Fiskars brand ambassador James Wong urged garden centres at Glee today to up their game in merchandising plants and garden products.

In a talk in Glee's Retail Inspiration Theatre (hall 17), he said he believed garden centres were not always as good at merchandising as their counterparts in grocery and the high street. “Merchandising is not just about doing something new but about putting things together in a way that tells a story,” he said.

He also warned garden centres should not forget the primary reason why people visit them. “I am not snobby about it and I am commercially minded but even when customers leave without buying a plant or a packet of seeds after just having a cup of coffee, they have chosen the garden centre rather than a high street Costa because they are looking for a horticultural experience,” he said. “They need to be reminded of that from the moment they walk through the door.”