TALKING POINTS Top left: TALKING POINTS LANDSCAPING


BMJ eavesdrops on a chat with the NBG Category Management Team for Landscaping.


IN THE ROOM: Toby Stuart-Jervis, Frank Key Group, Adrian White, Adrian White Building Supplies, Natasha Rose, Rose Group, Paul Duff NBG’s Category Buyer.


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s the UK’s lockdown restrictions have begun to ease and outdoor entertaining has become the light at the end of a very difficult, 12- month long tunnel, people have been busy getting their gardens ready.


The demand for hard landscaping materials like slabs, decking and fencing sky-rocketed and in March alone, online stores were reporting shortages of everything from BBQs and garden furniture to gazebos and firepits. The ONS revealed that overall retail sales were up by 2.1% in February compared to the previous month, due to the sales of outdoor products and the total sales by NBG Partners were up by 56% in March.


However, the industry hasn’t just witnessed a recent uplift in sprucing up outdoor spaces. People staying at home with more time on their hands has meant that DIY, and landscaping in particular, has become top of the agenda as many looked to improve their environments.


Meeting demand


Following a tumultuous 12 months, there is still heightened demand for landscaping product but the effects of Covid are still present. One issue all three Partners have faced have all faced has been maintaining supply chains and stock levels.


For many Partners, winter stock build-ups which would normally see them through the year are running low already. Adrian White has noticed a high demand for products such as garden furniture, pots and sleepers and his team has had to put forward orders on block paving until to meet demand. “Staying ahead of the game has been imperative to ensure there is enough stock for customers,” he said. Natasha Rose highlighted just how uncertain the market has been, as it’s difficult to know where supply shortages are going to be, and


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which products are going to be affected. “UK products have been hard to source, which could be a direct result of the impact the pandemic has had on manufacturing in the country,” she said.


NBG’s Paul Duff has noticed an increase in customers following European landscaping trends such as bigger format porcelain, something that has worked in the favour of some NBG Partners as European imported product has been easier to source and order. This is something that Rose says the company has also noticed and, in a bid to prepare, Rose Group is housing triple the amount of paving slabs than normal. Frank Key Group has also increased stock levels and to accommodate this increase, Toby Stuart-Jervis says that company has had to rent space at a local farm for additional storage.


Challenges and adapting Reflecting on particular products trends, Duff says that grey slabs and materials have been in high demand, resulting in challenging availability for Partners.


Customer service has become key for the group after delays have caused some impatience, especially as the weather improves and outdoor entertaining has been allowed. “Although stock issues are prevalent across the landscaping product category, customers are more understanding of long waits for bigger orders like garden furniture but are much less patient for items like slabs,” says White. A challenge that Rose finds herself navigating is the way other merchants are handling the situation, with many of them pricing their products at low rates and undercutting independents. This is something which Stuart-Jervis has noticed, too. White’s team however, has been using other merchants as inspiration, tailoring prices of particular products to reflect the general rate online.


Frank Key Group has implemented a ‘Click and Collect’ service in the yard which Stuart-Jervis said he intends to keep going. “Customers wanting to book slots


has increased online activity and we are investigating a reward scheme and incentives to keep up the momentum,” he added. Also remaining at Adrian White Building Supplies will be the protective screens, masks in-store and distancing, for the foreseeable future. Rose, on the other hand, is looking forward to things going back to normal. Another big challenge has been trying to maintain a level of service while yards are becoming increasingly busy but also looking to the future and preparing accordingly. Stuart- Jervis says team members at Frank Key Group are having to change their ways to be more involved in all potential channels of business, especially online, rather than just focusing on traditional methods of trade. “Now that sites have fully re-opened, builders are turning up and conversing with staff. The importance of human contact in the industry is evident.” Rose agreed, saying that builders appreciate the interaction, and that the counter staff at Rose Group were much missed. “It’s so important to have the right members of staff who bring the warmth and care that independents so highly value,” she said.


Landscaping long term and future trends


In terms of specific trends for the landscaping sector, Duff predicted that the popularity of porcelain products will continue to grow, as the cost differential to Indian Sandstone has reduced and the fact that porcelain is also now more readily available will surely mean it will continue to perform well.


Rose said she has never seen customers so focused on their gardens and it is motivating the company to ‘make hay while the sun shines’ but that she also worries that the end of furlough and the return of holidays abroad may mean that updating gardens could be the last thing on anyone’s mind. BMJ


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net August 2021


Paul Duff NBG’s Category Buyer


Below left: Natasha Rose, Rose Group,


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