Selfridges launches in-store gardening centres as interest grows in Covid crisis

Selfridges has opened new garden centres at its stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham stores, capitalising on the gardening boom that accelerated during the pandemic.

The retailer said the new centres will feature its own-label compost and an exclusive themed clothing range from Prada, and will form part of a creative theme for the year dubbed “Good Nature”.

Selfridges said it is launching the new range after the number of gardeners rose by 3 million last year, with nearly half of them aged under 45, as the nation turned to home pursuits during the pandemic.

The garden centres will also include a “potting shed” where customers can talk to experts and take part in workshops and events that will run between 25 June and 11 July. A dial-a-gardener problem-shooting consultation service is another feature of the plans.

“A garden centre is evocative but familiar, and has provided rich inspiration for our teams, literally and creatively,” said Hannah Emslie, the creative director at Selfridges. “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.”

A range of own-brand gardening merchandise will be sold in-store and online and Gary the gnome, a limited-edition mascot, will feature on a collection of caps, totes and T-shirts featuring slogans such as “herb your enthusiasm” and “horti-couture”.

There will also be a 16-piece range called Shakedown Garden, inspired by the Grateful Dead’s album Shakedown Street, giving the band’s “aesthetic of tie-dye, skulls, bears and roses a botanical spin”.

“We will be 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,” Selfridges said.

Last month, Selfridges obtained a licence to enable it to hold weddings at its flagship London department store.