Falling home ownership levels set to have an impact on garden retail

Changes in the number and size of gardens and the levels of home ownership are identified as key factors that will impact the garden retail market over the coming years. This is one of the findings in the 2014 HTA Garden Market Retail Analysis, which also shows that the market was slightly down in 2013 with plant sales hardest hit due to the very cold March and April weather. The report identifies that there has been a continuing fall in the number and percentage of people reporting that they have gardens. Around 1.5 million fewer people now claim to have a garden or allotment now than in 2007, with around 40% of this fall attributable to changes in Greater London. A fall in home ownership is now very significant among under 35s versus historic levels back to 1987. Renters tend to spend around 55% of the amount that home owners do on gardens. It was levels of increasing home ownership through the late 80s and early 90s that helped fuel the Ground Force ‘boom’ in garden spending. As these consumers continue to enjoy gardening, opportunities may emerge for providing products and services to enable them to continue to enjoy gardening into old age. The report also looks at what falling levels of home ownership among the under 35s today could mean for garden spending in 10 and 20 years time. The projected fall in spending among the 35-64s in 10 years time attributable to falling home ownership equates to approximately 2% of market value, rising to approximately 6% of market value in 20 years. HTA chief executive Carol Paris said: “Given that per capita spend on gardens tends to be higher in some countries on the continent where home ownership is low, this is as much as opportunity as a threat at this stage to engage renting households in their gardens. “Easy and portable solutions that enable people to take their garden with them when they move are going to become even more important as we encourage younger gardeners to enjoy their outdoor space. “Future building polices and developments such as the Garden City initiative will also provide further potential opportunities if the wide benefits of plants and gardens to society and the environment are taken into account.” The 2014 report includes a breakdown of data for the regions plus Scotland and Wales on garden spend, access to gardens, changes in age profile of the population and home ownership. The report is available to purchase for £395 for HTA members and £795 for non-members. Members who purchased the 2013 report will receive a discount. For more details of the report and to download a free executive summary please visit http://www.the-hta.org.uk/marketinformation

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