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Fedden USP
It's a Growing Business for a Lean Garden Centre
1st August 2011A New Forest garden centre that describes itself as Beaulieu's 'hidden gem', is bucking the national trend by reporting a significant increase in sales after applying business improvement techniques tried and tested in Japan's automotive industry.
It may seem a long way from Toyota to Fairweather's Garden Centre, but the introduction of ‘lean’ tools and techniques has helped increase average customer spend by 20% during a period of generally declining industry-wide sales.
“The lean project has radically changed the flow of the business, making it easier to present product and handle customers,” says David Aylieff-Sansom, Manager, Fairweather’s Garden Centre. “From the outset, our primary objective was to increase customer spend – from our established customers as well as from ‘tourist’ trade - but it was key that we achieved this while keeping a warm and friendly feeling to the shopping experience. The investment in both time and capital works has been paid back in year one with ease.”
Fairweather’s enlisted the support of Neil Fedden, one of the UK’s leading lean manufacturing specialists, to run the business improvement project as part of a Horticultural Trades Association initiative.
Over a three-day period, Fedden helped the Fairweather’s project team to focus on customer value, on minimising wasteful activities and on re-designing the layout of the centre. As a result, the entrance was moved to optimise customer flow, till areas and counters were redesigned to reduce bottlenecks, plant display areas were reconfigured and new sales sites were created.
Says Neil Fedden of Fedden USP: “Toyota created the concept of lean manufacturing many years ago – but the tools and techniques for identifying value, reducing waste, and redesigning processes to enhance productivity and drive up sales are as valid in the horticultural sector as they are in automotive.”
Shaun Bowen of Fairweather’s agrees: “We are really pleased with the impact that the changes have had – and we still have lots of improvement ideas yet to implement.”
Fairweather’s prides itself on its wide range of plants and its expert advice. The centre has a particular expertise in lavender, heuchera and agapanthus which, along with many of the other plants, are grown in Beaulieu.
For the Fairweather Garden Centre case study, click here
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Media enquiries to: Philip Colley or Charlotte Lockwood, Harvest. Tel: 023 9244 9655 philip.colley@harvestpr.co.uk / charlotte.vine@harvestpr.co.uk
