Garden centres across the UK have reported a ‘strong start to Christmas sales,’ according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade (BoT) for September.
Of the 13 categories tracked by member garden centres, 10 showed positive growth compared with September 2024.
GCA chief executive Peter Burks said: “Members have reported very encouraging figures for September, helped by the change in the weather, and clearly showing that there was some pent-up gardening demand after the hot conditions of the summer months.
“It’s good to see a very strong start to Christmas sales”
“It’s good to see a very strong start to Christmas sales. It really would be the icing on the cake if this continues, as it would sign the year off brilliantly. Both gardening and non-gardening categories are doing well, which suggests customers were shopping the whole centre – a testament to members’ merchandising skills. With the mild weather remaining, hopefully this trend will continue well throughout October too.”
Clothing took the top spot with a sales increase of +12.89%, followed closely by Christmas at +12.75% and gifts at +9.67%. Catering also performed strongly at +9.2%. The garden sundries category rose by +8.64%, seeds & bulbs by +8.09%, and food hall/farm shop by +7.16%. Outdoor plants were up by +3.94%, while pets & aquatics increased by +3.22%.
Categories recording declines were houseplants (-5.77%), hard landscaping (-9.09%), and furniture & BBQs (-24.47%).
The GCA’s BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement, allowing members to compare their trading positions with other centres. The association represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide.
Tickets for the GCA’s 2026 Annual Conference are now on sale via the members’ section of the trade body’s website or via https://gca.digitickets.co.uk/.
