A number of centres operated by The Garden Centre Group will be the first in the market to take on Virgin Experience Days concessions.


The concessions are available through agent First Franchise, which works exclusively within the garden centre market to find new concessions and new retail locations for them.

Twenty Garden Centre Group centres have signed up initially for the unmanned Virgin Experience Days concession, which allows customers to buy anything from a day at Silverstone motor racing circuit to a pampering session or gliding lessons.

First Franchise business development & marketing manager Richard Lewis told diyweek.net: "That's the first stage of the rollout for Virgin Experience Days, but it's available to roll out to every garden centre in the UK."

They are already offered by retailers including WH Smith and some supermarkets.

Customers purchase their experience by choosing an experience box from the in-store stand and paying for it at the till, where they will be given a gift receipt. Inside the box is a Choice Voucher card which the customer completes and sends in to Virgin Experience Days, together with the gift receipt, to activate their experience.

They are then sent a gift pack containing all the information they need to book their experience direct with the supplier of the chosen activity.

The host garden centre retains a commission for each sale processed and the display stand and stock are installed into the garden centre free of charge.

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