As we celebrate this milestone, we invite you to join us in reminiscing with our Otter teams as they share their cherished memories, reflections, and emotions from their time at Otter Garden Centres.
Shaun has always loved vehicles – after school he worked as a motorcycle mechanic at Browns in Ottery before going travelling in India, Thailand and Australia. On his return he joined Otter as a warehouse assistant, working in a team of just two alongside the warehouse supervisor. He is now Group Distribution Manager, in charge of all vehicles, transport and deliveries for the group.
Lauren began working at Otter at weekends when she was in Year 9 at The Kings School, and during the holidays while she was at university. One of her jobs was to price clothing under the watchful eye of Pearl. She started full time in May 2018 and has worked in various areas of the business including the warehouse, tills and giftware. In 2010 she took a role in the furniture department and now works in the marketing department with our Marketing Manager, Chris.
Shaun: I remember my interview with Malcolm (White) very clearly. It was on a Saturday afternoon. He called me on the Sunday and said: “If you promise to give me 110 percent, you’ve got the job!” Back then, there was only one other branch at Torbay, so deliveries were very local. Much of my work involved picking goods for the shop, there weren’t containers of furniture like we have now.
Lauren: Otter’s been part of my life from the earliest days. I remember coming when I was really young, to see Dad, and my Great Aunt who also worked at Otter. I have a clear memory of wearing my flashing Barbie shoes once which all the team loved! At Christmas I’d come with the primary school choir to sing carols.
Shaun: When I started I was the youngest person in warehousing – now I’m one of the oldest! I’ve seen the business go through a lot of changes, a lot of growth. It must be challenging to keep it as a family business, but it still is. When we took on the Plymouth site we brought in artic lorries – before then we just had flatbed trucks. Now the fleet has pool cars, seven and half tonne trucks, trailers and forklifts – around 40 vehicles in all.
Lauren: There were four sites when I joined and while I’ve been here three more have been added. So basically, I’ve seen it almost double in size. Then there was the rebranding (in 2017), a big part of the business’s development. And of course, there are our Christmas displays. It’s amazing watching how big they’ve become – each year they seem even bigger!
Shaun: Everything I do is pretty much behind the scenes; warehousing, vans, racking. I oversee the fleet vehicles – I get to buy the artics and trailers! The large vehicles and trailers have to be serviced every 10 weeks. I’m also involved in Otter’s recycling initiatives. We’ve recently purchased a bigger baler so we can recycle pots. I sort out the logistics of getting the bales of plastic to the recycling site in the most efficient way possible.
Lauren: I started part time in marketing in late 2019, then went full time in 2020. Working in this area of the business I get involved in lots of different things, including point of sale and print production. I also work on the website, including working closely with the Plants team to develop our online Plant Shop. I’m now leading on some of our marketing campaigns and digital marketing including video.
Shaun: There’s always something going on, so it’s always interesting. Christmas fills what would otherwise be a quieter time. In fact, Christmas can be busier than Spring! I get involved with the Christmas props; the animations have to go in a huge artic lorry to Halifax to be serviced, then when they come back, I have to organise their distribution to the branches. At the moment, the restaurants are having new furniture so I’m involved in the logistics of that.
Lauren: When we took on Jack’s Patch, I went to help set it up and smooth the changeover to the way Otter works, including training the till teams and helping the furniture team learn the processes. I was supposed to be there for two months but it turned into three. It was a challenging time but it was great to help kick start Jack’s Patch’s new life with the Otter touch. I love the fact that each branch is so different. Supermarket chains always seem the same, but our garden centres all have their own identity and personality.
Shaun: I think like lots of people, the company’s legendary hot air balloon ride – even though I don’t like heights! I remember we flew over Tiverton – it was a very peaceful experience and we could even hear people talking on the ground below us. Then there have been summer events, a casino and horse racing night, BBQs, clay pigeon shooting – offroad driving blindfolded!
Lauren: The Otters, our in-house awards. The family always threw themselves into these, dressing up as Abba, characters from Star Wars and Alice in Wonderland. I have a lovely memory of winning the ‘Rising Star’ award one year.
Shaun: There aren’t that many jobs now where you know you really do have a job for life. The most exciting moments have been when we’ve taken on a new site, it’s a good indication that the business is doing well; opening Plymouth was a really big event. I have lots of dealings with the other branches, sorting out racking and forklifts. Although I don’t visit the other sites as much as I used to, I was recently at Wincanton to measure up for racking. It’s good to see how a store is developing.
Lauren: I love being given the chance to learn new skills. Joining the furniture department was very special, I was only 15, maybe 16 years old when that happened. I learnt to deal with money and understand what makes great customer service. Wendy in furniture really helped me grow and learn – in fact, there have always been role models who have helped me. In my marketing role I’ve learnt so much and been given so many opportunities. Since 2023 I’ve been studying for a Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification, supported by the business.
Shaun: It’s never been detrimental; we’ve always been able to work together in a professional way. We do take work home occasionally. It’s usually because we want to get insights from each other – for example, Lauren was keen to discuss her ‘Grow Your Own Tasty Puddings’ marketing campaign of last summer. And sometimes we’ll chat about the different branches.
Lauren: When I worked in the furniture department, it was pretty convenient having Dad in the warehouse. When we needed something, the others would often say ‘Ask your Dad’. We even changed the phone listing to show ‘Shaun Dad’!”
Since moving to marketing, we work together less, although there are crossovers, such as collecting printed materials and point-of-sale signs for delivery to the branches, and elements of Otter’s recycling initiatives including the new plastics baler.
A huge thank you goes out to Shaun & Lauren for sharing their memories and family working life together with us!
Their stories truly bring the spirit of Otter Garden Centres to life! We’re so grateful for their dedication and passion.
Keep an eye out for more heartwarming tales from our amazing team as we continue our 60th Anniversary celebrations!
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