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GCA centres were up 5.6% in March
Turnover at Garden Centre Association member centres was 5.6% up on average in March, with food hall and farm shop up more than 23% compared to the same month last year.
The GCA’s latest ‘barometer of trade’ returns show that the best performing traditional category was houseplants at +8.36% Outdoor plant sales rose 3.31% compared to last year while sales in seeds and bulbs were down 6.65%. Catering sales were up 11.78% and clothing was up 10.7%. Gift sales rose marginally by 0.13% but pets and aquatics showed a 6.19% increase. Hard landscaping sales were down 0.94% and furniture and barbecue sales up 7%. GCA chief executive Iain Wylie said the success of the food hall and farm shop category was no surprise. “Due to the poor, wet weather and early Easter break, many gardeners haven’t had the chance to get working on their plots,” he said. Because the Easter break was so early this year, the month’s sales figures were not a true like-for-like comparison.
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