New Gardening in the United States Report Offers a Comprehensive Guide to the Size and Shape of...

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c55527) has announced the addition of "Gardening in USA" to their offering.

Our Gardening in the United States report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level.

It provides the latest retail sales data (1999-2004), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts to 2009 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Product coverage: horticultural goods, garden structures, gardening equipment, garden care

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), retail distribution

Why buy this report?

- Get a detailed picture of the gardening industry

- Pinpoint growth sectors and trends and identify factors driving change

- Understand the competitive environment and identify the market's major players

- Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop

Housing market boosts gardening sales

Sales of gardening products in the US enjoyed substantial growth over the review period despite the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and an economic recession, thanks in large part to a surprisingly strong housing market. US consumers proved willing to invest in their homes even as they curtailed spending on other goods and services. Part of this stemmed from a "cocooning" effect, as US consumers spent less on travel and more on activities that allowed them to stay at home, particularly following the 11 September 2001 attacks. Investment in gardening and home improvement was also encouraged by consistently low interest rates, which allowed many US consumers to refinance their homes. Many US consumers are reaching retirement age and gardening projects that add value to the house are increasingly seen as a good investment.

Home centres reign

The shopping patterns of US gardening consumers and the availability of gardening products underwent significant changes during the review period, with a rise in the number of home centre outlets. These stores offer many more products than other retailers in a large warehouse-style space, modelled on other "big box" retailers, such as Sam's Club, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Streamlined distribution channels and the wide variety of products offered allow home centres, such as Home Depot and Lowe's, to offer their products at lower prices than the typical garden centre.

At the beginning of the review period, consumer gardening purchasing behaviour was concentrated mainly on the one-stop shopping convenience of garden centres. As garden products began to show up more and more in home centres, hardware stores, mass merchants, and even drug and grocery outlets, shoppers proved less willing to pay premium prices for the ease of shopping in one place and the perceived expertise of salespeople at garden centres. The typical gardening consumer will now shop for products at many different outlets, depending on price, location, and selection. Home centres have supplanted garden centres as the top outlet for garden purchases in the US, and garden centres have been forced to refocus on narrower, more specialised inventories in order to compete.

Companies Mentioned:

-Scotts miracle-gro co

-United industries corp

-Central garden & pet co

-Home depot inc, the

For more information, visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c55527

Source: Euromonitor International