Balancing Retail Beauty with Safety

THE CHALLENGE

Large-Scale Retail Center Needs Landscape Maintenance with Year-Round Smarts

Easton Town Center is an open-air shopping complex in Columbus, Ohio. It boasts more than 200 stores, restaurants, and a 30-screen theater. Easton also has 129 acres of roadways and parking lots, 10 acres of sidewalks, and 12 acres of parking garages. Add to that extensive walkways and hundreds of flowerbeds and containers, and you can see why the property management sought highly professional, experienced landscape design and maintenance to ensure the desired outdoor environment and customer experience.

THE SOLUTION

Strategic Scheduling, Winter Weather Expertise, and Rotating Seasonal Displays

When our team began work with the Easton Town Center, we knew part of the challenge would be ensuring all the walkways and roads were safe and navigable year-round, even in heavy snow. Our snow removal experts planned accordingly to be prepared and adapt as necessary to accommodate the opening times of the center's businesses. During snowfalls, crews work efficiently to remove snow from the innermost walkways and roadways and truck the excess away to improve ease of access and eliminate unsightly snow piles.

In addition to keeping Easton Town Center safe and navigable, we also help keep the property beautiful. Our landscape enhancement team works closely with the management to create year-round, seasonal plantings. Clusters of containers, more than 200 in all, create focal points, define spaces, and direct traffic flow. Plants are chosen carefully to tolerate heat and to thrive whether they are planted in areas with full or partial shade or sun. Crews install and maintain the containers overnight when businesses are closed so as not to interrupt the guest experience.

THE OUTCOME

99 Percent Occupancy Rates and Top-Notch Recognition

Easton Town Center has achieved national and industry acclaim, including numerous awards for outstanding seasonal color displays and specialty gardens. Likewise, we've also received recognition for our work with Easton, such as the 2014 National Landscape Award of Excellence for our design and installation of seasonal planters at Easton Town Center. While this is impressive, the most noteworthy result of Easton's stunning landscape is their contribution to Easton Town Center's 99-percent occupancy rate and high reported sales volumes which rank among the highest in tenants' respective chains.