Christmas is a time for celebration and Bents Garden & Home has a lot to celebrate, having taken first place in the Garden Centre Association’s national Christmas competition, beating off strong competition from other centres within the region and throughout the UK.
The coveted title in the Best Destination Garden Centre category was presented to Bents following an extensive judging process which saw centres from throughout the UK hosting spot visits by the GCA to determine regional winners as well as the overall national titles.
Centres are judged on a wide range of categories including creativity, ambiance, product range, customer service and the excitement generated by the way Christmas products are displayed.
Matthew Bent, Managing Director at Bents Garden & Home said: “What a fantastic achievement and a huge credit to all of our colleagues who work extremely hard throughout the year to deliver a magical experience.
“Everything, throughout the whole Centre and in all our displays has been designed, created, fashioned, built, painted by our own in-house team of experts both on the shop floor and behind the scenes and we would like to say a big thank you to each and every one of them for their continued commitment to creating our spectacular displays.”
The 2025 national title is yet another cause for celebration at the family owned and run business as it comes following the successful launch of its first ever light trail. Alice’s Winter Light Adventure takes visitors on a magical journey in Bents’ Hidden Garden, with theatrical sets, light projections and enchanting sounds all of which depict the twists and turns of this magical story and is proving hugely popular with customers.
Inspector, Peter Walker, who judged the Christmas competition said: “There were beautifully themed departments, exquisitely dressed trees, inspired use of height, light and theatre. Festive touches reached every corner – from plants and gifts to food halls and clothing – with many centres excelling in cross-merchandising, sustainable messaging and that all-important ‘stock to show and stock to go’ execution.
“It was wonderful to see the industry bursting with innovation and festive passion – delivering joyful and immersive experiences that inspire customers and set a dazzling benchmark for Christmas retail.”
And to top off the celebrations Bents is proud to have recorded a score of 92% of colleagues who ‘love working at Bents’ following a recent colleague survey. Says Matthew: “This is an incredible score, especially considering it was carried out at such a busy time of year. We really do have the best family of colleagues and this feedback reflects our continued focus to create exceptional experiences, not only for our customers but also for everyone who works with us here at Bents.”
