The market for machinery and equipment for gardening and landscaping closed 2018 with an increase in sales compared to 2017. The data processed by the Italian association of manufacturers Comagarden and the statistical survey group Morgan indicate a total of 1,288,149 units sold by the end of the year (including all types of machinery, from self-propelled vehicles to motorized equipment, down to the simplest manual instruments).
In percentage terms, this sales volume shows an increase of 3.2 percentage points compared to the previous year. The machines and equipment powered by batteries are the main contributors to the positive sales trend, performing better than the versions with internal combustion engines.
The trend of the chainsaw segment is emblematic; despite closing 2018 with a slight decrease compared to the previous year (-1.4%), in contrast with the trend of the sector, it nevertheless recorded double-digit increases for battery-powered models (+22.5% compared to 2017). The same trend was seen in the brushcutter and blower/vacuum sectors. For the former, with an overall growth of 7.2%, the battery versions saw sales increase by 34.3%; for the latter, however, the battery boom (+24.4%) played a decisive role in reversing the negative economic situation of 2017 and bringing sales of the entire segment back into positive territory (+0.7% compared to 2017).
This trend is even more marked in the trimmer segment, where, compared to a general 8.6%, battery-powered equipment recorded an increase of 44.8%, tripling sales compared to 2016. The data of 2018 therefore confirms a progressive shift in the demand for gardening and landscaping machines and equipment towards "green" propulsion systems with low environmental impact. In the case of trimmers and blowers, the battery-powered models gave a considerable boost to sales, with a turnaround from the contraction of 2017.
As for the other sectors, the growth of lawn tractors (+2%) and robotic lawnmowers continued also in 2018, with sales increasing by 11.9%, after the substantial +18.5% achieved in 2017. Shredders went against the trend, recording a decline for the third consecutive year (from 2016 to 2018 sales decreased by over a thousand units), and sprayers were down 7.1%. Instead, the decline in snow plough sales (-3.4%) reflects increasingly mild winters and "miserly" snowfall. In terms of units, the most significant type of machines was the chainsaw (335 thousand pieces sold), followed by lawnmowers (277,566) and brushcutters (266,296).