Q&A with Richard Pimm

As you may know, we have recently launched our brand new website. We caught up with Richard Pimm in the Marketing Department to find out more…

Why has Monkton Elm decided to launch a new website?

This is actually our fourth new website in the past six or seven years, but it is the first time it has been fully developed in-house. While the past few generations of our site have been good, when you work with an external contractor there are always going to be some restraints.

We want to be able to make quick decisions about the layout or content on the website. By having full control over these elements ourselves, everything can be more immediate and visitors can view information that is both accurate and up-to-date. Ultimately, we want our website to be pleasing to the eye, informative and also have live elements.

What are the ‘live elements’ of the site that you mentioned?

The main new additions to our homepage are our Twitter feed and a box showing the latest blog posts. These give up-to-the-minute updates that are easy for people to find. We also have links to our Facebook page. We feel it is very important to incorporate social media because it allows us to have two-way communications with our customers. We always welcome feedback through any channels, good and bad, as this helps us to develop and improve our business.

What was your role in developing the new website?

I built the new framework for the site using an online website development tool. I also came up with most of the design for the site and wrote some of the content. I developed the new online shop and did a lot of research on how to conform to the various laws regarding online selling, which are very strict!

I actually put myself forward for the project as I feel I am in a unique position to do it. I studied Computer Science at college and I have a strong interest in ‘tinkering’ with computers, both software and hardware. I have also done a lot of design work over the years too, mainly as a hobby. For the past two years I have been in charge of marketing at Monkton Elm, pushing forward with our branding, signage and advertising.

I previously worked for B&Q for five years after leaving college, which gave me a lot of knowledge about how a large business works. As I have worked my way up to my current role at the garden centre, I have tried to use my experience of working for a large company to help push Monkton Elm forward as a growing independent business. Having said all that this is actually the first time I have built a full website and it has been a steep learning curve! I have very much enjoyed the challenge though.

What does a typical day involve for you?

One of the joys of working for an independent garden centre is that everyone’s job roles are very diverse. As well as maintaining the website, I also do quite a lot of in-house signage and general document work. I design a lot of external magazine ads and some of the large scale signage. At weekends I help supervise the tills and provide site-wide IT support. You will even see me out and about collecting trolleys on busier days, which I very much enjoy as it gives my brain a nice break from the more technical challenges!