Waitrose to launch gardening TV channel

Waitrose is venturing into the great outdoors with the launch of a gardening TV channel this week.

The new channel will feature Waitrose’s own ‘secret garden’ at the Leckford Estate in Hampshire which will serve as the location where brand ambassador Alan Titchmarsh will give hints and horticultural tips to viewers.

Much of the content will be filmed at a garden at Longstock nursery, part of the supermarket’s 4000 acre Leckford estate. The garden itself is being created by Waitrose’s head gardener to resemble a series of ‘rooms’ including a cottage garden, vegetable plot and wildlife area.

Of the project, Titchmarsh said: “I’m really excited to be involved in the launch of Waitrose Gardening TV and the new Waitrose garden. It’s a great opportunity for me to share my gardening knowledge with Waitrose customers. It’s a unique idea for a supermarket to launch its own garden and it really gives me the freedom to show how a garden changes throughout the year with the seasons.”

TV gardener Matt James will also be filming a series of videos for Waitrose TV showing viewers how to recreate the Waitrose garden in their own backyards. The series of 12 short ‘how to videos’ will launch fortnightly from July to October this year.

The launch of the gardening channel on waitrose.tv coincides with a new TV advert featuring Titchmarsh. The advert focuses on British seasonal favourite strawberries and tells the story of the sweeter strawberry.

Waitrose marketing director, Rupert Thomas, commented: “We’ve always known that our customers enjoy gardening. Horticulture is a key area for growth within our business and we have expanded the range of plants and gardening tools in our shops and online. Alan's authority and knowledge really comes to the fore through this new channel, which will provide trustworthy advice to seasoned gardeners and horticultural novices alike.”

Source : Gillian West - The Drum
www.thedrum.com/news/2013/06/18/waitrose-launches-gardening-channel-brand-ambassador-and-tv-gardener-alan-titchmarsh