All statistics are based on those surveyed and compare September 2021 to September 2020, with the exception of confidence; confidence is compared at the time of survey (November 2021) to the same time last year.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE year-on-year

Focusing on the trading month of September 2021, on top of the consistent chaos with rocky levels of material availability, September proved to be a difficult time to navigate as the petrol shortage took hold of the UK. This slowed down work for many in the industry as travel became an additional issue. Results have shown that lead times lengthened, and for some, enquiries dropped.

Key highlights included:

• National turnover increased by 42%
• National projects rose by 37%
• Enquiries saw an average increase of 13%
• Turnover increased by 18% for nurseries
• Project for garden designers rose by 62%
• Soil suppliers saw an increase of 24% in turnover

Domestic landscaping

Domestic landscapers saw an average increase of 35% for projects, and turnover increased by 15%. Average project commencing time for domestic landscapers was 6-9 months.

Commercial landscaping

Commercial landscapers displayed another positive month, with an average increase of 24% in turnover, and a rise of 27% in enquiries. Projects also saw an increase, 32%, and conversion rates were up by 31%.

One participant explained: “Supply chain issues are impacting on our delivery times”, and another commented “our enquiry levels have shot back up again.”

Garden designers

Garden designers saw a large average increase of 136% in turnover, although, enquires dropped significantly (-1%). A participant mentioned they had noticed a drop in their enquires, but overall: “Our enquires are of better quality and higher value compared to last year.”

In addition, conversion rates saw a rise of 20%, and projects increased too, by 62%.

Design and build

Design and build companies displayed an encouraging performance. Projects rose by 23%, enquires increased by 12%, and turnover saw an increase of 15%.

Respondents explained winter work was “coming into place”, and another commented: “Clients are annoyed, but, they are understanding that they need to wait longer for work to be completed. It is good to see this isn’t stopping people from enquiring.”

Average lead time for design and build companies was 6 months.

Nurseries and Soil suppliers

Turnover increased by 18% for nurseries, and quotes saw a small increase of 4%.

Soil suppliers, again, experienced a very positive month, with 100% of participants reporting increases across all areas of measurement. There was an average rise of 24% in turnover and 18% in quotes.

CLICK HERE TO READ LAST MONTH’S UK LANDSCAPE BAROMETER FINDINGS

If you would like the full report or would like to contribute to the UK Landscape Barometer moving forward, please send an email to Gemma Lloyd on gemma.lloyd@eljays44.com or call on 01903 777 594.