Usually, IPM Essen would start today. The who's who of the international horticultural industry would be been gathering at Messe Essen over the next four days, with expert discussions taking place, innovations being presented and explained, contacts being cultivated and deals being made. Unfortunately, the world’s leading horticultural trade fair will once again not be taking place this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. A market description produced by the CO CONCEPT agency, and commissioned by IPM Essen, explains where the green sector stands after two years of the pandemic, lists the challenges that lie ahead, and presents the opportunities for the sector moving forward:
Coronavirus is changing and accelerating the world – and the plant market has been particularly affected. For example, 2021 was another very strong year for flowers and plants. While the German market volume in 2020 – after many long years of stagnation – was already at €9.4 billion, which was believed to be a record high, this figure could be surpassed once again in 2021. Early indications and market observations are already pointing towards this being the case.
However, it remains to be seen whether the demand for flowers and plants brought about by the pandemic will continue to grow or whether it will prove to be merely a one-off effect. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that greenery will be a crucial quality of life factor in the future.
Swerving the catastrophe
At the beginning of the pandemic, it would have been almost impossible to anticipate the effects that the coronavirus protection measures would have on the horticulture sector. As sentiment swayed between hope and fear, there was a great deal of uncertainty as to whether the sales channels for “living” horticultural products would even be open on the one hand, and on the other hand, whether the consumers would want to spend money on flowers and plants during such financially uncertain times or whether their willingness to spend would decrease.
We now know that – aside from the first lockdown – during all other lockdown phases, the classic selling times for green products went out the window, as green products and flowers established themselves as symbols of normality and a nice environment: Shops and consumers were keen on green.
Read the complete report here.
IPM Essen