Changing lifestyles have resulted in consumers attaching greater importance to their homes and gardens, maximising the use and flexibility of both internal and external living spaces. Many consumers want to create an environment that is both an expression of their personality as well as a place where living, eating, working, socialising and relaxing can happily coexist. Products for the home and garden have adapted to modern living trends. At the same time, there is more demand for greater value which has resulted in a significant increase in imports of products of lower cost. This implies serious challenges for traditional domestic producers.
Technology and clever designs are making inroads into our purchases of garden articles, furniture, home furnishings and other household goods. It is not only entertainment centres that are designed to incorporate the latest gadgets.
Products have become more multi-functional, intelligent, user-friendly and beautifully designed. Other areas of our home are now affected by the ‘technological revolution’ that is helping to make our homes and gardens more convenient and personal.
There are widely different rates of home ownership around Europe that could be partly cultural and historical, partly economic. Research indicates that people who own their homes have a different attitude to how they furnish their homes, compared with those that rent.
In the French garden market, for example, consumers attach greater importance to outdoor living by being more active in their garden. This is illustrated by the fact that between 2005 and 2009, the total French garden market has grown steadily, before slowing down in 2010 due to recession. Here, exterior plants/trees and garden equipment were the fastest growing segments, indicating that consumers are attaching growing importance to making their gardens more decorative.
