Plant Area Refurbishment at Haskins West End Garden Centre
Haskins Garden Centres Ltd group operates five of the largest destination garden centres in the south of England. This award-winning garden centre chain offers a premium retail experience specialising in garden plants, houseplants, garden furniture, clothing, gifts and homeware, on-site restaurants and coffee shops.
Stagecraft has been supplying bespoke exterior plant area staging and houseplant display stands to Haskins for over 25 years, most recently supporting the refurbishment of the plant area at Haskins West End store in Southampton.
The refurbishment of the plant area showcases a strategic approach to garden centre Plant Area display, combining high-impact and flexible plant area display stands, maximising both customer experience and sales performance.
Working in partnership with Haskins, Stagecraft delivered a complete solution tailored to the demands of a modern garden centre environment. The project focused on creating a visually engaging and commercially effective plant area layout, using durable, modular garden centre display systems designed for long-term use.
“Haskins has been working with Stagecraft for well over 25 years, during which time they have supplied us with both indoor and outdoor benches. We select specific bench designs to fit our layout strategy so that our merchandising is consistent across all 5 garden centres. With our exciting redevelopment of our Plantarea at West End, Stagecraft delivered our full requirement of top-quality benching, which will last us well into the future.”
We took the opportunity to catch up with Richard Lockwood, Plant Buyer at Haskins Garden Centres, to photograph the newly updated plant area and gain insight into their approach to plants, displays and merchandising.
Q: Please tell us about your role as a plant buyer with Haskins Garden Centres.
“I am responsible for all of Haskins plant buying from Houseplants, Bulbs, Bedding and Hardy plants. Sourcing from local growers to as far afeild as Italy and Germany”
Q: What are the key considerations when planning the layout of a new plant area?
“We like to showcase seasonally colourful plants in the heart of the outdoor plantarea, with our A-Z ranges around the peripheral areas. Wider pathways from the circular walkways give clear sight lines into the central arrangement of benches, with lower height benches towards the front, and taller benches in the centre thus giving a tiered effect that allows for more plants to be seen from a distance”.
Q: What are the most important considerations when merchandising displays for the new season?
“Fresh stock arriving at the right stage of growth, so that its held with the grower until its optimum stage of impulse”
Q: What are your top tips for creating captivating plant displays that drive sales?
“Grouping in volume will give the customer the confidence that these are the plants they should be buying. A balance between choice, credibility of range and impulse”
Q: Haskins Garden Centre have a range of bespoke display features that are unique to the chain, designed and developed in collaboration with stagecraft. What is your favourite display feature, and how do you use them?
“Our pyramid ends have proven our best asset in benching. We run them at the front of each run of benching in our covered area which helps put the spotlight on our offers and volume lines. Centres also use them occasionally within the outdoor area to display a volume offer of one plant type.”
Q: What advice would you give your younger self and to the next generation plant buyers and plant area managers on choosing plants, trends and creating captivating plant areas that boost sales?
“Be relevant, keep on top of trends, as what you sold a few years ago, may be very different to what customers are looking for now. Just because something used to sell well, doesn’t mean it will continue to do so.
Look at your sales and margin closely, but at the same time, don’t assume because something didn’t sell well one year, that it wont do well again, if the season lands differently. Have a clear strategy, buy with confidence and your customers will follow”
