Waitrose launches new gardening magazine: Waitrose Garden

Waitrose aims to build on its growing share of the horticultural market by launching its first ever customer magazine dedicated entirely to gardening.

The 132 page magazine, called Waitrose Garden, is the first issue in a seasonal series, with issue two following later this year. The magazine will be available for free to all myWaitrose members.

Waitrose Garden has been designed to be both inspirational and practical. The main section of the magazine, on glossy paper, features five very different yet equally magnificent gardens. Each of these gardens is accompanied by a shopping spread for customers to recreate the look themselves, with recommendations from the Waitrose specialist online gardening shop, waitrosegarden.com.

The glossy section also includes a comprehensive guide for the avid garden explorer, featuring advice and recommendations from popular writers, editors and presenters. The new Spring issue sees Simon Calder explore the Essex countryside, Julia Bradbury invite readers on a walk through Epping Forest and Waitrose Good Food Guide Editor, Liz Carter, recommend the finest local South East eateries.

The second part of Waitrose Garden, in the centre of the magazine, is a smaller 24 page pull-out edited by the nation's favourite gardener, Alan Titchmarsh. Alan's Garden Know-How is the perfect practical guide for any green-fingered Waitrose customer, packed full of expert tips, advice and step-by-step projects to try at home.

Alan Titchmarsh says: 'I'm thrilled to be a part of the new Waitrose Garden magazine and I can't wait to share my gardening tips and tricks with Waitrose customers in my Garden Know-How section.'

Waitrose is now a market-leader in producing editorial content for customers across all channels. As well as the new gardening title, Waitrose also produces Waitrose Weekend, a free newspaper with a weekly circulation of nearly 400,000 readers; Waitrose Food, the supermarket's popular monthly food magazine; and Waitrose TV, the brand's online television portal, which has proved a powerful way of talking directly to customers in the digital age.

Rupert Thomas, Waitrose Marketing Director, says: 'We know that gardening is the second most popular pastime for our customers after cooking, so this represents a real opportunity for our brand. Waitrose Garden is full of varied and captivating content, so whether the reader is new to gardening or a long-term enthusiast, we hope that it is a magazine they will enjoy.'

Waitrose has seen a 13% growth in outdoor plants in the past year, with perennials up 40%. Bedding plants, up 24%, have also driven growth in this area, with Geraniums being the top choice for Waitrose customers.

Image : Chris Warham - Shutterstock

Source : John Lewis Partnership Press Release
www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk