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Georgina Garden Centre Goes Green: New loyalty program promotes green benefits for customers By Sarah Willis In a typical year, Georgina Garden Centre in Keswick has the good fortune to have two spring selling seasons. The first is the natural spring in May for the homeowners in Keswick and nearby Newmarket and Sutton. The second "spring rush" comes from the cottages on nearby Lake Simcoe, who look to the garden centre in June and July for their annual containers and easy maintenance colour and texture to decorate their vacation homes. Shannon Lindensmith, manager of the garden centre, explains that by July the cottage owners have already planted their gardens at home. They don't want to wait for the colour to fill in at their vacation property gardens. "We sell a lot of window boxes and containers for decks." In the 22 years the store has been in business, it has adapted several times to changing demographics. When the company was started by husband and wife Mike Johnson and Connie Rusu, the area was populated with a small rural town and homeowners were outnumbered by the cottagers. Over the last 10 years the local population has been growing by leaps and bounds. Shannon says a new subdivision is built every year. there is no typical customer in Keswick or Newmarket; They can by young families, original owners, or retirees fleeing life in Toronto. Despite the diverse customer base, Mike and Connie have determined over the years that they can't be everything to everyone. Shannon says the company motto is 'go big or go home.' "We have a few lines and we do them really well. All our nursery stock is hand picked by Mike, who visits the growers and chooses what to sell. We sell a lot of perennials and have worked with our suppliers long enough that they know the quality we are looking for," she explains. Like many other independents, Georgina Garden Centre is putting less emphasis on box plants and selling more containers and specialty annuals. Whereas several years ago the store might have stocked six inch annuals in mid to late summer to fill in bare spots, it now sells larger pots of annual colour in May. "People don't have the patience to wait for the little box plants to fill in anymore," explains Shannon. "They want easy gardening." Georgina's perennial sales are no different. "We put in one order of 3.5-inch pots in spring, and then order one gallon plants for the rest of the season. Our perennial displays are changed weekly, or more often if they looked picked over." The business is situated at the corner of Woodbine Ave. and Old Homestead Road, just north of Keswick. A traffic light installed at the busy intersection last spring has helped customers safely manoeuvre onto the property. Over the years, Mike and Connie have put up 100,000 sq. ft. of retail greenhouses and a large shade house on the two acre site, so everything but trees and shrubs are sold under protection from the elements. Georgina Garden Centre actually got its start as Cutrite Landscaping, a landscaping/maintenance business run by Mike, who eventually added a retail division to serve the do-it-yourself clientele. While Cutrite Landscaping is still a going concern - offering landscape design, installation and maintenance services, its name was recently removed from the company sign, letterhead and website in an effort to simplify the company brand. All Cutrite's business comes from word of mouth, so dropping the name from the sign hasn't had any negative impact. Shannon explains that a couple of years ago, Mike and Connie made the decision to hire an independent garden centre consultant to improve the company's brand and reposition their store. They retained garden centre consultant Bob McCannell, who recommended several major changes - the first on e being the removal of the Cutrite name from the sign. Since working the McCannell, Connie and Mike have invested significantly in the store's infrastructure. They now see a great return on their money. "Up until last year, the only advertising we did was a flyer mailed direct in the spring," says Shannon. "We weren't doing an effective job of getting our name out in front of homeowners." To help draw customers, Georgina Garden Centre put out 20 two-sided four-colour flyers for the first time last year. Between 15,000 and 25,000 flyers were distributed each week by direct mail and e-mail, 10 in spring, two in summer, six in the fall and two at Christmas. Mike Johnson and his graphic designer Paul designed the flyers around a formula that features five specials on the front and a clip-and-save coupon on the back. In addition to the great specials, Shannon explains that the layout artist had fun with the flyers. Each week customers could collect a hidden letter to spell a word by the end of the year and win a prize. He also put tiny pictures of Georgina staff members in the flyers that customers began to look for. Shannon says the flyers were so popular that customers called looking for them if they didn't receive one that week. Initially it was difficult for Johnson to go from spending virtually nothing on advertising to spending thousands of dollars on a weekly flyer. The benefits quickly became obvious, and he and Shannon are already starting to plan next year's flyers and specials. Like Canadian Tire money, Georgina Garden Centre handed out its Bonus Bucks for many years, but along with the flyers, last year the company invested in a POS system and developed a computerized loyalty card to replace the paper credits. Now customers scan their cards at the cash register to collect bonus points on their purchases. Mike Johnson came up with the Steward of the Earth loyalty card program to promote the good things that the green industry does for the earth. Johnson's idea is to appeal to people on a personal level, as people tend to take better care of something in which they have a personal stake. Johnson challenges all his customers to become a Steward of the Earth and to plant and nurture at least one tree throughout their lifetime in order to create a cleaner and safer community. With the motto, "Plant now for a better future," the Steward of the Earth logo is on everything Georgina Garden Centre prints, including staff name tags. This is to remind customers that anything they plant is beneficial for the environment. To help promote the newly created Steward of the Earth program last year, Kathy Bruce from the perennial department gave a presentation at a local public school where each child in the school was given a seedling, a Steward of the Earth button, fridge magnet and the garden centre's Benefits of Trees brochure. The children were asked to take pictures of themselves planting or taking care of their tree and send or bring it to the garden centre in return for an official Steward of the Earth certificate. Bonus points were given to their parents' Steward of the Earth card. The class that returned the most certificates was treated to a pizza party donated by a local pizza store and a tree planted at the school in honour of the class. Shannon says that one third of the children brought back photos of themselves and their tree. Georgina Garden Centre is planning similar presentations to three or four schools this year. Shannon affirms that staff must buy into the program in order to keep pushing it to customers. "We offer staff incentives to keep the Steward of the Earth concept in the forefront of everyone's mind." Johnson is so pleased with the results of his Steward of the Earth program, that he is offering the idea to other independent garden centres to take and adapt to their own needs. His attitude is why not share ideas and help each other out? Interested readers can visit www.georginagardencentre.com for more details on the program, or contact Shannon. The weekly flyers have been a great way to promote the Steward of the Earth program to customers, along with the various contests and events offered at the store. They had fun with an Ugly Garden Contest in the summer. The winner was awarded $500 in bonus points on their Steward of the Earth loyalty card. The store also hosts an Easter egg hunt in spring and a Speaker's Corner in fall, where customers are invited to a tea party to hear a variety of short horticultural talks. In December, customers can shop for a Christmas tree while their children have their photo taken with Santa. Shannon notes there are more changes in their immediate future. The Municipality of Georgina's pesticide ban goes into effect in September 2008. "Because of our proximity to Lake Simcoe, and partly in response to the Ladies of the Lake (a local environmental group), we are already promoting a lot of environment-friendly options for the lawn and garden," so she says the pesticide ban won't have a negative effect on sales. What it will do is give Georgina Garden Centre another opportunity to push the environmental benefits they have to offer, and hopefully sign up a few more Stewards of the Earth. This article appeared in the January 15, 2008 issue of Horticulture Review. Quick Facts for Homeowners What could be more obvious than the fact that horticulture benefits people? Anyone making a living in the trades understands it instinctively. However, that fact is not so apparent to your customers, who live farther away from the land with each generation. Benefits of Trees Improve Health
Add natural character to our cities and towns.
Reduce pollution
Conserve water and prevent soil erosion
Save energy
Increase economic stability
Sources Benefits of Lawns While home lawns help create a serene and beautiful landscape, turf grass provides a great deal more than a lush outdoor carpet for your property. Believe it or not, turf is North America’s largest agricultural crop. Because it is so commonplace in the landscape, it is easy to overlook the many benefits of turf. Here are some reasons why turf is so important: Business and economic improvement Lawns increase the value of a property by 15-20%. They improve curb appeal. Real estate agents will tell you that homes with wee-maintained landscapes and turf sell quicker and for higher values. Property managers say that well-maintained landscapes increase tenant satisfaction and lower vacancy rates. Climate control Turf serves as a natural air-conditioner. On a hot day, compare the difference between standing on pavement and standing on turf. The difference in temperature and comfort is measurable. The turf on eight average-sized healthy front lawns has the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditions – enough for 16 average homes. Dust filter Turf traps dust and smoke particles from the air and acts as a filter for the air we breathe. This is particularly important in urban areas where dust generated by cars and trucks can be trapped and washed down into the soil, preventing further movement. Erosion control Grass offers a very efficient and inexpensive erosion control function. Turf intercepts raindrops before they disturb the soil. Turf promotes water percolation rather than runoff. Our streams and drainage infrastructure would be absolutely overwhelmed if not for turf’s water retention capabilities. Our fertile soil would be lost if the turf biomass was not so efficient at slowing water runoff. Golf courses Millions of people play golf for exercise and relaxation. Turf is an integral part of this enjoyable activity. Environmental benefits Grass plants capture and use greenhouse gases, thereby counteracting climate change. Turf also traps air pollution and generates much of the oxygen we breathe. A 50- by 50-foot lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four to breathe for one year. Turf also acts as a barrier that deters chemicals from entering the soil profile. The natural shedding of turf stems and leaves, as well as mowing clippings left on the lawn contribute large amounts of valuable organic matter to the soil over a number of years. Injury reducer Well-maintained turf areas serve as excellent sports surfaces. Turf helps to absorb physical impact and reduce injuries. As a playing surface it is safer than artificial grass or bare soil. It provides traction and cushioning. Garbage prevention Garbage is less likely to be thrown on a landscape that is well maintained. Therapeutic benefits Gardens (including turf) provide mental health benefits. The Horticultural Therapy Association exists to promote therapeutic benefits of green space as a technique for rehabilitation. No wonder so many people use landscape pictures as screen savers on computers. It has been shown that looking at images of landscapes and plants helps to reduce stress. Grassy areas in golf courses, cemeteries, parks and homes can create feelings of peacefulness and remind us that the earth is alive. Noise reducer Grassy areas can decrease noise by 8-10 decibels. This is especially important in an urban location. Water filter Research over the last ten years has demonstrated that storm water runoff from a healthy lawn rarely occurs. Not only does grass slow down water and soil runoff, but it also protects surface water quality as it filers and cleans the water percolating into streams, drainage systems and aquifers. Sources PLANET, www.landscarenetwork.org Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series, www.sustland.umn.edu Landscaping for a Quick House Sale You want to make a few extra dollars when selling your home and you’ve heard that landscaping will improve the curb appeal. But you don’t want to invest in a house you’re about to sell. Here are four easy steps for you to take right now that will improve the curb appeal of your home and improve the sale price. Step one: Don’t cut down trees. According to the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers, “A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000.” Step two: Do add plants. Money Magazine says that landscaping can bring a recovery value of 100-200% for landscaping at selling time. If you have a long lead selling time then professionally landscape your property. If you have a shorter lead time, follow the directions below. Step three: Get rid of the brown.
Step four:
What a real estate agent will tell you to do:
Source Landscaping Pays If you’re looking for a good investment, step outside your house. Studies have shown that properly done landscaping provides the highest return on investment of any type of home improvement. Money Magazine did an extensive investigation into the value that landscaping adds to a property and determined that well done landscaping enhances sales appeal, increasing the actual speed of the sale. A Clemson University study found that homes with ‘excellent’ landscaping can expect a sale price about 6-7% higher than an equivalent house with ‘good’ landscaping. A Quebec survey found that hedges raise property values by 3.6% and a landscaped patio raises the property value by 12.4%. Even if you’re not planning to sell in the near future – the Money Magazine article found that landscaping can bring a recovery value of 100-200% at selling time. Kitchen remodeling brings 75-125% recovery rate, bathroom remodeling a 20-120% recovery rate, and addition of a swimming pool a 20-50-% recovery rate. What better reason to invest in your property now and enjoy the benefits of an enhanced outdoor lifestyle? Even more reason to invest in a well-designed landscape – a study published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture found that poor landscape design can decrease property values by up to 10%. Plantings too close to a house can reduce the appraisal value. The most common mistakes made by do-it-yourself landscapers are planting trees and shrubbery too close to each other and too close to houses, fences and other structures.
A University of Florida study on landscaping’s effect on home values advises homeowners to invest in a good landscape plan for added value. Even discounting the potential return on investment in landscaping dollars, there are additional non-monetary gains a quality landscape investment provide. Some of those benefits include:
Think twice before installing extreme elements into the landscape that are unlike anything else in your neighbourhood. Everyone like to think of themselves as unique and our properties are and extension of ourselves. However, your garden is not only part of your own identity, it is also part of the neighbourhood’s identity. Employee Evaluations for Garden Centres March 15, 2007 – Horticulture Review Have you ever been through a performance evaluation? Was it a good or bad experience? How did it make you feel? Did you take it personally? In my Experiential Learning class at University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, I took on a task without knowing how valuable it could turn out to be. The class was created to develop an employee evaluation process that could be used in my job as Supervisor at Georgina Garden Centre. We didn’t have an employee evaluation process at the garden centre, but we knew that having one would reflect how well employees had been trained and how they are handling things. The evaluation contains criterion that we feel are important for employees working in a retail garden centre setting. The evaluation is broken into groups – technical skills, interpersonal skills and personal qualities. Sub-groups include job knowledge, productivity, independence, initiative, customer relations, attendance and growth. The employees are rated on a scale of zero to four, with zero being the lowest score and four meaning exceptional. Each skill grouping has a percentile weight, which can be changed according to how much those skills matter to your business. All employees were told that the evaluation would reflect training. We wanted employees to clearly understand that evaluation is a way to improve individually and as a business. The intention is not only to highlight weak points, but to help everyone improve in all areas. It is important that everyone buys into the process and believes in the policies and procedures of the company. The results were interesting, to say the least. In my own evaluation, the first thing I forgot was the evaluation should not be taken personally. As a supervisor, I still found it difficult to hear. The goal of our evaluation is to help employees and supervisors improve in their jobs in the garden centre, and to provide a proven evaluation format for others in the industry. In the future we would like to tie the evaluation into our job application and interview so that employees know what to expect from the start. By doing this, we hope that our business will run more smoothly, with employees buying into the overall goals, selling themselves and selling products to the customers. By Shannon Lindensmith Shannon Lindensmith is a student at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, in her second year of the Associate Diploma in Horticulture program. She has a B.A. in Labour Studies from McMaster University. Ken Nentwig was the course instructor. |
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