Will the Easter Bunny push the green line up so we see sales volumes in April at the same or higher levels than 2012 – or will the heat drop out of the market?  If the Easter weeks perform close to Easter in 2011, the last time there was a late Easter, then we will definitely be on for a great year.

Judging by the trolley loads of plants sold at the garden centres we visited last weekend, coupled with a decent forecast, the demand and desire is there from customers.  If only we could all trade on Easter Sunday!

Let’s hope the HTA make headway with their lobbying campaign to government on the issue.  As Head of Horticulture Raoul Curtis-Machin says in the HTA statement; “Full closure on Easter Sunday means that garden centres lose a whole trading day during peak planting season whilst families are seeking to spend time together preparing their garden for the year ahead.

“The Sunday Trading Act only applies to England and Wales, thus Scottish garden centres can open without these restrictions. The Scottish example shows that deregulated Sunday trading hours do not disrupt family life or undermine Sunday as special, and can work and benefit garden centres and their customers.”

If you have views on Easter Sunday trading, let us know: e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year:

4 Garden Products – down 2%

4 Veg-2-Gro – up 26%

4 Growing Media – up 7%