The Garden Centre Association (GCA) says its members have recorded another ‘healthy’ month in the trade body’s May 2025 Barometer of Trade (BoT), with seven of the categories listed performing positively compared with 2024.
Figures from GCA garden centres have revealed May’s top performer was gifts at +10.07%, followed by food hall/farm shop at +9.2%, garden sundries at +8.95%, catering at +6.9%, houseplants at +6.32%, pets & aquatics at +1.54%, and outdoor plants at +1.14%.
The furniture and BBQs category was slightly down at -0.23%, followed by the miscellaneous category at -1.44%, and hard landscaping at -2.33%. Next was clothing at -4.36%, and seeds & bulbs at -6.02%.
“We’ve seen another month of very healthy figures supporting the very significant rises we saw in March and April this year. Gifts, food halls/farm shops and garden sundries all showed very strong growth, demonstrating that customers are shopping all areas even in the gardening season”
GCA CEO Peter Burks said: “We’ve seen another month of very healthy figures supporting the very significant rises we saw in March and April this year. Gifts, food halls/farm shops and garden sundries all showed very strong growth, demonstrating that customers are shopping all areas even in the gardening season. We now need some good steady weather for the next couple of months to cement those early gains and so far, June has been very warm and sunny, which is great news.”
The GCA’s BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month, after all member garden centres have submitted their results.
The BoT allows members to compare their trading positions with other centres. The GCA represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide. Through sharing information and its inspection programme, the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.
Tickets for the GCA’s 2026 Annual Conference go on sale on July 1. For further information, go to www.gca.org.uk.
