Garden centres in the UK that have been allowed to re-open today as lockdown restrictions are eased, can expect to see high footfall as the British public use additional time at home to spruce up their gardens, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Sofie Willmott, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Gardening is the second top activity that consumers expect to do more of during lockdown, only behind watching TV. Amongst over 55’s, over half expect to do more gardening as those already interested in horticulture take advantage of the warmer weather, longer days and additional spare time to enhance their outdoor space.”

Source: GlobalData’s monthly survey of 2,000 nationally representative UK consumers, conducted in early May 2020.

Many consumers would have been reluctant to buy gardening items online prior to stores re-opening given the importance of viewing individual plants and flowers and also the convenience of picking up complementary items such as garden tools, pots and soil, while in physical stores.

Willmott continues: “Some shoppers will have picked up gardening items at essential stores that have been able to open including DIY retailers such as Homebase and B&Q, and at larger supermarkets, but garden centres will be keen to regain their share of spend from today and sell through seasonal stock with short life spans.”