Garden Centres

[david small]

There are over 2,000 fully stocked garden centres unable to open because of government orders. The insurance for loss of stock, and the government compensation involved will be astronomical. If supermarkets can achieve distances required, surely garden centres could even more easily. People need their gardens at a time like this. Common sense would save the treasury billions of pounds, and the sanity of many confined gardeners.

[naomi24]

I agree, David. Such a terrible waste.

[SparklyKid]

Lots of garden centres around us, I really feel for them.

[lady-janine]

Surely it can't be beyond them to organise themselves the same way as supermarkets and even do a home delivery scheme over a certain value and within a certain distance.

[theshedman]

We have a garden centre in Exeter who refuse to close. They have been told by the council to only sell hardware or to close. They argue that the Aldi store a couple of yards down the road from them are still allowed to sell plants but they are not. The same rules must apply to all stores if they want this to work properly.

[geevo41]

I agree, David, it's a stupid decision to close them. They could close the cafes and non-plant sections and just allow plants to be sold.

[derek-33]

more to the point what about all the little mammals in pet stores that will be got rid of because there closed. cheaper to dispose of them than keep going in to look after them as far as the store owners are concerned and most will be too old for sale by the time our "confinement "is over and closing garden centre is over the top as is most of these restrictions

[Prudie]

David agree with you, it's a wicked shame, I heard on news yesterday they were going to have to throw 1000s of plants and shrubs away. Of course it could be managed like supermarkets (and places like The Range who have stayed open under the rather loose 'hardware' description)..

[Ellipsis]

> Surely it can't be beyond them to organise themselves the same way as supermarkets and even do a home delivery scheme over a certain value and within a certain distance.

Actually that's a lot harder than it sounds! Most of these places have no website that displays the live stock, no ecommerce facility to take payments, and no courier network. The only way they can make it work is if people are allowed to go to them. But they would be really busy, even if the cafes were closed, as gardeners made a trip of it. And their workers would be exposed to hundreds of people going through the tills. It is difficult.

[Zacs-Master]

Dying plants or dying humans. Simple choice really.

[Mexican18]

My wife has just gone to a local garden centre.She rang first and paid for bird food.They told her a spot outside the store where she could pick it up!
All she has to do is get out of the car to put it in the boot!

[Ellipsis]

It's a big industry to allow to go to the wall:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52098436

[jno]

plants aren't necessary, not like food. (You could make an exception for veg.) Other than that, garden centre owners are just in the same boat as thousands of other retailers; I can't see why they should get special treatment.

[royfromaus]

If supermarkets can achieve distances required, surely pubs could even more easily.

[Zacs-Master]

Ellipsis, not as big as the travel or leisure industries.

[Gromit]

I agree.
They should be open and practice safe distancing.

[GenuineclAss]

https://www.groupon.co.uk/goods?nlp=&CID=UK&uu=c4b1d3c6-12a0-441d-bac2-1340e1d5cd6b&tx=0&utm_source=channel_goods&;utm_medium=email&;sid=f22f43a9-5fd0-4ec7-922e-655bde689a42_0_20200401_treatment1&t_division=bristol&date=20200104&sender=rm&s=header&c=image&;d=Groupon

Naughty me! I bought planters, plants and some other items not even relating to my garden on Groupon yesterday. They are still delivering via Hermes. Same lady as I always have. She just leaves stuff on the doorstep and knocks. She even shouts "Good Morning!" before she drives away.

[Ellipsis]

jno and Zacs, the plants will die. They are the "stock" of the business. These business will lose all of their stock, they won't be compensated for it and then they won't survive that. It's like every single one of them got flooded, without flood insurance.

The travel and leisure industries are getting special government support. The garden centre industry isn't. The article I linked to above states:

------------------------------------

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is asking the government for financial assistance of up to £250m to help the industry avoid collapse.

It warned that up to a third of producers could go bust.

Ornamental plant growers' main assets are their inventory of plants - and they are facing a loss of nearly their entire 2020 income, according to the HTA.

As one grower put it: "My car dealer down the road is shut. However painful that will be - they will still have all their vehicles.

"At roughly the same value, in three months' time, if I'm a nursery producing seasonal plants it will be nil."

[jno]

media companies are also struggling as advertisers block their ads from appearing next to virus stories, even good-news ones

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/01/newspapers-to-lose-50m-in-online-ads-as-firms-use-coronavirus-blacklist

[not an April Fool story]

[horselady]

Our local garden centre is going to do deliveries. Ring and discuss what you would like and they will bring. Great idea.

[Zacs-Master]

Ellipsis, garden centre workers can be furloughed just like thousands of other people. Breweries & distilleries have stocks of beer / spirits going off which will have to be disposed of. Where’s the difference?