GCA Develops Benchmarking System
Garden Centers of America (GCA) recently announced plans to initiate a business tool that will help the independent garden center industry. The project is designed to fulfill one of the GCA’s missions to provide information and training by establishing operational benchmarks for garden centers, according to GCA executive vice president Charles Hall.
Over the past 18 months, the GCA’s technology committee, chaired by Dave Meder, Home & Garden Showplace, Chicago, Ill., with members including John Trax, Northwest Nursery Buyers Group, Zigzag, Ore; Ken Long, L.A. Reynolds Garden Showcase, Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Dave Williams, Williams Nursery, Westfield, N.J., has reviewed numerous information systems and technology software solutions. The goal is to create a virtual operating cost “benchmarking” system that is delivered to GCA members in real-time format.
Hall said the committee will work with other organizations and consultants to determine the best format to collect and deliver information. A pilot monthly survey has been implemented to determine sales levels, percent increases/decreases from the previous year and the reason for the increase/decrease. Each month, GCA members will receive a survey link to answer six questions concerning their sales from the previous month. A monthly report will be issued outlining the survey results.
As the project continues and a need is identified, additional operational information will be added. Full implementation of this benchmarking project is expected to be three years.
For more information on the study, visit www.gardencentersofamerica.org.
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