According to “Garden Center Retailer Magazine “retail Lyndale Garden Center, once a year-round business, will close its Richfield, MN, store Monday with plans to reopen next spring as a seasonal operation. While spring sales were strong again this year, competition from the boxes has hurt overall sales, making it no longer feasible to operate year round, Owner Dallas Schwandt says. Last year, the single-unit independent posted sales losses of 12 percent, taking it down seven spots in Nursery Retailer’s Top 100 report to No. 83 with $7 million in sales. In contrast, nearby competitor Bachman’s, with seven stores, posted a sales increase of 2 percent, moving it up three spots in the ranking to No. 23 with $30.5 million in sales.

We tried to find the web page for Lyndale, but there isn’t one. Bachmans however does. While Bachman’s is a multi-store outlet in business for over a hundred years the fact is, they have a web page. Bachman’s sales are up, while Lyndale’s are down. The comment from the owner of Lyndales, Dallas Schwandt is telling, “competition from the box stores has hurt overall sales.” Once again we hear the box stores are the source of our troubles. It would be interesting if any garden bloggers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area shop these stores and what their take on this is.

We feel for Lyndale’s. It hurts to see sales going south. We would like to know what Lyndale has done to distinguish themselves from the box stores, as we talked about in my last post We couldn’t get the info though, no web site. That sent up a huge red flare. Maybe it’s not the chain stores that are the problem. It’s just so easy to blame the big guys.