Your GroupSpace – A Preview for The Fall Event 2022

by John Kennedy

As we inch closer to The Fall Event 2022, we wanted to highlight some of the presentations, people and products that will join us in Kansas City.

As you may have known from previous GROUPtalks, John & Souny Kennedy have created a wonderful digital platform that allows a busy Garden Center to run at maximum efficiency and engagement. It was originally created specifically for our Garden Center Group Clients and is called GroupSpace.

The Final Stretch

by Danny Summers

With a quick glance at the calendar and the Weekly Department Review (WDR) it is easy to see we are in "The Final Stretch" the spark for this blog post title. This has certainly been a different season, a late-arriving spring almost everywhere and when comparing numbers from the previous two years which both arrived earlier (and maybe stayed longer), we have had some year-to-date deficits to overcome this season.

I must admit I normally don't follow horse racing and normally don't watch the major races. We have enjoyed being with close friends who live in the Lexington and Louisville Kentucky areas in past years and have actually been to both Churchill Downs and Keeneland (just not on the big race days). Our friends Louis and Betsy Hillenmeyer have taken us to several of the farms around Lexington and we have marveled at the wonderful horses we saw there. But a few weeks ago when hearing the news following this year's Kentucky Derby, I realized there could be a correlation between the story of this year's Kentucky Derby unlikely winner and our Garden Retailing efforts this year. Here's just a little of the story of Rich Strike, the 1st Place Winner of the 148th running of The Kentucky Derby...

Water the Bamboo

by John Kennedy

As Danny’s article, The Final Stretch, and the featured video shows, closing strong is always vital to any mindset in business and life. What a stunning finish. The heart & soul of a champion!

Beyond the Boundaries!

by Danny Summers

This week begins our roll-out of plans for The Fall Event 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. Let me start by saying I am confident this will rival the very best in The Group's history. Just think about the very best Fall Event you have experienced and know this will be even better!

It's all coming together in Kansas City... the location with so many wonderful things to do, our hotel and its character and location - just a block from dozens of great restaurants and shops, plus amazing Garden Centers to explore on Tour Day. Kansas City has it all and September 19-22 will be a wonderful time for all of us to share, learn and grow!

Yes, This One IS About YOU!

by Sid Raisch

“Is this about me?” This is a common question as most things I write about are common among garden retailers. No, you’re not alone in this weird business. (Other article writers tell me this also happens to them.)

Weird is as weird does. Everyone is weird in some way. Some of us are weirder than others, some are weird in a weird way, and some are really weird in every way. Nobody escapes, not even you or me. Outside of our weirdness, we have many things in common with each other.

Annual P&L Study 2021 – Being the Best!

by Tim Quebedeaux

From Raising the Bar to Pushing the Boundaries!  In the 2019 P&L Study the top line comparison was changed from the High Achiever and Best Practices group, to only the Best Practices Group.  Well, that changed in 2020, in creating the Best of the Best Group, which in 2021’s P&L Study, took the place of the Best Practices group as the lop line in the Study to compare against.

Like in marksmanship, we want everyone to aim small, miss small. This small group of Best of the Best (BOTB) had 9 of the 10 Garden Centers repeat in 2021.  We wanted to show a standard above what had been presented in the past. Not only did this give everyone a higher standard to aim for, it gives the Best Practices Group (largest number ever at 48) a chance to raise their own standards.

What Matters the Most

by Danny Summers

This past week, I ran across a short story that I had seen and enjoyed before. I have seen it titled several different ways and always its author is listed as "unknown." It's Week 21 and this is some of the busiest times for you and your Center. It's Week 21 and this is some of the busiest times for you and your Center, but I hope you will take a few minutes to read (or re-read) this story of making time for what matters most...

When things in our lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

Report Card Grade: Not Yet!

by Danny Summers

At first glance, you might think I am referring to Spring 2022 performance numbers and this title very well could be used to describe the late spring arrival and the numbers we are seeing in the Weekly Department Review (WDR). But I want to first ask the question... Have you ever heard of a Report Card Grade of "Not Yet"? I hadn't until a few weeks ago when I found a quote by Dr. Carol Dweck to use in the April 25th edition of GROUPtalk for the Quote of the Week. The quote is:

“The hallmark of successful people is that they are always stretching themselves to learn new things."  ~ Dr. Carol S. Dweck

Dr. Dweck is a renowned psychologist who introduced the world to the term “growth mindset”. She is the author of Mindset, a book that introduced the differences between a Fixed Mindset and a Growth Mindset. As I read more and even watched several presentations of Dr. Dweck's work and her research on having a growth mindset, I realized this is not just for children and their development. It applies to all of us.

Annual P&L Study 2021 - Part 4

by Tim Quebedeaux

To unlock the door to profitability, two Key Performance Indicators are needed to hit their goals, Inventory Turns and GMROII.  The largest Best Practices group in the P&L Study history (with 44 Garden Centers in 2020) was surpassed in 2021 with 47! Below is a list of 37 of these Centers with the remaining 10 (Best of the Best) to follow.

2021 P&L Study Best Practices Group

Hot Water in the Bathtub

by Danny Summers

I know what you're thinking... What does this have to do with Garden Retailing?

This is a visual illustration of a concept I learned a long time ago. It relates to both balance of sale as well as ways to raise your overall margin percentages.

Annual P&L Study - Part 3

by Tim Quebedeaux

Today we will reveal who is in the High Achievers Group defined as attaining between 5% & 10% Adjusted Profit in 2021. Eighteen Garden Centers were able to navigate through all the challenges of last year to achieve an average of 8% profitability. 

The High Achievers of the 2021 P&L Study:

At Your Service!

by Danny Summers

The Spring Season is now in full swing across the country. I saw this first hand this past week as I visited many of the Garden Centers in the Kansas City area while making preparations for The Fall Event 2022. It is an exciting time!

To behold a Garden Center in its greatest glory, all decked out and busting at the seams in all of nature's beauty, and to see the excitement in every Guest's eyes and the expressions on their faces when they catch a glimpse of it... it's like a kid on Christmas morning.

Annual P&L Study 2021 - Part 2

by Tim Quebedeaux

For the second year in a row, the Best of the Best group is needed for comparisons for this year’s P&L Study.  The difference this year is that they replaced Best Practices in the far-right column as the top numbers for comparison.  Remember, they are the top ten in profitability among those who filled out all 5 parts of the P&L Study.  This year they increased profitability from 18-25% to 19-31%.  Nine of the ten Garden Centers in 2020 repeated this level of profitability in 2021… Perennially Profitable Garden Centers!

In 2021 we had 78 Garden Centers report to the study, and 47 filled in all 5 parts.  If you didn’t fill in all parts, please reach out to us, we can help you improve your accountability to be able to report to all 5 parts of this remarkable Study.

The Gold Standard - Gold, Hallmark & GMROII

by Danny Summers

Gold has been a highly-valued precious metal throughout recorded history. Gold hallmarks originated to show the purity of gold in a piece of gold jewelry and included the mark of the certifying office that guaranteed the purity as well as the fineness or caratage of the gold. Later, trademarks that showed which goldsmith had manufactured the product were added.

Hallmarking gold jewelry was Europe's earliest form of consumer protection, dating back to King Louis IX of France and Edward I of England in the 1200s. As craft guilds sprung up in these two dominant markets during the Middle Ages in Europe, state-appointed assayers examined precious metal goods. Their prescribed mark, and subsequently marks for individual goldsmiths and production dates, became a pre-requisite for gold items offered for public sale.

Annual P&L Study 2021 - It's Beyond WOW!

by Tim Quebedeaux

P&L Study 2021, after the WOW year of 2020, we were prepared… and the results showed it.  But how did the pandemic and the eventual supply chain issues eventually affect our readiness for 2022? The numbers show the story.

Let’s start with the number of High Achievers (5-10% Adjusted Profit) and Best Practices (10% plus Adjusted Profit).  Both of those percentages are adjusted if you are a Retail Grower based on the amount of grown product sold.  With a record-tying 78 participating garden centers, the total number of High Achievers and Best Practices also set a new record, with a total of 65, outreaching 61 in 2020.  And even more Best Practices – 47 in 2021, three more than 2020.

The POWER of Water!

by Danny Summers

We know the amazing Power of Plants. We have known this instinctively for decades and we have also seen direct evidence first-hand over the last several years. At the same time, we also know water is one of the most essential resources for all living things.

In fact, our bodies are made up of at least 60% water. Do you know our brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water? The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are composed of 79%, and even the bones are watery at 31%. (READ MORE HERE).

Mitigating Buyer’s Remorse

by Sid Raisch

(You don’t have time to NOT read this right now because you have customers deciding whether you’re too expensive, or they spent too much in your store and if they’ll never be back.)

What is “buyer’s remorse”? In a word, buyer’s remorse is regret. There are two main sources of buyer’s remorse. One is a cognitive dissonance, where the investment in the purchase consumes the financial resource that could have alternatively been invested in something else of near equal desire. Another is a fear that the purchased item or service isn’t worth the amount it cost. There is some lag time between the customers decision to purchase and the questioning of that decision and in that gap of time is precisely where an appropriate and intelligent effort to counteract the emotion is necessary.

Neighborhood or Agrihood?

by Danny Summers

If the interest in gardening and nature could reach even higher, there are a number of new communities being planned that will be solid evidence it can and will. They are called Agrihoods and they are described in a number of ways such as "Farm to Table Lifestyle" or "Farm & Garden Communities" and even "Healthy Living: Garden & Farming Neighborhoods."

Do a quick web search for the term "Agrihood" and you will see a number of them already in existence or in the planning stages all across the country. One such planned community called "The Grow" east of Orlando, Florida, recently received county approval for its 1200+ acre site. Here's a portion of their narrative:

The Mark of a Good Mark

by Tom Kegley

Your logo might be the most powerful tool in your marketing kit. Not to be confused with your brand– the sum of your reputation and your customer’s experience with and perception of you. Your logo is the mark of your brand– the salutation and closing signature of all your graphic communication.

Making a Difference

by Danny Summers

If we were to have any principle ideas to wake up to every morning one could very well be "making a difference." These three small words have a natural place in faith, family, friends and work. I think it also fits the purpose of our Garden Centers by encouraging guests to find joy through gardening and plants. The simple act of planting a tree or cultivating any plant helps make a difference in our shared world and can benefit many more people through the years.

The Fall Event 2022 will take place in Kansas City, Missouri, September 19-22. There is so much to see and experience and we will be sharing much more in the coming weeks leading up to our arrival.