Hard times

The UK garden watering market declined between January and April 2008 by 36.2 per cent compared with the same period last year to £ 8.4 mio (€ 10.6 mio), according to GfK Marketing Services UK. In the twelve months to April 2008 the total value of this market went down by 14.9 per cent to £ 60.9 mio (€ 77 mio). The greatest downswings were experienced by hoses and sets (-18.6 per cent to £ 9.3 mio), hose storage (-11.4 per cent to £ 17.5 mio), hose fittings (-13.2 per cent to £ 11.8 mio) and hose end attachments (-22 per cent to £ 9.6 mio). These four segments together account for 85.2 per cent of the market value.