European consumers spent more on gardening supplies in the first half of 2014 than in the first half of 2013 according to analysts GfK

Markets in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom recorded growth of 16.5 per cent. The total sales value amounted to €3.4 billion. GfK say that robotic lawn mowers and cordless powered devices proved to be particularly popular.

Between January and June 2014, consumer spending on gardening equipment and chemicals increased again in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. The market recorded a growth rate of 16.5 per cent on the same period of the previous year. Overall sales amounted to €3.4 billion.

The greatest growth of 20 per cent was generated in Germany and the UK. Sales totalled around €1.3 billion in Germany and €695 million in the UK. At 6.1 percent, sales growth for gardening equipment and chemicals was lowest in the Netherlands, where the market volume was €90 million. France and Belgium were in mid-range, with respective market growth of 12.8 percent (total sales: €1.26 billion) and 15.5 percent (total sales: €103 million).

Sales in the individual product groups above all increased in the areas of garden irrigation and cleaning, including garden pumps and high-pressure cleaners, for example.

The segment of powered gardening equipment, such as chainsaws and lawn mowers, recorded the second highest growth, with sales up 17.8 pe rcent to total €1.38 billion. In the first six months of this year, consumers were also increasingly using garden chemicals, such as plant protection, fertilizers and growing media. This segment grew by 15 per cent, which equates to a sales value of €1.36 billion.

Sales of €221 million were generated through garden hand tools including spades, rakes and garden shears in the first half of 2014. Growth in the segment amounted to 10.8 per cent. 

In the first half of 2014, the robotic mowers product category recorded the greatest growth in the powered garden equipment segment (105.1 per cent), generating a sales value of €53 million. Average price is now at around €1,800.

Sales of cordless powered devices also increased in the first half of 2014. These include cordless grass trimmers, hedge trimmers and lawn mowers. The sales value amounted to €145 million, which equates to an increase of 56.9 per cent on the previous year's figure. Growth of corded powered devices rose by 19.4 per cent to generate a sales value of €333 million.