Garden Centres Market Strong Under Pressure

Sept. 4, 2008 - PRLog -- Findings from an independent research study have revealed that the UK Garden Centres Market remains fundamentally strong and with industry assets set to top £1 billion in 2008, is in a robust position from which to weather the current economic downturn.  

The new report from MTW Research, based on actual sales figures, finds that Garden Centres sales will remain static in 2008, before a likely contraction in value during 2009 for the first time in a number of years.  Any downturn is likely to be relatively short-lived, however, with the Garden Centres market having strong underlying asset growth, enabling Garden Centres to focus on turnover during difficult trading periods, rather than maximising profitability.  

For manufacturers and suppliers to the Garden Centres market, MTW warn of an increasingly competitive environment in the coming 12-18 months, with price erosion likely in many sectors of the market.  However, the report’s longer term forecasts are more optimistic, with sales set to grow by around £45 million between 2009 and 2012, reflecting a number of positive underlying issues evident in the market.  

The report goes on to review the Garden Centres themselves and finds that industry consolidation continues with the top 10 now accounting for more than 50% of the total market value in 2008.  Despite this, however, there remain a large number of smaller independent garden centres, with MTW identifying around 2,400 separate companies active in the market at present.  

Reviewing the market in more detail, MTW Research go on to illustrate that the garden centre market has experienced reasonably positive performance in terms of industry value in recent years.  With garden centres now adopting tighter controls on borrowing, indications are that the industry is well placed to resist pressure from the forecast slowdown in sales in the short term.  

The report tracks the performance of the individual Garden Centres, identifying those best placed to weather the current financial storm and providing an effective list of key targets for garden products suppliers to target in this increasingly competitive trading environment.  Turnover estimates are provided for every company to illustrate market share, alongside industry rankings for sales, profitability and net worth, enabling the reader to identify those companies most likely to grow in 2008/9.  In addition, the report also includes full mailing address details and senior decision maker contact details for the garden centres, providing relevant sales leads for manufacturers, distributors and suppliers.  

The report, available now, is priced from GBP 375 and can be purchased from MTW Research by calling 08456 524324 or by ordering on MTW Research’s website, where a free sample is available to download.

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MTW Research are a leading publisher of UK market research reports, databases and competitor analysis reports for a wide range of sectors including DIY, environmental, food & drink, construction, building, manufacturing and several other industries.

Editorial Preface
MTW Research are a specialist, independent publisher of market research reports & databases for the UK Home Improvement & Building Products Industry. This is an article based on the publication of a new report on the UK Garden Centres Market. Please use this press release as required, though we would appreciate the inclusion of the price (£375), website (www.marketresearchreports.co.uk) and/or telephone number 08456 524324 in any editorial printed. For more information please email us at sales@marketresearchreports.co.uk.