Cherry Lane Garden Centre owner, QD Stores, to launch online

Value retailer QD Stores is to open an online shopping channel to complement its High Street outlet business.

The move comes after the East Anglian independent appointed e-commerce retail specialist Richard Sutton earlier this year.

Norwich-based QD Stores operates 31 High Street outlets and owns the Cherry Lane Garden Centre, Buyright, Thingmebobs and Lathams retail brands.

The move to e-commerce comes as QD reports four per cent year-to-date, like-for-like growth driven by seasonally-adjusted promotions across its apparel, garden and leisure business.

MD Justin Farrington Smith said: "We’ve had a good run matching solutions to needs with some great hot weather deals like the Mega Slide, our second best selling product by value for three weeks running."

He added: "Our latest Cherry Lane Garden Centre at Towcester is trading above budget while our Bradmore outlet is trading exceptionally well given a store fire caused over a million pounds of damage just as we were about to re-open."

Farrington Smith sees further store acquisitions as likely. "We are continuing to evaluate future sites and in particular garden centres."

QD posted like-for-like sales over the Christmas 2012 trading period up by a record 8.19 per cent and Farrington Smith expects the trend to continue this year.

Source : Matthew Appleby – Horticulture Week
www.hortweek.com