Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Impact of COVID-19 on garden product retail sector
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- Figure 1: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on garden product retailers, May 2021
- The market
- Market size and forecast
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- Figure 2: Market size and forecast for garden product retailing, 2016-26 (prepared on 4 April)
- Garden plants and care remain the largest segments
- DIY retailers the most popular retail choice
- Consumers planning home spending in the next three months
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- Figure 3: Hours of bright sunshine experienced by the UK in 2020 by month, Jan-Dec 2020
- Companies and brands
- Year of consolidation for garden centres
- Diversification across the sector
- Smaller formats targeting urban gardeners
- Digital marketing overtakes press
- The consumer
- Nine out of ten adults have access to a garden or outdoor space
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- Figure 4: Gardens and outdoor spaces, April 2021
- Gardening goods is the most popular category
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- Figure 5: Purchases for gardens and outside spaces (net), April 2021
- A multichannel approach is vital
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- Figure 6: In-store or online shopping, April 2021
- Many different channels are at play in the garden product sector
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- Figure 7: Retailers used for garden products, year-on-year comparison, April 2020 and April 2021
- Access and convenience are still king for consumers
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- Figure 8: Factors influencing choice of retailer, April 2021
- Gardens vital for mental health and stress relief
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- Figure 9: Attitudes towards gardens and outdoor spaces, April 2021
Issues and Insights
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- New customers mean a new opportunity and a new challenge
- Having a multichannel strategy is key
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- COVID-19 pandemic leads to surge in spending on the garden
- Leisure segment benefitting from behavioural shifts
- DIY retailers still first choice for most consumers
- Consumers planning spend in the coming months
Market Size and Forecast
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- Garden product sector recovers after initial lockdown worries
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- Figure 10: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on garden product retailers, May 2021
- Sales surge amid a boom in home projects
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- Figure 11: Market size and forecast for garden product retailing, 2016-26 (prepared on 4 April)
- Figure 12: Market size and forecast – value sales of garden products, 2016-26
- Market drivers and assumptions
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- Figure 13: Key drivers affecting Mintel’s market forecast, 2015-25 (prepared on 29 April 2021)
- Learnings from the last recession
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- Figure 14: Consumer spending on garden products, 2019-13
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- All key segments experiencing growth in 2021
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- Figure 15: Garden market segmentation, broad segments, 2020 and 2021
- Growing interest in garden leisure in particular
- New trends here to stay into 2021
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- Figure 16: Garden market segmentation, by segment, 2017-21
Channels to Market
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- DIY retailers ahead in a crowded marketplace
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- Figure 17: Retailers used for garden products, April 2021
- Supermarkets trade on convenience
- DIY retailers take advantage of gardening boom
- Garden centres continue to broaden their offering
- Aldi and Lidl focus on price
- Online retail surges amidst lockdown
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- Figure 18: Use of online-only retailers for garden products by category, April 2021
Market Drivers
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- Gardens and outdoor spaces are accessible for the majority
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- Figure 19: Gardens and outdoor spaces, April 2021
- An ageing population presents an opportunity for the sector
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- Figure 20: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2015-25
- Affluence remains a differentiator
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- Figure 21: Which of the following have you bought for your garden and/or outside space in the last 12 months? - NET: Any bought, by household income, April 2021
- Average household size remains largely constant
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- Figure 22: UK households, 2015 and 2020
- Renters less keen on gardening
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- Figure 23: housing situation, by age group, April 2021
- COVID-19 led to volatility in consumer confidence
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- Figure 24: Consumer financial confidence, Jan 2015-Mar 2021
- Consumers spending on the home over 2020
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- Figure 25: Trends in spending on the home, January 2019-April 2021
- Gardens have been used in new ways over the last year
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- Figure 26: Behaviours relating to gardens since the COVID-19 outbreak, April 2021
- The weather can have a dramatic effect on performance
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- Figure 27: Hours of bright sunshine experienced by the UK in 2020 by month, Jan-Dec 2020
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Dobbies takes pole position following Wyevale’s exit
- Increasing diversification blurring lines between channels
- Brands turning to technology to engage consumers
- Advertising spend plummets amid uncertainty
Competitive Strategies
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- Consolidation in the market
- Diversification of offerings
- Garden centres suffer under enforced restaurant closures
- Non-specialists continue to expand into garden products
- Dobbies leads the way following Wyevale collapse
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- Figure 28: Garden centre retailers, turnover, 2015-2019
- 2020 saw little change in store estate numbers
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- Figure 29: Garden centres, store numbers, 2015-20
- Dobbies’ turnover per store drops following acquisitions
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- Figure 30: Garden centre retailers, turnover, store numbers, turnover by store, 2018 and 2019
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Virtual events launched to engage consumers remotely
- Smaller formats to reach out to urban dwellers
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- Figure 31: Homebase garden centres at Next, April 2021
- Figure 32: Little Dobbies in Bristol, April 2021
- New technology helping home growers
- Subscription service aims to disrupt the garden products sector
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- Figure 33: Box & Sprout’s grow your own herbs kit, April 2021
- Schemes launched emphasising benefits of gardening
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- 2020 saw a sudden drop in advertising spend
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- Figure 34: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on garden products, 2016-2020
- Spending reached its highest in April
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- Figure 35: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on garden products, 2019 and 2020
- Garden furniture receive the most ad-spend
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- Figure 36: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on garden products (20 largest categories), 2016-20
- Retailers drop out of top ten
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- Figure 37: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on garden products (10 leading advertisers), 2016-20
- Digital overtakes press and catches up with TV
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- Figure 38: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on garden products, by media type, 2020
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Opportunities to appeal to new gardeners amid a change in the way we live and work
- Vast majority of UK adults are potential garden product customers
- Retailers should work to engage the small but hyper-engaged allotment owning group
- A balance of in-store and online is key for retailers
- DIY retailers remain the most popular choice for consumers
- Accessibility is a key concern for consumers
- Brands should stress health and wellbeing benefits of gardening
- Social media can be a powerful tool to engage with today’s gardeners
Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour
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- Nearly 20% of consumers spending more on their home or garden
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- Figure 39: Consumer purchasing on home and garden products, 1-12 April 2021
- COVID-19 has led to a surge in ecommerce
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- Figure 40: Changes in consumer behaviours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, April 2021
- Gardens more important than ever in the midst of a global pandemic
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- Figure 41: Changes in behaviour since the COVID-19 pandemic, April 2021
- Younger consumers taking up gardening
- Influx of city dwellers into the hobby
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- Figure 42: Changes in behaviour since the COVID-19 pandemic, by area lived in, April 2021
- Newcomers more likely to be affluent
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- Figure 43: Changes in behaviour since the COVID-19 pandemic, by household income, April 2021
Gardens and Outside Spaces
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- An overwhelming majority have access to an outdoor space
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- Figure 44: Gardens and outdoor spaces, April 2021
- Older adults most likely to have a garden or outdoor space
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- Figure 45: Access to gardens/outdoor spaces by age, April 2021
Shopping for the Garden
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- Majority of UK consumers have purchased a garden product in the last 12 months
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- Figure 46: Purchases for gardens and outside spaces (net), April 2021
- Younger shoppers focus on entertaining in the garden
- Less affluent shoppers are increasingly engaged
- Men like tools, barbecues and hot tubs
- Those with access to allotments are heavy purchasers
- Fruit and vegetable plants the big-movers in 2021
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- Figure 47: Purchases for gardens and outside spaces, year-on-year comparison, April 2020 and April 2021
In-store and Online Shopping
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- The online channel is vital across the path to purchase
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- Figure 48: In-store or online shopping, April 2021
- Rural-dwellers more reliant on the online channel
Retailers Used to Purchase Garden Products
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- DIY retailers the most popular place to purchase garden products
- Little change in channel preferences year-on-year
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- Figure 49: Retailers used for garden products, year-on-year comparison, April 2020 and April 2021
- Older shoppers favour garden centres
- Nearly 40% of consumers shop via just one channel
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- Figure 50: Repertoire of types of retailers shopped at, April 2021
Factors Influencing Choice of Retailer
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- Convenience is king for garden product purchasers
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- Figure 51: Factors influencing choice of retailer, April 2021
- Priorities vary widely depending on age
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- Figure 52: Factors influencing choice by age, April 2021
TURF Analysis – Garden Products Retailing – June 2021
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- Methodology
- Retailers should focus on ease of access before expanding their offering
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- Figure 53: TURF analysis – garden products retailing, April 2021
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- Figure 52: Table - TURF analysis – garden products retailing, April 2021
Attitudes Towards Gardens and Outdoor Spaces
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- Gardens are important for development and relaxation
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- Figure 53: Attitudes towards gardens and outdoor spaces, April 2021
- Younger adults more likely to be inspired by social media
- Those with allotments focused on growing produce
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- Figure 54: Agreement with statements by type of garden or outside space, April 2021
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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