Simply Beautiful Retail Reports

August 2008

Retail Report

It’s like 80 degrees in the Midwest and we’re certainly not thinking about Fall yet, but as garden center retailers there’s no doubt you are. Last month’s Retail Report looked at Fall pansies and offered ideas such as capitalizing on new introductions and breakthroughs like the Matrix series to differentiate from the competition in an effort to elevate pansies above commodity status. This edition, we’re going to take the same approach, but with garden mums.

Expert Advice

Ed Higgins, Ball Chrysanthemum’s program and technical advisor, has more than 25 years of experience in every facet of the mum business, from breeding and production to distribution and marketing. He wants to share his knowledge with you to help sell garden mums more effectively. Here’s what Ed has to say:

Q: What advice do you have for IGCs interested in differentiating their mum selection from the competition (i.e. big box, supermarket, etc.)?

A: One way to differentiate garden mums at an IGC vs. at the big boxes, is to have an area with decorated mums on display. Individual plants in a deco pot, maybe with a scarecrow or a straw doll in it. Give people ideas on how to use their garden mums! Another easy way to differentiate from the mass-market stores is to offer a wide variety choice. Many boxes want to keep things relatively simple - one yellow variety, one red variety, one bronze variety, etc., and no daisies. Many consumers like to have a wide choice of colors and flower forms available and the independent garden centers are the places where that can happen. One other thing: Garden mums can dry out fairly rapidly on outdoor retail displays. So if an IGC takes good care of its garden mums, they'll have a leg up on many of the mass-market stores in terms of healthy displays.

Q: What are some trends in mums you have seen over the past few seasons?

A: For sure, the single most important trend is the growing and marketing of garden mums in large containers – 10-inch and up. I’ve seen a lot of 12-inch and also lots of 1/2- bushel baskets. Then there is a very rapidly growing use of garden mums as decorative items, like festive fall displays on porches, patios and entranceways to homes. It is fun for consumers to make their homes look festive in the Fall months. The sales coordination of items such as garden mums, bales of straw, decorated plants, figurines, scarecrows and witches are all fast-growing areas.

Q: As an expert in chrysanthemums, what are a few tips and tricks independent garden centers can use to help promote mums and increase sales?

A: First off, I'd suggest the encouragement of selling in multiple units. For example, three plants for Price Point A, 10 for Price Point B, etc. It's easier to decorate with multiple units, so help to encourage this with a little discount. Second, be sure to have plenty of price points - usually done by having many container sizes. Don't limit consumers to two or three container sizes. Garden mums are extremely versatile plants, so take advantage of that and offer them in sizes from 4-inch to 16-inch or larger containers and hanging baskets, too.

Q: What is the difference between a Belgian or European-style mum and a traditional mum?

A: Good question! Many people ask this. When Belgian mums were first marketed in North America, there seemed to be three primary attributes highlighted: first, a ball-shaped growth habit; second, a very high bud count with very uniform flowering response; and third, extremely flexible plants. The traditional mums were typically more mounded in their growth habits, although some were also ball-shaped. The traditional mums were often not quite as prolific, and some had issues with brittleness (the Lynn family was known for that.) Today, many of the varieties offered for sale as new introductions have the best of the Belgian or European traits. Varieties like Ball's Sunset Orange, Sundance Yellow, and Twilight Bronze - all bred by our European partners - reflect the original ideals of the garden mums from Belgium.

Spotlight: Mammoth Mums

The deep freeze won’t deep six these Winter-hardy mums! Bred in Minnesota to withstand extreme winter temperatures, these hardy perennials perform equally well in warmer climates. They also grow to be huge. By the second year, they can be as much as 4-feet across. Plus, with hundreds of blossoms per plant, these beauties make tremendous impact as hedges or when used in mass plantings. Mammoth Mums are available in seven colors: Coral Daisy, Dark Bronze Daisy, Dark Pink Daisy, Lavender Daisy, Red Daisy, Twilight Pink and Yellow Quill.

Bench Card

Simply Beautiful LIVE

Be sure to stop by the Ball Horticultural Co. booth at the IGC Show in Chicago next week to learn more about the Simply Beautiful program. We will also feature Wave® and Circle of Life®, as well as giving you a sneak peak at what to expect from Ball Ornamentals, a new supplier of both core and unique woody trees and shrubs.

Encouraging Data

When asked what differentiates you, as an independent garden center, from the box stores, the standard reply is: quality product, knowledgeable employees and customer service, right? Well, the good news is your customers agree! In the recently completed April 2008 Harris Interactive panel study compiling data from more than 900 North American consumers with responsibility for home and garden purchases, the top three reasons for selecting an independent garden center as the primary store were healthy flowers (74%), broad selection (63%) and knowledgeable and helpful staff (60%).

Why do some lawn and garden consumers choose home centers or discount stores as their primary retail outlets?
The top three responses were time efficiency...

Other items available at the store (79%)
Close proximity (58%)
Well-organized gardening departments (55%).

Get Listed!
Ball Horticultural Company recently announced a full overhaul to our corporate Web site that’s really meant to support our grower and retailer customers. One of the coolest parts of the new site is an easy-to-use retail locator that will help drive customers to your store when they search our consumer Web sites, simplybeautifulgardens.com and wave-rave.com. Click HERE to get your store listed.

Please take a few minutes to check off the specific varieties you carry in order to rise to the top of zip code searches! You also have the ability to insert your garden center logo to increase visibility.

Talk to you soon,

Bill Calkins
Independent Garden Center Business Manager
Ball Horticultural Company