Garden Centre Distribution in France: Place Your Ranges

Distributing your products through garden centres is not something you can improvise: demanding buying groups, extreme seasonality, the importance of in-store advice… this channel has its own codes, and Go Distribution has been working them in the field since 1994. If you are a French or European manufacturer with a garden, tools, storage or protection range, this page explains how we place your products in garden centres across the South of France and keep them selling.

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The garden centre channel in France: chains, buying groups and independents

The garden market carries real weight: €7.7 billion in turnover in France in 2024 (Xerfi, 2024). It is structured around major national chains and a still very lively network of independents.

• Gamm Vert: the number one garden centre chain in France with more than 1,100 stores, with a strong presence in rural areas;
• Jardiland and Delbard: the full Teract network, together with Gamm Vert, accounts for 1,462 points of sale;
• Truffaut and Botanic: chains positioned on the quality of their advice and their responsible product offering;
• the independent garden centres, numerous in the South, which make their own decisions and expect a genuine, close commercial relationship.

Each network has its own logic: listings through the buying group for some, store-by-store decisions for others. A one-size-fits-all strategy applied everywhere simply does not work.

Highly pronounced seasonality that demands a presence in the field

In garden centres, everything is decided in a matter of weeks: two thirds of turnover is generated between March and June, a period during which weather conditions affect sales and purchase deferrals. In practical terms, this means your ranges must be listed, delivered and merchandised before the season starts.

A shelf that is poorly restocked in April means a lost season for your brand. Our agents build their call schedules around this calendar: preparing store layouts in winter, close follow-up in spring, review and recommendations in autumn.

In-store advice and product demonstrations: where sales are won

Garden centre customers come looking for advice. A sales assistant who knows your product will recommend it; one who has never seen it will leave it sitting on the shelf. Our role is therefore twofold:

• training the sales teams on your products during our store visits;
• organising demonstrations and in-store activations at weekends, when footfall is at its highest, to let customers try the product and trigger the purchase.

This is exactly what we already do for the brands in our portfolio — Mottez, Rapid, Master Lock, among others — which you can discover on our brands represented page.

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What Go Distribution does to distribute your products in garden centres

Our method rests on four pillars, proven over 30 years:

• Listings: presenting your range to buying groups and stores, sales arguments, pricing, terms and conditions;
• Regular call cycles: planned visits to points of sale to monitor stock levels, merchandising and replenishment;
• In-store activations: in-store demonstrations during high-footfall periods;
• Field intelligence: reporting on prices, competitors and the expectations of department managers, so you can fine-tune your offer.

This work is generally carried out under an exclusive distribution agreement covering our territory: you retain control of your brand, and we take charge of business development.

30 years in the field, 1,700 points of sale, 31 départements

Go Distribution is a sales agency founded in 1994, with 6 field sales agents, an administrative assistant and around 1,700 points of sale served across 31 départements, from Bayonne to Marseille (PACA, Occitanie, Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Garden centres are one of our five channels, alongside DIY superstores, builders’ merchants, industrial supplies and hardware stores: if your range suits several networks, we roll it out across all of them in parallel.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get a range listed in garden centres?

Allow several months: the chains prepare their seasons well in advance and buying group meetings follow this calendar. A garden range presented in autumn can be on the shelves for the following spring.

Do you work with independent garden centres?

Yes, they represent a significant share of our call cycles in the South. They make their own decisions, which often allows for faster listings than through a buying group.

What types of products do you place in garden centres?

Mainly tools, fixings, storage, protection and personal equipment, as well as garden ranges in the broadest sense. We assess each range on a case-by-case basis before committing.

Who handles the in-store activations?

Our agents organise and run demonstrations at the point of sale, in coordination with the department manager. Activations are scheduled at weekends and at the peak moments of the season.

What geographical area do you cover?

31 départements in the South of France: PACA, Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, from Bayonne to Marseille. Within this area, we operate under an exclusive agreement.

Garden centres reward brands that are present in the field at the right time. If you want your products on the shelves, recommended and demonstrated at the height of the season, let’s talk about your range: we will tell you frankly what this channel can do for it.