24.03.09
B&Q’s CUSTOMERS ARE GROWING FOR BRITAIN
B&Q, the UK’s largest home improvement and garden centre retailer, today reports statistics that confirm that Britons are turning to their back gardens and green spaces in the face of recession, showing that going green and saving money go hand in hand.
Recent sales from the retailer, part of Kingfisher plc Europe’s leading home improvement retail group, and an independent report by the Future Foundation back up this trend, GIY, (Green it Yourself) is the new DIY.
In the last two weeks sales of key horticulture and garden equipment products have experienced treble digit growth, the retailer has seen sales of serious gardening products up on last year for example greenhouses are up 157 per cent on last year. Grow Your Own seed sales are also up 128 per cent with over a quarter of Britons planning on growing their own fruit and vegetables this year.
The spring sunshine has also seen lawns spring into growth this week, ready for their first trim of the year and sales of garden power tools and mowers have seen treble digit growth year on year with over 26,000 mowers sold this weekend alone.
Euan Sutherland, CEO Kingfisher UK and B&Q says; “In the spring sunshine sales of products from greenhouses to vegetable plants are seeing treble digit growth; there’s no doubt that the weather, the economy and concerns about climate change are driving our customers to garden for Britain.”
To mark its recent 40th anniversary, B&Q commissioned The Future Foundation to examine what the future holds for the home improvement revolution and how it will take shape over the next 40 years. One of the key findings was that the GIY or ‘Green It Yourself’ movement will emerge at a community level, as we use every available plot of land to encourage biodiversity and grow vegetables.
Over a quarter of British people are currently growing their own fruit and vegetables, and 36 per cent of us plan to grow our own vegetables in the next few years. People save over £200 a year* on their grocery bill by growing their own produce.
Sales at B&Q also reflect the trend for people ‘giving it a grow’. Sales of greenhouses have increased by 157 per cent year-on-year. The research supports these figures with 36 per cent of the population claiming to own a greenhouse - suggesting people are growing larger numbers of plants and vegetables and trading up in order to do the job properly. Sales of vegetable seeds are on the increase too (128 per cent up in season year on year). It seems people are increasingly turning their gardens into functional areas rather than ornamental. The bestselling seeds are the more traditional British vegetables - Onion, Carrot, Peas, Beans, Tomatoes and Lettuce. 70 per cent of all seeds sold at B&Q are now for vegetables – the highest ratio it has ever been.
The National Trust recently announced its plans to harness plots of its land for public allotments and Adam Pasco, Editor of BBC Gardeners’ World magazine points out: “Growing your own has captured the public’s imagination. Vegetable seed sales have risen massively over the past few years, and demand for allotments continues to outstrip supply.”
Gardening is one of the best ways of going green and saving money and 48 per cent of us cite improvements in the garden as the most popular ways of eco-vating our lives for example by recycling rainwater. 50 per cent of us say we are using our outside space to grow plants to encourage wildlife and 45 per cent of us think we’d be healthier if we had our own patch of green at home.
The report also found that 31 per cent of us expect to spend more time at home with immediate family and 40 per cent of us expect to spend more time socialising at home with friends and family and it looks like improving our gardens and growing our own is part of this trend.
Michael Holmes, Editor of Real Homes magazine agrees: “We will all eat more meals at home, do more DIY, gardening and take part in other recreational activities that are free! We are also more likely to spend time entertaining at home.”
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