Building a deeper pond department

Lowe’s stores had a water gardening department under their  “house” brand, but sales were not reflective of the continued growth seen in the pond industry.  When Lowe’s invited TetraPond to pitch the creation of an expanded water gardening department and program under aquatics industry leader Tetra, TetraPond partnered with The Anderson Group to help win the business.

Drawing on first-hand knowledge of water gardening, experience with independent retailers and years of research, we started by developing a step-by-step program for DIYers that greatly simplified the confusing prospect of building a pond. Complete systems, categorized by pond size and color-coded for easy identification, are featured at POP on merchandizing headers, flip charts and take-away brochures. Systems information, helpful tips and live help are also available on the Web (www.tetrawatergardening.com). To create awareness for the program and inspire considerers, a full-page ad was placed in regional issues of This Old House, Yankee, Gardening How To, and Woman’s Day Gardening & Deck Design magazines.

In the first month of the 2008 pond season. the northeast US test market of 400+ stores enjoyed an 11% increase in sales over 2007.