Gnome shortage-
Supply chain issues and the popularity of garden centres during lockdown are causing a shortage of garden gnomes.
The following written content via BBC
The ornaments are in short supply with raw materials hard to come by and the recent blockage of the Suez Canal contributing to the national shortage.
Ian Byrne, assistant manager of Highfield Garden World in Whitminster, said there had been a “massive upswing” in the sales of garden gnomes.
“We haven’t seen a gnome in six months now unfortunately,” he said.
Mr Byrne said garden centres had experienced a “boom” and that their popularity was causing issues with the availability of many popular items.
“There aren’t any [gnomes]. There’s definitely a shortage. It’s a combined thing with garden centres being so busy, I looked at some figures based on March which said garden centres were 97% busier than they were in 2019.
“Every day has been like a bank holiday. That’s good but it’s definitely causing some issues because it’s not just English garden centres that are booming, it’s all across Europe, so it’s causing issues with supply,” he said.
The garden centre has been looking far and wide for anyone who can provide gnomes, contacting suppliers across Europe and as far away as China.
“Raw materials are becoming a bit of an issue and unfortunately gnomes are a victim of that shortage of supply. Gnomes of any type, plastic, stone or concrete, are in short supply.
“They’ve been very popular over the last couple of seasons, we’ve seen a massive upswing in the sales of gnomes and definitely a different clientele wanting gnomes too,” he added. Read more from BBC News
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