Visual Merchandising Consultancy For Haskins Garden Centre West End Southampton
Behind the Scenes of a Six-Month Visual Merchandising Consultancy Project with Haskins Garden Centre West End -How strategic store design, visual merchandising and retail presentation transformed a flagship garden centre in Southampton.
For the past six months I’ve had the pleasure of working with Haskins Garden Centre West End, Southampton, as a freelance Visual Merchandising Consultant, supporting one of the biggest retail transformation projects I’ve worked on in recent years. From the earliest planning stages through to the final styling touches, this project has been a fantastic example of how thoughtful store design, visual merchandising, retail planning and product presentation work together to create an inspiring customer experience.
As the refurbishment reaches its final phase with the exciting new Food Hall opening in early September, it felt like the perfect time to share a behind-the-scenes look at the journey.
Working alongside the Haskins team, I was involved in shaping how customers would move through the newly refurbished store, ensuring every department felt both commercial and inspirational.
The project included:
A Beautiful New House Plant Department
New Ladies Fashion Department
New Menswear Department
Dedicated Barbour Feature Areas
A New Accessories and Beauty Space
The completely redesigned Food Hall, opening in early September
Every area required careful consideration of sightlines, customer flow, display opportunities and how visual merchandising could encourage customers to explore further throughout the store. Creating retail spaces that inspire customers. One of my favourite parts of the project has been sourcing the visual merchandising equipment that helps bring each space to life.
This included selecting:
Premium mannequins
Display equipment
Visual Merchandising fixtures
Presentation solutions that complement the Haskins brand
The right VM kit often goes unnoticed by customers—which is exactly how it should be. Good display equipment quietly supports the product, creating an environment that feels effortless while working incredibly hard behind the scenes.
Over the past two months, my focus has shifted from planning to implementation, bringing the Fashion Departments to life ! Working alongside the fantastic West End team, I’ve been supporting the in-store visual merchandising across the new departments, including, mannequin styling, outfit building, product presentation, creating feature displays and implementing commercial merchandising. The new Barbour feature areas have been particularly exciting to develop, creating lifestyle-led displays that showcase the brand while sitting naturally within the wider garden centre environment. Rather than simply displaying clothing, we’ve worked to create complete looks that help customers imagine how pieces work together—one of the most effective visual merchandising techniques for increasing basket spend.
The Growing Importance of Visual Merchandising in Garden Centres
Garden Centre’s have evolved enormously in recent years. They are no longer simply destinations for plants, they have become lifestyle retailers, with fashion, homeware, gifts, beauty and food playing an increasingly important role in the customer journey. That makes visual merchandising for garden centres more important than ever! When these elements work together, they create spaces where customers naturally spend longer browsing, discover more products and leave feeling inspired. The new House Plant Department is a perfect example of this approach, using layered displays, varying heights and carefully grouped product collections to create an immersive shopping experience.
One of the highlights of this project has been working alongside such an enthusiastic and hardworking team. Watching each department gradually come together has been incredibly rewarding, and it’s exciting to see customers beginning to experience the transformed store. With the final phase of the new Food Hall which will be opening in early September, this marks the completion of a project that’s combined strategic planning with hands-on visual merchandising.
Thank you to everyone at Haskins Garden Centre West End for welcoming me into the project over the past six months. I can’t wait to see customers enjoy the finished store.
Looking for Visual Merchandising Consultancy?
If you’re planning a store refurbishment, launching a new retail department or looking to improve your Visual Merchandising, I offer freelance consultancy across the UK and for international businesses, supporting retailers with:
Store design advice, Visual Merchandising consultancy, Floor plan reviews, VM equipment sourcing, Mannequin selection and styling, Product presentation, Retail team Visual Merchandising training, New store and department launches
Every project is tailored to your business, combining over 25 years of retail visual merchandising experience with practical, commercial solutions that help create engaging shopping environments.
For more information on how I can support you and your business please get in touch ;
Mobile +44 7976 575847
Email sarah@visualmerchandisingconsultant.co.uk
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