Garden centre staff across the country are celebrating after receiving awards at the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) annual conference in Bristol yesterday (Monday, January 27, 2020). Read more - members only

Dobbies says that its underlying sales are around £300m after acquisitions and 5% like for like growth. Chairman Andrew Bracey says it will look to float on the Stock Exchange “in a year or so”. Read more - members only

Garden centres in West Yorkshire, the Midlands and Northumberland have been hit by a series of break ins, where goods are being stolen to order. Read more - members only

A large fire has destroyed a warehouse at Tyseley in the West Midlands belonging to an importer of rattan garden furniture. Read more - members only

Here’s your chance to catch up with some of the events in the retail garden sector that you may have missed. It was a turbulent year with the collapse of Gardman; around 60 garden centres changing hands or closing, Wyevale, Bunnings, Snow and drought. This is open to all. Read more - open to all

Bents and Cowells top the first day’s awards at the 2018 GCA conference. Also prominent were Fairways of Ashbourne, Stratford and Barton Grange Garden Centres. Read more - members only

2017 started with a flourish but lost momentum and settled to be an OK year. Suppliers worried about Brexit, the living wage, higher costs and Wyevale. Retailers and growers worried about Xylella. Takeover activity reached new peaks among suppliers, but no major garden centres changed hands. The industry said goodbye to some old friends. Read our review – (open to non-subscribers). Read more - open to all

Planning officials have recommended that plans for a new garden centre on the outskirts of Honiton are approved. Which means it could be trading by next spring. Read more - members only

We have been sent a picture of the new Bridgford Garden Centre, near Nottingham as the steel is erected. It looks massive. Read more - members only

Garden centres report an excellent Easter and April with sales up 40% on last year and storm Katie. But chief executives tell us, “We must keep our feet on the ground,” and it will get tougher, with increased competition and inflation. Read more - members only

2016 saw second tier garden centre chains and independents invest as Wyevale consolidated. Homebase and Argos are sold. The HTA moved offices and moved to become the lead association for all gardening related businesses. Glyphosate, Xylella and the weather made frequent headlines. Scotts and Bayer looked for a way out of distributing consumer garden chemicals. Read our review – open to all. Read more - open to all

An example of when an event can backfire and two more garden centres look set to disappear into housing projects. Read more - members only

The fire and rescue service was called to Wyevale’s Windlesham garden centre last week to rescue a man who was trapped upside down between two containers. Read more - members only

Blue Diamond completed a £1m refurbishment of Trentham Garden Centre at the end of March, winning the approval of its Staffordshire customers. Read more - members only

A new garden centre opens near Braintree this week.  A man is arrested for assaulting a woman at Fermoys and British Garden Centres buy a small garden centre in East Durham. Read more - members only

Here is a summary of the news stories published on Gardenforum during 2019:  Wyevale disintegration and the expansion of other groups, the environment, supplier consolidation and people in the news.  This review is open to all. Read more - open to all

News from garden centres around the UK includes a father and son locked in at Endsleigh, expansion of two charity garden centres and permission for housing on a popular garden centre. Read more - members only

Plans have been submitted for an 8500 sq m. Blue Diamond garden centre on the Elveden Estate, while further plans have been submitted for the 53 acre outlet village and garden centre near Tewkesbury. Read more - members only

The Garden Centre Association (GCA) revealed the winners of its most prestigious awards at its annual conference including its 10 Garden Centres of Excellence and the Garden Centres of the Year. Read more - members only

Building starts on a new garden centre in Honiton, while work is nearly completed on an additional retail building for Threaplands in Scotland. Read more - members only

Christmas buying is getting earlier and overall sales have dropped in many centres, not helped by snow on the peak live tree weekend, closing some centres. Despite this, overall garden centre sales are up for 2017. Read more - members only

Webbs was ramraided, Father Christmas had to flee a blazing grotto at Notcutts and thieves have been active as garden centres get busy for Christmas. Read more - members only

Creative Gardens beats the GCA averages following improvement works. Overall, almost as many centres were down in July as up. Read more - members only

Garden centres have made headlines in their areas for reasons as different as a fire, planning permission for housing, giving a facelift to a hospital garden and pleading not guilty to breaching planning laws.  Read more - members only

Petersham Nurseries is to bring its passion for organic gardening, culinary excellence, ethical and sustainable sourcing to the heart of London in a new Floral Court luxury retail and residential development. Read more - members only

The GCA has named the regional winners in the competition to find the best plant retailers. The garden centres will face a second inspection before the national winners are declared in January. Read more - members only

The Garden Centre Association names its best garden centres by region. The overall winners will be revealed at its January conference at St. Andrews from January 22 until 25. Read more - members only

Squire’s Garden Centre in Long Ditton has a stylish new look, following a £700,000 investment to make it bigger and better than before! Read more - members only

Wokingham Borough Council has threatened Hare Hatch Sheeplands with court action despite a planning appeal being scheduled for September and a local petition signed by 8500 supporters. Read more - members only

Grovewell Garden Centre has added a third garden centre to its group with the acquisition of MacFarlanes at Hawkinge. Read more - members only