Garden centre sales grow despite adverse weather conditions

The Garden Centre Association (GCA) reports a “very encouraging” trading performance for February 2026, with overall sales rising by nearly 7% compared to the same month in the previous year. Year-to-date figures show an increase of 7.56%, indicating continued positive momentum in the sector.

According to GCA CEO Peter Burks, the results are notable given the poor weather conditions during the month. More than two-thirds of the recorded product categories showed growth compared to February 2025.

The strongest-performing category was clothing, which increased by 10.48%, followed by food hall and farm shop sales at 9.69%. Seeds and bulbs ranked third with a growth of 9.02%, while outdoor plants (+8.85%) and catering (+8.58%) also recorded solid gains. Garden sundries rose by 8.04%, gifts by 7.97%, and furniture and BBQ products by 4.2%. The pets and aquatics category showed a more moderate increase of 1.15%.

Only two categories recorded declines. Houseplants saw a marginal decrease of 0.05%, while hard landscaping experienced a more significant drop of 13.74%.

The GCA notes that the coming months may present more challenging year-on-year comparisons, as favourable weather conditions in early spring 2025 had boosted sales significantly during that period.

The Barometer of Trade is based on actual sales data submitted by GCA member centres and provides a benchmark for comparing trading performance across the sector. The association represents more than 200 garden centres across the UK and aims to support high standards in customer service, plant quality, and operational reliability.