Gardening in France

PROSPECTS

Uncertain future for gardening

Gardening had a reasonably good year in 2018, in spite of a slow-moving forecast performance. Social and political turbulence has produced a general state of anxiety for consumers, curbing their spending inclinations.

Robotic lawn mowers remains in the lead

Robotic lawn mowers is set to remain the most dynamic category over the forecast period as French consumers embrace a “work smarter, not harder” lifestyle. They are seen to be early adopters of new technologies that are perceived to save money and time, particularly when labelled “green”.

Smart gardening developing

Smart gardening products are notably on the rise, particularly seeking the target market of young, urban consumers who want to have the freshness of home-grown herbs, the satisfaction of being ecologically friendly, and the image of being of the “green culture” movement as they grow their own herbs. These urbanites have very little knowledge of agricultural practices and even less time to devote to agricultural endeavours, therefore, this niche is perfectly positioned to drive sales of these highly efficient and virtually effortless, smart-garden devices.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Husqvarna France SAS remains leader in fragmented market

Husqvarna France maintained its leadership in gardening in 2018, primarily due to its strong position in gardening equipment, which is based on the strong reputation of its lawn mowers for excellent quality and good value for money. The company saw its sales growth accelerate in 2018 due to its leading position in the highly dynamic category of robotic lawn mowers.

Numerous players fight for share in a highly fragmented category

With no company able to generate a value share in excess of 5% in 2018, sales in gardening are highly fragmented. Stihl remains the second leading player, benefiting from its strong position in gardening equipment, where it competes directly with leading player Husqvarna.

New launches likely to focus on ‘futuristic products’

Although sales of gardening products are already mature, with implications for future sales growth rates, futuristic products are increasingly promising substantial rewards for the companies that are prepared to take a punt on their products becoming a major new part of the pantheon of must-have gardening products. Be it robotic lawn mowers, smart gardening or smart watering systems, companies are launching innovative new products that promise to improve gardening results whilst reducing labour and the amount of time needed to perform a wide range of gardening tasks.

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