The fine spring weather has led to a significant increase in sales, with garden centres reporting growth between +5% and +19%, with +13% to +15% being typical. Restaurant sales have also seen an uplift, though less pronounced, with increases around +5% to +8%.

Trends

Identifying trends is hard when the weather had such a dominant influence on sales. However, those mentioned include:

• A decline in pet sales, mirroring the decline in pet ownership post-COVID.
• Strong performance in the food sector for treats and gifting.
• A shift towards metal furniture from resin.
• Decoration for the garden, such as solar lights, cushions (+45%), and screening, is trending.
• Customers are cautious with larger purchases and are looking for value for money.
• Visitors are coming on a leisure visit where comfort, inspiration and good hospitality are vital. “We have fewer ‘pop in, buy what they want and leave’ customers”.

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash