The UK Christmas Tree Industry Is Anxiously Awaiting The First Sales of The Festive Season

The UK Christmas tree industry is anxiously awaiting the first sales of the festive season to see whether the turbulent economy affects the public's decision to buy trees this year. The British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) told TTJ that it would also be interesting to see if people opted for the cheaper Norway spruce instead of the popular but expensive Nordman fir. "What is different this year is how the public is going to react to buying a tree at Christmas because of the economic situation, " said BCTGA secretary Roger Hay. "That is clearly a concern for everyone supplying trees because they only sell at Christmas. " The overall trend of UK real Christmas tree purchases is a growing one, with about 8 million purchased last year. About 55% were Nordman firs, rated for their shape and needle retention, with cheaper Norway spruces taking about 25% of the market. "The Norway spruce could make progress this year because the Nordman is so expensive, " Mr Hay added. "People who want to buy a real tree might decide to buy a cheaper tree. " He said the cost of a 6ft Nordman would cost £2-3 more this year at an average £45, though B&Q is selling cheaper at £39.99. A similar height Norway spruce costs around £25. On the supply side, Mr Hay said stocks are tight but there should be no difficulties in sourcing trees. Some cases of tree disease/fungal problems have been reported by UK growers, but he said these were not seriously affecting harvests. Imported trees' share of the UK market continues to slide to about 5%, with Danish supplies reducing further, partly due to unfavourable exchange rates. But Mr Hay said the increasing size of a wealthier middle class in countries such as Poland, Hungary and Russia was also resulting in more purchases of trees there, taking exports from supplier nations like Denmark. He said the year-on-year increase in real Christmas tree sales suggested the sales of artificial trees were falling, though he said there was no firm evidence to back this up. Source: ttjonline.com