A new report from MTW Research on the garden furniture and barbecues market has found sales in the garden leisure market have grown 15% in recent years, with sales set to top £1 billion by 2020.
The research found the number of gardens is growing more rapidly in 2018, boosting demand for the garden furniture and barbecues market. The number of UK gardens is set to increase by 500,000 in the next few years according to MTW, prompting healthy optimism for garden suppliers and retailers. However, while the number of gardens grows, MTW highlight the ongoing trend of smaller gardens in 2018. According to the report, the average size of gardens has declined by 8.1% in the last 6 years, though the decline is slowing in 2018.
The report identifies a number of opportunities for garden furniture and barbecue suppliers, such as the continued growth in the size of patios underpinning demand for more permanent cooking and dining ‘zones’ in the garden. MTW identify the growth in more permanent zoning of the garden as a key trend in the garden market in 2018 which is significantly impacting on consumer specification and buying behaviour. MTW found that a well-designed, zoned garden with cooking and entertaining space can add up to 15% on the value of a property as well as rapidly decrease the time taken to sell a home.
Discussing some of the garden market trends, MTW’s director Mark Waddy said: “There is growing pricing pressure for some sectors of the garden leisure market, but there has also been a steady rise in more knowledgeable and discerning consumers with healthy budgets in 2018. This trend is enabling garden furniture or barbecue suppliers and retailers to protect margins and grow sales through innovative, design complementary products and enhanced ‘turn-key’ services such as ‘zone area’ design, availability & fast supply, installation and post sales support.”
The report also identifies the ‘second patio’ sector as a key growth opportunity in 2018 and beyond, with ‘empty nesters’ increasingly opting to have additional, separate entertaining areas in their gardens. The growth in the number of second patios is providing opportunities for selling higher value ‘second sets’ of garden furniture and barbecues to existing customers, often a much more profitable proposition than finding new customers.
MTW also point to the growth in hard and soft landscaping supporting growth for higher value furniture and barbecues. Products which complement consumer and garden design trends are identified in the report as offering good opportunities for growth. xamples include demand growth for higher value barbecues and garden furniture suited for ‘outdoor living’, such as more casual furniture and ‘conversation sets’ and away from more formal dining tables and chairs.
Growth in more adventurous outdoor cooking has underpinned rising demand for more sophisticated, controllable outdoor cooking appliances and barbecues according to the report, with consumers demanding more from their outdoor cooking experience. MTW indicate that while the impact of Brexit on the garden market is set to represent some challenges for garden product suppliers, there are clear opportunities for both sales and margin growth.
The report is available from MTW Research’s website www.marketresearchreports.co.uk or by calling 08456 524324.