March Figures: Garden Centre Sales Bloom with Improved Weather
A Strong Recovery for UK Garden Retail
March 2025 has delivered an impressive turnaround for garden centres across the UK, according to the latest HTA Market Update released in April. Overall sales excluding catering were up 23% compared to March 2024, and a remarkable 43% above March 2023 levels.
This robust performance is particularly noteworthy given that March 2024 partially benefited from Good Friday and Easter Saturday trade, whereas Easter falls in April this year. Even when accounting for the trading day difference, the strength of performance in March 2025 remained exceptional.
Garden Categories Lead the Charge
The most striking aspect of the March data is the substantial growth across all categories, with gardening products showing exceptional strength. Gardening categories surged by 31% compared to March 2024, while non-gardening categories including catering increased by 10% from the same period last year. This reverses the pattern seen in January and February, suggesting that consumer demand was merely delayed rather than diminished.
Weather's Positive Impact
According to the April report, March 2025 was recorded as the UK's third-sunniest March since records began in 1910, and England's sunniest on record. The average temperature reached 7.0°C, which was 0.7°C higher than March 2024. Sunshine hours increased dramatically to 158.1 from 95.2 in the previous year, while rainfall decreased significantly to 36.9mm from 107.8mm in March 2024.
The dramatic reduction in rain days (6.3 versus 17.4 in March 2024) gave consumers ample opportunity to visit garden centres and work in their gardens, contributing substantially to the surge in sales across all categories.
Category Performance Breakdown
The April data shows exceptional performance across gardening categories. Garden features and structures led the way with a 44% increase, followed closely by bedding plants and plant care products, both up 40%. Garden tools and equipment rose by 39%, while bulbs increased by 32%.
Other garden categories also performed well, with BBQs and heating up 30%, seeds up 27%, and hardy plants and outdoor containers both up 26%. Garden furniture saw a 23% increase, while catering rose by 16%.
Even categories with more modest growth still showed positive movement. Indoor living and homewares along with gifting both increased by 8%, food and farm shop by 6%, and indoor plants by 5%. Wild bird care and pets categories both grew by 4%.
Consumer Behaviour
The April report highlights that transaction numbers in garden stores increased by 16% compared to March 2024, while average transaction values rose by 6% to £29.36 (excluding VAT). This suggests both increased footfall and higher spending per visit, contrasting with the British Retail Consortium's reported 5.4% decline in footfall across the broader UK retail sector.
Garden centre cafes and restaurants also benefited from the increased traffic, with transaction numbers up 13% and average transaction values increasing 3% to £12.15 (excluding VAT).
Looking Forward
The strong March performance documented in the April report has largely offset the slow start to 2025, bringing year-to-date sales up 12% compared to 2024. However, industry experts caution that continued dry weather could pose challenges for growers and retailers if conditions persist, potentially leading to water shortages or hosepipe bans.
With Easter trading still to come in April, there's cautious optimism about the season ahead, though businesses will need to manage rising costs due to increases in employer's national insurance contributions and minimum wage taking effect from April 2025.
This article references data from the HTA Market Update for April 2025, which analyses March performance. For the latest industry insights and trends, look out for HTA’s monthly reports.