Meijer, Scotts-MiracleGro Team Up to Create Garden Marketplace to Help Customers Prepare for the Growing Season

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Meijer announced today that it is the first supercenter to partner with national lawn care and garden brand, Scotts-MiracleGro, to create a Garden Marketplace inside 27 Meijer stores across the Midwest as peak gardening season begins.

The Garden Marketplace is located inside the retailer's seasonal department, and will feature a variety of Scotts-MiracleGro and Meijer brand products – grass seed, plant seed packets, soils, lawn food, and control products – to assist and inspire customers interested in gardening, and lawn care and maintenance.

"We know the average homeowner spends four hours a week caring for their lawn and garden, which is why the Garden Marketplace will focus on providing solutions for our customers' outdoor needs," said Bill Stechebar, divisional merchandise manager for garden/floral for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. "This partnership gives us an opportunity to expand our already robust Garden Centers and become an outdoor destination."

Meijer has long offered the popular Scotts-MiracleGro brand and believes the pilot project will enhance the shopping experience of its avid and novice gardening customers at the following 11 Meijer stores in Michigan:

• Norton Shores
• Knapp's Corner
• Howell
• Scio Township
• Washington Township
• Battle Creek-Beckley Road
• Portage-Shaver Road
• Gaines Township
• Standale
• Lenox Township
• Ionia

"Confusion is a major barrier to entry into the lawn and garden category for most consumers," said Stephen Markert, vice president of channel sales at Scotts Miracle-Gro. "Planning a garden or taking care of your lawn doesn't have to be complicated. This endeavor with Meijer allows us to cut through the confusion and reach a significant number of lawn and garden enthusiasts, in fact, early results from these 27 stores have been tremendous. We are excited to enhance their customer's shopping experience and look forward to continuing a strong partnership."  

For example, last year Meijer sold enough:

• Miracle-Gro^® Gro-ables™  Seed Pods™ to give one to every attendee at a University of Michigan football game, including the marching bands, players, coaches and cheerleaders;
• Scotts^® Turf Builder^® Halts^® Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food to feed Tiger's Comerica Park 1,678 times; and
• Scotts^® Turf Builder^® Weed & Feed to feed Tiger's Comerica Park 4,080 times.

For a complete listing of Meijer stores with a Garden Marketplace, please click here.

About Meijer: Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 213 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. As a pioneer of the "one-stop shopping" concept Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, garden centers and electronic offerings. For additional information on Meijer, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/meijer and @twitter.com/meijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro: With more than $2.8 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligène® and Substral®. For additional information, visit us at www.scotts.com.

SOURCE Meijer

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