Gardeners keen to make the most of their outdoor spaces in July (2021) helped boost furniture and BBQ sales according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) recent Barometer of Trade (BoT) figures. The report shows sales of these home entertaining items were up for the month by 71.62% year-to-date and there were also increases in 10 of the 13 recorded categories.
Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, explains: “These strong figures for July suggest outdoor entertainment and alfresco dining have continued to dominate. There has been an increase in demand as people have either decided to do more hosting at home, and outside, or have found they have been unable to book holidays in the UK due to such high demand for and lack of availability of holiday accommodation this year, post-pandemic."
Houseplants have continued to sell well in July with sales up 60.42% and outdoor plants up 57.29%, year-to-date. Iain adds: “Our members are still seeing a good number of newer, younger gardeners as they continue to participate in their new pastime, which they took up last year in the lockdowns. They are proud plant parents, keen to add to their floral and foliage families, whether they have a windowsill or something bigger to fill.”
Garden Centre Association