It seems that the garden retail sector is starting to jump again. The HTA’s informal sounding of growers who supply garden retailers has produced a generally positive picture for the first three months of 2007.
For most businesses sales in January and February were up between 10% and 49% on the same time last year and growers appear to have continued to see sales growth in March. This is in stark contrast to the disastrous March experienced by many growers last year - which many struggled to recover from, even when the season extended into the autumn.
Several growers have reported that many March lines sold out before the middle of the month and some are predicting that the high early demand for plants in the UK and across Europe could result in plant shortages in mid-April. Retailers need to ensure they are well stocked up for what could be a very strong season.
The picture is not entirely positive with a few growers reporting problems with the weather and more particularly weather forecasts, causing some buyers to be over cautious.
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