Garden Center 2025 Top 100 IGCs List open for submissions with new judging criteria

I’m excited to announce that Garden Center magazine is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Top 100 Independent Garden Centers List.

But what’s driving my excitement isn’t simply the fact that we are once again building the preeminent catalogue of the best independent garden centers in the nation, though that is always a thrill. And while I’m stoked that we’ve been producing the list for over a decade, the staying power is only a part of my excitement.

What really makes this year special is that we are adjusting the way the list is built. This year, for the first time, we are asking all retailers to report annual revenue for *only* their top-performing or flagship location.

So, why is that important? Ove the years, we’ve heard from smaller single-location retailers who have voiced concerns that they cannot crack the upper echelons of the list because it is impossible to compete with garden centers operating multiple stores, sometimes across multiple states. And they have a very good point.

What is the purpose of the list, in the end? The premise is that those who make the list are the best of the best at what they do. In the past, we’ve operated on the assumption that annual sales revenue reflects the customer service, plant selection, plant quality, branding and marketing prowess of the businesses that make the list.

I do not think those assumptions are necessarily wrong. However, companies that have multiple locations to collect revenue naturally have a numbers advantage over single-location stores on the list.

So this year, we are leveling the playing field as simply as we can.

We are comparing single locations, regardless of how many stores are under the company name. For our biggest multi-store retailers, this is a chance to show that the quality that has enabled expansion is as strong today as it was when the ribbon was cut on the second, third or 13th store.

For the smaller, single-store retailers, this is your chance to find a place on the top of the list and prove that the work you do in your community is just as good as those traditionally at the top of the list.

Will there be a shake-up? I’m not sure. But the suspense is killing me.

So, let the friendly competition commence.

Please submit the revenue for a single location — your best-performing location — by April 25. And I’ll remind our Canadian readers to please submit your revenue in USD only. Click here to submit your IGC for consideration on the list.

Our list will be available in a special print edition of Garden Center magazine at Cultivate’25. We’ll also celebrate the winners at a Top 100 reception at the Garden Center Conference & Expo in Kansas City on Aug. 6.

So, what are you waiting for? Submit your garden center for consideration today!

Patrick Alan Coleman is editor of Garden Center magazine. Contact him at pcoleman@gie.net.