Garden Centre Group explains its shift to plant focus

GCG has made entrance through the planteria in the majority of its centres over the past two years after computer-assisted telephone interviewing showed 55 per cent of customers are from the top scale, against 22 per cent in the wider population.

Of these, GCG found 90-95 per cent go to garden centres for plants and nothing else, so it re-ordered the business on those lines. This has included £750,000 spent on plant benches this year.

Sales of "best in category" products such as David Austin Roses are up, rising from £30,000 in 2008 to £110,000 in 2012. Last week, GCG announced turnover of £264m (2010: £241m) and profit of £586,000 (2010: £860,000) for 2011.

See Garden Retail interview with former GCG chief executive Nicholas Marshall - link below.