Packing them in

摘要

Seed companies are coming up with fresh ways to cash in on the gardening craze, says Sally Drury. When Alan Titchmarsh showed the nation How To Be a Gardener, the nation tuned in. When he showed people how easy and how much fun it is to grow plantsfrom seed, sales of seed shot up. The packet seed business is based on sale or return and, according to seed companies, this year was a bumper one with very low returns. "We really saw the 'Alan Titchmarsh factor'," says marketing manager Tom Sharples ofPaignton-based Suttons Seeds. "If we look at the re-order patterns for the weekends following the programmes on sowing flower and vegetable seeds, we find 30 per cent to 40 per cent increases." Staff at Thompson & Morgan, of Ipswich, had similar experiences. "The series has been a tremendous help. We saw an increase in retail sales through the tills, and the impact was almost instantaneous," confirms UK retail sales and marketing manager Neil Sharpe. "The programme's format was excellent because it took people back to basics and showed them just how easy and enjoyable it is to garden." So what about 2003? Can we expect more of the same? The key seems to be promoting the ease and fun of growing from seed.