2006

In May I was presenting a seminar and asked the group how they had planned as retailers to build on the World Cup fever that would spread around the world in June and July. To my surprise got some blank looks from the audience who felt it would be a non event as far as […]

In recent weeks there has been a globalmovement to promote brest cancer awareness. My daughter in the UK recently entered a London run for women on behalf of raising money for breast cancer research. At the Chelsea Flower Show this year pink flowers were promoted with donations going to cancer research. At a recent seminar

This May is the longest time I have ever spent in and around Perth, this will quickly change as the rest of the year takes me around the world many times. It has given me the opportunity to ponder on the local scene and to review what is happening. Perth, Western Australia, is, we are,

By John Stanley There is a change going on in the outside plant area of garden retailing. To the outsider or uninitiated it may appear that the leading garden centers are just changing the paint scheme to brighten the place up, but there is far more to the change than a lick of paint. What

By John Stanley People don’t reads signs, you heard people say it, you have had said it yourself. What is the point of putting a signage strategy in your business when nobody reads them in the first place. Let’s look at his popular myth in more detail. Firstly, all retailers have to accept that consumers

By John Stanley Many managers have attended our seminars over the years, listened to the newest ideas, trends and innovations and yet still hold onto the old way of doing things. They can see evidence of success in the innovative businesses and yet are holding back. Some of them even watch while their business becomes

By John Stanley Stores without products how would they survive, but this is 2006 and anything goes. A few years ago I was approached by a global bank to do some consultancy; the brief was I was to design a bank that did not hold any money, a money less bank. Head office was convinced

Are trends in the garden industry global or regional. I’m often told that things are different in this part of the world, but are they much different? The Australian Garden Market Monitor, produced by the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia and Horticulture Australia Ltd has just been published and part of the report looks at

By John Stanley Successful retailers realize you have to have passion for the product and the consumer. In today�s retail environment you would think everyone would be chasing that elusive dollar. But, that is not the case and this should be an opportunity for anyone who wants to grow their business. The best example I

By John Stanley McDonalds built a global business by understanding these two generational groups. Can you build a better business by understanding them better? Spoodles (spoiled toddlers to you and me) are aged between 0 and 5 years old and although not purchasers of garden products, they have parents who are. These parents are looking