The freezing winter and the rainy spring do not seem to have weakened the determination of gardeners.
Watering cans, mowers, indoor plants: garden products have been very successful in recent months and are attracting a growing clientele.
Read also: How (finally) to succeed in your vegetable garden
"It is certain, 2021 will be the record year for the garden"
affirms Marc Rossat-Mignod, Deputy Managing Director of the Botanic group, "
these months we are in increases of 20 to 30% for garden products
" continues the leader of the Savoyard group, which has 70 brands across France. At Truffaut, which has 67, the situation is similar with "
double-digit growth compared to two years ago
" and the observation among the French of a "
strong desire for nature"
shares Nadège Beck, Director of the offer. No product is neglected, "
everything works, the plants but also the containers to equip balconies, terraces and interiors
" affirms the director.
An impetus equivalent to "5 years of growth"
This acceleration in the first half of 2021 confirms the enthusiasm for gardening that Promojardin - an association specializing in the sector - already pointed out in its annual study published in April: “
the garden has emerged as a safe haven in these times. storm
”.
A boon for gardening brands for whom this "
impetus
" is equivalent, according to the study, to "
5 years of growth
".
But this success puts
"the sector under tension"
and exposes it to shortages on certain products such as for example nursery plants, "
it takes several years to grow them
" explains the director of the offer of Truffaut, who continues. “In
this segment the supply cannot meet a sudden increase in demand
”.
At Gardena, a brand of gardening tools established in 80 countries, it is "
lawn mowers and watering products
" that are out of stock, says Julie Hoang, marketing and communication director for southern Europe .
Read also: The rose, a French passion
A critical situation which could however settle down in this period of deconfinement, as the Botanic group thinks, which is preparing for a "
slight rebalancing
": "
people will go back to restaurants, make trips again which could reduce the budget for the garden
" Marc Rossat-Mignod projects himself.
However the latter is not worried, the success of "
green, do it yourself, natural and eat well
" is a "
structural craze
".
"
I rediscovered my garden
"
Beyond the economic situation, the phenomenon does seem to be rooted in some people in a profound change in mentalities.
“
The spring confinements developed my sensitivity, I rediscovered my garden.
By anchoring oneself in a place, on a daily basis, we pay attention to the buds, to the blooming nature
”, confides Emmanuel, a 23-year-old young consultant, a bit of a poet.
With the arrival of fine weather, the young man was busy in the family garden in the Parisian suburbs and proudly details his achievements: making a compost bin, setting up a vegetable garden and "
homemade
" seedlings
.
Customer rejuvenation
And Emmanuel is no exception among the young people of his generation. Marc Rossat-Mignod indeed notes "
a rejuvenation of the clientele
" which is observed in particular on social networks: "
the green plant is no longer a granny thing, obsolete
" but a decorative object that young people post on Instagram , he explains. A trend that Kantar already pointed out in his study “
The French and the Vegetable
”, published in March 2021 and confirmed by all the players in the sector.
