The 2004 market for garden tools

The German market for garden tools recorded sales down by eleven per cent over the period between February and September 2004 surveyed by GfK. Whereas specialised retail and specialists remained in the single-figure realm when it came to losses, the mass merchandising channels suffered downswings of nearly 20 per cent.
Details on some of the periods and segments under review
August and September
The entire garden tools market contracted by nine per cent during these two months by comparison with the same period last year. However, not all of the three segments under review (powered tools, hand tools and water technology) were affected. For instance, sales of powered garden tools were nine per cent above last year’s level, whereas water technology lost 36 per cent over the record results from the exceptional summer of 2003.
February to September
The results from selected segments:
Hedge trimmers
Only cordless tools managed to maintain their position and achieve results approximating last year’s in this product grouping, which is contracting overall. Their market share could see an increase from 18 to 20 per cent.
Pressure cleaners
The heaviest losses of 17 per cent were suffered in the medium performance category (101 to 120 bar). By comparison, the models with a rating of 120 bar or higher achieved the same level of sales as last year. Nevertheless, pressure cleaners in the 81 to 100 bar category still account for one out of two of the units purchased.
February and March 2004
At the start of the gardening season, last year’s poor level of sales – which featured a decline of 16 per cent in the first two months of 2003 – was undercut by a further five per cent. Sales of powered garden tools weakened by two per cent, but the greatest loss was suffered by water technology at twelve per cent.
The results from selected segments:
Scarifiers
There is only demand for the 35 cm cutting width category. This area grew by 33 per cent, achieving a market share of 86 per cent.
Electric chainsaws
The market is regressive. The figures for chainsaws with a bar length of 31 cm to 35 cm fell by one per cent in terms of both volume and value.
Petrol chainsaws
There is growth for blade lengths of 31 cm to 35 cm and 36 cm to 40 cm. This comes to a sales increase of 17 per cent when both are added together, and turnover up by 10 per cent.
Electric shredders
Tools in the performance range from 1 600 W to 1 800 W record growth of 55 per cent, whereas there were considerable losses in other performance classes. There is no perceptible demand for models below 1 400 W.