In This Issue
When will the For Sale sign go up at Wyevale GCs?
November starts with a bang for Ponsettias
Residents oppose housing plans for Klondyke Cheshire site
Garden centre customers update their wardrobes for new season
German buyers at ‘Meet the International Buyers’ event
SmartPlant app aims to lighten load on plant staff
Martin Stewart apologises over Santa tickets as 10,000 requests crash website
Vitax announces groundbreaking charity partnership
Kent & Stowe silent sales assistant builds Lawn spend
Bonnetts Garden Village opens for business
Holly and Mistletoe Auctions return to Burford Garden Store
Santa's grottos at Squires raise money for charity
Hillier celebrates the Magic of Christmas
Tong launches its biggest ever Christmas weekend event
Cheeky innuendo takes garden centre customers by surprise...
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Helen MacDonald appointed HTA Council representative for Scotland
Christmas plants lead November upturn
EU fails to resolve glyphosate issue yet again
Wonderful boost for vertical gardening
Haskins Garden Centres announces competition to celebrate National Tree Week
Poppy feeder sales up by 57%
Hortipak continues support for HTA National Plant Show
Angels increase lead at the top of Christmas chart
Turnover up at Wyevale-owned Woodcote Green
Agent for Briers in the South East leaves company
The best of last week's
"Garden Centre of the Future" planned for new outlet retail centre at Downtown Grantham
RHS licensing a stepping stone to success for Kelkay
Smart Garden Products expands export team
The Pied Piper of Melville - GTN's interview with Nicholas Marshall
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Bridport centre's curvaceous £1m restaurant takes shape
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Garden centre customers update their wardrobes for new season

 

The new autumn/winter season saw garden centre customers stocking up on warm clothing and accessories during September, according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade report.

Total sales in clothing departments across GCA member centres was up 32.24% compared to the same month last year (2016).

Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, said: “It’s no surprise that as the weather began to turn, customers at our member garden centres stocked up on cold and wet weather gear in preparation. These days it’s not just gardening attire that is sold, but customers can get their hands on lots of different brands and styles of clothing, shoes and accessories. Now they’re now all set for the colder weather to set in!

“Another good performer during the month was Christmas, with sales up 23.64% compared to the same month last year. While many think it may have been too early to start preparing for the festivities in September, lots of people do like to get prepared well in advance, as these figures show.

“We expect sales in this area to increase further in the lead up to December, especially as many of our member centres have begun launching their festive displays and special Christmas events.”

Houseplants sales also performed well, with sales up 15.59%. Catering was up 7.84% and pets and aquatics sales were up 3.69%.

Food hall and farm shop sales were up 1.9%, gifts were up 2.67%.

Iain added: “Due to the season, and as to be expected, furniture and barbecue sales were down -12.61%, garden sundries were down -0.91% and seeds and bulbs were down -2.38%. Hard landscaping sales were also down -4.57%, but outdoor plant sales were up 2.85%.”

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.

Member garden centre sales showed an average overall increase for the month of 4.44% and a Year to Date growth of 2.87%.

Anthony Jackson, Partner at Bernaville Nurseries in Exeter, said: “September produced a mixed set of results for Bernaville Nurseries. Gardening departments including outdoor plants, seeds and bulbs and hard landscaping suffered while others such as catering, houseplants, and clothing performed really well.

“The overwhelming success for us was Christmas with sales increasing by over 76%. We hope this is a sign of a fantastic festive season ahead.”

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