On 23 September 2016 the doors opened at Garforth. The new-build centre has become the 22nd in the Klondyke Group. It was built by Hodges on the site of the group's Savilles Garden Centre, which closed in 2014. The clean white structure, walls and roof allow the use of strong colour in the shopfitting design, which continues into the restaurant.
Shopfittings throughout are low-level and the centre has an open-plan feel. Gone are the old category bay inserts, replaced with softer hanging category signage, meaning the customer can browse but still identify key product areas. A new planteria concept was installed with shop-in-shop plant beds, linked sales at end caps, and signage that demystifies plant terms to make plant purchasing easy with no prior plant knowledge.
The 250-cover restaurant is modern, bright and overlooks the planteria. The catering development team ensured that regionality was included, adding to the menu dishes such as Yorkshire Rarebit and Dalesman's Tasting Board.
Klondyke's new loyalty scheme, Grow Rewards, will be launched at Garforth before rolling out to all the group's centres. A marketing campaign in November featured 150,000 leaflets to promote the centre to customers within a 20-minute drive.
Garforth is the most energy-efficient centre in the group. The site has only mains supply electricity, with no other services available. Water is supplied from a borehole, with all rainwater collected in a 75,000-litre underground tank. Underfloor heating provided by three air-to-water heat pumps, induction lighting, LEDs and PIR sensors all add to the centre's green credentials.
Highly commended
Hillier Garden Centres, Newbury
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