the big interview Ulrike says: “Gardena provides a broad range


of products that help the city dweller to have their own small garden space – whether that’s an outdoor terrace, a balcony or just a windowsill. Social sharing with peers and influencers is further fuelling demand, and the rise of gardening influencers and keenness from consumers when it comes to sharing their gardening “Instagrammable” moment looks to only be getting more and more popular.” Consumers have become more educated in


the benefits of gardening too – for the environment and for their own physical and mental wellbeing. A report from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) says data suggests that every year over four million people worldwide die prematurely due to indoor air pollution, and facts like this are causing more people to invest in air purifying plants to add both a natural element to their home lifestyles, as well as drawing out toxins from the air around them.


Brexit is not a threat Ulrike says: “We are proud that Gardena had another record year turnover-wise in 2018. We strengthened our position and are ready and well-prepared to build on that as we move into the 2019 gardening season. Internally, we have


addressed all necessary Brexit outcomes and feel adequately prepared to deliver regardless in all eventualities.” In terms of how the categories will develop


in the coming months, Ulrike says it is difficult to pinpoint which product group is likely to flourish when you work in a seasonal business such as the gardening industry. She says: “Weather plays a massive part in growth for various product areas. Following a wet, rainy period, grass will grow more and in turn we will see increased sales in all lawn-care products, from the Gardena Battery Grass Shears AccuCut Li to lawnmowers such as the Gardena PowerMax Li-18/32. If we have another hot, dry summer like last year, then we would expect to see an increase in sales across all of our watering based products.” Ulrike also says “without question”, smart


gardening is a trend she sees continuing in the future. “Smart home tech has well and truly reached the garden and I would expect this to continue to grow rapidly,” she says. “Consumers are looking for more connectivity and convenience within their homes and gardens. It is no fluke that this growth coincides with the emergence of a younger, time-poor generation x and millennial demographic becoming interested in gardening for the first time.


Gardena are proud to provide the only true smart system; that combines watering and lawn care in an app, functioning with a gateway as a central heart tool. “Consumers will continue to look for clever


solutions that will optimise their time in and out of the garden, that also allows them to reclaim some time to enjoy in the garden instead of ‘working’ in it. We expect the ability to control watering and lawn care from a mobile device to continue to rise in popularity and grow further.” Looking forward, Ulrike says the business is


positive that there will be continued growth and opportunity in the garden category, a welcome outlook after the uncertainty of Brexit, however the garden industry seems to be determined to be resilient in the face of it. Ulrike says: “We are optimistic that there is a


bright future of growth and opportunity in the gardening segment. We have a packed schedule for the next few years of planned, pipeline innovations and are constantly evolving and developing products that will meet the changing consumer demands. With a strengthened positioning due to these innovations we are hopeful to gain further market share in the UK and feel it will be more attractive to operate in that than ever before.”


6 | www.gardencentreupdate.com


GCU March/April 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20