The UK’s garden centre sales were up 8 per cent year on year as August sees improved weather

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The latest Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) Market Update for September 2024 reveals garden centre sales were +8 per cent (vs. Aug 23), and garden category sales were +7 per cent (vs. Aug 23).

This uplift will provide a welcome springboard for autumn gardening categories such as bulbs in the coming months. Non-gardening categories, such as catering, continue to perform strongly, underlining the strengths of garden centres as destinations.

Fran Barnes, Chief Executive of the HTA, commented: “With the weather constantly proving a challenge for our retailers, it’s encouraging to see gardening categories continuing to improve year on year. The strong August sales performance gives confidence and reassurance that consumer demand for gardening remains strong, with subdued sales months driven by the weather rather than any fundamental changes in consumer attitudes to gardening, gardens, or garden centres.”

In part, this consumer confidence is supported by continued wage growth relative to inflation in the cost of goods. Pay growth was 5.1 per cent, which exceeded inflation and boosts – which means the pound in the consumer’s pocket, to some extent, is going further than a year ago. The industry continues to face cost pressures due to trade and labour, and even though global shipping costs fell substantially in August, they remain high compared to a year ago.

The HTA report shows the resilience of UK garden centres and their strength as community destinations, which HTA expects to see grow especially in the autumn months and before Christmas, although this doesn’t take away from how difficult 2024 has been for retailers.