Business Startup

Ann Winnery and her sister Helen Tomlinson had been keen gardeners for a number of years but with help from the Business Start Up initiative, they have been able to turn an amateur interest into a professional and highly successful garden centre business.

The move to establish the venture came about when they received an offer from another local company, Bridge House Farm Tearooms to rent their spare space. Based in the picturesque village of Wray in rural Lancashire, it sells food and craft items and attracts large numbers of tourist visitors every year.

Ann commented: “The site had space for a second retail business and the owners were aware of our passion for gardening. They offered Helen and myself the chance to rent the compound within the grounds at very reasonable rates.”

The sisters' wanted to make sure that they were armed wit the right information when it came to marketing the business and pricing a range of exclusive gardening products such as containers and ornaments that could not be found in other garden centres. Enterprise4All advisers were called upon to provide general business advice and deliver one to one support.

“We wanted to provide products that would attract people such as ourselves who wanted something unusual and unique for their gardens. Enterprise4All really helped coming to visit us on the site and making recommendations on how we could start to establish and promote ourselves,” Ann added.

The sisters' idea has proved to be a winning formula and the company is now trading very successfully. The mix of products draws considerable interest from customers and in its first six months the business achieved healthy sales despite a very wet summer and worsening economic conditions.

Importantly, Greenfoot Gardens is developing a very positive, solid reputation within the marketplace and it is attracting customers from across the county. It has a mutually beneficial relationship with Bridge House Farm Tearooms and the signs are that both companies will continue to thrive.

Products available from the centre include a wide variety of plants, mulch, compost, terracotta and contemporary glazed pots and ready planted containers as well as natural stone planters, which can be produced to customers' own designs.

More information about Greenfoot Gardens can be found by calling 015242 21184 or by visiting the company's website: www.greenfootgardens.co.uk.