36 | Sector Focus: Decking & Garden Products


GIMA ON THE GROWING SEASON


Vicky Nuttall, director of GIMA, and Simon Davison of Zest and a GIMA council member give TTJ an insight into the timber garden products sector and how it’s currently faring


“As the materials are sourced from


Europe rather than further afield, delivery lead times and container cost fluctuations are not a factor. So, overall there is an expectation that the period of significant increases in prices, driven by the factors above are now over. “Retail customers’ focus for the


Above: Vicky Nuttall: products associated with outdoor entertaining remain a growth area


“There are a number of factors currently contributing to the performance of timber products in the market,” said Simon Davison, head of commercial development at Zest Outdoor Living and a Garden Industry Manufacturers’ Association (GIMA) council member. “The price of Polish softwood, used for many of the garden timber products in the UK market has now stabilised having increased significantly in recent seasons. However, continued high demand from China has meant prices have not reduced as they have for softwood produced in other countries, and the price of these are currently much closer to pre-pandemic levels due to supply currently outstripping demand.


“The cost of transport has also stabilised and although fuel prices are still higher than they were pre-pandemic, they don’t appear to be increasing.


◄ the Parcel Store with Planter – did “exceptionally well” with dropship retailers last year, said Mr Davison.


Hutton’s famously robust garden furniture products also did “very well” last year. “The commercial grade products we supply that generally end up in pubs and outdoor eating venues did very well,” said Mr Twigg. “This suggests to me that there’s a bit of a bounce back from people not going out as much [during Covid] to venturing out more. And pubs that didn’t refurbish their outdoor seating because they were trying to conserve as much money as they could are now able to do so. There was definitely a resurgence of our outdoor seating going into the


TTJ | March/April 2024 | www.ttjonline.com


last 18 months has been on reducing overstocks and managing slower selling lines,” continued Mr Davison. “However, the cost-of-living crisis and geopolitical turmoil have both impacted on customers’ discretionary spending, and this, combined with two seasons of unsettled weather, have meant that reducing over-stocks has taken longer than many expected. “Based upon the continued economic uncertainty, and customers’ experience over the last couple of years we expect to see a period of continued caution in terms of buying behaviour and a ‘little and often’ approach has been far more evident,” said Mr Davison. “However, there are risks associated with this as a strong season could lead to shortages as suppliers will not easily be able to increase production as they have scaled back due to the lack of orders from customers for the last two seasons. “Despite all of this there is a sense of cautious optimism about the season ahead,” said Mr Davison. “Demand for products that are made


from sustainable materials, and which enhance a ‘natural environment’ are clearly coming through and a specific aspect of this has been outdoor


commercial sector. But I’d have to say that seating in general did ok last year – probably better than other [garden] products.” As for this year, due to customer demand, Hutton is reintroducing some of the products it had previously retired from its ranges and these include some bird tables, picnic tables, garden seating and grow-your-own. These ‘new’ products won’t be held in stock but will be manufactured on a special order basis and with a minimum order quantity requirement.


It’s gratifying to have customers request these products, said Mr Twigg, adding “we are seeing some good things happening already and are supplying some of our early season


entertaining, with demand increasing sharply during lockdown, and this remains a growth area,” said Vicky Nuttall, GIMA director. “As people increasingly entertain at home, this is evident in the demand for outdoor dining sets, bars and kitchens and for structures that will allow us to use our outside spaces even when the weather is unsettled. “We are also seeing more demand for modular products that allow customers to adapt the product to their specific space,” continued Ms Nuttall. “One category which has seen some challenges has been the grow-your-own sector. The expectation – based upon the experience of everyone during the pandemic and with the overall increase in awareness and focus on health and well- being – was that the growth in demand for these products would continue. However, whilst still very popular, this has not been the case for the last couple of seasons. “A number of suggestions have been put


forward to explain this, but the consensus appears to be that it is simply down to the weather. “For the last two seasons during the


traditional grow-your-own period, we have seen very wet and unsettled weather,” said Ms Nuttall. “It remains to be seen if this is just down to the unpredictability of the UK’s weather, or if, more worryingly, these are early signs of the impact of climate change, which could have a longer-term impact on customers buying behaviour.” ■


product into customers now in anticipation of their own spring sales. It’s going pretty well.”


Zest always has a raft of new products and this year is no exception. “For this season the new Terraza Modular Outdoor Kitchen appears to be the standout product and continues the theme of outdoor entertaining,” said Mr Davison. “It’s interesting for the market to see an outdoor kitchen made in solid, sustainable natural wood at a very affordable price. Outdoor entertaining is more popular than ever and the year ahead for big sports events – not to mention warmer summers - will encourage even more outdoor living and entertaining.


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