"We make sure the orders make horticultural sense"

Dear Christian Dinger, as a renowned garden centre what are your biggest challenges in terms of responsibility, sustainability and the climate?

Regarding the current challenges, energy is of course a problem for us. Not an existential threat, but the high costs are significant. Through measures such as renewing the glazing of our greenhouses we are expecting an around ten to 20 percent reduction in heating costs, however the initial investment here is enormous. A further problem is the uncertainty the heating law is causing our customers, which is in turn influencing their buying decisions. Many customers were frightened about the future costs, which has calmed down somewhat now, but the energy turnaround and the costs of the climate change are still a major theme that occupies me. Trade fairs like spoga+gafa help us discover new technologies and find solutions. The exchange with national and international experts and peers is very stimulating - but, of course, the current situation still remains to be a challenge. In addition, both our suppliers and we ourselves have experienced huge wage increases. Furthermore, some of our suppliers are having big problems finding staff. Luckily, we have an attractive location in Cologne, which makes finding staff easier.

Which positive aspects do you associate with the theme sustainability?

On the positive side, we have long-standing, dedicated employees, who have expert knowledge and can give our customers valuable tips about how they can best care for and place their plants. That is especially important when it comes down to dealing with climate changes and extreme weather conditions to ensure a beautiful and functioning garden. We are observing that gardens, balconies and small green spaces are becoming increasingly important, especially to young people. The trend towards indoor plants has grown considerably over the past years and the readiness to invest in a greener environment has increased significantly. Offices are becoming greener and greener too.

How does Dinger's Garden Centre adapt to the needs of the consumers, particularly with regards to trends and the Generation Z? How do you react to the impulses that you receive as a distributor?

We always strive to present current trends in our retail areas. We employ many florists for this purpose, who have more sophisticated design competence than the average gardener. Florists often have their finger closer on the pulse of time especially with regards to indoor plants and actively pick up on trends and put them into practice. Our florists engage in a close exchange with the purchasing department and suppliers so that we can react fast. Thanks to our location near to the Lower Rhine, near to the Netherlands and Denmark, we can react to new products particularly fast. Moreover, we have an open-minded public in Cologne that is also receptive to unusual trends. We also find further inspiration and impulses bundled at trade fairs such as spoga+gafa. Here, industry and trade experts from all over the globe come together to identify the development of the coming years at an early stage.

How do you deal with the seasonal wishes of consumers, for example if someone wants to buy strawberries or tulips in the winter?

In the past, my father tried to have everything in stock at all times, which was of course not always possible. Today, we take a different approach: We concentrate on seasonally attractive plants. Once a plant has outgrown its season, we reduce the stocks and place it in a less prominent position. We are slightly more flexible in the case of indoor plants, because many green plants can be sold regardless of the season. We try to keep individual orders down to a minimum because they are very time consuming. Nevertheless, it remains to be an important part of the customer service, which we don't want to do away with completely. We make sure the orders make horticultural sense so that the plants flourish successfully at the customers.

What about the topic of online shopping?

Online shopping is an additional sales channel for us, but in the plant sector it is of little significance. We are fortunate enough to be located in a large city with a big catchment area, so that a lot of the customers visit us directly. The online trade plays a bigger role in the country. The strength of the online trade lies in its targeted nature and the possibility to offer products with USPs to a wide audience. However, on-site we offer our customers comprehensive advice and a wide selection of plants, which is difficult to achieve online.

How relevant are trade fairs like spoga+gafa for your company?

Trade fairs are very important for us - especially spoga+gafa. No other trade fair covers our range of garden furniture and garden tools at such a high level. Above all, the diversity of the companies represented, many of which are otherwise hard to reach, is interesting for us. Whilst large trading companies can import from China without a problem, this is more difficult for us as an individual garden centre.

How do you proceed instead and how does the trade fair assist you here?

We concentrate on the European market, where trade fairs offer an important platform for establishing contacts and comparing products. The free competition at such trade fairs is also an advantage, because we gain a good overview of the offer. Regions like Poland or the Baltic states are as a rule not easily accessible for us which makes working together with them incredibly difficult. That also applies for Southern Europe. We don't normally drive there due to the distance, because the effort doesn't pay off for a few shovels, for instance. The turnover in this product range is too low. However, companies from these countries can exhibit at spoga+gafa and it makes trading with them much easier for us. That is the advantage of such an open trade fair – we are already looking forward to spoga+gafa 2025!