Merchandising with purpose

Look through new and noteworthy merchandising ideas from the International Garden Centre Congress.


In our previous two articles, we’ve shared some newer products and keen observations from our IGCA tours in the Netherlands. In this article, we’ll share some creative and interesting merchandising.

Editor’s note: This is the final piece in our series on the International Garden Centre Congress. To read the first two articles, visit bit.ly/2022IGCA and bit.ly/IGCA-adventures

Grill masters

  • 1) Copplemans showed their customers that they were “top of the food chain.” 
  • 2 & 3) Barneveld merchandised some grill-firebox combinations that could fit a skillet on top. 
  • 4) Abbing had two huge backdrops behind the grill area showing hipsters cooking; the grills are secondary to the creation of visually appealing food.
  • 5) Vechtweelde also emphasized the food over the grill itself.
  • 6 & 7) DeBosrand Oegstgeest had a great fruit display. 

  • 8) Huiting had a small collection of complementary colored planters, integrating flowers and vegetables.
  • 9) Intratuin Barnveld merchandised some grape vines specifically for the patio or terrace.

  • 10) Some of the plants even had grapes on them.
  • 11, 12, 13) Not just for the urban dweller, Plantencentrum Velden merchandised bonsai apple trees, figs and other plants for the terrace.
  • 14) Displaying hanging baskets at eye-level instead of above or on the bench was commonly used, like at Vechtweelde.
  • 15) Retailers paid more attention to plants with a fragrance in various ways. Intratuin Barneveld merchandised this Skimmia with a “Sense of Nature” tag. (Notice the nose smelling the flowers.)
  • 16) Orchid Growers Netherlands merchandised an orchid with a fragrance.
  • 17) To draw attention to the fragrance, they had scented sticks just below the flowering plants. 
  • 18) De Bosrand Oegstgeest merchandised this rose as perfumed. 

Photos courtesy of Drs. Bridget K. Behe & Melinda J. Knuth

  • 19) & 20) Plantencentrum Velden not only had butterfly magnets, but butterfly candy. 
  • 21) Schmitz wanted bees to be fed and happy!
  • 22)Vechtweelde collected containers for recycling.
  • 23)Plantencentrum Velden had a great display of rain barrels.
  • 24) & 25) How about going without a container? Schmitz merchandised bare root vegetables as seen below. 
  • 26) The garden centers did an excellent job creating immersion experiences and displays for their customers. For example, to show off edible plants and container combinations, they created a home gardening bench with basil, rosemary and cucumbers planted into the bench with media and strategically placed pots. 
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