Retailers More Than Double the Prices of Patio Furniture – Which One? New

If you were one of the millions of people who stocked up on patio furniture for all that outdoor accommodation earlier in the year, you might have paid a lot more than you would in 2020. Nuh what? research has found that six major retailers increased the prices of patio furniture in 2021.

An exclusive Which? A survey found that the price of some patio furniture has more than doubled, with retailers charging up to 155% more for the same item this year than in the past.

We compared the prices of patio furniture products from six popular DIY, furniture and garden stores between July 2019 and July 2021. We saw increases at all retailers, with Wickes patio furniture costing an average of $ 13. % more this year than in 2020.

This means that people who bought new benches, chairs, tables and even sheds to accommodate loved ones during this year’s coronavirus restrictions could have paid a premium for the privilege.

Here, we take a closer look at how and why the costs of patio furniture have changed dramatically.

How have the prices of garden furniture evolved?

We’ve heard from consumers seeing furniture prices rise, be out of stock, or take much longer than expected to arrive since the first foreclosure in March 2020.

Now, analysis of more than 2,000 garden furniture shows that, at least when it comes to price increases, these customers were not alone.

One of the biggest price hikes we found in our survey was on the Forest Garden Lyon Arbor from Screwfix and Toolstation. As of July 2020, it was priced at £ 179.99 at Toolstation, but at the end of the period it was £ 261.98.

The arbor was almost always more expensive at Screwfix. Priced at £ 219.99 for most of the period, it saw incremental price hikes and ended at £ 341.99 in July. The line graph below shows its price evolution over the past two years.

If you were looking for a new table and chairs to spruce up your garden, the Denia 6 Seater Wood Dining Set may have caught your eye. Available from B&Q, the set was priced at £ 247 in July 2019, but in July 2021 it was priced at £ 369, a 49% increase.

The hangars that flew thousands of pounds

But it was the hangars that saw the biggest price increases during the period in terms of pounds and pence. The Shire 12x24ft Mammoth Loglap Lumber Shed in Blue started the run at £ 2,799.99 at Screwfix, before ending at £ 5,395.99 two years later. That’s an increase of £ 2,596.

The same hangar was also available from B&Q for most of the period. There, its price rose by around £ 1,000 – from £ 3,622 to £ 4,600 – in April 2021.

Homebase has also seen a hangar almost double in price. A combined Mercia shed / greenhouse cost £ 695 in 2019, but £ 1,210 two years later.

Screwfix increased the price of a pressure treated Forest Garden Overlap gazebo by a whopping 155% over the period. It started at £ 319.99 in July 2019, but as of July 2021 it was priced at £ 814.99.

The same hangar went from £ 318 to £ 413 over the same period at Wickes. You would have paid between £ 339 and £ 375 at Homebase, but it wasn’t available after April of this year.

We also found:

• A garden chair from Screwfix which increased by 153%
• A hangar base in Wickes that has grown by 140%
• A Homebase newspaper store that grew 135%
• A pack of two chairs from B&Q which increased by 132%

Meanwhile, if you were looking for a relaxing place to lay down, the Vivere Double Cotton Hammock’s price on Amazon was anything but casual.

Amazon Marketplace Vivre Europe BV’s seller cost has hovered over 20 times during the period, falling as low as £ 189.99 in February 2020 and reaching its highest price, £ 336.50, in early July 2021 .

Amazon also sold this product directly itself, with a price ranging from £ 90.99 in some weeks to £ 140 in others.

How have the prices of furniture evolved on average?

Every retailer we looked at increased prices for patio furniture between the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021.

Wickes saw the largest average increase, with outdoor items costing 13% more this year than in 2020. Screwfix and Toolstation also saw increases of over 10% for their garden products. Other retailers we checked were Homebase (8%), B&Q (7%), and Amazon (2%).

You can see the average percentage price changes for all patio furniture items from six key retailers in the table below. To do this, we used the average prices of products that stores had in stock for more than 80% of the period (July 2019 – July 2021).

Average price changes for garden furniture

As you can see, the unique circumstances of the past 12 months, from Brexit and Covid to the blockade of the Suez Canal, have led to a much larger spike than the equivalent period between 2019 and 2020.

Why have the prices of garden furniture increased?

We asked all of the retailers in our survey why there had been such significant price increases during the pandemic, especially this year.

B&Q and Homebase both mentioned that the increase in shipping costs was a contributing factor. This matches our April report, when we found the industry was blaming rising shipping costs for outdoor furniture shortages.

The Leisure and Outdoor Furniture Association (LOFA) said at the time that prices for shipping containers had risen from £ 870 to £ 1,100 to £ 5,100 to £ 12,300 due to a shortage.

Lack of raw materials has also been a sticking point for several retailers, with Toolstation increasing the “well-publicized lumber shortage due to unprecedented demand from the United States.” This in turn has “increased the price of raw wood and therefore the price of garden furniture which is mostly made from wood,” he told us.

Wickes pointed to “availability constraints and inflationary pressures,” B&Q mentioned supply chain price inflation, and Homebase referred to a shortage of supplies. All three retailers said they were working with suppliers to minimize price increases.

Amazon pointed out that some of its prices are set by third-party retailers and that it has policies to help them price products competitively. He said his own prices fluctuate regularly for a number of reasons, including stock levels and competitors changing their own prices.