News
Canadian IGC event launches this week

Independent garden centres looking to stay current and on top of the evolving retail sector should check out the Garden Centres Canada Summit this week.

Organized by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association and Garden Centres Canada, the inaugural event runs from July 10 to 12, featuring a one-day bus tour on Thursday, with stops at:

• Canadale Nursery, St. Thomas – An award-winning nursery with over 110 acres of perennials, evergreens and flowering shrubs, the operation features a wholesale division, a garden centre and hands-on workshops.
• Farmboy, Brantford – A 36-year-old market with a focus on the fresh, local farm-to-table market experience.
• Centro Garden, Burlington – An urban store created by a group of local designers, artists and collaborative individuals to bring the outdoors in
• Royal City Nursery, Guelph – Steeped in history and experience, this newly built centre used to be a cedar shed and cucumber farm used for retail in the 60s. It is now 5.5 acres of growing and retail land.
• Connon Nurseries, Waterdown – This nursery is a grower, wholesaler and retailer, offering a wide variety of products along with workshops for homeowners and contractors.

The event wraps up Friday with speaker sessions from industry experts, including:

• Dr. Charlie Hall: “What do I need to do today to make sure I am relevant tomorrow”? – Thinking beyond the typical 3-to-5-year horizon and forecasting the Canadian retail environment 10 years from now, what are the strategies that brick-and-mortar garden centres must adapt in order to survive and thrive in the changing marketplace?
• Dr. Alexandra Grygorczyk: “Keeping your customer happy: what they notice, what they don’t and why it matters” – This presentation will dive into the minds of Canadian consumers to better understand who they are and how they view plants. Physical features of plants that stand out to consumers, versus those that are barely noticed, will be discussed, as well as long-term plant satisfaction and the factors that are within an IGC’s control.
• Tanya Olsen “Repackaging your lifestyle perspectives: Keeping your business current” – Change is a fact of life, but it does not have to be confusing! With this third generation IGC owner as your guide, learn some tips, tricks and all-important wording to keep your business front-of-mind as the traditional garden centre consumer changes. Learn ways to capture the spending dollars of the clients you already have, as you infuse your business with energy, passion and personality and see it evolve.

To register, visit the Landscape Ontario website