Start Licensing’s Ian Downes investigates some licensed garden centre finds.
No trade shows for me this week, but I was very encouraged to see a range that I spotted at the NEC at the Spring/Autumn Fairs has now made its way onto retail shelves.
Treadstones Products‘ range of Laura Ashley wellington boots, garden clogs, garden gloves and accessories was in one of my local garden centres. Prominently displayed on a branded FSDU the range stood out well. Like many garden centres, this one Garson’s in Esher focuses as much on housewares, apparel, giftware, food and books as it does plants.
The fact that the range is in store now in relatively quick time suggests that garden centres are receptive to new product and have an ‘open door’ to new ranges. While they don’t have the volume to match other retailers, garden centres operate at a higher margin and provide a selling opportunity that seems to engage consumers well.
Specifically Treadstone has made good use of the Laura Ashley licence developing two ranges with distinct designs that owe a lot to Laura Ashley’s design heritage, with the range I saw based on a floral print – a theme that was at the centre of the brand’s success. It is trading on Laura Ashley’s heritage while using a design theme that fits well into garden centres.
An added dimension of this collection is that the fabrics used are sourced in the UK. Made or sourced in the UK seems to be a developing trend that adds appeal to products particularly in channels like garden centres where consumers make more considered purchasing decisions and maybe also are more receptive to locally sourced goods (a product theme that is particularly strong and established in the food category within garden centres and farm shops).
I was also impressed by the product range of candles, room fragrances and diffusers that Wax Lyrical has developed under the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) licence. This brand seems to have kicked on over the last few years in terms of its licensee base and specifically in the context of ranges like Wax Lyrical’s in design terms. The design used for this range made good use of the RHS’ core credentials, but had a fresh and contemporary feel with bright ‘pop’ colours.
Operating under the Fragrant Garden Collection the product features products such as Rose, Wild Honeysuckle and Magnolia fragranced Reed Diffusers. The range is refreshed with new fragrances – important in the context of garden centres as consumers tend to visit the same retail outlet regularly so new reasons to buy need to be provided.
Of course RHS is a natural for this distribution channel, but Wax Lyrical has created a range that dominates the category and really utilises the licence well – matching fragrances with types of flowers and plants well coupled with a bright colour palette in packaging terms. Further, it has provided the retailer with easy to implement display solutions.
Outside of the garden centre world I popped into Wimbledon Village this week. I am always impressed by how the village embraces the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Shops, restaurants and bars create bespoke displays in Wimbledon’s signature colours and incorporate tennis equipment into the displays.
The best one I saw was a floral ‘I Love Wimbledon’ sign made up of pink blooms and tennis balls – maybe outside the style guide parameters but very effective.
All these things are done organically but speak volumes about the appeal of the event and how it motivates people.
In licensing terms I spotted a really good range of Wimbledon Tennis Championships branded baby and toddler wear in Ely’s department store in Wimbledon. I am sure it is being sold elsewhere but getting the range into Ely’s in time for Wimbledon was a real retail ace. The range, which covers items such as babygros, is also a good use of the brand and positions it into a new sector – tapping into the lifestyle appeal of the event and also opening up gifting opportunities.
While the Championships are only on for 2 weeks as an event the ‘buzz’ around it lasts longer and the licensee is tapping into this well. There is also a cute factor with the product – I can imagine it having a very strong visual pull to push purchase. The range uses Wimbledon’s signature colours well – it has a premium feel to it because of this. I know many licensees are wary of sports events but I think ones that have longevity, uniqueness and distinct heritage like Wimbledon may merit further consideration.
Finally, I noticed in WH Smith’s a range of 20th anniversary special edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone books. Firstly this made me feel quite old in real terms and licensing terms – it only seemed like yesterday that it was ‘Hot Property Harry’ and he was a new kid on the block.
Secondly, WH Smith’s offer was buy one book get the other one half price – it occurs to me this is a promotion too far. Why devalue such a well proven property? There has obviously been a lot of effort put into the special edition book covers and maybe the offer will encourage consumers to collect them all but I would have thought they might do this without a price incentive.
20 years on Harry is still hot… then again we all are this week!
Ian Downes runs Start Licensing, an independent brand licensing agency. His Twitter handle is @startlicensing – he would welcome your suggestions for what to look out for.
