Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2013 | Page 38

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Buzzing with activity at Busy Bee
Busy Bee Garden Centre opened its doors for the first
time in 1987. Its beginnings were humble; a small
glass house with a couple of polytunnels for growing
on young plants.
With Mary and Chris Leslie at the helm, Busy Bee
gradually grew, with small extensions to the site to
accommodate the growing demand for good quality
home grown plants. This resulted in an array of
buildings across the site which was far from ideal for
both customers and staff, so their dreams of offering
a better customer experience were always at the
forefront of their minds.
A large metal frame building was added to the site
12 years ago to house garden furniture, gifts and
the Honey Pot restaurant. This also provided the
opportunity to develop the Christmas business which
at the time was housed in the end of the glasshouse.
Five years ago they decided that a fundamental
restructuring of the centre was required to bring the
centre up to date and meet the expectations of their

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customers. The centre became a favourite spot for
many visitors, but still fell short of the ‘destination’
experience customers would have been used to on the
mainland.
Now the new Busy Bee has finally achieved the
Leslie family’s long ambition of delivering the
ultimate customer experience and rivalling a number
of mainland garden centres. The store includes
various franchises to extend the range of products
to enhance the shopping experience. Pet Face, a
recognisable brand for quality pet products, as
well as a health and well being section with natural
skin products, remedies and speciality foods are
available, along with an extensive cookware section,
haberdashery and many more new and exciting
products.
The opening date coincides with the opening of
Christmas World 2013, a ‘must visit’ for Islanders
and visitors alike.