.jpg)
Many garden center operators wrestle with how to change the look of the store. One of the better examples of a major -- and successful -- overhaul took place at Pike Nurseries in the Atlanta, Ga., area, when the company was purchased by Armstrong Garden Centers a few years ago.
Armstrong owner Mike Kunce knew that one of the reasons Pike was available was because it had failed to stay "cool" with young customers. So he and Pike's executive vice president Alan Holcombe assembled a team of visual merchandisers and hired a visual-merchandise manager to give the store a new look. They also solicited advice from a consultant firm in Chicago that helped reinvigorate an Armstrong Garden Centers location in Thousand Oaks, Calf. The Pike team opted for a similar design strategy—emphasizing colors and styles that would appeal to a younger generation of consumers.
The Pike Nurseries store in Toco Hills, Ga., just northeast of downtown Atlanta, was designated the prototype location for this redesign initiative. Floors, ceilings, walls and display fixtures were all upgraded. Signage was completely transformed using newly purchased, state-of-the-art printing equipment.
The result was something that was "not your mother's Pike Nurseries." And new customers immediately decided it was "their Pike Nurseries." Cha-ching!
Looking for a Cha-ching! you might have missed? Go to the search box and type Cha-ching! Items are listed by date.