In This Issue
It's all to play for in June, predicts GTN Bestsellers
Plants sales shine – 5.6% up on last year
LOFAssured initiative to be launched at SOLEX
Planners set to approve major expansion at East Durham Garden Centre
HTA aims to give National Plant Show visitors a VIP experience
The day David rubbed shoulders with a host of Royal gardening enthusiasts
Briers at Chelsea: Celebrity Gluvie Special
Good sales for furniture and BBQs, reports the GCA BoT
Commercial Kitchen 2017: Full line-up confirmed ahead of next week’s show
Best School Grounds winner visits Squire's Badshot Lea
Fine foods roadshows offer taste of Christmas
Haskins Conna to fly high for Greenfingers
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Notcutts spruces up space outside hospital ward
Flaming June needed to get garden product sales back on track
New Finance Director at Mr Fothergill's Seeds
Gardeners are growing their own for Pimms
Nursery to run plant stall for charity at garden festival
Growing media sales still heading for record first-half
Gardeners' World 50th anniversary display will show how gardening has changed
Essex centre to be replaced by homes
HydroGarden grows seven-figure online sales channel
Book your place at the HTA Catering Conference now
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
HTA Catering Conference 2017 is just over a week away...book your place now!
Discover how our taste changes with the time of day
Case studies from successful garden centres
The latest market information about the sector
Having a 'freefrom' approach works wonders
Peter Avis shares a passion for customer service
Catering can help to deliver special days out
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Good sales for furniture and BBQs, reports the GCA BoT


Customers at garden centres across the country prepared themselves for the good weather by buying furniture and barbecues for their outside spaces according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade results.

Furniture and barbecue sales in April were up 37.46% compared to the same month last year (2016) with outdoor plant sales close behind at 33.22%.

Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, explained: “We love nothing better than when the sun is shining. Lots of householders have been busy getting their gardens ready in order to enjoy the sunshine. They’ve been purchasing garden furniture and barbecues, so they can make the most of their outside spaces as possible and this has been reflected in the figures recorded by our members.

“Garden sundries sales were up 27.65% and hard landscaping up 20.88%. Smaller garden centres showed a greater increase in plants as they make up a greater percentage of their sales.”

Clothing was another good seller with sales up 17.36%.

Iain added: “All that shopping must have made customers hungry, as they spent time in our members’ food halls and farm shops too, where sales were up 13.74%. Catering sales were also up 7.40%.

“The results are reasonably consistent across the country, but we expect it will be a completely different story with May’s results.”

Pets and aquatics sales were up 6.68%, seeds and bulbs were up 3.27% and houseplants were up 9.70%.

Sales showed an average overall for the month of 21.86% and an average overall Year to Date increase of 11.07%.

The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.

The BoT reports allow members to compare their trading positions with other centres.
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