August 2015

What skills do you need to keep customers engaged? I have been to a number of conferences over the last few months where almost every speaker that is focused on marketing trends has talked about “customer inclusion” or providing a “remarkable experience” as part of the journey to grow a business in this changing world. […]

Many pundits would argue that the garden centre model of the sixties will not work in the future. There are number of reasons for this, these include: The move to urban living rather than suburban living and the need for garden centres to be near the consumer, especially as this consumer is not prepared to

During August I presented at the Petfood Forum China in Shanghai. This was my fourth visit to this region, but the first time downtown as the conference was held at the Expo site. I arrived the week that the stock market crashed in Shanghai although if you read the China Daily you would not have

One of the major topics on workshops these days is online shopping and its value in retailing. Views in audiences are varied and some retailers think online will never effect them while others believe it is part of the future The following Australian Sensis report makes interesting reading: Men are the big spenders. – Basically

If you have attended a retail of business conference over the last year, I suspect at least one speaker has addressed the need to get to know the Millennial shopper. I am one of those presenters that has been promoting the need to respond to a new consumer. 2017 is the year when the Millennial

One of our newsletter readers in the UK, Neil Grant, sent me this information from The Guardian on female shoppers and how to attract them to your business. Thanks Neil this is worth reading: Win over women, and the men will follow, with women controlling 85% of purchasing decisions, focusing your marketing efforts on them will pay

A book that is about to be a launched that will be of interest to a number of our readers is “The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion” by Jenny Peterson. This will be an inspiring book and a book that many of you will want to read. Synopsis THE BOOK IN 19 WORDS: A CANCER PATIENT DISCOVERS THAT

Retailing is constantly changing and that is part of the fun of being involved in the sector. Imagine dropping in to your local fashion store for a coffee and snack. That is now becoming more of a trend. In London you can enjoy a coffee or champagne in Regents Street at the Burberry all-day cafe in

In August I spent a week working with a number of clients in Denmark as well as travelling for two days with the International Garden Centre Congress. There were many highlights. One store that really caught my eye was Bolia, a Danish lifestyle store. Their merchandising was some of the most imaginative I have seen