With 2020 in full swing, it’s time for builders’ merchants to prepare for the next seasonal shift and, with it, the annual spike for landscaping products as tradespeople gear up for Spring.
To help our Members get ready for Spring, we have created a brand new Landscaping Brochure, complete with some fantastic promotions and special offers from leading suppliers. All these deals are exclusive to IBC Members.
The IBC Landscaping Brochure is being posted out to all IBC Members today, so get ready to take advantage of these amazing deals when the Brochure arrives at your offices! And, if you’re not a Member but are curious about joining IBC and taking advantage of these amazing offers, why not get in touch to find out more?
Make the most of the Spring season
Easter is traditionally considered the gardening season in the DIY market, as many homeowners take advantage of the long weekend to get their garden in shape for the summer. For merchant customers, however, their preparations begin much earlier, as homeowners seek landscapers, builders and expert gardeners to transform their garden in time for them to enjoy the longer, sunnier days. According to Builders’ Merchant Building Index (BMBI) figures, sales of landscaping products rise rapidly from February onwards, enjoying peaks around April and July.
The Quarterly BMBI Index also show that Q2 landscaping sales have grown every year since the index began in 2016, suggesting there’s no sign of the trend for outdoor living waning anytime soon.
For merchants, that means making sure they have plentiful stocks of timber, decking, railway sleepers, paving suppliers, topsoil, artificial grass, and many other products, to take advantage of the potential for higher-margin and add-on sales wherever possible.
Homeowners are no longer satisfied with a neat, square strip of lawn in their gardens. Now they want to enjoy luxurious landscapes, deluxe patios, robust decking and seating areas where they can enjoy their outdoor space for as much of the year as possible.
That means, as soon as the worst of winter is over, their attention turns to the garden, with tradespeople turning to merchants for advice on the very latest in low-maintenance products that will transform a garden in readiness for the long summer days.
New product technologies that bring added-value sales to the merchant include products such as composite decking, which offers all the appeal and beauty of real wood decking, but is low maintenance, slip- and algae-resistant, and will not rot or warp over time.
Artificial grass is another product invention that has taken the market by storm, as it can offer time-poor homeowners a perfect-looking lawn all-year round – with no need for mowing, and no risk of it being overrun by moss, weeds, or be burnt by the sun.
Merchants looking to make the most of the UK’s continuing love of outdoor living can improve their margins and boost sales by stocking these types of products – and making sure their staff are fully trained on how they work to offer their expertise to tradespeople.
Don’t delay – IBC Members will receive their very own copy of our Landscaping Brochure in the post early next week, or you can take advantage of those offers today by logging in to your online Member Portal and checking out the brochure online today!
