Market information
Christmas here we come!
As the Christmas retail season draws ever closer (last year Asda opened its Santa’s Grottos in August), this month we take a look at some of the key trends and festive opportunities for garden retailers
The HTA’s Garden Retail Monitor shows a consistent boost in garden centres’ sales in the run up to Christmas. The relative value of Christmas sales to garden centres has increased in recent years with sales of festive ranges up 12% in December 2012 compared to 2011. That’s an impressive performance in the current economic downturn and one of the few positives for the garden industry last year. Based on the research we have and what we saw in the trade in 2012, here are some ideas to help you make the most of this Christmas advantage.
Christmas tree recycling
With January one of the leanest months of the year, many garden centres are working with their local authorities to become Christmas tree recycling points as taking part in such schemes can generate valuable footfall. Last Christmas, Bedford Council promoted Milton Ernest, Podington, Roxton, and Seasons garden centres as places where consumers could go to recycle their trees. In fact, garden centres accounted for four of the eight recycling points for Christmas trees designated by Bedford Council.
Focus on the family
In the HTA’s Garden Centre Futures Report, 39% of garden centre visitors claimed to be likely to visit garden centres specifically to go to their Christmas stores. The chart from Future Foundation (shown right) shows some of the most appealing aspects of Christmas to British adults. We can see that food, spending time together as a family and treating oneself all appeal highly to British consumers –all areas that garden centres are well-positioned to take advantage of.
We can see that garden centres’ offerings around luxury items or foods, Santa’s grottos and catering could all appeal to consumers looking for affordable treats and wanting to spend quality time together as a family. By attracting younger consumers and families at Christmas, garden retailers are also establishing themselves as a destination for garden purchasing in spring.
Market Size and Trends Report
Don’t forget to order your copy of the Garden Retail Market Analysis Report. To download a free executive summary and order form visit
www.the-hta.org.uk/marketinformation
HTAnewsI June 2013 I
www.the-hta.org.uk 15 Spreading the cost of Christmas
With the subdued economy, 2012 saw many consumers looking out for special offers to help spread and/or reduce the cost of Christmas. For example, according to Future Foundation research in 2012, 63% of women agreed that they would be looking for vouchers or promotions to help them manage the cost of Christmas. Among affluent consumers in the AB socio-economic group the figure is a similarly high 53%. With consumer confidence remaining challenged in 2013, we expect that consumers will be ever more receptive to bagging bargains. With this in mind, one possible way to encourage extra
footfall in the run up to Christmas might be to offer ‘bounce- back’ promotions. Handed out at the till, these encourage consumers to return at given intervals to receive offers running in specific weeks for designated Christmas products. It’s far too early to wish you a Merry Christmas, but we
hope some of these ideas may help ensure you enjoy a prosperous festive season.
Favourite aspects of Christmas
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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