Haskins case study

Famed for their inordinately large bumblebee (we did that!), Haskins is more than just a garden centre – it’s an all round experience. Why? Because each one of their centres has been carefully designed with the customer in mind. From the layout to the signage, they’ve thought every last detail through.

Their restaurants were recently awarded Best Restaurant in the South by the Garden Centre Association, and we’re chuffed to bits to have been involved in their creation.

Haskins now have four centres across the region, three of which have been treated to the Positive touch…

West End

Complete refurbishment and new restaurant – we did all the external, entrance, retail and restaurant signage.

This was our first project with Haskins, and we’re pleased to say that our good work paid off because after seeing what we can achieve, Haskins asked us to work our magic in two more of their centres.

Consultation – getting to know them…

Getting to know our clients at the first stage is vital to a fantastic end result. So, months ahead of the planned reopening, we consulted with Haskins’ MD, Julian Winfield, and his marketing department to gain a thorough understanding of their brand philosophy and the overall refurbishment project. This initial consultation helped us understand how our signage would be implemented, and made clear their vision and the outcomes they desired.

The Positive Touch…

West End was the second of three major refurbishments for Haskins, so we picked their brains about the first refurbishment and took on board the various challenges they’d faced. With this inside knowledge we endeavoured to overcome similar issues, resulting in a smoother, pothole free project from start to finish.

Concept Origination – making their idea possible…

Once we’d established what, where and when, concepts were developed bespoke for the West End site, using existing signage at Ferndown as a benchmark. To make sure the project ran smoothly, original specs were tweaked and improved to address previous issues and to take into account factors affecting installation into the new site. We also made sure all our concepts fitted within budget.

Attention to Detail…

To get the design spot on, we art worked each element using a combination of components from Haskins’ style guide, shop fitter plans and architect’s plans to achieve a consistent look and feel throughout.

We chose the range of materials for their practical functionality, but also made sure they fitted in with the aesthetics of the environment. And when it came to colour collaboration, we made sure the corporate colours remained consistent across the vast range of materials and production methods. When it comes to keeping a brand strong, we’re experts!

Project Management – seeing it through…

As this site was a refurbishment, the store remained open at all times, so good project management was key. It was vital that we worked to the shop fitter’s schedule, who carried out their work in stages by sectioning off each working area at a time and completing before moving on.

The Positive Touch…

Because of this schedule, different elements were required at varying stages of the refurbishment. So, once they’d been produced, rather than delivering in bulk to the site we stored them in our warehouse until installation took place. By keeping the components away from the site until they were needed, we avoided them being in the way and possibly getting damaged.

Throughout the refurbishment we remained in constant contact with Haskins, which kept them abreast of developments. Our constant attendance on site and communication with the various other trades also contributed to the success of this project. This can-do, hands on approach meant that the project was delivered to full specification, on time and within the original budget.

Happy Customers…

The successful working relationship we’d developed with Haskins went down a treat, and we were quickly put to task with doing it all over again at the Roundstone Store!

Roundstone

Following the success of the West End project, we duplicated what we had done to make it work for Roundstone.

The Roundstone site was a whole new ball game. The existing centre was completely demolished to be replaced by the largest garden centre in the UK.

From a production point of view, the majority of signage elements remained consistent with West End.  The main differences between the two projects were the project management and installation aspects required with working on a building site, as well as adjustments resulting from the building’s different structure.

Once again, by being flexible and adapting the same working principles as we had at West End, the new store opened with pristine signage – all within budget. Job done!

Ferndown

The Ferndown site had already been refurbished before we came on the scene, but since our involvement with West End and Roundstone, we’ve carried out remedial work to keep it looking tiptop.

Why not look click the images below to get a sneaky peak at our work…

Retail signage

External signage

Roadside Signage