A garden centre with participative character

06.02.2006

The French garden centre multiple Delbard has opened a new branch with a retail area of 6 000 m² at Loos-en-Gohelle

The principle underlying the present branches, which have opened since 1996, has been applied to this new garden centre as well. They all have in common their correspondence to the philosophy of the company’s founder, Georges Delbard: they are garden centres of a gardener who cultivates all the five senses, both a producer and a salesman at the same time.
In 1935 Georges Delbard opened his first self-service garden outlet in Paris. Today the company, which is based in Paris, has a turnover of 45.7 Mio euro (FRF 300 Mio), has 16 garden centres and employs a workforce of 500.
Worlds replete with emotion have been created in the new garden store at Loos-en-Gohelle, as well as informative areas intended for those who wish to create a garden of their own. A broad walkway open to the skies links the separate areas of the garden centre: an octagonal greenhouse 25 m in diameter, known as the “cathedral”, a covered flower market of 1 400 m², a nursery garden covering 2 220 m² and a pet department of 700 m². In addition there are a patio, boutiques, a bookshop and counters providing information or service. All of this amounts to a combined retail area of 6 000 m², which is surrounded by about five acres of green and rural countryside.
Information and courses
Henri Delbard, the founder’s son and current company chief, is above all an enthusiastic craftsman whose principle preoccupation is to pass his knowledge on to gardening fans. This is achieved by the information counters within the store, one for the area of plants and one for pets.
To fulfil its educational purpose the store organises events throughout the year which include a bio-market, a plant doctor, the use of biological plant protection methods, gardening weeks with seminars and a nature trail in a maze, etc..
Children are more than welcome at Delbard’s. This was a keynote aspect of the garden centre planning right from the start: books, games and certain spaces are reserved for them, the gardeners of tomorrow.
Delbard will be expanding still further. Two more openings are planned for this year at Le Mans and Ris-Orangie, and spring 2001 will see the inauguration of a garden centre in Paris.
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