Picture this: Spring isover, summer iscoming to a closeand all you canthink about are your

aching bones, dirty finger nails,sun-scorched face andcracked/blistered feet. One day, asyou are sitting in your officecrunching the numbers, hopingand praying that there is one morezero to be found on the end of thatspring total, in walks your best,most wealthy customer. They walkup to you and present you with acertificate for a day at the spa(because they wanted you to knowhow much they appreciate that youhave the best quality plant material,most exciting merchandise andbest customer service around), yousuddenly get whisked away andspend the day getting pamperedwith a massage, facial, pedicure,manicure, hair cut, makeover, andthe list goes on and on (yes, guysthis can be you too; we womenaren’t obsessed with spas just to getout of doing the dishes). Suddenlyyou realize, “wait, why I am heregetting this done at a luxurious spawhen I have all of the products inmy own store to do this at home?”

Ok, so that thought would notreally have entered your mind asyou were getting a heavenly mas-sage, but it was a good segway intowhat I am trying to get to, which iscarrying personal care items inyour store. Within the last 10 years,bath and body products havebecome a huge trend in the giftmarket. Ten years ago, these prod-ucts were considered a luxury or a

treat — something you got for spe-cial occasions (because they wereso expensive). Suddenly, personalcare has become affordable and ahot new item. Sure, there havealways been basic hand lotions andsoaps, but nothing like what we seetoday; it’s on almost every streetcorner. Stores such as Bath & BodyWorks, The Body Shop, Crabtreeand Evelyn, and more havebecome pampering powerhouses.There are products out there thatmake you smell good, add extramoisture, soothe you to sleep atnight, keep your hands fromcracking, anything and everythingto make your body a glowinghaven of youth and serenity.

BRING THE SPA HOMELast year, sales of personal care

products (e.g., soaps, cosmetics,lotions and potions) totaled $20.7billion, up about 4 percent from$19.9 billion from 2003, and thereare no signs that the growth isgoing to slow down, according to astudy done by Unity Marketing.Garden centers all across the coun-try are adding lotions, soaps, show-er gel and more to their giftdepartments because, plain andsimple, it is in such high demand.Ever since the big box vs. indepen-dent garden center (IGC) debatebecame so popular, IGCs havebeen looking for ways to stand out— to keep the customers comingto them instead of going to theboxes. Adding an extensive giftdepartment was one of the greatestideas. Most of this merchandisewill not only appeal to the cus-

Your customers work hard to make their gardens beautiful. What are some ways you can pamper them, make them feel special and keep them coming back to your store?

You already know that any time youcan bring people into your store it meansmore money, but have you thoughtabout using more than plants and fertiliz-er as bait? Many garden centers nowcarry home décor and gift items as a reg-ular part of their offering. What aboutother items? What about products thatare not usually considered garden prod-ucts…things like pet supplies andgourmet food? These kinds of ancillarycategories are proving profitable for gar-den centers around the country.

“Developing Markets,” a monthlyseries that will appear in each issue ofLawn & Garden Retailer, will profileeight of these potential new markets,giving insight into the health of themarket, relating how other garden cen-ters have mastered the category andprofiling some of the best new productsin the category.

January: Pet SuppliesFebruary: Gourmet Food

March: TabletopApril: Linens

June: Stationery July: Personal Care

August: JewelryNovember: Collectables

By Catherine Evans

PamperingYour Customers

D E V E L O P I N G M A R K E T S

5 6 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R J U L Y 2 0 0 5

*Developing Markets 6/16/05 4:52 PM Page 56

tomer visually but physically aswell. That is where personal careitems come into play.

Garden centers are looking tooffer the home gardener thewhole experience of gardening,not just the materials to put thegarden in place. There are the gar-den accents to add ambiance, theoutdoor living materials to show itall off, the nick knacks to bring ahint of the garden inside and theluxury personal care items to pam-per the customer after spendinglong hours in the garden trying tomake it beautiful.

Manufacturers are making itmuch easier for garden centers toadd these types of items to theirgift departments by adding gar-deners’ lines of lotions, soaps, sunscreen, chap stick, shower gel, etc.Gardeners feel that there is some-thing out there for them; someonecares about all of the hard workthey do in the yard to make it lookso beautiful, and now they deserveto be pampered because of it.

IMPLEMENTATIONYes, many garden centers have

been housing personal care itemsfor a while now, but not all areusing the product line to its fulladvantage, or worse, some gardencenters have not started carryingthose items at all. This categoryhas huge potential to add a lot ofvolume to your gift sales…as longas you do it the right way.

If you are off to a slow start orwant to start carrying personalcare items, there are some goodways to see if customers aregoing to bite or not:

Many times just setting up a

small display at the cash regis-ter is one way to grab theshopper’s attention. Make itan impulse item. Have a sam-ple of some of the items sit-ting right there so they cantry it in line and grab one onthe way out.

Personal care companieshave tons of product samplesand usually don’t mind givingthem out to show people whattheir product is all about. Askthe manufacturer for some freesamples and use them in a pro-motion (spend $10 and get afree lotion sample) or have aday where everyone that walks

though the door gets a free sam-ple (this is also a good idea forthose off-season times when youare looking for things to bring cus-tomers into the store.)

In Judy Sharpton’s article onpage 14, she suggests that gardenscenters should invest in a contain-er gardening department, and inthat department there should bean area where the customer canget their hands dirty and pot upsome plants. However, that shouldnot be the case unless there is anice sink right there to clean upwith. What better place to putthose new personal care productsfor the customer to try?

Finally, carry the brands thatare designed specifically for gar-deners. People tend to feel specialwhen a product is made specifical-ly for them, and they are drawn toit. They will stand there and readthe package and think, “yes, I getcracked hands after gardening; Ido tend to get a little sun burned;I would like some good anti-bacte-rial soap to clean up with.” Thatconnection with the product willoften be enough to make the sale.

CATERING TO THE CUSTOMER

There are so many things youcan do to help introduce thesekinds of products to your cus-tomers. But ultimately, who are thecustomers you want to introducethis type of product line to? We allknow that 80 percent of your cus-tomer base is women, and wholoves to be pampered more thananyone in this world? Women.

Personal care product packag-ing and POP are usually geared ➧

D E V E L O P I N G M A R K E T S

Personal care items have been inand out of some garden centersfor at least a decade now. One

garden center has really hit the mark whenit comes to successful retailing of theseitems. I spoke to Avis Jones, garden giftbuyer for Peninsula Gardens, Gig Harbor,Wa., to learn about how popular the cate-gory is in their garden center; maybe theyhave a few good ideas for you.

How long have you been stocking per-sonal care items?

For about 10 years.

What made you decide to add person-al care items?

Basically, because we have a largepercentage of female customers. But, theother reason we carry them, I think, isbecause we’re a garden center, and gar-dening is about flowers. Flowers definitelyare attractive because of their floral scent,so we kind of carry that theme indoors, sowhen you’re not gardening outside youcan have it inside.

How much space do you devote to thecategory?

We probably have 4-6 fixtures full ofpersonal care products.

What kinds of products do you sell? Our main line is The Thymes, and the

reason we selected that is because theyhave wonderful packaging. It’s a productthat was originally started by a couple ofwomen in Minnesota. Their fragrances arewonderful. They have some really core onesthat are kind of like standards now that peo-ple come in and ask for. Customers gethooked on them, and they want them. Acouple of the main ones are eucalyptus andlavender. They also have a specialty onecalled Gold Leaf Hydrangea that’s reallypopular. They also introduce new scentsevery year; they’re usually coming out witha new scent and retiring others based onhow it’s selling. They’ve also added a linethat is focused on kitchen. It’s not just bathcare; it’s also cleaners for the countertopand some linen-washing products, so it’s anice way to broaden the line and havesomething more than personal care.

What is your philosophy in choosingproducts?

I think quality packaging is really impor-tant. You can have a great product, but ifit’s not packaged interestingly enoughpeople are not going to be drawn to it.Also the number of SKUs in the line [isimportant]. The more interesting lines have

a number of things in the assortment tochoose from. I mentioned that The Thymeshad the kitchen segment along with thebath segment. They also have candles.Our customers like some core things, butthey also like to see some innovation andsome change, so I think that’s one of thekey things that we look for.

What products sell best?One of our top sellers in almost any

line is going to be hand cream. I wouldsay it would be at least 50 percent of ourpersonal care sales. That might be a littlehigh, but it’s up there. People will comein and buy just the hand cream. But theylike the scent, and all of a sudden, theycome in and buy all of the other products.

What kind of margin do you get onpersonal care items?

We get about 52 percent. One of thethings I find that’s important is to havelots of testers and samples to give out,and this company [The Thymes] is verygood about giving us free testers andsamples. They don’t charge us for thetesters and samples.

Who is responsible for product selec-tion? Helping customers?

I am. We also have a fairly extensive sell-ing staff with the cashiers and sales peopleas well. We have a floor staff that is on theselling floor working with customers. I’m outthere too, but they are the main ones.

Does this category bring people intothe store more often or when theywouldn’t otherwise be there?

I t does. They actual ly come inbecause of it, and I think the breadth ofthe line is important. Sometimes if youhave too small of an assortment it doesnot make a strong statement, and you’renot known for carrying that. The Thymesalso protects territories fairly well, so if acustomer is coming to us they know thatwe are the key place in the area. If anoth-er store in our marketplace is carrying it,they usually have scents we don’t have sothat we’re not crossing over.

J U L Y 2 0 0 5 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R 5 7

*Developing Markets 6/16/05 4:52 PM Page 57

toward women. Give the women a special day at your garden center. Call itwomen’s appreciation day, and use these personal care items to your advantage.We all talk about how we want to sell more plants, we need to make peopleunderstand that our quality is better or our customer service is better, right? Whatbetter way to do that than by pampering the very people who are going to seethose characteristics the most.

Catherine Evans is managing editor of Lawn & Garden Retailer. She can be reached by phoneat (847) 391-1050 or E-mail at cevans@sgcmail.com.

5 8 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R J U L Y 2 0 0 5

pleasevisit

ourwebsite

www.devroomen.com

P.O. Box 189, Russell IL, 60075 U.S.A.Phone +1 847 395 9911 Fax +1 800 395 9920

e-mail: sales@devroomen.com

Rely on De Vroomen Holland

De Vroomen Holland has built its reputation in the dynamic anddemanding markets of the USA,Canada and Europe. Actual knowl-edge of the customers’ needs and of innovations result in services and products which guarantee optimum resale opportunities.

Garden Joy product line

De Vroomen developed the GardenJoy concept to help you in present-ing the products in a very attractiveand professional way. Products canbe delivered in packages, quantitiesand sizes that fit your situationbest. A wide range of prepackedbulbs and perennials on woodendisplays will fit in any garden center or shop.

De Vroomen has a lot to offer:

• Quality products for reasonableprices

• Sales advice for retail• Attractive sales and promotional

materials• Regular new introductions• A wide assortment with both

specialties and common products• Planting advice for growers• High quality, fast and professional

after-sales service• Illustrated catalogs, flyers and

perennial tags• A wide variety of bulbs and

perennials for summer and winter• Personal care right from the first

contact

A wide variety of bulbs and perennialsfor all seasonsA wide variety of bulbs and perennialsfor all seasons

Write in 783

RESOURCESAssociationsThe Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Associationwww.ctfa.org

Trade ShowsHBA Health & BeautyAmericawww.hbaexp.org

CTFA Annual Meetingwww.ctfa.org

D E V E L O P I N G M A R K E T S

1. Skin care line The Gardeners Skin Care Line has been developed for a gardener’s skin care needs. Products include: Gardeners HandShield for dry, cracked hands; Gardeners Sun Shield with SPF 30 for sun protection; Body Shield for dry elbows, necks,legs; Anti-Aging Shield for fine lines and facial wrinkles; Friction Shield for blisters and calluses; Pain Shield for Burns forsunburn and minor burns; and Pain Shield for Bug Bites for itching and pain from insect bites. All seven products come in avinyl travel case with a pair of gardening gloves. Stanmar Laboratories. (816) 421-8081. Write in 1534

2. Product line The Mama’s line of personal care items includes Mama’s Back’s All Better, Mama’s Feet Are Fine, Mama’s Tummy Rub,Mama’s Headache’s Gone and Mama’s Lavender Baby Soap (available with pink or blue label). Cedar Creek Products.(715) 385-9156. Write in 1529

3. Soap AP Soap Gardener’s 3.5 oz. in clay green has calendula and comfrey for hardworking hands. The ingredients include palm oil,coconut oil, water, sodium hydroxide, glycerin, honey, comfrey extract, calendula extract, lanolin, fragrance and vegetablecolor. Baudelaire. (800) 327-2324. Write in 1528

4. Soaps River Soap’s long lasting 4.5-oz. French milled soaps are all vegetable based, biodegradable and cruelty free. The colorsare derived from natural spices and botanicals. Essential oil scents the soaps and sweet almond oil makes them extramoisturizing. River Soap Company. (415) 552-3322. Write in 1533

1

23

4

*Developing Markets 6/16/05 4:53 PM Page 58

J U L Y 2 0 0 5 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R 5 9

Write in 751

D E V E L O P I N G M A R K E T S

5. Body buffer Rosemary Mint Dead Sea Salt Body Buffer exfoliates dry, overworked skin and moisturizes in one easy step. This bodybuffer has all-natural salt scrub made with Dead Sea salt, exotic African shea butter, and skin softening sweet almondand jojoba oils. Scented with the stimulating essential oils of rosemary and peppermint, this body buffer is an all-bodyscrub, especially for the soothing of feet and hands. Indian River Soap Co. (321) 723-6464. Write in 1532

6. Lotion Aloe-Comfrey Lotion is light yet moisturizing and rich in the healing powers of the garden. Aloe reduces the effects ofsun and windburns, while comfrey increases the skin’s regenerative abilities. Suisune. (800) 457-0986. Write in 1535

7. Nail care kit The Manicure in a Jar includes professional grade stainless steel components, including a cuticle trimmer, nail clipper,tweezers, scissors and Nail + Cuticle Care formula, all packaged in a compact, travel-friendly case. Also encased is aFour-sided Filing Block ranging from coarse to super-fine: the coarser side to smooth rough, dry skin and calluses andthe finer side to sand down rough edges around the nails. Earth Therapeutics. (800) 789-3579. Write in 1530

8. Moisturizing Scrub All-natural Creamy Moisturizing Scrub is formulated especially for the gardener to deep clean and exfoliate dry,damaged skin. Creamy Moisturizing Scrub will leave abused hands clean, soft and protected. Natural ingredientslike shea butter, aloe and jojoba are not harmful to you or the environment. It’s available in several fragrances and isscented using only pure essential oils. Attractively packaged in an easy-to-use, 4-oz., recyclable jar. Wayward WindsLavender LLC. (503) 662-4488. Write in 1536

9. Hand cream These antioxidant-rich, restorative hand creams are designed to improve the texture of active hands. The creams contain ablend of pure essential oils that heal and protect the skin, mango seed butter, vitamins A and E, Betaglucan to aid in skin repair,and an herbal infusion to soothe and heal dry hands. EO Products. (800) 570-3775. Write in 1531

5

6

7

8 9LearnMore!For more information related to this article, go to www.lgrmag.com/lm.cfm/lg070507

*Developing Markets 6/16/05 4:53 PM Page 59