Garden sector drives DIY market growth in Italy

The garden sector has confirmed itself as a driver of sales in the DIY segment in Italian DIY superstores in the first quarter of 2026. With revenues of 130.6 million euros and an increase of 8.3% compared to the same period of the previous year, the sector is showing significant acceleration. This dynamism consolidates a performance already demonstrated during 2025: in that year, while the overall DIY market suffered a contraction of 5.9% in Italian DIY superstores, the garden world recorded growth of +1%, abandoning the historical label of a seasonal sector. The data were released by Bricoday, the leading event for the Brico-Home-Garden worlds in Italy (23-24 September 2026, Fiera Milano Rho-IT), based on NielsenIQ surveys.

From numbers to lifestyle: outdoor spaces increasingly central for Italians
Analysis of the data shows how this momentum is rapidly intensifying. The figure for the latest quarter under review exceeds the already positive +4.1% of the previous half-year. It is not only a matter of numbers, but of cultural change. Gardening has become a stable component of the contemporary lifestyle: Italian consumers perceive outdoor space as an extension of the home, and in this environment too they choose to invest time, energy and resources continuously. Even beyond seasonality.

Green thumbs searching for safety and Made in Italy
In a market increasingly evolving toward a “Lifestyle & Care” logic, safety, quality and product origin have become the main trust factors for consumers. According to Bricoday’s analysis carried out in collaboration with NielsenIQ on Sinottica 2025 data, a consumer profile is emerging that pays close attention to what is introduced into homes and gardens, balconies and terraces: 63.4% of Italians today consider the safety factor fundamental and are increasingly attentive to certifications for products made with ingredients and materials that are safe for health and the environment.

This new sensitivity is also reflected in the performance of the most dynamic product sectors. Leading growth are products for plant and soil care, which recorded an increase of +18%, a sign of demand increasingly oriented toward reliable and high-performing formulations. Irrigation and cleaning systems are also growing (+13%), driven by greater attention to water saving and efficient management of outdoor spaces, while the live greenery sector recorded +12%, confirming how plants and flowers are now perceived as identity elements of domestic well-being.

Alongside safety, the value of origin is also emerging strongly. Indeed, 51% of Italians attach great importance to Made in Italy, recognized as synonymous with quality, manufacturing excellence and a controlled supply chain. These values find their strongest expression among more mature customers. While aesthetic and digital trends guide younger consumers, the over-65s represent the backbone of more attentive consumption toward other aspects: in this age group, attention to safety exceeds 70%, while the value attributed to Made in Italy surpasses 60%.

Innovation for outdoor spaces
The garden is a space for well-being and an asset to be cared for with durable, reliable and risk-free solutions and products. This is also evident in motorized gardening (+10%). After a complex 2025, the sector seems to have embarked on a new growth trajectory thanks to innovation. Although reducing its relative weight within the overall mix, the sector nevertheless recorded an increase of +10% in value and a surprising +19% in half-year volumes.

Driving this evolution is above all the shift toward battery-powered products, cordless solutions and quieter, more practical and sustainable equipment, capable of responding to consumers’ new needs for comfort and ease of use. Thus, a purchasing model increasingly oriented toward quality and performance is being consolidated: customers are now willing to invest more in technologically advanced tools, perceived not only as technical equipment, but as real allies for optimizing time, reducing effort and improving quality of everyday life.

Outdoor living, loving outdoor
The liveability of open-air spaces obviously also passes through furnishings and structures. Outdoor furniture confirms itself as the dominant category in the sector, with a value of 28.7 million euros and a share equal to 22% of the total market. The 2% growth in the weight of furnishings within the Garden assortment highlights a more mature phase for the segment, influenced both by promotional pressure and weather conditions, factors that increasingly affect purchasing dynamics.

Alongside furniture, solutions dedicated to outdoor well-being are also returning to strong growth. The garden structures, pools and spa segment recorded +12% in the quarter, marking a clear recovery after a less brilliant phase. A result confirming that Italians continue to consider open-air spaces as an extension of the home, investing in solutions capable of improving comfort, quality of life and domestic liveability.

From plant care to digital detox
Today the Garden market is characterized by the coexistence of two complementary souls: on one side the Living & Decor area, including furniture, decoration and plants; on the other the Technical area, linked to maintenance, equipment and care of green spaces. A duality that perfectly reflects the evolution of consumers and their new lifestyles. In this scenario, stores are being called upon to evolve rapidly toward increasingly omnichannel models, capable of integrating physical experience, digital consultancy and inspirational content, accompanying consumers along a purchasing journey that is increasingly informed, emotional and oriented toward personalization.

Between greenery, well-being and technology: Garden as a driver of contemporary living
In this situation, Garden confirms itself as much more than a simple product category: today it represents one of the main transformation drivers of the DIY sector and a faithful mirror of Italians’ lifestyles. The sector evolves together with consumers, intertwining practical needs, the search for well-being, sustainability, technological innovation and the desire for quality.

“At the latest edition of Bricoday,” the organizers commented, “more than 70 companies from the sector took part. Today, four months before the next event, there are already 60 exhibitors from the Garden world. It is a strong signal for the market: gardens, terraces and outdoor spaces are no longer experienced as seasonal environments, but as central places of everyday life, natural extensions of the home in which to invest in order to improve comfort, personal balance and quality of life.”

It is precisely this cultural transformation that explains the solidity of the sector’s growth, capable of performing positively even in complex market contexts. On the one hand, the need for reliable, safe, durable products is growing; on the other, a new generation of consumers is emerging that interprets gardening as an emotional, aesthetic and identity-based experience, increasingly influenced by digital trends and environmental awareness. In between, retailers and manufacturers are being called upon to rethink languages, assortments and purchasing experiences, focusing on innovation, consultancy and omnichannel strategies.

The result is an increasingly cross-sector market, where technology and lifestyle coexist and reinforce each other. A sector that no longer merely follows the seasons, but continuously accompanies the evolution of contemporary living, confirming itself as one of the most dynamic and promising drivers of Italian retail.