Gardening Sector in Rude Health

The gardening and DIY sector has seen a bumper year of growth according to latest figures. UK consumer spend rose 3.7% year on year in April.

The positive statistics, produced by Barclaycard, were aided in part by warm weather and a late Easter, combined with a growing economy and an increasingly buoyant consumer confidence.

Consumer spend in garden centres rose by 20% based on figures from the same period last year, with DIY chains seeing a 12% year on year increase. Online garden centre retail showed a large 40% increase, with many gardeners purchasing their horticultural products on the internet for the first time. Industry insiders believe there is still an untapped potential in horticultural online retail.

In addition to the warm weather, a booming housing market has boosted the gardening and DIY sector, as consumers invest in home improvement