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Above: Forest Garden acquired The Posh Shed Company last summer and relaunched the brand at RHS Hampton Court
“Our customers went into 2024 feeling much more positive and this was reflected in much larger orders in the pre-season period as customers geared up for the season,” said Simon Davison, head of commercial development at Zest. “However, a cold and wet spring followed by very unsettled weather right through until July, meant that in season sales weren’t as strong as we had hoped.” “We went through a period where people couldn’t remember the last time they had weather good enough to sit in their gardens and, as a consequence, the market was flat,” agreed David Twigg, director at Severn Valley Woodworks, which produces the Hutton brand of garden products.
He added that political flux had also impacted the market in 2024. “We had a change of government and lots of talk in the media about tax increases and, as a result, consumers adopted a cautious approach to spending.”
That said, pockets of the timber garden products market did surprisingly well. “Garden furniture was flat on the previous year but shed sales were good,” said Mr Twigg. “And decking sales last year were the best they’ve been since the pandemic, which was a pleasant surprise.
“During the pandemic, decking sales more than doubled – people had time on their hands and if they wanted a deck in their gardens that was the time to do it. But after the lockdowns decking sales almost halved from their peak. Last year they bounced back, although they are still slightly down on pre- pandemic years.
“Some of our other profiled timber products, which make up a bigger proportion of what we sell, such as claddings, are certainly at pre-pandemic levels and doing well,” added Mr Twigg. “In some cases they are at much better than pre-pandemic levels.”
While sales of garden seating were “ok, not great” thanks to the poor weather, sales of Hutton’s premium quality, hand-made trellis and fence panels were strong last year. The series of storms that hit the UK pre- and post-Christmas have created a huge bounce in the market for fencing and while the bulk of that demand, which will be for mass-produced fence panels, hasn’t significantly impacted Hutton’s sales thus far, there were plenty of consumers taking the opportunity to upgrade to premium products. “I think that is probably a sign of where consumers are spending some money in those areas,” said Mr Twigg. “They were taking the quality option.”
Meanwhile, bestselling products for Forest Garden in 2024 were sheds, fencing, gazebos, living screen planters, and deep root planters, which, said Guy Grainger, Forest Garden Group’s chairman and chief executive officer “proved to be customer favourites for enhancing outdoor spaces”.
Last year was another big year for Forest Garden, not least because it triumphed at the TTJ Awards 2024. “We were thrilled to be named Timber Garden Products Supplier of the Year at the prestigious Timber Trades Journal 2024 Awards in London,” said Mr Grainger. “This
recognition is a testament to our team’s dedication and hard work in the timber industry. Attending the award ceremony was a truly memorable experience, and we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported Forest Garden on this journey to success.”
The team now includes The Posh Shed Company, which Forest Garden acquired last summer. “We have long admired The Posh Shed Company for its exceptional designs and marketing, a brand that arguably set the standard for premier garden buildings,” said Mr Grainger. “Our mission in bringing The Posh Shed Company back to market has been to honour its original spirit while elevating its designs to new heights. By leveraging our advanced manufacturing and processes, we’ve redeveloped these sheds into the pinnacle of garden buildings available in the UK. We were thrilled to revive The Posh Shed Company, and the brand has seamlessly integrated into the Forest Garden portfolio.”
Zest also had some stand-out performers last year.
“Despite the challenging weather the demand for the Outdoor Terraza Kitchen was huge, and although we were confident, due to the market analysis we had undertaken, that the product was likely to be successful, we could not have predicted how great the demand for this product would be,” said Mr Davison. “Outdoor kitchens is a trend that continues to grow.
“In addition, our pizza oven table continues to perform exceptionally, which ►
www.ttjonline.com | March/April 2025 | TTJ
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