around and quick to change out.
The result is a strategic store layout that motivates customers to explore the entire store (which leads to additional sales). Working in a fresh and fun environment keeps team morale high, the Ebb and Flood Self-watering Trays have reduced staff labour, and the Benches are quick to swap out and reconfigure. Tiered shelving also maximises the usable floor space.
“Kings new ‘Stonefields’ store breaks the mould of typical garden centres in NZ with its vibrant display features and sustainability theme. Flood table irrigation is great for reducing staff labour and plant maintenance requirements and the units are robust yet light enough to easily shift around. Shoppers are enjoying the experience and so are we!”
– Kathryn Perkins – Senior Buyer, Kings Plant Barn Ltd.
Kings have made it simple to revitalise their store regularly, and increased foot traffic has allowed a fast return on their investment.
Keen to work together?
We recognise that timeframes, goals and budgets are different from one garden centre to the next. From a simple new Display Bench to a comprehensive Crop Cover and Fit-out – our team welcome an opportunity to drive your retail success.
Summary of PrimeHort Greenhouse Features & Benefits:
- Custom design, wide span structures with no central poles.
- Circular tubing for trusses, for less abrasion to the plastic film compared to flat box section.
- Strong 80x80x3mm box section poles for superior strength.
- Superior strength truss design, suitable to support irrigation booms, shade screening, greenhouse fans etc.
- Internationally recognised and user-friendly climate control systems i.e. shade screens.
- 10-year pro-rata warranty on galvanised steel framework (subject to conditions).
- 48-month pro-rata UV degradation warranty on 200-micron plastic film (subject to conditions).
- Attractive front-gable timber features, unique to PrimeHort.
- Strong galvanised steel gutter system.
- Local aftersales servicing & maintenance.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out more.
