Incredible Shrinking Transactions... and What to Do – Part 2

by Sid Raisch

Incredible Shrinking Transactions, and What to Do - Part 2

by Sid Raisch

[Continued from Part 1 - Click to review from Group Blog]

The Garden Center Group’s 2023 P&L Study shows a continued trend of flatness of the three top KPI’s with nearly flat revenue, transaction counts, and average dollars per transaction (barely keeping with inflation). Of course there are the above average performing companies who lift this average, along with the corresponding below average performers. No matter which side of average a garden center is, this is an alarming trend. The most alarming thing is the slide, which began in 2008 at the start of the Great Recession and continued to 2019 (after a brief COVID relief in 2020 and 2021), has returned and it is sticking. The reason - Baby Boomers are aging out. The real reason? We as an industry are failing at replacing revenue from Baby Boomers.

Incredible Shrinking Transactions... and What to Do – Part 1

by Sid Raisch

I’m writing this fully knowing that some of you are going to be mildly irritated and full blown mad at me about it. But I will speak the truth as I see it and will ask you to either deny it at your own risk, or deal with it as effectively as possible. This isn’t only to define the reality of the problems we face, it is to offer a simple solution. The challenge isn’t having a solution. The challenge is to convince enough people to embrace the opportunity to accept it and to step forward decisively and boldly. It is also to ignore the naysayers and those who will stand in your way - our way.

Over 215 million Americans across three generations (Gen X, Gen Y aka Millennials, and Gen Z) now understand the critical importance of plants and pollinators for life and sustainability. They seek knowledge beyond what previous generations did, recognizing that neither big-box stores nor online searches can fully satisfy their quest. This awareness presents an unprecedented opportunity for the garden industry. If we keenly observe market trends and respond smartly, we can achieve our industry's highest aspirations. For those who might not find inspiration in this vision, it's a cue to step aside and watch as proactive leaders make impactful strides putting preparation for opportunity well ahead of hoping and wishing and blind luck.

Tea & the Garden 

by Danny Summers

Just the idea of a simmering hot cup of Tea... in The Garden creates an ideal vision for how to begin the day. Maybe we should pause here for 15-20 minutes, grab a cup of Tea (or coffee), and step out to the Garden (or the most peaceful area of the Garden Center will do). Use the time to relax, breathe deeply, perhaps pray, and think about all the wonderful natural world around us. Then, return to this message when finished...

A View Ahead for 2024

by Danny Summers

Looking ahead or forecasting can certainly be tricky. Your crystal ball or binoculars, in this case, can often be "foggy." It seems to work best simply to take in all the indicators you can, lay them on top of a "gut feel" and top it all with years of experience from you and your team. Maybe then what you see will be less "foggy" and closer to what really will happen. And even then, just like Tim Quebedeaux's Dynamic Budget, you will need to be in a position to adjust and adapt mid-season.

Plants R Us!

by Danny Summers

Not even unpacked yet and they have a plant in the room!

Does this title seem familiar? I first related it to Toys R Us. It came to mind when I was working on a presentation to share at Farwest 2022 a few weeks ago. I was looking for a graphic that represented new first-time young home buyers. Just the weekend before we had been helping our great nephew, Zac, and his wife, paint at their new home they recently purchased. They had not yet moved any furniture in but just inside the front door, next to a window, they already had a new tropical plant sitting there.

Very Special Things

by Danny Summers

When something is very special, you would often describe it as "one of a kind". That is certainly the case with our most special relationships. Our spouse, family and closest friends could easily be in this group. Most of us have very special things our family has passed down through generations that we hold so dear and treasure greatly.

So what about plants, or our garden? You might have a family heirloom plant that has been passed down to you from a parent or grandparent and that plant is so very special to you. Most likely you have favorite plants in your garden. Their blooms or fragrance or just stature earns them a place of high esteem in your garden. They make you feel good.

Connecting

by Danny Summers

As a Garden Center connecting with your audience is extremely important. It always has been. Connecting happens in a multitude of ways. It certainly happens whenever the customer enters your Center and interacts with your team, and shops for your plants and products.

The other ways of connecting has been changing over the last two decades. More connecting today happens through your messaging or sharing of information through the various channels of communication. At the same time, your audience is slowly changing and the way they want to receive your information may be different than how you are positioned to share information today.

Find Your Work Zen

by Danny Summers

While the title for this message can be for you, I am really presenting this as an idea for our Centers to consider as a message to promote to prospective team members (new-hires) in the coming seasons.

Evidence is mounting that Garden Centers can be in a prime position to capture the attention of a large number of Millennials who have discovered over the last 18 months they really do not want to return to their typical work environment. I can see the job listing now... Find Your Work Zen at (insert your garden center name here)!

Are YOU the Next Young Retailer?

We announced last week a new joint effort to co-sponsor and promote Green Profit magazine Young Retailer of the Year Award for 2021. The Garden Center Group, with support from our Partners for Success, will be official sponsors of the 16th annual award, along with AmericanHort.

The Sound of the Bell

by John Kennedy

When I was growing up in rural Maryland in the late sixties and early seventies, there were only a few homes and farms that populated the countryside. When we youngsters were all out in the fields, woods and creeks, the time to come home was announced with the “sound of a bell.”

A Growing Trend

by Danny Summers

Foodies, Home-Grown, Garden-to-Table, Modern Homesteading, and More

Restless Gardening Syndrome

by Sid Raisch

Consumers have been flooding into garden centers to soothe their case of RGS - Restless Gardening Syndrome, a craving desire for all things related to plants.

The important thing is not only that people are consuming our industry’s products and services with such vengeance. More important is WHY they are doing this. Pay attention to the reasons people are interested and focus your communications to promote these six major opportunities and you cannot go wrong.

When a Writer Calls...

by Danny Summers

This past fall I received an introduction email and then a call from a writer who was assigned the task of creating a story for Better Homes & Garden magazine. The subject started out as:

The New Garden Center Customer - Part 2

By Danny Summers

In Part 1 we reviewed how we are now in a transition of sorts where in 2019, "Baby Boomers" are projected to start a slow decline in numbers over the coming ears and where "Millennials" are projected to have overtaken Boomers in the top spot as percentage of population. Let's explore this further together...

The New Garden Center Customer - Part 1

by Danny Summers

This is a time of transition, a time of change.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy said, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

Developing Your Most Value Asset

by Danny Summers

As a Garden Center Owner or Manager, I challenge you with this question: What is your business' most valuable asset?

The Forecast – Outlook for the Spring Season

featuring Dr. Charlie Hall and Dr. Marco Palma, Texas A&M, College Station, TX

The SNA Conference was held January 7-8, 2019 in Baltimore, in conjunction with MANTS. Dr. Charlie Hall, the nation's foremost green industry economist, teamed up with Dr. Marco Palma to provide insight on the outlook for the spring season.The following is the recorded presentation. Whether you were there for the event or not, this is an important 29 minutes for you and your management team to see again!

Should you hold back, stand status quo, or see this time of uncertainty as a time of opportunity? What impact will housing trends have on the economy? How will Generation X impact the market as the Baby Boomers are retiring? What will the 2019 spring season look like and how will it impact your business? Structural changes in the industry will also be discussed, along with strategic implication for growers, service providers, and retailers.

Reeling in the Non-Gardeners


An excerpt from Ball Publishing's GreenProfit
(With comments by Danny Summers)

This past week GreenProfit published an article as titled above. They posed the question: "How can you attract non-gardeners as new customers" to the three finalists in the 2018 Green Profit/Dümmen Orange Young Retailer Award competition, sponsored by Dümmen Orange and AmericanHort!

A Millennial’s Garden Comes Into Its Own - Part 2

by Tom Kegley

In an ongoing saga, the journey into gardening for the intrepid millennial has hit stride. Now 8+ weeks into the season, Lee’s garden is blooming with the delight to be expected if you’ve been around the track, as all in our circle have. Not without a few stumbles in the beginning, natural and otherwise, all in all, a well-placed source reports pleasure and bounty from efforts to date!

As a reminder of scope, this first-time gardener resurrected the former house owner’s dilapidated raised bed garden consisting of 6 - 4’x7’ beds. He filled it with a host of veggies and herbs well suited for the city garden– tomatoes (6 varieties), cucumber, squash, zucchini, peppers (banana, jalapeño, bell), and a range of herbs, including parsley, sage, basil, oregano, mint, and eucalyptus.

A Millennial’s Journey to His Garden of Eden - Part 1

by Tom Kegley

News Flash:  After 9 years of a somewhat nomadic existence across two states and three cities, Millennial Son Lee Kegley is now the happy owner of a lovely and renovated 1940’s vintage colonial in the quaint Forest Hills section of Richmond, VA. He intends to stay for the foreseeable future, well entrenched in residential sales with the company he’s worked for since college, Ferguson Enterprises. Ferguson is the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of commercial and residential plumbing supplies, pipe, valves, fittings, waterworks, and HVAC/R products. Recently he attended a National Association of Home Builders conference where the keynote speaker shared insights on the dynamics of millennial home buying these days. Lee’s report to me on that coinciding with his April home purchase was revealing.

In GroupTalk issues to come, I hope to share Lee’s unfolding endeavors in his new residence pertaining to an amazing transformation (for him at least)– he’s become an enthusiastic home gardener!