State of the industry: Garden retail

摘要

Recent corporate interest in the garden retail world suggests that the sector is healthier than it might appear. This year's early summer wash-out quickly dampened hopes raised in spring of a bumper year for garden retail, after three indifferent seasons. No one has been immune from the variable fortunes. According to B&Q group chief executive Gerry Murphy: "Abnormal weather patterns boosted sales in the first quarter but were very unhelpful in the second." The company's outdoor product sales fell sharply in the second quarter, reflecting the poor weather and the forward-pull of sales into an unseasonably warm first quarter.