How garden centres are out to kill off department stores

There’s always a flurry of interest when a new garden centre opens in the neighbourhood. After all, pottering around the garden — or at least splashing out on pot plants while dreaming of the garden you wished you had — is a terribly British pastime.

But few centres have caused a stir like the new outpost of familyrun, high-end Petersham nurseries, which opened this week bang in the middle of London’s busiest tourist hotspot, Covent Garden.

It might seem a strange location for it — despite the name, there are cobbles as far as the eye can see — but then this is no ordinary garden centre.

housed in a listed Georgian building, the store is all towering columns, glittering chandeliers and graceful ferns. Alongside plants, seeds and ‘artisanal gardening tools’ stand hand-blown Murano glass champagne flutes, woven British baskets and fine wines.

A delicatessen and wine cellar will open next month, followed by two restaurants and a florist — offering workshops aimed at city gardeners, of course.

Don’t want to get your hands dirty? the shop’s team of specialists will plant you up a gorgeous window box to take away.

If this seems a bizarre way to sell greenery, then take another look at your own local garden centre. For this store is symptomatic of a sweeping change.

there are around 2,700 garden centres in the UK, and the market is worth £5billion a year. But to survive the downturn and keep customers coming back for more, independent centres and chains such as Wyevale, notcutts and Dobbies have diversified to become ‘destination stores’ or ‘retail experiences’.

they tempt the middle-classes with kid-friendly play zones and fancy cafes serving afternoon tea — not to mention the array of non-garden homewares, clothing, furniture and jewellery that wouldn’t look out of place in a smart department store.

Even celebrities aren’t immune — the likes of David Cameron and Amanda holden are regulars at Burford Garden Company in the Cotswolds, which boasts an art gallery, award-winning restaurant and huge range of ‘home decor’ items.

the vast trentham Garden Centre in stoke-on-trent recently had a £1million refurbishment to become a ‘unique destination shopping experience’. It has a huge homeware department and a large fashion section with an ‘english country garden’ feel.

Gifts, ornaments, soft furnishings and fancy cookware jostle for shelf space, too.

rivendell notcutts Garden Centre in Widnes, Cheshire, even has an antiques shop called timeless Collectables, which sells everything from china, jewellery and vinyl records to fireplaces and furniture.

tong Garden Centre in Bradford is another example. there’s now a huge children’s play area, licensed restaurant, on-site butcher’s, home and cookware section and fashion concessions, plus a department dedicated to selling more than 100 different Yorkshire ales.

Walking through the store, it’s clear why the change of direction is such a hit. More than half the visitors on a sunny afternoon aren’t there to buy anything to do with gardening at all.

regular Julie Gater, a business owner, and her husband Paul, both 47, are carrying bags loaded with bedding and are visiting with their grandson Cole, two.

‘We’ve been here for two-anda-half hours just leisurely shopping, and we’ve taken Cole to the play area,’ says Julie.

Gloria Parry, 68, a retired customer service advisor, visits once a month with husband Peter, 75, and grandsons Charlie, four, and spencer, 18 months.

‘It’s great for the grandchildren,’ says Gloria. ‘they love the play area and looking at the fish [in the aquatic area]. the cafe is really good, too — I often meet friends here for lunch.’

Zoe Cooper, 43, a construction director, agrees. ‘there’s something for everyone,’ she says.

‘If I have a spare afternoon, I love to look around and visit the cafe as the cakes are gorgeous. Plus, I live nearby and they now sell prosecco, so I could stumble home afterwards if I wanted to!’

Indeed, the whole experience is engineered to create spaces where the middle-classes will want to spend a few hours. no self-respecting garden centre these days would be without at least one cafe or restaurant (trentham boasts three) — and they’re usually licensed, too.

Burford Garden Company cooks everything from scratch in its in-house kitchens using local ‘artisan’ ingredients, vegetables from its on-site garden, and even lamb from its own flock.

‘We are genuinely excited when the first crop of asparagus comes in from a local farm — cut that morning and on your dinner plate that evening,’ says notcutts Garden Centre in norwich.

It also has a City Farm shop concession selling everything from local strawberries, apples and pears, to handmade pies and cakes, ‘famous’ double-yolked eggs, local goat’s cheese and dressed crabs. the centre also has an in-store butchery.

Larger Wyevale Garden Centres run regular events; Blue Diamond Garden Centres, such as those at trentham and newly revamped redfields in hampshire, host weekly Little Acorns children’s gardening groups; while most Dobbies centres hold a free monthly Little seedlings Club for children to learn about gardening.

What better way to ensure the next generation grows up with a love of the outdoors — not to mention an addiction to visiting garden centres?