Waitrose encourages customers to build hedgehog highways as part of new garden campaign
LONDON, 2016-Apr-07 — /EPR Retail News/ — This week sees Waitrose launch its new Garden Power campaign, to encourage customers to make their gardens wildlife friendly this Summer and to help reverse the decline of our much-loved garden creatures.
Waitrose has found that over three quarters of people are worried about the decline in the numbers of species found in their gardens*, and that the main reason stopping people from doing more to help protect wildlife is simply not knowing what to do. Therefore, over the next six months, Waitrose will be equipping customers with tips, advice and recommendations to help create a wild hive of activity in Britain’s gardens.
The Waitrose Garden Power campaign will launch through its publication, Waitrose Weekend, on 7 April, with the help of the nation’s favourite gardener Alan Titchmarsh.
Whilst many people are aware of the importance of protecting birds and butterflies, Waitrose has found that hedgehogs are creeping up the list, making them now the second most concerned about garden species after birds.
Britain has lost a third of these small mammals over the past decade, with Waitrose finding that three quarters of 18-24 year olds have never seen a hedgehog in their garden. This plight is largely due to keeping gardens private by fortifying them with fences and concrete, preventing hedgehogs from roaming – an activity which is necessary for their survival.
That is why through Garden Power, Waitrose is encouraging customers to create a ‘hedgehog highway’, to allow our favourite prickly friends to wander through our gardens during the night. Customers can look out for a ‘hedgehog highway template’ in Waitrose Weekend later this month, to help them create a ground-level hole in their garden fence for hedgehogs to crawl through.
As well as welcoming back the hedgehog, over the six month campaign customers will also discover plenty of other ways in which they can create a wildlife friendly garden, including creating a thriving mini pond and understanding the importance of attracting pollinators.
Alan Titchmarsh says: ‘Wildlife in the garden is just as important as the plants themselves, and that’s why I’m proud to be a part Waitrose’s Garden Power campaign. Whether you have a sunny windowsill or a patch of greenery, you can play a vital part in enriching Britain’s gardens and welcoming back the creatures that we have started to miss.’
Ollie Rice, Editor in Chief Waitrose Publications, says: ‘We know that gardening is the second most popular pastime for our customers after cooking, so this campaign presents an opportunity for our customers to get behind a hobby that they love, whilst also helping to make a difference to Britain’s wildlife.’
Customers can get involved by sharing photos of their green efforts on social media, using the hashtag #gardenpower, to be in with a chance of winning one of a selection of prizes.
Notes to editors
*A survey was carried out for Waitrose Weekend by OnePoll, with 1000 respondents.
Waitrose – winner of the Best Supermarket1 and Best Food and Grocery Retailer2 awards- currently has 346 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 60 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. It combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop – dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. Waitrose also exports its products to 58 countries worldwide and has seven shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. Waitrose’s omnichannel business includes the online grocery service Waitrose.com, as well as specialsit online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitrosekitchen.com for cookware, utensils and kithchen gadgets.
¹ Which? Customer Survey
² Verdict Customer Satisfaction Awards
Enquiries
For further information please contact:
Elli Share
Press Officer, Corporate, Waitrose
Telephone: 01344 825845
Email: elli.share@waitrose.co.uk