BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
PLANTS
UK lockdown gardening boom continues despite return to work
Tesco says it has seen demand for bedding plants and shrubs rocket by nearly 50% in the past two years.
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lockdown gardening boom that saw record demand for plants during the pandemic is continuing despite many people being back at work, according to Tesco. The supermarket giant has seen demand for bedding plants and shrubs rocket by nearly 50%, with more than 75 million individual plants sold between March 2020 and now (29 April). The Horticultural Trades Association says three million new gardeners emerged during lockdown, with 2.3 million still active this year. In the past two years the top five most popular bedding plants have been
geranium, petunia, fuchsia, impatiens and dahlia. The boom has also helped the supermarket’s main bedding plant supplier, Bridge Farm Group, based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, to invest further in its business.Tesco, in partnership with Bridge Farm Group, last month announced its plans to be peat-free on all its British-grown bedding plant range from April 2023. Tesco Horticulture Category Buying Manager, Alex Edwards, said: “Lockdown gave many people the opportunity to not only spend more time in their gardens but also hone their gardening skills.
“The feeling of wellbeing gained from nurturing and being amongst plants is one of the main reasons why lockdown consumers have kept their gardening bug even after returning to work.” In addition, the Horticultural Trades Association consumer tracker survey in August 2021 revealed that just under two-thirds of British adults said they used their gardens for growing plants. Bridge Farm Group Managing Director, Louise Motala, said: “When lockdown started, the interest in gardening was immediate. The extra demand has given us the confidence to invest in our facilities.”
WEDNESDAY 4TH MAY 2022 / ISSUE 103 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 17
