As a whole, the gardening market in Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium isn’t exactly shooting up this year. Total sales volume in the first six months of 2016 was €4 billion, an increase of just 0.1%. The market in the Netherlands is significantly more fertile, with growth of 9.6% compared to the same period last year. In Germany sales rose by 4.4%.
While the overall market may be fairly stagnant, one area that is showing vigorous growth is smart gardening. As in many other areas, consumers are keen to embrace technologies that make their lives easier. Consequently, we’re an increase in the robotic lawnmower market as consumers favor self-driving machines that can take the hassle and hard work out of cutting the grass. In the first half of 2016, volume sales of robotic lawnmowers grew by 37.2% and achieved total sales of €127 million. Gardeners in the Netherlands were the most enthusiastic adopters of robotic lawnmowers – sales value here grew by 92% year-on-year.
While at one end of spectrum consumers are keen to embrace the possibilities of high tech gardening, there is a move towards organic gardening at the other. This alternative emerging trend has consumers shunning traditional man-made chemicals in favor of natural garden nutrients including fertilizers and soils. The percentage of natural products in the total garden chemical market grew by 7.8% year-on-year. France and the Netherlands have led the way in terms of growth with sales in these markets up 16.2% and 12.1% respectively.
