In This Issue
Easter Fortnight 2019 is best since 2015
The Davies's buy back Raglan from Wyevale
Become a GARDENA ambassador store and watch sales grow
Was the Easter gardening rush the antidote to Brexit?
Sallyanne leads Taylors Bulbs team to show triumph
Thomas Hardy theme for David Austin Chelsea launches
A look ahead to Glee 2019
Charles Taylor breaks records post-Easter
Raglan bought back from Wyevale by previous owner
Wyevale Nurseries renews its 'UK sown and grown' credentials
Squire's add floristry at Badshot Lea
Perennial Legacy Garden scoops Premier Gold at Harrogate
Cordless push at Dobbies with Greenworks brand
Slugs really are hardened boozers....
LifestyleGarden setting new standards for sustainability
Planteria Retail Assistant/Manager
Category Manager for Horticulture
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Pot feet, garden lights and hose connectors grow Easter sales
Frankie is Hambrooks Gardening Hero
Bedding Geraniums double to go to No 1
New head of retail at RHS Wisley
Veg growers making up for last year
Late Easter spells subdued growth for online retail in March
Easter growing media sales see double
Sally takes over Neudorff office admin
Warm Easter for Wild Bird Care
The best of last week's
Easter records broken at garden centres across the country
Sales up 72% YOY at Primeur following GIMA and Glee award wins
Matthew three-wheels around Bents
Wyevale Garden Centres announces changes to Loyalty Scheme
Garden Centre Photo Tour - Blue Diamond Bicester Avenue
Garden Centre Photo Tour - Baytree of Hilgay
Garden Centre Photo Tour - Hillier Botley
Garden Centre Photo Tour - Forest Lodge
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
Garden Centre Photo Tour - Notcutts Norwich
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Salary will reflect level of experience
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Late Easter spells subdued growth for online retail in March

With no repeat of last year’s Beast from the East snowstorms and a later Easter pushing back holiday spend, the online retail industry recorded growth of just +5% Year-on-Year (YoY) in March against a tough comparator last year, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index. 

 

While still positive growth, this subdued performance fell significantly below the 3- (+7.5%), 6- (+7.1%) and 12- (+10.2%) month rolling averages. Breaking it down further, online-only retailers saw marginally better results – growing +8.9% versus multichannel retailers’ +5%.

 

Across the sectors the impact of a late Easter was most apparent in Home and Garden, which saw its impressive growth trajectory from earlier in the year slow to just +1.6% YoY. Meanwhile despite a strong performance in Footwear (+16.7%), the Clothing sector continued its five-month run of single digit growth (+3.7%), and both Electricals and Gifts saw sales plummet by -26% and -22.1% respectively.

 

In contrast Health and Beauty had yet another strong month of sales (+15.6% YoY), with Beauty outperforming the rest of the sectors with a +19.8% increase – perhaps due to a few celebrity beauty line launches last month.

 

Andy Mulcahy, strategy and insight director, IMRG, said: “While on the surface of it +5% growth may not seem very positive, there are actually two possible interpretations. On the one hand it looks bad as it’s below the 3-, 6- and 12-month rolling averages of +7.5%, +7.1% and +10.2% respectively; it’s also the lowest of the first quarter of 2019. On the other hand, this growth is against a strong base from March 2018, which featured Easter (home and garden online sales were down -15% in the equivalent week in March this year) and freezing temperatures that kept people away from high streets and boosted online sales in 2018.

 

“As Easter fell in April this year, the growth rate for that month will determine whether March’s performance can be considered good, bad or indifferent given those factors – not to mention the continuing general macro-economic pressures on retail.”

 

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