What garden centres around the world can learn from each other

By Dries Jansen, Sid Raisch and John Stanley

Garden centres are places of routine and ritual. People visit them on quiet mornings, between errands or as part of a weekend habit. They are deeply rooted in local life, shaped by climate, seasons and long-standing customer relationships. Yet, when garden centres from different countries are viewed side by side, something unexpected becomes clear. The further you look beyond borders, the more familiar customer behaviour begins to feel.

This observation lies at the heart of a shared perspective developed by Fred de Rijcke and Dries Jansen, both based in the Netherlands and connected through Garden Center Advice. Their work across Europe, North America and the Middle East has shown that while garden centres may differ in scale, style and culture, the way people experience them follow remarkably consistent patterns.

Wherever a garden centre is located, the first moments inside are decisive. Visitors instinctively assess whether the space feels welcoming, understandable and calm. Light, scale and movement are registered before individual products are noticed. Within seconds, a quiet judgement is made, does this place invite me to stay, or encourage me to move on?

These reactions are not shaped by nationality. They are human. While habits differ between countries – how often people visit, what they grow, how much they spend – the need for clear orientation, comfort and trust appears everywhere.

Keep it logical to make shopping easier

Across markets, one insight continues to surface. People buy more easily when a garden centre feels logical. Not because everything is explained, but because the space quietly guides them. When visitors sense where they are, where to go next and what kind of offer to expect, they slow down. They stay longer, explore more freely and make decisions with less hesitation.

Data can support this way of seeing, but only when treated with care. Turnover figures alone rarely explain much. They become meaningful only when viewed alongside floor space, location and surrounding population. Used this way, data does not judge performance. It provides perspective, helping outline what might reasonably be expected in each setting.

Data mining

An important part of uncovering these patterns lies in the way data is explored. Rather than using data to confirm assumptions, the focus is on data mining: carefully searching through large sets of information to see what naturally emerges. Data mining, in this sense, is less about prediction and more about observation. It helps reveal how people actually behave, rather than how we expect them to behave, and it brings structure to insights that would otherwise remain intuitive or unnoticed.

Rather than using data to confirm assumptions, the emphasis with data mining is on carefully exploring large sets of information to see what emerges on its own. This approach shifts attention from isolated numbers or trends to the relationships between space, behaviour and context. Taken together, the data offer a realistic sense of how much untapped potential may exist. In other words, it becomes possible to estimate how much room for improvement there is in a garden centre, not as a promise, but as a grounded indication of what might already be within reach.

When a garden centre struggles to meet expectations, the cause is rarely singular. More often, it is a question of coherence. The entrance may promise inspiration while the interior delivers complexity. When space and function support each other, visitors rarely notice. They simply feel comfortable.

Looking internationally, the garden centre sector is clearly evolving. Businesses are becoming larger and more professional. Investors are taking a closer interest. Attention is shifting from total turnover to return per square metre. At the same time, flexibility is increasingly important, as seasons, product categories and customer expectations change more quickly than before. These developments are not instructions to follow, but signals worth reflecting on.

Every garden centre has its own identity, history and environment. What is universal are the questions that remain relevant everywhere. Does the whole still make sense? Do space, assortment and service reinforce each other? Would the shop feel intuitive to someone visiting for the first time? Garden centres that continue to ask these questions tend to remain relevant. Not by chasing trends, but by paying close attention to how people behave once they walk through the door.

Perhaps that is the most consistent lesson visible across borders: people may differ in culture and habit, but the way they experience space and make choices within it is surprisingly similar.

John Stanley

Email: john@johnstanley.com.au