British Garden Centres has unveiled its festive ad, “Where Magic Begins,” a 30-second animation now available on Netflix and Disney+. The story features Joy, an elf, who discovers a solution to the North Pole’s low Christmas magic meter at a British Garden Centres store. Owned by the Stubbs family, who also operate Woodthorpe Leisure Park in Lincolnshire, the company began in 1990 with the opening of Woodthorpe Garden Centre by brothers Charles and Robert Stubbs, marking the start of their retail journey.
After landing at the store, Joy is welcomed by Managing Director Amy Stubbs. She dons a BGC uniform and begins her mission to restore festive cheer. The ad highlights the magic of garden centres during the holiday season. Wandering through aisles filled with baubles and trees, Joy feels the Christmas magic return. She uses a Fern Christmas Wand to transform staff members into festive characters. A tiny boy receives a giant teddy bear, and a family loading their tree onto their car gets a magical surprise.
An Elf’s Festive Mission
Every smile and hug inside the store powers up the North Pole’s Magic Meter. Joy waves her wand one last time, lighting up neighbourhoods. She returns to the North Pole for a hug from Santa. The ad shows all 80 British Garden Centres glowing on a map. The group has a team of over 3,500 colleagues working across the garden centres, restaurants, growing nurseries, distribution centres, Woodthorpe Leisure Park, and Woody’s Restaurant & Bar.
Capturing the Christmas Spirit
“There is something truly spellbinding about walking into a garden centre at Christmas,” said Lucy Hewitt, Marketing Campaigns Manager at British Garden Centres. “The smell of real pine, the sea of sparkling lights, and the excitement in children’s eyes- it’s where special memories are born.” The campaign message, “Where Magic Begins,” is reinforced as Santa’s sleigh leaves a golden trail over a glowing garden centre. This approach is similar to other UK retailers focusing on emotional, family-oriented Christmas storytelling.
The advert can be seen on Disney+, Netflix, social media, and YouTube. British Garden Centres encourages customers to visit their local stores to experience the magic firsthand. Since 2018, it has expanded rapidly with the acquisition of garden centres, allowing it to grow from its heartland to the business it is now, with 80 garden centres spread from Carmarthen to Ramsgate, Wimborne to East Durham.
British Garden Centres is the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group. It has 80 centres across the country and employs over 3,500 colleagues. The group, owned by the Stubbs family, has expanded rapidly since 2018.
