Entirely new concept for 250 Aveve garden centres

All Aveve garden centres in Belgium are to receive a complete makeover. The first store to reopen following the revamp was the garden centre in Mechelen, one of the bigger outlets of the approximately 250 locations.This spring the medium-sized store in Ooostrozebeke and a smaller store in Hannuit are being converted to the new concept. It is expected that around ten stores will have undergone a makeover by the end of the year. After that roughly 50 conversions per year are planned, so that by 2023 all of the stores will feature the new concept. The Arvesta Group is investing around 30 mio euros in the new look. Approximately 200 of the garden centres are currently operated as franchises.The new claim "Aveve, le plaisir ca se cultive" (translated by the company as "joy grows here") is intended to give expression to the three fundamental ideas on which the new concept is based: customer experience, authenticity and quality. A store concept that includes a central inspiration centre has been developed together with retail design agency Mojo. Materials that radiate a warmer ambience and warm colours have been chosen for the shop fittings.In the garden assortment, the kitchen garden (including urban gardening) plays a bigger role. Ecological plant protection products have been introduced under private label, and the house plant offering has been extended. The range for pets has been expanded to include fashionable items for dogs and cats, with the focus also on health and natural pet food. Above all, regionally sourced products have been added to the food range.The driving force behind the new concept is retail director Erik Haegeman, who formerly headed Bricorama France and Brico Belgium. "In our concept we are moving away from a product-oriented approach towards embracing complete solutions," he says, summarising the basic idea. The range of customer seminars is also being expanded significantly because of this.