Insee Focus · April 2026 · n° 379

Business at florists, garden centres, and pet stores stagnating since 2023, after a positive growth during the health crisis

In 2023, retail sales of flowers, plants, fertilisers, pets, and related food products reached 11.0 billion euros, with nearly half of that amount coming from gardening products and the other half from pet products.

The sector performed well during the health crisis, which spanned from spring 2020 to mid‑2022 (excluding lockdown periods), but subsequently suffered from inflationary pressures. While revenue remained well above pre‑COVID levels due to price increases, sales volume returned to comparable levels since 2023. Subject to strong seasonality and significant working capital requirements, the sector had a low profit margin, as animal care and plant maintenance required a large workforce.

Major garden and pet retailers are part of groups whose activities are diversified, to the extent that some are classified in other business sectors, but the majority of companies in the sector are specialised microenterprises and small and medium‑sized enterprises.