Flagship in France

The new garden centre at La Ville-du-Bois has a retail area that comes to 10 700 m², to which must be added an outdoor area of 2 000 m². Which, Truffaut claims,  makes it the biggest garden centre in France and one of the biggest in the whole of Europe. In Germany, for instance, the Dehner company’s 13 000 m² “Blumenpark” garden centre at group headquarters in Rain is of a comparable size.
Truffaut’s garden centre designed on a new scale is located at La Ville-du-Bois.
This new garden centre has been built on one of the group’s oldest sites. Truffaut took the location over from the Clause chain in 1970 and continued to extend it over the course of the years. However, in time the whole place became outdated and was pulled down. Looking back, Bruno Lantier, the chain’s CEO, remembers that, “The project was actually overdue for more than ten years. Now the long-awaited new development has taken shape as a garden centre of the new generation.” The sales area of the outlet, which opened at the end of September 2001, has been very generously structured. The fittings consist of gondolas no more than two metres in height, which serves to emphasise the sheer volume of the building.
The flower market provides an attractive colour composition.
To the right of the entrance can be found cut flowers, followed by flowering houseplants. After that comes an enormous selection of foliage plants and exotic species, available in all shapes and sizes. Presented in the part of the store to the left of the entrance is a range of tools that is both broad and deep, filling a great deal of shelf space. There is a boutique offering a wealth of ideas when it comes to presents. Textiles are also included in the product offer, in the shape of a collection of outdoor clothing. Space is reserved for creative activities as well, as part of the décor area situated towards the back of the store on the left. The merchandising is lacking in atmosphere, reminiscent of the style in DIY superstores. This is made all the more surprising by the fact that Truffaut is well known for the sophistication of its display technique.
A great deal of space is devoted to pet products.
The pet department occupies an important position in the store. The choice of pet foods is extremely broad, with snacks for dogs, for example, available in bulk for customers to weigh out for themselves. Accessories for the care of dogs, cats, birds and fish are also available.
However, when it comes to live animals, these are…