stronger together.
A Pathway to Success for Independent Garden Centres and Giftware Suppliers BY BRIAN MERRICK, RETAIL HORTICULTURE MENTOR & CONSULTANT
Garden centres, confronted with constrained budgets and the challenges posed by changing seasons, are increasingly diversifying their revenue streams through the incorporation of giftware. Establishing strong vendor relationships is crucial in this endeavour. Collaborative partnerships between giftware suppliers and independent garden centres can significantly contribute to mutual success.
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You Bought It, It’s Your Problem. It may come as a surprise to some that degrees of this attitude still exist between suppliers and independent garden centres. In the current competitive marketplace, both the supplier and the retailer need to align their goals. Suppliers can no longer absolve themselves of responsibility for their goods once the garden
centre takes possession of them, and the garden centre needs to have confidence in their supplier. In a true partnership, the sale of goods to the end consumer is a collaborative effort between the supplier and the garden centre. From experience, I have found it to be crucial for suppliers and retailers to build a reciprocal relationship — a collaboration based on trust.
Why Work Together? Even in this digital age a significant number of customers still prefer shopping in store, because they like to touch and feel products. This should encourage giftware suppliers to support independent garden centres, which are great at offering personalised service and expert advice. Working together provides a shopping experience for customers that combines the strengths of both.