GARDEN CENTRE TRADE UP 600%
AT A time when most businesses are grimly recording single digit activity levels, Glanbia CountryLife in New Ross has seen its online custom explode by over 600 per cent.
The garden centre and supplies store is the national hub for 52 CountryLife stores and its staff trebled during Covid-19 to 17, taking it in turns to work in two different groups, working 12-hour shifts seven days a week to keep up with demand – much of which was coming from first time gardeners with thousands to spend.
Garden Centre manager Noel Leacy, said: ‘We were drafted in to do the online shopping because New Ross is the online hub. There are 52 locations but not all are not the scale of New Ross, which is a flagship CountryLife shop.’
The staff swelled from four full-time to 17 to meet the gardening needs of customers.
Among the most sought after items were 16kg bags of play sand.
‘We packed around 950 bags of it and pallets upon pallets of gardening compost. Normally we’d have 40 pallets of Bord na Mona compost a year. This year we’re already averaging 160. I have never seen anything on this scale.’
Having worked in online sales and as a courier previously, Noel was ideally placed for the Covid-19 pandemonium.
‘I had the experience. Our biggest stumbling block was getting stock from some of the suppliers as some of them weren’t open. We were absolutely bursting at the seams as regards space.’
Staff had to travel in vans to collect products from other stores around the country for delivery.
CountryLife is open eleven years in its current location, and previously it was called Shop Well.
Before it reopened on May 18 the garden centre and yard had to be restocked and all surfaces cleaned and floors washed.
People were encouraged to view items online first to reduce spending time inside.
Noel said when they were opening on the Monday, May 18, a queue of ten people formed outside at 8.15 a.m. and business has been steady to very busy ever since.
Although some products were impossible to come by, customers, by and large, were understanding.
Noel said Glanbia CountryLife are expecting a bumper year, with an extended season.
‘Every year at around the time the primary schools close our season comes to an abrupt halt. I checked and our sales are more than double of what they would have been between March and June compared to 2018 and 2019. We are hoping the season continues until September. Last week we had three times the sales as the same week last year.’
Among the big ticket items selling are top of the range barbecues, garden furniture and plants.
‘It’s like the Celtic Tiger. At the height of it there were 450 orders a day compared to 70 normally.
‘Young people new to gardening are buying expensive shrubs whereas normally my customers are aged over 65 and buy less extravagant plants. Now we’re seeing younger people coming in spending €200 to €300 on expensive flower pots, plants and hedge cutters. Up to 40 per cent of our customers are new, first time gardeners. They come in saying: “I know I want a few plants but I don’t know what I am looking for”. They have up to €2,000 to spend there and then!’
Noel and his team provide advice and Noel even travels to people’s homes to recommend suitable plants, on occasions, if asked to do so.
NORMALLY WE’D HAVE 40 PALLETS OF BORD NA MONA COMPOST A YEAR. THIS YEAR, WE’RE ALREADY AVERAGING 160