A wetter but warmer August, saw garden centre sales 13% up on August last year, with sales up on all reported categories compared to last year, according to the latest HTA Market Update report. Houseplant sales continue to lead the way, with garden care and growing media categories also performing well during August.
HTA Director of Membership Martin Simmons comments “August figures show a continued strong year for garden centre sales in 2019. Indoor plant sales are up 33% on August last year, followed by garden care which saw sales increase by 25% compared to August 2018. Sales of growing media and lifestyle and gifts also did particularly well over the summer.”
Weather reports for the month show that August started with a front of high pressure bringing a wet, windy and thundery week of weather, especially in Scotland. By contrast, the month ended with the hottest late August bank holiday on record. Overall, August recorded the highest mean temperature for its month since 2004, but it was also considerably wetter, with rainfall 153% of average for August.
However, the overall consumer confidence index score decreased three points to -14 in August, seven points lower than August of last year. Concerns over the UK’s economic situation remain, and ratings of the UK’s economic situation as well as personal finances are considerably lower than this time last year.
This issue looks at garden centre sales and overall market performance. The topical feature in this issue looks at consumer perception of the health benefits of gardens. It highlights that irrespective of age and garden type, there are strong levels of agreement that gardens and green spaces benefit mental health.
The September edition of HTA Market Update is available free for members to download from the HTA website, by logging in and then going to the Market Information pages at https://hta.org.uk/learn-develop/market-information.html