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AmericanHort to explore the future of garden retail

July 18, 2014  By Canadian Garden Centre & Nursery


July 18, 2014, Columbus, OH – AmericanHort is launching a new initiative to explore the future of garden retail.

Over the next 12 months, the association will engage its membership and consumers in a project to explore and then identify strategies to expand garden retail. Along with the Horticultural Research Institute, the association will partner with the MindMarket program of the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD).

Like many business sectors in the post-2008 economy, the horticulture industry is actively looking for new perspectives and business models. One of the industry's strongest customer forces, the affluent Baby Boomer is entering into retirement with their houses, savings accounts, and pensions intact – and with plenty of time for gardening. However, the next generation of consumers presents an entirely different set of realities. It is believed the Millennial generation, with less leisure time, smaller housing, and possibly fewer financial resources, will challenge and confound current garden retail models, especially at the independent level.

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"This initiative is more than just about designing attractive stores. We are taking a holistic approach to better understand and recommend how in the future we can bring more value to our customers and engage them in purchasing more products and services," said Mark Foertmeyer, AmericanHort's chairman of the board. "Store design, customer service, the mix of products and services, marketing and staffing will be considered, for example."

The project will involve multiple phases, including research, developing concepts and feasibilities, and testing prototypes. Over the year, CCAD students and faculty will engage association members and consumers in the United States and Canada as part of the project.

"We recommended taking a design approach to affect the garden customer experience in new ways for a new generation of consumers," said Jack Storey, director of CCAD MindMarket. "We will bring together our multi-disciplinary campus and more than 1,000 students – most of them part of the Millennial generation – to help find solutions for the future of the horticulture industry."

The Horticultural Research Institute, the research affiliate of AmericanHort, will support the project.

"The Horticultural Research Institute has funded several consumer and retail-focused projects over the years. We feel this initiative is important so we are glad to lend our support. Our involvement also provides an opportunity to individuals and companies to make tax-deductible gifts to support the project," said Harvey Cotten, president of the Horticultural Research Institute.

The project kicked off at Cultivate '14, AmericanHort's annual convention, formerly known as the OFA Short Course.

Updates on the program will be shared with members over the coming months.


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