Sales challenge

摘要

On the face of it, hardy-stock nurseries and their retailer customers have many reasons to be despondent. The double whammy of drought and cold spring temperatures, combined with the recession, the unwillingness of the consumer to spend and even petrol shortages in April, mean that there has been little good news for the beleaguered stock producer. Although March figures were up on last year, retail plant sales were depressed over Easter, the key weekend of spring. In fact, the impact of the hosepipebans was forgotten as high rainfall kept customers away, and this continued for most of the month—the wettest April on record. At Alton Garden Centre in Southend, director Andy Bunker says April plant sales were 46 per centdown compared to the previous year. The picture was the same at Squire's, with managing director Dennis Espley reporting sales 40 per cent down. And Hillier was down 40-50 per cent, according to managing director Andy Mclndoe, who laments the plight of the hardy nursery stock trade. "If garden centre sales were bad, wholesale sales will be worse with product stacking up."