ISBN 1-85765-780-2

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

After several years of steady growth in the mid-1990s, sales of garden equipment grew rapidly between 1996 and 1998, to a current value of £423m, an increase of 11.3 percent over 1997.
This report analyses four sectors: lawn mowers, powered equipment, hand tools and water management equipment. Lawn mowers have traditionally been the largest product sector of the market, but share has been gradually declining as demand for powered equipment grows. However, both 1997 and 1998 were good years for the lawn mower market with very strong growth, and many industry observers have regarded 1998 as one of the best years in the sector for at least a decade. Sales of powered equipment have also enjoyed strong growth in recent years, although 1998 proved to be a more difficult year, particularly in the later months, when a combination of poor autumn weather and declining consumer confidence contributed to a fall in some product sectors.
Hand tools are a very mature market sector, although sales weren buoyant in the period between 1996 and 1998, rising to an estimated £41m in 1998. Growth in this sector has primarily been driven by demand for cutting tools, such as secateurs and loppers, and the success of the Garden Claw. Water management equipment also enjoyed strong growth in the early 1990s, but sales have been more static since 1995 due to a series of cool summers which have had an adverse effect on sales.
While the general economic climate has an overall impact on sales in this sector, the major influencing factor is the weather. Sales of lawn mowers benefit from cooler and wetter conditions in the spring and early summer period which encourages grass growth. Conversely, water management equipment requires drier conditions to encourage the need for regular watering of both lawns and flower beds.
In terms of future prospects, 1999 may prove to be a difficult year as consumer confidence and spending levels deteriorated rapidly in late 1998 as a result of the general economic climate. In the longer term, however, the garden equipment market should continue to enjoy reasonable growth on an annual basis, primarily as a result of growing demand for power equipment and watering products. Lawn mowers are anticipated to experience more modest growth, although the introduction of cordless models may provide opportunities for added-value sales as consumer interest grows. Forecasting sales in any particular year is very difficult because of the high influence of the weather. Nevertheless, underlying growth in the number of households and continued interest in maintaining a neat and tidy garden (which has been helped by the popularity of television programmes such as 'Ground Force') should provide good opportunities for manufacturers of garden equipment in the longer term.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

INTRODUCTION

MARKET SECTORS

MARKET POSITION

MARKET TRENDS

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

THE WORLD MARKET

Table 1: The Garden Equipment Market by Value (£m and percent), 1992-1998

Table 2: Total Volume Sales and Market Value of Lawn Mowers in the UK (£m at msp and 000), 1992-1998

Table 3: Breakdown of Lawn Mower Sales in the UK by Product Type (000), 1998

Table 4: Sales of Hand Tools in the UK (£m at msp and percent), 1992-1998

Table 5: Sales of Water Management Equipment in the UK (£m at msp and percent), 1992-1998

Industry Background

RECENT HISTORY

INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

DISTRIBUTION

EMPLOYMENT

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS/BUYING GROUPS

Table 6: Distribution of Sales of Garden Equipment by Retail Outlet ( percent), 1998

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

MARKET LEADERS AND THEIR BRANDS

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Table 7: Leading UK Companies Engaged in the Production of Gardening Equipment by Sales (£m), 1997/1998

Table 8: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Garden Equipment by Sector (£000), 1998

Table 9: Main Media Expenditure on Lawn Mowers (£000), Years Ending September 1993/1994-1997/1998

Table 10: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Lawn Mowers by Sector (£000), 1997/1998

Table 11: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Gardening Aids (£000), Year Ending September 1993/1994-1997/1998

Table 12: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Gardening Aids by Brand (£000), 1997/1998

Table 13: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Horticultural Aids (£000), Year Ending September 1993/1994-1997/1998

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

LAWN MOWERS

HAND TOOLS

POWERED TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

HORTICULTURAL AIDS (WATER MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENT)

Buying Behaviour

CONSUMER PENETRATION

OWNERSHIP OF GARDEN EQUIPMENT

Table 14: Regional Distribution of Gardens by Size ( percent and square feet), 1998

Table 15: Distribution of Gardens by Social Grade in Relation to Size of Adult Population ( percent and square feet), 1998

Table 16: Distribution of Gardens by Age of Main Gardener ( percent and square feet), 1998

Table 17: Have or Own Lawn Mowers by Type of Machine ( percent households), 1998

Table 18: Household Ownership of Lawn Mowers by Social Grade (000 and percent households), 1998

Table 19: Household Ownership of Powered Tools and Equipment by Social Grade (000 and percent households), 1998

Table 20: Access to Use of Sprinklers by Social Grade (number and percent households), 1998

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

INTRODUCTION

Current Issues

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

CORPORATE ACTIVITY

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Forecasts

DEMOGRAPHICS

FORECASTS 1999 TO 2002

COMPETITOR FORECASTS

GLOBALISATION

Table 21: UK Population Trends and Age Distribution (000), 1991-2031

Table 22: Forecasts of the Number of Households in England (000), 1996-2011

Table 23: Forecast UK Market for Garden Equipment (£m at 1998 prices and percent), 1999-2002

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

HBI UK INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

Text © 1999 Key Note

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