Golden Days Garden Centre

Golden Days Garden Centre, based in Wigan, is a Pandora’s box of delights that will appeal to anyone with an interest in gardening, seasonal blooms and aquatics. Not just that, it also boasts a newly refurbished café and a number of concessions, creating an atmosphere that is not only for the garden enthusiast but a day out for the whole family. With a dog friendly atmosphere, a substantial car park and wheelchair friendly access, it is the perfect place to pop in, grab a coffee, have a bite to eat and pick up the essentials for that garden spruce up.

This welcoming hub offers a sense of calm, where regulars are known to staff by name and are always met with gardening advice and knowledge when needed. Whether you are serious about pergolas and pond plants or simply fancy popping in for a sandwich, Golden Days provides a social space, somewhere to linger over a pot of tea or get the advice you need about why your hydrangeas will not bloom or whether it is too soon to move the tomatoes outside.

With this in mind, General Manager, Richard Ravenscroft was keen not only to diversify the business further but to ensure that the garden centre continues to bring in new faces. With its ideal location just off Junction 27 of the M6 and electric car charging already available nearby, it made sense to invest in EV charging themselves.

Richard felt confident in the need to future proof the business and told Forward EV, “As electric cars on the road become more able to take the higher powered chargers, we will have two of them.”

He also appreciated being able to set the pricing himself, allowing him to remain competitive with other chargers in the area. “We can effectively charge what we want for the electricity without a big corporation telling us what to do as the middle man. So I set the pricing to be competitive and the revenue is ours.”

As for whether the chargers have been a success so far, Richard is optimistic. “The customers like them. They are easy to use and people seem to be getting out of their cars and coming inside, which is exactly what we want.”

It is a smart two pronged approach. Richard earns revenue from the electricity while also encouraging footfall into the garden centre. To sweeten the deal, he has placed a sign directly on the charger offering a free coffee to users, a simple incentive that so far is working.

Richard also praised the experience with the Forward EV team who handled everything efficiently. “Sometimes with projects, you anticipate things might go wrong,” Richard told us. “But with Forward EV it was straightforward. From the install to the aftercare, everything has been smooth.”

He thanked team members Andrew, Michelle and Martin who collectively worked on the project from pitching the business concept through to installation. “They were all good, explained everything and even through any queries or teething problems, they sorted it quickly.”

As for the future of the garden centre, Richard is optimistic that if things continue along this trajectory, he will not hesitate to install more chargers. “If the projected revenue is right, I think it would make sense to have more chargers on site,” Richard confirmed.

All at Forward EV are excited to see how the use of the chargers at Golden Days continues to grow and are all hoping the next Forward EV meet up can take place at The Wild Mint, the onsite café where a few of the team members have got their eyes on the delicious treats on offer. 

Written by Rhea Holley