HTA Council meeting finds, despite poor weather, barbecues and garden furniture are performing well.
Garden retailers speaking at the council meeting last week reported that sales of outdoor living items, such as barbecues and garden furniture started early this year and have continued to be exceptionally strong.

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA0 believes these results indicate that people do intend to spend more time in their gardens in the future and are prepared to invest significantly in doing this.

A recent survey revealed that the average garden spend in the UK has topped £100, with 22% of Brits also plan to spend more than two hours a week working on their gardens.

According to the HTA, core gardening and plant categories have been slower to pick up in 2010 but now that the weather has started to improve, they are making up good ground.

Within the outdoor living category, it is the mid-range furniture sets and barbecues that are proving the most popular, with customers looking for good value rather than the cheapest product they can find.

HTA managing director Andrew Maxted said: "This year it appears that people are more willing to invest in their homes and gardens for the longer term - and spending on garden furniture and barbecues has started early. It is likely that the World Cup is a contributing factor, with families sprucing up their patios and barbecue equipment in anticipation of some good weather. With 14% of UK consumers not planning to take a holiday this year, we can expect that a proportion of the money saved will be spent on the home and garden."