Growing pains: Garden centres hope for rush after lockdown and Brexit woes
GARDEN centres across Northern Ireland will reopen today after some have grappled with Brexit-related supply issues resulting in products like lavenders getting stuck in England.
But businesses say they are expecting a rush of trade after 108 days of closure.
Robin Mercer, owner of Hillmount, which operates three stores in Ards, Bangor and Belfast, said: “We have been inundated with customers phoning, emailing and messaging us on social media asking when we are going to be open, so I know that there area lot of people planning to come and visit us and we are well equipped to welcome them.”
Dundonald Nurseries owner Malcolm Mccully said the family-run business has invested in a new glass structure. “We knocked two glass houses down and put a new glass atrium in. It occupies around one acre and is filled with new plants in thousands of varieties so we’re able to offer a bigger variety,” he said.
In Ballyclare, Richard Fry, managing director of Coleman’s Garden Centre, said: “Demand will be huge. Springtime is our time and we’ve plenty of stock, good stock and local stock ready and waiting.”
He added: “There will be certain plants and hardware that won’t be as available while garden furniture is at a premium with huge waiting lists. That’s the same with barbecues. That’s not a problem unique to us, it’s Europe-wide. Demand is outstripping supply in some areas.”
Mr Fry said that getting stock in from GB has presented some challenges because of the NI Protocol, the means by which a hard border is avoided on the island of Ireland. “The majority of stock we get comes from all over Europe but there are more issues with plants from GB because of the Protocol. We have 3,000 lavenders stuck in Dorset and alpines in the North of England.”
John Shannon of Inver Garden Centre, Larne added: “If it’s not from Ireland — north or south — you can’t get it.” He said that there were certain plants that were no longer available such as bamboo canes.