Sector insights

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show celebrates its centenary this year but the show has seen more change in the last ten years than in the first ninety combined. Today, one of the most prestigious horticultural shows in the world still has gorgeous flower displays, but exhibits are more about new business ideas and new concepts, businesses promoting green credentials, the role of nature in today’s world and the merging of indoor and outdoor living. 

The first ever Anti-Aging trade show was held in the UK May 2013 and the conclusions we draw reinforced the message from the Paris-based In-Cosmetics Show held in April: the cosmetics industry continues to defy recessions and gloomy consumers. Yesterday’s niche markets have grown into major sectors and show no signs of slowing down. A good example is the cosmetic intervention segment (Botox, IPL treatment, dermal fillers…) which the UK Department of Health estimated was worth £720m in 2005 ($1.1Bn), had increased to £2.3Bn ($3.5Bn) by 2010 and is forecast to reach £3.6Bn ($5.5Bn) by 2015.