The Greener Gardening Company working around the clock to meet compost demand

Growing consumer appetite has resulted in a 41% year-on-year sales increase for the company

Retail

27 August 2020

The Greener Gardening Company has experienced phenomenal growth as a result of unprecedented nationwide demand for compost – having successfully stepped-up production to satisfy demand from retailers who have been scrambling to secure stocks of quality growing media.

As lockdown eased, demand for compost soared. By the end of June, the company was 17% up on budget – a 41% rise in sales compared to the same month in 2019. Consumer appetite for quality growing media continued to go through the roof in July, resulting in sales that were 98% up on budget.

To help retailers obtain sufficient stock to satisfy customer demand, The Greener Gardening Company is currently operating with 24-hour production through summer and into autumn. Ordinarily, the team would scale back to single shifts after peak season.

This strategy has succeeded in building up healthy levels of stock that will ensure continuity of supply in the event of any future challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company said the aim is to have all garden centre stock on the ground by Christmas, ready for the 2021 season.

When the government allowed garden centres to re-open in May, lead times for compost across the sector extended to as long as six weeks, as consumers rushed to catch-up on springtime planting just as suppliers faced challenges in obtaining raw materials. Supplies of coir from India were subjected to delays, for example, while availability of composted bark, a key ingredient in peat-reduced compost, was also hampered as wood mills had remained closed down during lockdown.

Despite the challenges, The Greener Gardening Company ensured that it was well placed to address supply chain requirements with socially distanced production, while 24-hour manufacturing helped to successfully pull lead times back to within two weeks – a situation that is improving on a daily basis and is assisting retailers’ efforts to replenish stock.

The Greener Gardening Company’s sales and marketing director, Steve Harper said: “The 2020 season has been unprecedented in every way, but despite the challenges, our team has pulled together to overcome every hurdle, helping the business to forge closer relationships with retailers and deliver sales results way above forecasts. As the UK’s largest manufacturer of peat-free growing media, we are pleased to report that our newest brand, Happy Compost, launched in 2019, has sold well into the marketplace, demonstrating the enormous consumer appetite for 100% peat-free growing media that’s proven to perform.”

To ensure continuity of supply and efficient operation during the ongoing pandemic, The Greener Gardening Company has invested in a fogging system so that offices and machinery can be regularly sanitised to keep facilities Covid-19 secure. The company has also brought in a policy of restricting meeting sizes, to enhance staff protection, in addition to social distancing measures throughout the business.