“Garden centre retailers are facing difficult times. Demand for garden products remains flat in today’s tough economy and increasingly consumers are turning to the internet to search out better deals on price. This is putting margins under pressure and so limits the cash available for innovation and refurbishment. Yet, despite these difficulties, garden centre retailers are making headway and investing for future growth. There are plenty of examples of companies developing sophisticated online retail services, excellent in-store restaurants and top quality associated departments including farm shops and housewares. We predict that these companies, who have been prepared to evolve their formats and develop high-quality retailing, will perform best in the future, becoming first choice as a leisure retail destination for their target customers.”

“Garden centre retailers are facing difficult times. Demand for garden products remains flat in today’s tough economy and increasingly consumers are turning to the internet to search out better deals on price. This is putting margins under pressure and so limits the cash available for innovation and refurbishment. Yet, despite these difficulties, garden centre retailers are making headway and investing for future growth. There are plenty of examples of companies developing sophisticated online retail services, excellent in-store restaurants and top quality associated departments including farm shops and housewares. We predict that these companies, who have been prepared to evolve their formats and develop high-quality retailing, will perform best in the future, becoming first choice as a leisure retail destination for their target customers.”

– Jane Westgarth, Senior Retail Analyst

Some questions answered in this report include:

In today’s tough times young people appear to be cutting their garden spending the most, so what can retailers do to encourage younger shoppers?

How much shopping for garden products is being done online?

Is online discounting becoming a disruptive issue for garden retailers?

What are garden centre retailers doing to grow their businesses in the economic squeeze?

Sustainability is a growing theme among suppliers and retailers, but does it chime with consumer sentiments?