Talking shop with Okells
Mandy Okell loves books, so it’s not too surprising that books are a key feature of the gifting product lines at Okells Garden Centre in Cheshire. But for Okells, selling books is not just about passion it makes good business sense too. We talked to Mandy to find out more about their book ranges.
When Mandy Okell first thought about introducing books to the product range at Okells, she really wasn’t sure how well they would sell.
“When we started to sell books, I thought let’s give them a go, but I feared that many people would be used to buying their books online. That wasn’t the case. It’s uplifting that so many people still love to pick up a good book either for themselves or as a gift.” says Mandy.
Mandy has been part of Okells for about 30 years; a business that was founded by her husband in 1982 as a wholesale nursery. Together, supported by their team, Okells has since evolved into a retail business, offering a garden centre, gift shop and coffee shop.
“We’re fiercely independent.”
“We’re fiercely independent,” says Mandy. “We don’t want to go down the typical garden centre route, stocking the same things you’d expect to find in the chains. When we’re looking for products to stock, we want items that are both useful and beautiful. All our products need to have a purpose.”
Books have been a core part of Okells gift shop offering for a number of years now. But it was encountering Bookspeed at a trade show that helped Mandy progress her vision for selling books. She appreciated the way the books were presented and targeted to the gifting market.
“There were plenty of companies selling what looks to be on first sight a fairly similar offering, but we just had a good connection with Bookspeed. I like that they are good people who are invested in the company and that came across from the start. There’s a proper passion for books. And they are able to help us curate an individual selection of books that suits our customers. I enjoy seeing new covers and themes at the shows, and I make good use of the Bookspeed website for reordering,” says Mandy.
“We want to have something for everyone.”
Despite Mandy’s initial doubts about how well books would sell, she has found they are very popular especially when integrated within product ranges alongside similarly themed gifts.
“When a customer is buying a gift, they will come to us with someone in mind. Our aim is to make sure they will always find a great gift, whether that’s a candle, a houseplant or perhaps a book, along with a brilliant card. We want to have something for everyone and a broad range of books helps to make that possible.”
Books do well during occasions like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day but the garden centre also sells lots of children’s books, cookbooks, quiz books, gift books, travel books for surrounding destinations, such as the Lake District or Wales, and gift editions of classic novels. Perhaps, more surprising is Okells recent foray into contemporary fiction.
“We’ve started to introduce contemporary fiction and we’re building that up with some of our favourites,” says Mandy. “We’ve asked staff members what they’ve enjoyed reading and added written notes to say who loved it and why, just to bring a personal touch to our book range.”
Be inspired by Okells.
- Contemporary fiction
- Classic story books for children
- Inspirational gifting
- British travel
- Books for Cooks
Work with Bookspeed
If you'd like some support with curating and sourcing book ranges for your retail offering, get in touch. We'd be happy to help.
