Bio-Chemical Garden Products go hand in hand with weather

Gardening is becoming ever more popular in Germany. The increasing desire in the country for people to own their own house and garden has seen square metres of garden rise considerably, reaching 2.6% of the total German land mass, or 930,000 hectares.

According to GfK Retail and Technology data, between July 2007 and June 2008 the market for Garden Tools and Bio-chemical Products* has risen by 5.8% over the previous year.

Plant Protection and Household Insecticides also grew in the period July 2007–June 2008 by 5.7% in comparison to the previous period. The reason for this development was due to the steady changes in weather (from a humid and cold start, to warm and dry periods, to humid and warm weather) which are perfect for the spread of fungus and pests.

This trend can also be seen in the first six months of 2008, with April and May providing particular insight.  April 2008 was very cold and wet in comparison to April 2007. As a consequence, the sales of Plant Protection and Household Insecticides were lower than in the previous year. Insecticides, Herbicides, Fungicides and Ant-Killers all performing particularly poorly.  Due to the humidity, Molluscicides and Rodenticides rose slightly in comparison to 2007.  The rainy, cold weather of May 2007 was in stark contrast with a dry and warm May 2008, the latter being ideal for the growth of insects and weeds, highlighted by strong sales figures in this month, which saw turnover of Plant Protection and Household Insecticides increase by 25% in comparison to the previous year. Insecticides, Weed Killers, Fungicides and Ant-Killers were all integral to this growth. The market for Molluscicides and Rodenticides also rose, albeit at a slower rate.

In the months July and August 2008 the temperature was slightly higher than in the previous year. But in comparison to the previous periods, there was more rainfall during this period. As consequence of these weather conditions the turnover of Plant Protection and Household Insecticides only increased slightly (+3.2%).

These results illustrate how weather-dependent Biochemical Products are, with warm and dry months good news for retailers and cold and rainy months having a significantly negative effect.

*Potting Soil, Fertilizers, Seeds, Plant Protection, Household Insecticides