The pandemic complicated a lot, but raised demand, says the owner of Nohel Garden

I will work on myself. Petr Nohel entered the business with this vision after the revolution. However, he soon discovered that the company had much greater potential and could not do without employees. Today, Nohel Gardent consists of 250 employees who, thanks to quality logistics and personal commitment, have built the largest specialized wholesale with a range of gardening supplies in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

However, the borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia are not limiting either. Nohel Garden also has customers in other countries, such as Poland, Hungary and Austria. The company takes care of a total of four thousand customers and has over fifteen thousand items on offer.

Are you a person who likes to balance?

I like to balance, but unfortunately there is not much time for that. (laughter)

Your company Nohel Garden has been on the market for thirty years. After all, it is worth the balance. With what ambitions did you establish the company in 1991?

I graduated from the Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice in Moravia and my first job after school was at a breeding station. Subsequently, I managed the renovation of horticulture in Orlík nad Vltavou for two years… In the end, I thought that I could try my own business. Like most beginning entrepreneurs, I had no experience selling or running my own business. Many of my friends went abroad to earn money at the time, but for a short time. It didn't appeal to me, I wanted to stay home, support my family and do the work I enjoyed for a long time.

It was two years after the Velvet Revolution, the domestic market was not yet saturated. Today there is a completely different situation…

Of course, then the possibilities were completely different than today. I started from scratch. I was inspired by exhibitions abroad, gained my first contacts, and above all I started selling products that were missing on the domestic market. We imported exclusive products from abroad and were able to deploy higher margins.

Was that your primary strategy for success? Offer something different than others?

The strategy was developed gradually and was based on the basic idea: to do everything so that we were as competitive as possible. Most of our competitors mainly offered goods produced domestically, and because everyone wanted to sell, they had to work with a low margin, not to mention the limited attractiveness and breadth of these goods. We focused primarily on goods that were missing from the market, and only in addition did we offer what others had. Gradually, we gained exclusive representation of European market leaders for selected assortments, created our own brands, and thus differed from other competitors, but we also offered our customers the widest range on the market. With the acquisition of the production company Lovela Terezín, we were able to succeed on the market of plant protection products… And so I could go on…

Today, your company is the largest supplier of gardening supplies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Is there a moment that was really crucial for its development?

There is. First it was hiring the first employee. When I started the business, I thought I wanted to do it for myself because I would do my best. I didn't think about the staff. But then I had to decide if I still wanted to deliver the goods myself or take the driver. There were, of course, even more important moments. We have built our own logistics warehouse facilities and opened a number of regional warehouses. Over time, we have found that it is more efficient to operate larger logistics centers. We also bought local wholesalers, which failed. The fact that we started to supply goods to large chains and created our own brands was also very important. Another big milestone was the establishment of a branch in Slovakia.

And when we look at business from the other side, is there something that you did not succeed in, which you may regret?

There are always some small failures, but the positives clearly prevail. Although I started my business at a relatively young age, I never took a greater risk than would be healthy. We have become market leaders, but there are always reserves and goals that could be achieved, but it did not happen.

At the same time, your portfolio of today's customers is really wide. What change has it gone through in thirty years to where you are today?

The composition of our customers has changed, as has the post-revolutionary market. The first customers were classic gardening retail stores, drugstores and garden centers, including regional wholesalers. With the opening of the first supermarkets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, we have become suppliers of hobby markets Baumax, Bauhaus, Globus, Hornbach, OBI and UNI HOBBY, as well as Albert, Billa, Kaufland, Makro, Penny and Tesco. We can not forget the companies COOP, Mountfield and also the ever-growing market of e-shops, where we supply the companies Alza, Kamody, Mall CZ, Superdiscont and others.

What do you offer customers?

From the beginning, we were looking for an optimal and sufficiently wide range to satisfy the widest possible range of customers. In addition to technology and live plants, we now supply a complete range for gardens. 60 percent from Czech manufacturers. The biggest turnover is made by Fiskars brand tools, which are increasingly sought after, because even a Czech customer has found that quality pays off.

As you can see from your offer, you rely on the sale of seeds and bulbs, under your own brand NG Gardenie. In this area you cooperate with the breeding company Moravoseed, how does it work?

The close cooperation with Moravoseed was born gradually and is based on the fact that we prepare the assortment, ensure the production of bags and sales logistics. Moravoseed has a large portfolio of varieties, is a guarantor of packaging and quality of seeds, which it supplies worldwide. You could say that it is a mutually beneficial symbiosis - we specialize in the sales and hobby market, they in the production and distribution of free-weighed seeds and professional customers. Everyone does what they do best, and that's how it should be.

You also have a direct hit in the field of spraying. As you mentioned earlier, the Nohel Garden now includes the Lovela Terezín company, whose spraying is an important element of your offer. What is the greatest interest in this area?

The situation in the European Union is such that the number of authorized products is constantly decreasing. New manufacturers do not pay to register for the hobby market. Snail preparations have been selling very well lately. We have a wide portfolio of these products and their sales go into the tens of tons. Of the pesticides, weed control herbicides have the largest market share. The trend we are trying to capture is organic products.

An important group of your products also consists of fertilizers and substrates, represented mainly by Forestina, which have recently experienced great development. What are the main trends?

Unequivocally natural preparations, fertilizers and substrates with a partial content of guano and other natural components, the so-called Hoštická or the Healthy Garden brand, etc. Forestina entered the market later, but it is trying harder. He perceives trends and customer needs. High quality products at a reasonable price is their motto.

People also know Nohel Garden thanks to a wide range of plastic and ceramic products. You have over 30 suppliers from all over Europe, including the largest manufacturers from Germany, France or Italy. Manufacturers from Poland and the Czech Republic have an increasing share. What are the annual sales in this area?

When we decided to go to this range, we chose the largest players in the European market with the widest range and reliable logistics. These long-term ties with suppliers based on mutual respect have played an important role especially recently. We represent, for example, the German company Spang, from which we transport dozens of trucks of clay pots a year. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, we sell more than a hundred thousand plastic watering cans, more than half a million boxes every year - and we could go on like this.

These are really huge numbers. Hasn't the covid, which has hit the global market on all fronts, influenced them in the past two years?

Of course yes. There are more things that the covid has changed. Logistics chains were disrupted and transport became more expensive. Due to increased demand, manufacturers do not have goods in stock. Last year, the season lasted about a month. Thanks to the quarantines, the suppliers were unable to build up sufficient stocks and did not have time to catch up in the season. Delivery times were extended, instead of the standard two months it took six months. So far, it doesn't look like it will be better next season either. On the other hand, due to the pandemic and limited travel, we have seen higher demand. People returned home, to the gardens, to family and nature. They have learned how wonderful it is to grow, harvest or make fun on your own.

Covid also affected the labor market. Has he noticed your company in this regard?

There are more factors working in this regard than just covid. Employees are aging, retiring and young people no longer want to work too manually. In general, it is becoming more and more difficult to find quality people. For me, it does not matter what education the employee received. What matters is what a person is, whether he is reliable, keeps his word, and whether he has results. I have always tried to be successful, but not at all costs. I expect the same from my employees. I want their work to satisfy them, but always within fair play.

Is fair play your life motto, which you follow in business?

Yes, and I've stuck with it my whole life. I want Nohel Garden to be seen as a company you rely on and known for its fair approach to customers, suppliers and employees.

Do you still enjoy business as you did in the beginning when you started the company?

Business still makes sense to me and I see things that can be improved over and over again. When I started, I didn't know what I was getting into. Because I was younger, I was braver. Now one analyzes everything more, solves the meaningfulness of what one does, and alternates speed with experience. But if I didn't enjoy it, we wouldn't be having this conversation here now. I've always tried to do the job so that if a company should end, I should finish last. And that still applies to me.