After a great Easter and a steady May Bank Holiday, garden centre sales are poised, at 6% up year on year to the end of April, ready for warmer weather and the celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with the four-day long Bank Holiday at the start of June.
To be 6% up on last year for sales volumes after the first four months of the year is a great position to be in. And from the GTN Bestsellers data analysis the biggest sales increases are in areas linked to core gardening and growing. That can only be good for the rest of the year, time invested now will reap rewards later and gives us a great indication that even now the restrictions brought about by Covid have been removed people still want to spend time in their garden and spend money in garden centres.
April total volume sales in the GTN Bestsellers Epos data were 7% down on 2021 which was an exceptional month last year when we came out of Lockdown#3 and container shipping problems lead to a certain amount of panic buying. Compared with 2019, volume sales for the month were 19% up.
We’re starting to see Jubilee displays and promotions in garden centres we visit. Please send us photos of your ideas to promote sales in the run up to the June festivities, we’d love to feature them in GTN and GTN Xtra. Email trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk
GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week in 2021: week 17.
- Garden Products Top 50 – down 26%
- Growing Media Top 50 – down 12%
- Veg 2 Gro Top 50 – down 6%
- Wild Bird & Wildlife Care Top 50 – down 13%
GTN Bestsellers All Sales volumes compared to the same week in 2021: week 17
- All Plants with Barcode index – down 17%
- All Items with Barcode index – down 12%
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