Magazine Opportunity: May’s Gardeners’ World is a hit with shoppers

Some proactive shop owners are predicting a seven-fold sales increase on this month’s special Gardeners’ World edition, worth hundreds of pounds in extra sales.

The May issue of Garden­ers’ World is famous for its two-for-one discounts on visits to hundreds of gardens and stately homes. Previ­ous instalments ranked as the most profitable single edition of any UK maga­zine for shop owners.

This year’s edition is out on 10 April and features a premium price of £9.99. The 1,000 independent shops closest to the in­cluded gardens and the top 200 bestselling independ­ent shops will receive a free poster pack to promote the edition.

Last year, the average retailer saw a 60% sales up­lift on Gardeners’ World. Stores with posters achieved 20% higher sales than other sites. Overall, the 324,831 copies of the 2024 edition sold in shops put £1.3m in stockists’ tills.

While not previously receiving a poster, Paul Patel’s Dibden Purlieu Post Office in Hampshire has still seen incredible results. He told Better Retailing: “I usu­ally sell about five issues of Gardeners’ World a month. With last year’s big edition, I sold 40 copies. This year, I’ve ordered 45.”

Kate Clark, owner of Sean’s News in Upton upon Severn, also capitalises on interest in the edition. She explained: “We have pockets on the edge of our magazine racks, and we put it in those. It makes it the first thing customers see.”

Eugene Diamond of Diamond News in Bal­lymena uses social media to draw people into store by posting the covers of special issues. He told Better Retailing: “I just post what people are going to see on the shelf, and it really does highlight them.”

How can newsagents maximise sales of Gardeners’ World?

Alex White, group managing director of Gardeners’ World publisher Immediate revealed fur­ther tips for stores, urging them to put the edition “front and centre in store’’. She explained this means ensuring the full cover is visible to showcase the editions’ two-for-one offer card and free seed packet.

White added that addi­tional “eye level” displays outside of the magazine category yield strong results. This could include next to any gardening supplies, in seasonal promotions space or at the counter.

Retailers can also boost their sales by learning about their nearest partici­pating gardens and then letting green-thumbed customers know about this opportunity at the counter. You can learn more about top gardens in your area below, or on the Gardeners’ World website.

Asked what stores should tell prospective buyers, White responded: “Retailers should be able to tell customers that the of­fer provides: “Two-for-one entry to over 380 beautiful gardens across the UK and Ireland until April 2026, achieving savings on a single garden visit of up to £35.”

Clark has also reported converting some of the special editions’ casual readers into regular pur­chasers. White agreed stating: “This scheme appeals to a wide range of gardening enthusiasts and families alike. It is a brilliant opportunity to reach out to a broad pool of customers, actively look­ing for engaging, afford­able activities to enhance their love of gardens over the spring season.”

How is Immediate promoting the Gardeners’ World May issue?

Immediate is promot­ing sales of the edition in stores in other magazines it publishes.

Adverts will run in titles including Radio Times and BBC Good Food. Posters will also go up in gardens while ‘an extensive social media campaign’ aims to reach even more gardeners.

On top of the extra sales, Immediate is also offering shop owners the chance to win free pairs of tickets to the Gardeners’ World live show (Birmingham NEC, 12-15 June).

White explained: “We want independent retailers to send us photos of their Gardeners’ World May displays, and magazine editor Kevin Smith will be selecting four lucky win­ners who have the most impressive displays to receive tickets to a show of their choice.”

Email photos of your display to fieldsales@flgroup.co.uk to enter

Find the top attractions near your store

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