Analysis Of Harper's Garden Centre

The business we chose to do a marketing plan for is called Harper’s Garden Centre and is located in Hamilton’s west end (1039 Wilsons Lane, Hamilton). The Harper’s Garden Centre began and was founded in 1948 by Bruce and Ruth Harper, after Bruce returned from World War II. During the 1970’s, David Harper, a former graduate from University of Guelph, joined Bruce and Ruth Harper and helped expand the business (need to know their relationship). The garden centre initially began as a small family owned farm and overtime as the number of farm animals and produce increased, the small farm evolved into a small seasonal garden centre. In 2008, David retired to pursue a new career in Ottawa, and new owners Craig and Nancy took over who had previous …show more content…
The current new owners, are responsible for making changes and decisions related to the product line and what product they sell in the garden centre. Graeme Ryley is the marketing coordinator for the Harper’s Garden Centre and is also the department head for the Pond Department. Ryley originally was a customer of Harper’s Garden Centre and had a good relationship with the previous owners - the Harpers’. As the business expanded, there was a need for a knowledgeable staff and Ryley being a repeat customer who was familiar with their products, was offered to be a part of the Harper’s Garden Centre team. Ryley is responsible for handling the advertising and marketing components for the Garden Centre. The current owners decide the pricing strategy and are the decision makers as to which product they want to purchase and sell their target market. The department heads and assistant manager are responsible for the day-to-day functions including applying the pricing strategy, buying the supplies needed for customers, placing orders, hiring and training new employees. The other employees present in the garden centre account for completing the purchase transactions provide gardening advice to customers and do maintenance work. For instance, co-op students are hired during the fall season to clean and maintain the garden from seaweed buildup to watering plants and maintaining shelves. The cashiers and maintenance employees require basic training to understand the P.O.S system and gardening work ethics (e.g., water plants). Furthermore, Harper Garden is known for its high quality service and knowledgeable staff. Hence, they have staff that have 15 years and more experience and high expertise in Horticulture, which has been