In This Issue
Greenfingers ‘Nest & Rest’ garden opens at Grace House, Sunderland
Sir Terry Leahy and Just Eat’s Chief Operating Officer headline Cultivating Retail Conference
Could there be a bumper Christmas on the way?
Bottle Lights lead chart for third week
GCA heads to Bristol for January conference
Haskins offers first glimpse of Snowhill redevelopment
Langlands turns pink for breast cancer charity
Selby centre's extension set to double turnover in 5 years
Squire's lays on welcome at Wokingham site bought from Wyevale
Sara to sleep out in aid of homeless charity
£17m turnover YouGarden completes MBO with Kester Capital
Zest 4 Leisure employees smash charity fundraising target
Aussie independent wants laws to curb power of big box stores
SunPatiens passes with flying colours in Westminster
GIMA expands autumn workshops schedule
France will take centre stage at IPM Essen 2020
West Yorkshire businesses collaborate for a fourth Christmas experience
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Millbrook founder joins charity's board of trustees
Record October in sight for Christmas sales
September offers no respite for online retailers as sales continue to slow
Wet ground holds back gardening activity
Wet September hit garden centre sales
Steady growth for winter bedding
Garden centres await news about Bonmarché concessions
The best of last week's
Christmas unveiled at Bents Garden & Home
Cultivation Street LAUNCHES Illumination Street
Bumper week for Christmas product sales
Harnessing the Power of Social at the HTA Marketing Forum
Christmas and indoor gardening beat the rain
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Garden Centre Photo Tours
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Wet September hit garden centre sales

The Garden Centre Association’s barometer of trade shows that sales in September were 1% down on last year

 

Of the 75 garden centres contributing to the survey, 34 reported that sales were higher than 2018, while 41 had seen a fall.

Sales of seeds and bulbs were7% down on last year, while plant sales were 6% lower and garden sundries fell 5%.

 

Gift sales fell by 1.5% and the increase of 5% growth in catering sales was lower than in the previous few months, suggesting lower-than-average footfall in what was a wet September. Houseplants, though, showed 12% growth.

 

GCA garden centres are running about 6% up overall this year so far.

 

The HTA’s market update figures also reflected September’s wetter conditions, which they say saw sales of hardy plants and outdoor living ranges remaining flat compared to the same month in 2018.

 

Houseplants and garden care products performed well, with houseplants seeing an increase of 13% compared to September last year, and garden care increasing by 9% in month-to-month comparisons.

 

All categories reported remain up on 2018 for year to date comparisons.

 

HTA Director of Membership Martin Simmons comments “Despite losing ground in September, year on year comparisons show that garden centre sales have maintained strong growth. Rolling year to September 2019, compared to 2018 show that sales are up 9%.”

 

September saw a mixture of weathers, including sunshine hours 15% higher and mean temperatures 0.5⁰C higher than the long-term average. By contrast, rainfall was 25% higher than average for the month of September, bringing the most rain in its month since 2000.

 

This issue of Market Update looks at garden centre sales and overall market performance. The topical feature in this issue looks at HTA member business confidence. HTA members are generally feeling positive about the outlook of their business over the next three and twelve months, with over eight in 10 leaning towards the positive end of the scale. Over half are looking to introduce new products or services, and a quarter are say they will engage in further training for their staff and businesses.

 

 

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