The changeable wet Autumn weather of 2019 may have dampened outdoor plant sales in October, but houseplant and pet categories performed particularly well this month, according to the HTA Market Update.

Houseplants saw an increase of 39% compared to October last year, and pets and aquatic sales were up 31% in month to month comparisons.

Sales figures for hardy plants, bedding plants and growing media were down in October 2019 compared to October 2018, however all categories reported remain up on 2018 for year to date comparisons. Rolling year to October 2019, compared to 2018 show that sales are still up 9%.

The report highlights that average pay growth has been increasing steadily over the last two years, whilst the rate of inflation is decreasing, now at its lowest level since October 2016. This puts consumers in a more comfortable position, but also pressures on employers in the garden industry to remain competitive with salaries.

The November issue of Market Update looks at last month’s garden centre sales and overall market performance. It measures consumer confidence, the wider UK economy, vehicle fuel prices, groundwater levels and weather, all of which have an impact on sales.

The November edition of HTA Market Update is available free for members to download from the HTA website, by logging in and then going to the Market Information pages at https://hta.org.uk/learn-develop/market-information.html