Your stock might sit still for months. Your bills certainly don't.
Retail is tough right now. You've invested cash upfront in stock that can take weeks, months or even longer to sell.
Meanwhile, the rent or mortgage, business rates, electricity and staffing costs keep coming in, whether those shelves are generating sales or not.
And with so much cash tied up in slow-moving stock, finding the money to bring in fresh, exciting products that attract customers becomes another challenge.
But what if some of that space could earn you a regular monthly income, without you having to buy the stock to fill it?
Stock you don't have to buy. Space that earns you rent.
You need Hosted Retail, a way to maximise your return on your space whilst freeing you from buying stock, this is how it works:
Independent sellers rent your existing shelves, bookcases or floor areas for an agreed monthly fee, supplying their own products.
Your team sells those products through your usual tills, and your garden centre earns monthly rental income from each occupied space, PLUS 10% of every sale.
Instead of relying entirely on products selling to generate income from that space, you have an agreed monthly rental payment coming in while it's occupied, with a share of sales on top.
We tested it in a Garden Centre like yours
Hosted Retail was born out of the challenges facing a family-run garden centre and tested in a real, working retail environment over six weeks.
The Garden Centre experienced increased footfall and sales, as well as renting 20 different types of indoor space (from single shelves to 3x3m empty floor space) with excited and motivated artisan sellers. And with stock that customers couldn't find at every other retail outlet they visit. This could be you too!
We take care of the rental admin. You take care of business.
We've built Hosted Retail to make renting out your retail space as simple and hands-off as possible.
List your available spaces for FREE, and let independent sellers find you. Hosted Retail takes care of the rental agreements and ongoing rental administration, saving you time, paperwork and potentially costly legal fees.
When a seller leaves, the space is automatically listed again, ready for the next opportunity.
And here's the best part: we only earn our commission while your space is rented. If you're not earning rental income, neither are we.
We'll be here to support you every step of the way.
Leaving you free to focus on what you do best: running your garden centre.
Ready to make your retail space work harder?
Hosted Retail is preparing to launch in January 2027, and you can be among the first Garden Centres to hear when our marketplace opens.
Register your interest now and we'll let you know when you can start listing your available spaces and connecting with independent sellers.
Be first in line when HostedRetail launches. There's no cost, no commitment and no obligation to offer any space. You're simply keeping your options open.
FAQs
How would we benefit from this?
You receive an agreed monthly rental fee for each space rented by an independent seller, plus 10% of the selling price of their products sold through your tills, from stock you didn't have to purchase upfront. The business model for the areas you rent out becomes one of landlord rather than retailer.
Isn't it a lot of extra administrative work and expense?
No, we have built our software platform to specifically manage the rental of your spaces on autopilot. Once you've added your listings, sellers find you, they complete the rental agreement we supply (which can cost thousands to get a solicitor to draft) and move in. Once a seller leaves, the space is re-listed automatically.
Do we have to offer a minimum amount of space?
We ask that you list a minimum of 10 individual spaces to make it worthwhile for you. These can range from a single shelf to a larger floor area - our test Garden Centre filled 12 large 2m x 0.75m empty spaces, two 3x3m empty spaces plus individual shelves. You can add more spaces at any time.
Can we specify what type of items are sold and are the sellers checked?
Absolutely! You can specify products you don't want sold, such as food or gardening items you already stock. We screen sellers to exclude MLMs, check their online presence and welcome both independent makers and online retailers looking to try physical retail. You always have the final say. Even if a seller completes a rental agreement, you can decline their application.