RETAIL STATE OF PLAY

March was a busy month for awards and inspiration

The GCA Inspiration Tour in March was simply marvelous. We spent half a day on Sunday and a full day on Monday looking at inspirational retailers. We did not look at garden centres at all but did visit some brilliant plant shops around inner Melbourne.

Of course, networking and great food were part of the experience. You can learn a lot from each other in a social setting and you can learn from looking at how inspirational cafes and restaurants operate. How do they decorate to set a welcoming atmosphere? They use plants of course.

We visited clothing stores, trendy cafes, wine bars and so much more.

There is no doubt in my mind that we can all learn from looking at other forms of retail. Don’t get bogged down in just looking at other garden centres – you are retailers.

The annual Garden Inspiration Group (GIG) event was in March too. Around 160 people responded to the invitation and listened to excellent presentations. The GIG Inaugural Industry Award was presented to Brad and Jeff and their team at Valley Road, Highton. Congratulations.