There are garden retailers who still question the virtues of covering the outdoor greenlife sales area but they are increasingly in the minority.

However those that have cover don’t always use their investment wisely and therefore don’t fully realise the benefits it could bring to their business.

A light and airy covered area offers so many advantages to the retail arena.  Perhaps the most obvious is to provide all weather shopping for our customers.

There's no doubt people don’t like shopping in extreme temperatures, wet conditions or beating sun and we know sales opportunities are lost if we can't provide ideal conditions. Think of the alternative shopping environments our customers have to choose from – comfortable, clean, well decorated, light, dry shopping malls and precincts.

Anything we can do to provide the same protection and comfort has to work in our favour. Essentially it’s the convenience of a pleasant, ambient, shopping environment all year round, whatever the outside conditions may be.

Exterior cover provides flexibility and versatility in how we use the space year round. It allows for a diverse offer and the ability to maximise sales and profit by using it efficiently. No longer are we confined to hardy outdoor green life. Now we can tempt customers with tender plants, conservatory plants, colour plants & seedlings, edibles, dry goods, “add-ons”, pots and containers

Plus the increased customer activity in the covered sales area means stock turns more quickly; markdowns and wastage are reduced dramatically.  

- Joy Lamb