LEADING lawnmower manufacturers Flymo and McCulloch, based in Newton Aycliffe, are showcasing their latest innovative designs to customers via an interactive garden space that’s set to appear at a third intu shopping centre during the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend this May. Having already captured shoppers’ attention at intu Lakeside over Easter and intu Trafford Centre at the beginning of the month, the Flymo and McCulloch popup experience will arrive at intu Metrocentre for its final outing as part of the roadshow.
The eye-catching stand is fully branded, with digital screens showing off a variety of the products the two brands have on offer – it even features its very own lawn, which sees the Flymo Robotic 1200 R and, new for the 2017 season, the McCulloch ROB R600 set to work. They are designed to make their way around the garden 24 hours a day, trimming the tips of the grass to let micro clippings form mulch to feed the lawn. Without human intervention, they return to their docking station to charge, then off they go again around the garden working within the set boundary wires for a consistently perfect lawn.
Robotic mowers are quiet, safe, emit no fumes and are theft-proof but the most popular feature is of course that those in possession of one will never have to mow the lawn again. Alongside the robotic mowers, the stand displays a number of petrol products by McCulloch for garden maintenance as well as Flymo’s most recent innovation; a lightweight, cordless battery-powered lawnmower called the Mighti-Mo 300 Li. Visitors to the stand are also given the opportunity to enter a competition to win a Flymo Robotic 1200 R of their own and consult the experts with any questions they have.
Gavin Burns, trade marketing manager for Flymo and McCulloch, said: “The partnership with intu is a first for the brands, allowing us to interact with customers in a different environment and capitalise on a high footfall which a Bank Holiday weekend offers at the popular centres. “We are looking forward to bringing our product to life for shoppers in the North East this weekend, giving them the chance to handle products, learn a little more about both brands, speak to experienced professionals, see the robotic mowers in action – even negotiating obstacles – and of course enter the fantastic competition that we’re running.” The ‘Flymo McCulloch Roadshow’ was the brainchild of Newcastlebased creative agency, Hedley McEwan, who have worked with the sectorleading Flymo brand for over 15 years.
Hedley McEwan managing director Tom Hedley said of the project: “This ‘interactive roadshow’ has been two years in the planning and we have always been confident that given the opportunity to experience relatively new technology like robotic mowers, the general public will be inspired to change the way they take care of their lawns, especially as like most of us, ‘personal’ time is in short supply and we’d rather be doing other things than repeatedly mowing our lawn.” Roger Binks, customer experience director of intu, said: “Our dedicated inhouse team work closely with brands to deliver compelling experiences that help them to flourish within our portfolio of popular shopping and leisure destinations, with Flymo and McCulloch the latest to take advantage of our prime locations and 400 million customer visits a year to drive this kind of brand engagement.”
