Garden centres have led the way in getting UK retail back on track as the coronavirus pandemic lockdown is eased. Now that garden outlets have been open for two weeks, many have successfully adapted sanitisation and social distancing operations to allow safe trading to resume. 

It is this adaptability and confidence to ask for a helping hand that is ensuring garden retail not only stays open but is also viewed as a best practice benchmark for the wider retail picture.

One company that has been working tirelessly with its garden centre customers is Cleaner Retail, the newventure from leading plant pot supplier, Ivyline. Created in response to a need for a true one-stop-shopoffering everything needed to reopen in line with government guidelines, Cleaner Retail has made it its mission to ensure that retailers have an informed and educated provision system, supported by a product offering that is continually expanded to meet the different needs identified by retailers as they move through a new normal.

Scott Thomas, founder of Cleaner Retail, said: “The reopening of garden centres was a magnificent achievement for all involved, but now we have a responsibility to stay open, and ensure that our staff and customers are protected. Customer feedback suggests that in any retail setting there will always be areas that have not been fully considered, or ‘pinch points’ where social distancing can be more of a challenge, and sanitisation methods just aren’t cutting it. As such, retailers are having to revise their processes in order to ensure total and absolute compliance with government guidelines.

“The need to revise and adapt is totally understandable and demonstrates a willingness to learn. But, for some, it does throw up more questions than answers. Which is where we come in. At Cleaner Retail we are able to work directly with retailers to help identify areas of concern and create a bespoke solution that meets their needs. This might be a sanitisation solution that minimises downtime, hand sanitisation stations that improve customer flow, or even improved signage to help reinforce the social distancing measures that are so important.”