Explosion of demand

Even if the garden industry (together with colleagues at DIY stores) are trying their best not to come across as too triumphant, one thing is clear for all: coronavirus has given sales a real boost.
Or more than that: "An explosion in demand" is what Pär Åström, president of the Gardena division in the Husqvarna group, calls it. At a press conference which was moved to the Internet, he discussed the underlying conditions since the outbreak of the pandemic. He emphasised the challenges, for example for production planning and logistics, and then mentioned the more than excellent sales turnover. Thus, the Gardena division grew in double-digit figures in the first half of the year 2020 and increased its sales compared to the same period last year by 11.9 per cent to EUR 631 mio.
But Gardena isn't just growing now. "We have doubled our sales within five years," reports Pär Åström. From 2014 to 2019, sales rose from SEK 4.212 bn to SEK 8.343 bn (EUR 790 mio), most recently with an annual growth rate of 22.7 per cent. Since 2014, sales in each of the first half years have even grown by 135 per cent.
The theme of the press conference was also the Power for All Alliance founded together with Bosch. But financial aspects are not at the forefront of the cooperation, Åström says: "It was a strategic decision". Moreover, he continues, because it only concerns the procurement of batteries by Bosch, cartel law questions are not relevant either. The fact that the industry has responded positively to the Power for All Alliance is confirmed by Tobias M. Koerner, Vice President Global Sales of the Gardena division. "The market has been waiting for this," he says.
Koerner also gave an insight into the activities which go beyond the development of new products. Under the heading of "cooperatives", for example, Gardena has brought out five organic fertilisers in cooperation with Neudorff and is now testing their acceptance in the Czech Republic.Another motto is "experiments", under which the southern Germans, asked the question: "Is there a market for decorative garden elements as system?" After tests with ten thousand Facebook users, the ClickUp! system finally emerged, an FSC certified larch wood post with various attachments for every season: insect hotel, plant bowl, rain gauge, torch fireplace and bird feeder are available for the launch.