Make the most of housewares on your show itinerary, especially barware.
At time of writing, Spring Fair is very much in sight and as ever it is the perfect opportunity to check out the latest trends and product innovations. For the visitors from the garden market, Glee is the obvious attraction, but I would strongly urge both suppliers and buyers to include housewares on their show itinerary. There are some great profit-turning opportunities worth checking out in this rightfully popular part of the show – and, barware is a real growth area.
We all know just how high a percentage of garden centre sales come from non-horticultural products as today’s consumers plan their visits as a full day’s destination shopping. Moreover, even in the wet and cold months of the year, indoor sales like cooking, dining, bakeware, tabletop and small domestic electrical appliances can be relied upon to stimulate interest.
For garden retailers who may still feel uncertain of the growth potential of housewares in general and barware in particular, the latest EPOS data from the GfK BHETA Index is worth referencing www.bheta.co.uk/market-intelligence/gfk/. In the data from the last quarter of 2018, value growth was evident across housewares and small electricals compared to the same period in the previous year. Hot beverage makers (up 5.6%) and deep fryers (up 3%) lead the way in small electricals, while in housewares generally, the big performers are from Cookware & Bakeware: Pots (up 5.6%), Pans (up 4.0%); from Storage: Food/Kitchen plastic storage (up 5.8%) and from Tabletop: Crockery/China (up 3%).
This great news and many garden centres are already taking advantage of these sectors, but an even more successful one that might not yet be so much on the buying radar is barware, which is enjoying immense popularity with consumers. Sales really got going in the hot summer, boosted by the World Cup and the Royal Wedding, but they then continued right through into the festive period and show no sign of stopping. Barware overall is up a whopping 8%, so certainly worth investigating at Spring Fair.
The BHETA GfK Index is well worth a look for anyone with a business in the garden market. BHETA’s quarterly retail data service features live links to all the product groups represented in the four categories detailed in BHETA’s online Retailer Zone, enabling BHETA members to check where their ranges sit in relation to national statistics instantly and easily.
Circulated in infographic form, the BHETA GfK Quarterly POS Index is available to members on an exclusive basis thanks to the trade association’s exclusive deal with research and data provider, GfK. Recent data is available on the website to give a flavour of the possibilities. The BHETA Retailer Zone features a real-time search function – by product category, by brand and by supplier, enabling retail buying teams to find not only practical product and supply details, but real inspiration for future listings, all from laptop, tablet or phone.
To find out more about BHETA membership and access to trends advice and market data, contact BHETA on 0121 237 1130
Source: BHETA
January 2019