Monkton Elm Garden Centre

Proudly independent Monkton Elm Garden Centre was established by David and Luella Bellman in picturesque Taunton, Somerset, over 40 years ago. The family business has now passed onto the next generation of the Bellman family.

Always one to keep up with changing trends, Monkton Elm has grown from a garden centre into so much more. It first opened a small café in the 1980s, which has grown into the 350-seater Elm Tree Restaurant. Customers can enjoy a coffee overlooking the ducks in the Pondside Café, while the on-site pet shop offers everything you might need for those special, smaller family members. 

“We’ve even got a farm shop, which serves the local community and visitors from further afield with really fresh, healthy and different foods you can’t get in the supermarket,” says Mike Lind, managing director of Monkton Elm.

“Elavon has been there for us,” confirms David Bellman, Monkton Elm’s head of finance. “Our EPOS [electronic point-of-sale] system allows us to control the payments at point of sale in a contactless manner and then links through to our reporting structure. 

“It controls our inventory all the way through to receipt of the funds at the end of the processing period, with the reliability of knowing we’re going to receive the cash in our bank the following day,” he adds. “Over the coming years, we’re looking to grow the business on both the ecommerce side and onsite – and we’ll be looking to work closely with our payment providers to be able to facilitate the growth.” 
 

A partner in payments

According to Mike, “For us, it’s really important to be able to focus on what we’re good at: our core competencies. We’re looking to a future which involves a much stronger digital engagement with all our customers, both new and returning.

“At Monkton Elm, we’re all looking forward to shaping the business for the future, but remaining grounded with a core traditional family ethos,” he concludes.