North America's Resource for Garden Retailing - Since 2000 | |
Your Monday Morning Wake Up Call... | |
|
Rise & Shine... It's Day 134 and Week 20 of 2024 | |
|
Creative Juices
by Danny Summers
Real creativity, what we may call Creative Juices, must take a special kind of focus and attention. It may require quiet space to really unplug and block out all the typical hustle and bustle you normally experience in the work setting. I decided to ask Tom Kegley what he does to be in the best position for his most creative work. Here's what Tom said:
"In my work, CREATIVITY is equal parts INSPIRATION (concept) and PERSPIRATION (execution). Given this notion of Applied Creativity, I’ll focus on the front end. How does something intangible as INSPIRATION happen?
For me, it’s a process that begins with listening to my client and understanding their need. And then… with a leap of faith, I patiently wait (with the pressure of the tic-toc of the deadline clock!). The waiting room is time and space– driving in the car, morning coffee, sitting, standing, walking, conscious and unconscious thoughts, looking at clouds, cab sav, the half-awake state right before and after sleep, dreams, experiences. The room is vast.
And out of this amorphousness comes the new way to present something, the idea outside the box, convention turned on its head, the ‘aha’…the inspiration.
Hard, ain’t it hard, but I love the challenge and the result after the perspiration part!"
Tom shared a few slides from his presentation at The Fall Event 2023... they fit perfectly in this conversation...
| |
|
Pollinators, as a potential subject, has been a hot topic and continues to be an important area for Centers to build stories and content around. You heard this emphasized by Sid Raisch at The Fall Event 2023.
Last week, Group Center Earth Works in Jacksonville, Florida shared a new Pollinator Video they produced. It features Matthew Barlow, Earth Work's Retail Manager as "the Bee Man". At first glance, the video caught my attention and got me laughing. It grabbed my attention, was entertaining and had an interesting message. And, it was quick.
After watching it several times, I sent Earth Works the following message, "Matthew and all… I just saw the crazy-good video on FB… You guys are Way Over the Top! Congrats on being so creative. Give me a little backstory on the development too. Who’s idea was it… was it difficult to get Matt to dress up like this (probably not)… and more?"
Terri McGregor, Earth Work's Marketing Director, replied, "It sure is hilarious, and you're correct; Matt needed zero coaxing to put that suit on! Over this season, we have watched our interactions and views closely, and it is apparent that 1. Having our people's faces speaking on camera holds attention and 2. You must grab the audience within the first couple of seconds. And 3. The wackier, funnier, or sillier, the better."
Here's a teaser of the Earth Works Pollinator message. When you are finished reading all of this GROUPtalk, be sure to head over the blog to watch it and others we feature below.
| |
|
At this point (after you watch the video) you will be wondering... how did they do this? What did they use to shoot the video? I was certainly wondering, so I asked. Terri said, "It's an Insta360 X3 Camera. The 360 means just that. It shoots with two fish-eye 180-degree type lenses on opposite sides of this small device.
I followed up and asked, "How did you do the fish-eye or distorted look when Matt was following the camera… giving that “nose at the camera (and nose in the flowers) look?”
Terri said, "We filmed it with a special Insta360 Camera. A couple clips are with our videographer holding the camera. The clips where he is running through the nursery and the "nose in the flowers look", it is with a special selfie stick in his mouth!"
Digging into the Insta360 x3, you will find it captures 5.7K video. You have different options of how much of the 360 you want to use... front, rear, either side, or even all 360-degree views. The special Insta360 selfie stick is INVISIBLE to the Insta360 camera so if you look closely the person in the view may have a hand extended slightly but you don't see the selfie stick or camera!
I also knew Steve Kendall would have some experience to share on more of the equipment (the PERSPIRATION part Kegley mentioned) on this type of camera and process. So I asked and here's what he said:
"I have previously used the earlier version of the GoPro Max to capture a 360-degree stroll through a garden path and a person pruning a boxwood. I used Adobe Premier Pro to edit the footage for final use. Within Premier Pro, you could edit the final video to be viewed as a 360-degree interactive video, allowing the viewer to scroll left, right up, and down to see the full effect of the 360-degree field of view, or you can edit the footage to create a traditional video with various unique whimsical distorted viewing perspectives.
The camera has two 180-degree lenses, capturing a full 360 degrees. The two pieces of footage are automatically stitched together within the GoPro software, producing an entire 360-degree field of view. Adobe Premier Pro has additional editing tools to take the footage and distort it in either a concave or convex format, allowing you to create some fun visuals a traditional camera can’t achieve.
We used poles of various lengths to raise the camera higher, giving the viewer a different perspective of the subject matter. It takes some experimenting and testing but yields a creative way to capture and view video."
Here's an introduction video to the Insta360 x3 (they even have an x4 now): Website
| |
And here's an introduction video to the GoPro Max: Website | |
|
Obviously quite a bit of this conversation is focused on the "gear-side" of how this is done as well as Steve Kendall's sharing of post-video processing ideas, but this all begins with... as Tom Kegley says... CREATIVITY is equal parts INSPIRATION and PERSPIRATION.
Congrats to Earth Works for sharing your creative ideas with all of The Group!
Keep the Creative Juices going!
| |
|
Sharing is at the heart of The Group and your ideas are very important. If you have any trouble logging into The Group WebSystem, please let me know. Are you and your staff all subscribed to our eLists such as GroupEs, Retail-Grower, Retail-Landscape, Owners-Only, and a number of others including one for Marketing and even Tropicals? Need help subscribing? Let me know so I can show you how you can sign up.
Thanks for sharing!
Danny Summers
danny@thegardencentergroup.com
Tel: 678-909-7770, Cell: 678-761-7145
REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, John Kennedy, Jean Seawright, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!
This full article is also available on The Group Blog: CLICK HERE!
| |
|
The Fall Event 2024 - Spotlight
New Sponsors you will see at The Fall Event 2024:
| |
We see Architectural Supplements every year at TPIE and they have been a leader in decorative containers for the Interiorscape market. But now they have several designs and sizes for Garden Centers to sell! Click on their logo for details. | |
|
Bloomin Easy is a collection of unique plants we have recognized in our Retailers' Choice Awards and we see them at both Cultivate and Farwest. It's a brand created by Van Belle Youngplants in British Columbia and are being produced by leading growers across North America. Click on their logo for details.
| |
Watch for more Sponsor Spotlights as we introduce both new Sponsors and Products! | |
|
The Fall Event 2024
Program, Registration, Hotel, Travel and More!
Details of The Fall Event 2024 in Dallas, Texas, are now available on the Group Websystem. This includes schedule, program, registration, and a special hotel block at the Dallas Marriott Downtown. We will be adding more details in the weeks to come. Simply click on the Register Now link below.
| |
|
And for the very first time, we have an official airline for The Fall Event 2024 – Delta Airlines is offering special discounts. See all the details of both our official Hotel and Airline and make reservations on the Hotel & Travel page...click the Register Now button!
| |
|
GROUPtalk LIVE Monthly Online Program
The 2nd Thursday of each month at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Eastern
Mark Your Calendar for these upcoming sessions:
| |
- Thursday, June 13, 2024
- Thursday, July 11, 2024
- Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024
- Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024
- Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024
- Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024
- Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024
| |
|
Thinking DIFFERENTLY about Fall & Winter
[TBA - Mark Your Calendar!]
[TBA - Mark Your Calendar!]
[TBA - Mark Your Calendar!]
[TBA - Mark Your Calendar!]
[TBA - Mark Your Calendar!]
[TBA - Mark Your Calendar!]
| |
In the coming weeks, watch for more 2024 GROUPtalk LIVE topics and schedule. | |
|
And finally this week, we share the second part of Tim Quebedeaux's 2023 P&L Study Review. The level of learning from the P&L Study drives our passion for building on your Center's success. Tim will be sharing details on how we are drilling down even more at The Fall Event 2024.
Make it a great week!
Danny
| | |
|
|
"Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought."
~ Albert Einstein
| |
|
2023 P&L Study Review - Part B
by Tim Quebedeaux
Part B – “Best Practices Standards” – Physical Facility, Revenues, Payment Types, and Labor Hours
Last week we saw how the Bubble Chart shows us how important the bottom line (Profit) is, over the top line (Revenues). It states, “It is not how much you SELL, it is how much you KEEP."
After identifying those Garden Centers that kept more than others in 2023, we begin to look at what standards they set. Besides the big KPI’s reported in the first part of the study, we now investigate the next few KPI’s measured in the study.
Physical Facility
Revenues, Payment Types, and Labor Hours
Your Physical Facility is an important part of how your business is defined. The way you are set up leads to what you sell. And remember, you are what you sell… and those Garden Centers that are more profitable, tend to offer/sell more perishable products. So, I ask… Are you set up to allow for more perishable sales vs non-perishables? Outside of your Revenues by category percentages, the following benchmarks will reveal the efficiency of your facility.
We measure three major ratios, Revenues per Parking Space, Revenues per Acre, and Revenues per POS Terminal. By measuring these key ratios, we compare against the benchmarks as an alarm bell. If you are generating more than the standard in any of these metrics, you should be alarmed not into action but into investigation. For example, if you are generating more than one million per POS terminal, then you want to look at your busiest weekend to determine if you need to increase the number of terminals to handle peak business. From there respond as needed.
Again in 2023 the Best of the Best maxed out these ratios, overperforming in each, especially compared to total group. Even with revenues decreasing two years in a row, they are still very efficient with their facilities to convert those revenues into profit with minimal disruptions from their facilities. Having said that, how much more could they have done with more parking spots or more terminals during THE busiest times of the year? If you are maxing out your facility ratios, but are not making the profit… How can you improve your facilities to increase your profitability?
The next section, I see as the yearly wrap-up of the Big Three KPIs we monitor weekly on the Weekly Department Review: Revenues, Average Sale, Transaction Counts. With the annual P&L Sudy, we see the Year End numbers instead of the weekly data.
As a group, we saw Revenues decrease by 3.5%, with an increase in Average Sale of 1.7% and a decrease in transaction counts of 5.3%. We go a step further in these numbers and look at several that tie in the P&L KPIs (Costs or Expenses). We look at Business Cost per transaction, which is the cost of business (Cost of Goods, Operating Expense, and Wage & Wage Benefits) per transaction. This is a great teacher to employees of how the business works. Compare Average Sale of the Group, $83.79, with Business Cost per transaction, $76.01, showing that of the almost $84 sale, it costs over $75 to do business. Enlightening employees to the cost of making a profit in the Garden Center, not all the money goes to owners’ pockets!
Continuing to monitor the newly measured online Revenues (started in 2022), we see this as a potential essential part of doing business going forward. We measured it as 0.8% of total revenues this year, up from 0.7%. For perspective, this is less than half of the categories we measure.
Payment Types show the difference between Credit/Debit Cards, Checks, and Cash. This year we see an 89% of Revenues in Credit/Debit cards, 5% in checks, and 6% in cash. This is not a notable difference from 2022, but a change from 2021. The shift from use of cash to credit/debit cards, from 85% and 10% respectively is an interesting shift during these economic times.
The last metric to discuss from this part is GMROL, Gross Margin Return on Labor Hours. This is a great measure of productivity. Are the labor hours you are investing in producing enough margin dollars to sustain business? I use this metric along with W&WB percentage to evaluate productivity.
| |
You can see the Best of the Best is very efficient with their labor hours matching their better-than-goal W&WB percentage. If you had a low GMROII and a high W&WB percentage, then you have an issue…. You need to generate more margin dollars with the same hours spent (being more efficient) or spend fewer hours to generate the same amount of margin dollars (also being more efficient). Either way, things need to change…. Where do you stand on this important KPI? | |
Next week, we will cover the report card for Inventory Control: Turns and GMROII, and the ultimate report card for your business… Your Balance Sheet! | |
|
Got questions or need more information about The Group's the Annual P&L Study or the Weekly Department Review (WDR)? Give Tim a call or email.
Tim Quebedeaux
Cell: 770.355.6249
Email: CLICK HERE
Tim Quebedeaux, RetailKPI Consulting, is a service provider for The Garden Center Group and manages all Group financial sharing programs. The Weekly Department Review (WDR) and The Annual P&L Study are industry exclusives developed by The Garden Center Group and are included in your retainer!
REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, Jean Seawright, John Kennedy, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer! So what are you waiting for? Take advantage of all that The Group has to offer and give them a call or send an email now!
This full article is also available on The Group Blog: CLICK HERE!
| |
|
You're Invited - Retailers' Choice Awards™
at Cultivate'24 - Sunday, July 14th
Join us to participate in the Retailers' Choice Awards™ at Cultivate'24, Sunday, July 14th in Columbus, OH.
Being a part of the new product selection team is a fun and productive way for you to find new products. We meet at the beginning of the show day following the General Session. You work the show floor at your own pace, and then we meet at the end of the day to compare notes. You get to see what everyone else discovered (and see them yourself the next day on the show floor). This can be a rewarding experience for your Garden Center!
Sign up and receive a special offer for participating... you will receive a special code to access AmericanHort Member Pricing and save $200 on All Access Registration ($20 savings on Expo Only). SIGN UP TODAY and help discover hot new products for 2025!
| |
|
You're Invited - Retailers' Choice Awards™
at Farwest 2024 - August 21st
Join us to participate in the Retailers' Choice Awards™ at Farwest 2024, Wednesday, August 21st in Portland, OR.
Being a part of the new product selection team is a fun and productive way for you to find new products. We meet at 10 am and you will receive your nomination form. Then work the show floor at your own pace, and meet at the end of the day to compare notes. You get to see what everyone else discovered (and see them yourself the next day on the show floor). This can be a rewarding experience for your Garden Center!
Sign up and receive a special offer for participating... you will receive a special code to receive a FREE Show Badge. SIGN UP TODAY! and help discover hot new products for 2025!
| |
OUR PARTNERS FOR SUCCESS...
Our Partners for Success recognize the unique nature of the independent garden center operation and are interested in developing methods that can help improve retailer/vendor relationships through open dialog, new product introductions and, when possible, special pricing for Group Clients. We encourage you to reach out to these "Partners" and "Harness the Power of The Group." Follow the links below for more information.
| | |
|
Ball Seed
Partnering with The Garden Center Group to help grow your business and Color the World!
Ball Seed is the leading North American distribution company in annuals, perennials, vegetables, tropicals, potted plants, cut flowers and more. You know us for some of our key products like Wave, Burpee and now WebTrack and WebTrack To Go (mobile version), Ball Seed's industry-leading business management system to place and track orders, manage business online and find images and marketing support tools.
| | |
|
Eason Horticultural Resources
We know your time is valuable. EHR is here to offer time-saving solutions for all your production, landscape, or retail needs. Whether you’re looking for unrooted cuttings, plugs, liners, bulbs, shrubs, trees, or tropicals, or you need to stock hardscape supplies, soils, pots, and tags, our dedicated team is here to do the work for you! Finding products at the best prices & meeting your needs is our goal as your business partner. Learn More Direct Access
| | |
|
|
EPICOR for Retail
Made With Retailers, For Retailers
Get a solution made with retailers, for retailers, packed with the features you need to compete in independent retail. Our industry-leading solutions can help you transform your business from the cash register to the warehouse, accounting to the field, and up and down the supply chain.
With 50 years of experience, Epicor's point of sale and inventory management solutions can save you time and money with comprehensive implementation, a more intuitive user experience, and fewer headaches trying to explain your business and its unique needs. Plus we have features and expertise specific to over 10 retail specialties.
Learn More
| | |
|
Everde Growers®
Growing Plants for Life
Everde Growers is a leader in the horticulture industry with a national footprint extending from the Pacific Northwest to southern Florida. Our 15 farms encompass over 6,700 acres and grow over 33 million plants per year, with over 5,000 unique varieties. Everde Growers is committed to serving as a trusted partner for our customers, providing innovative solutions and superior quality plants that add value to their business.
| | |
|
The Espoma Company
A natural in the garden since 1929.
| | |
|
Overdevest Nurseries
Growing exclusively for independent, local garden centers since 1952.
| | |
|
Prides Corner Farms
Our goal is to be your best business partner, a partner that helps you grow, helps you sell and helps you to be more profitable.
| | |
|
Star® Roses & Plants
From the revolutionary Knock Out® and Drift® Roses to Bushel and Berry®, Bloomables® and breakthrough trees and shrubs, Star® Roses and Plants is a leading genetics company involved directly in breeding roses, perennials and woody plants, and introducing varieties from other breeders around the world.
| | |
|
Willoway Nurseries
Growing for Generations – Cultivating Relationships for a Lifetime
Willoway Nurseries, based in Ohio, is a progressive, forward-thinking company. Although we are a third-generation family-owned business, we are known for always being at the forefront of the horticulture industry with technology, marketing, and growing techniques. We pride ourselves on our established roots and vision to grow for generations into the future.
Sales contact page, Crop photos, Dock Walk, and Online ordering and availability portal - all available HERE.
Don’t forget to sign up at the bottom of our website for our weekly newsletter to keep updated on things shipping and new plants.
| |
Thank You to all of our Sponsors of The Fall Event 2024. Be sure to click on their logo to visit their webpage to learn more about their products. New this year, we will host a Sponsor Showdown on Monday, September 22 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm – just before the Opening Session at 1:00pm. See details below. | | |
American Beauties Native Plants | |
AmericanHort/Cultivate 2024 | |
Architectural Supplements | | |
|
|
JR Peters/Jack's Fertilizers | |
Lawn & Garden Retailer Magazine | |
Master Nursery Garden Centers | |
|
Morning Dew Tropical Plants | |
|
|
National Garden Bureau
All-American Selections | |
|
| |
|
Plant Development Services | |
| |
|
Prospiant Greenhouse Structures | |
|
Proven Winners/Spring Meadows | |
Proven Winners/The Plant Co. | |
|
Tropical Plant Industry Exposition | |
|
|
|
Monday, September 22
11:00 am to 12:30 pm
| |  |
|
Get in on the action as we kick off The Fall Event 2024 with our Sponsor Showdown – where you'll have the opportunity to face off with our Sponsors. See and hear about the biggest and best products in Dallas, Texas. This will be a fun and interactive time to mix and mingle with other participants and meet our Sponsors before our Welcome Session begins at 1:00 pm. Visit each sponsor for clues to enter our contest for exciting giveaways! Visit the Watering Hole to quench your thirst and grab a light bite before the afternoon sessions begin.
| | |
The Group Partnership with Constant Contact
Saves You 10 to 25% Off!
It is pretty easy to tell, we really like Constant It is the only email marketing system we have used for The Group since the beginning and there's good reason for that. It's the best! Now, our connection with Constant Contact is even closer with our partnership with Constant Contact to help Group Clients save 10 to 25%. Just see what you are paying now and check out the possible savings over the entire year.
Already a Constant Contact Customer? You can transfer your account under The Group's Partnership and SAVE! Ask Danny for details!
Complete details are now on The Group's WebSystem - in CLIENTS-ONLY MENU!
| |
GROUPtalk is a service of The Garden Center Group and is intended strictly for current Group Client owners, staff members, Group Vendors/Sponsors, and Group Service Providers and Group Staff. As a subscriber to The Garden Center Group e-publications, you are included in this distribution. We will be happy to change your subscriptions upon request. Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the The Garden Center Group, LLC. | | | | |
