Selfridges has opened its first garden centres in the London, Manchester and Birmingham branches of the department store, in a bid to take a share of the booming market for all things garden related, which accelerated during lockdowns.
Selfridges said it is: “Retailing plants, compost and garden gnomes alongside special and unexpected Selfridges products with a sense of fun and imagination as we continue to explore pleasure in nature this year.”
The new garden centre features, which are part of Selfridges Good Nature creative theme for this year, include the retailer’s own-label compost, a clothing range by Prada, limited edition, Gary the Gnome and a ‘potting shed’ concept where customers have been taking part in events and workshops and consulting in-store experts about their horticultural questions.
Gary the gnome is the mascot for the theme and also features on an own-brand collection of caps, totes and T-shirts featuring slogans such as “Herb your enthusiasm” and “Horti-couture”. Another range called Shakedown Garden – inspired by Grateful Dead album, Shakedown Street – teams the band’s signature tie-dye, skulls and bears with roses and other botanical design elements.
The creative director of Selfridges, Hannah Emslie, said: “A garden centre is evocative but familiar, and has provided rich inspiration for our teams, literally and creatively. We know our customers are more interested in gardening and greening than they ever have been. And so we are playing with the idea by bringing the essentials of a typical garden centre to our stores.”
Selfridges has also obtained a licence to enable it to hold weddings at its flagship London department store.
