​For years, we’ve heard the same narrative: retail is dying. Footfall is down, high streets are struggling, and traditional department stores have either downsized or disappeared altogether. The collapse of names like Debenhams and the ongoing reinvention of House of Fraser have become symbolic of a wider shift in consumer behaviour.

But while parts of retail are undoubtedly shrinking, one sector is not just surviving, it’s thriving: garden centres.

This is something I find myself discussing more and more with both candidates and clients. What’s happening in the garden centre market isn’t accidental; it’s structural. It reflects how consumers now want to shop, spend their time, and experience retail.

Department stores used to be an event. You didn’t just pop in for one item. You made a trip of it. You browsed fashion, homewares, beauty, and gifts. You stopped for lunch in the café. It was a day out, not a transaction. For many people, that sense of occasion has slowly disappeared from the high street.

Yet interestingly, it hasn’t disappeared from retail altogether. It has simply moved.

Modern garden centres have quietly stepped into that experiential space. They’re no longer just functional destinations for compost and bedding plants. Today, you’ll find beautifully curated home and lifestyle ranges, seasonal décor that rivals traditional high street stores, food halls packed with local and premium produce, restaurants and cafés that customers actively choose as meeting spots, and family-friendly events that turn a visit into an occasion. At Christmas, many garden centres create immersive experiences that become part of a family’s annual tradition.

Adding in a garden centre visit is now genuinely a day out,  just like department stores used to be.

While fashion chains and legacy retailers face store closures and margin pressure, garden centres have leaned into something more resilient, experience-led retail. They’ve successfully blended commerce with hospitality, community with convenience, and product with environment. Free parking, space to browse, a relaxed pace, and the ability to combine shopping with lunch and leisure make them attractive alternatives to crowded town centres.

From a recruitment perspective...

The shift is striking. I’m having more conversations than ever with retail professionals who hadn’t previously considered the garden centre sector. At the same time, more garden centre clients are looking beyond traditional horticultural backgrounds and actively seeking talent from department stores, premium retail, food retail, and hospitality. The skillsets are incredibly transferable, visual merchandising, stock curation, customer journey mapping, seasonal buying, food and beverage operations, and leadership of multi-department environments.

Garden centres now require the same commercial thinking and operational sophistication that department stores once did. Candidates are increasingly recognising that this is a sector offering growth, resilience, and long-term opportunity, something not all areas of retail can confidently promise right now.

There’s also an emotional element to this success. Garden centres sell aspiration, but in a grounded, accessible way. They tap into home improvement, outdoor living, entertaining, wellbeing, and quality time. In an increasingly digital and fast-paced world, they offer something tangible and sensory. You can’t replicate the smell of fresh coffee in a busy café, the feel of choosing plants for your garden, or the atmosphere of a bustling seasonal department through a screen. That physical experience matters more than ever.

So, is retail dying? In some formats, yes. Retail that competes purely on price and convenience will continue to struggle against online alternatives. But retail that creates destination, experience, and emotional connection is evolving rather than disappearing.

Garden centres have, in many ways, become the new department stores, not by copying them, but by understanding what made them special in the first place. They have reimagined retail as something to enjoy rather than something to rush through.

 From the conversations I’m having with candidates and clients alike, this isn’t a passing trend. It is a genuine structural shift. Retail isn’t vanishing; it’s reshaping itself around experience, community, and time well spent.