Sights set more firmly abroad

Between July 2001 and July 2002 the 20 largest garden centre operators increased their total of outlets in Germany by almost three per cent to 1 634. Overall the total number of stores both at home and abroad went up by almost four per cent to 1 856. This means that the companies grew more strongly abroad than at home. The combined retail area of the garden centre operators under consideration rose in the period mentioned by 1.3 per cent from 3.97 mio m² to 4.02 mio m² (previous year 7.9 per cent).
Garden centre multiples
The combined retail area of the garden centre multiples under scrutiny covered 910 695 m². Almost half of this total went to Dehner, a company that leads the sector by a long way and at the end of July 2002 was operating two more branches than one year previously for a total of 86. The Pluta and Pötschke chains also succeeded in opening one new garden centre each over the period under consideration, though Birkhof on the other hand numbered two fewer than one year previously.
Branches of German gardencenter chains
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Cooperatives
At the end of July 2002 the combined retail area of the garden centres affiliated to cooperatives covered more than 658 340 m². Here Hagebau was able to further extend its position as leader. Eisen-Krämer, winner of the expansion stakes, profited from acquisitions of its own. This NBB member is ranked sixth and, though it had more than 43 “garden centres” overall, only 16 are bigger than 400 m². The WHB Ware, Handel, Beratung company, formerly known as Inform Fachhandel, bought five garden centres. Egesa-Zookauf and Sagaflor/Sagazoo were not taken into consideration, since there is no way of determining how many of their businesses are garden centres in the narrower sense. Egesa-Zookauf had 172 garden centres/garden shops at home and 180 garden centres/garden shops with pet sections, seven of them abroad. Sagaflor/Sagazoo serviced 333 garden centres/garden shops and 147 mixed garden and pet shops as well as tree nurseries. In the garden centre sector there are also the voluntary groups “Grün erleben” with 77 outlets, “…..einfach sagenhaft” with 57 garden centres and the “Gärtnern und Gestalten” group with 25 plant centres.
Garden centres affiliated to cooperatives