little dobbies #5 opens in Richmond

Dobbies Garden Centres continues investment in little dobbies as it opens the third in London, at Richmond on Nov 4th. Read more - members only

AMES UK invests in new production facility for Woodshaw

As part of a wider expansion plan for all their UK based manufacturing, AMES UK will move the Woodshaw manufacturing to a new and larger facility on their Pollington site. Read more - members only

Pollington site with the new Woodshaw factory top right

Solar is latest step in Bents’ six Green Footprints

A total of 1167 new panels have been fitted as the next step in Bents’ Garden & Home aims to be over 90% self-sufficient at all times in the coming years. Read more - members only

Green-tech appoints new Managing Director

Landscape supplier Green-tech has announced the appointment of a new Managing Director. Read more - open to all

Richard and Rachel Kay Kris Nellist and Chris Clark

Notcutts resume redevelopment programme after 2020/21 pause

Sales down and profits up during the pandemic, reports Notcutts as it resumes garden centre improvements including a multi £m redevelopment at Oxford. Read more - members only

Caroline Notcutt, Nick Burrows, Bridget McIntyre

Ames builds capacity and resilience for 2022

Ames doubles production and warehousing capacity, building inventory to 16 weeks across all core products in its drive to build turnover to £150m. Read more - members only

Liza Goucher - marketing and Nick Jones - commercial director with Paul North, MD

Blue Diamond does not share suppliers’ optimism over 2022

Alan Roper says that expecting 2022 to be better than the current year is to be too optimistic.  And Christmas supplies? “It’s going to be a nail biter.” Read more - members only

Alan Roper, Managing Director of Blue Diamond Garden Centres

Caulders Garden Centres buy Hetland Garden Centre in Dumfries

Caulders Garden Centres, Scotland’s fastest growing garden centre operators, are to buy Hetland Garden Centre in Dumfries. Read more - members only

Colin Barrie

Second little dobbies opens in London

Dobbies Garden Centres has opened its second London-based little dobbies and the fourth overall to open in the last 12 months. Read more - members only

A very good year for Woodthorpe Hall

2020 was a very good year of trading at Woodthorpe Hall Garden Centres Ltd, the first full trading period since buying 14 garden centres from Wyevale in February and June 2019. Read more - members only

The red dots are Woodthorpe Hall Garden Centres

BGC to rebuild Tarporley Garden Centre

British Garden Centres have been given consent to replace the existing glass buildings at Tarporley with a purpose-built garden centre. Read more - members only

Blue Diamond adopts Critizr for customer relationship drive

Blue Diamond has announced a partnership with Customer Interaction Management specialists Critizr, to improve customer experience across its portfolio of garden centres. Read more - members only

Redfields Garden Centre

5th little dobbies is to open

Dobbies is to open its 3rd little dobbies store in greater London in a former Topshop, having appointed Savills to roll out the brand across the UK. Read more - members only

little dobbies - Westbourne Grove

Dramatic 18 months for Mr Fothergill’s

Mr Fothergill’s revealed the dramatic 18 months of growth and restrictions that the seed supplier, like many garden suppliers, has had to navigate and asks what will be the New Normal? Read more - members only

Runner beans on the Mr Fothergill's trials grounds

New owners for White Lodge Garden Centre

On Wednesday White Lodge Garden Centre near Turriff in Aberdeenshire closes to re-open on Saturday under new ownership as Parkhill at White Lodge. Read more - members only

Latest garden centre results show impact of 1st lockdown

Pecent results on Gardenforum show how companies fared over the first lockdown inc: Smart Garden Products, You Garden, The Barton Grange Group, Woodlodge Products, Otter Nurseries, Woodthorpe Hall and Spear & Jackson. Read more - open to all

Evergreen invests in London start-up, Muddy Trowel

Evergreen Garden Care has led the first seed investment round in Muddy Trowel, a UK start-up during the COVID-19 lockdow. Read more - members only

Blue Diamond buys Mere Park GC

Blue Diamond has completed the purchase of Mere Park Garden Centre in Shropshire.  This could be the first of several acquisitions in the coming months. Read more - members only

Mere Park Garden Centre

B&Q opens largest store in a decade

B&Q’s new Colchester store is one of its largest stores to open in the last decade. It combines instore shopping missions with digital fulfilment. Read more - members only

Record £2m rebate for Choice members

Choice Marketing announced at its annual conference that it is looking for new members as it revealed a record supplier rebate and its 'Suppliers of the year'. Read more - members only

Kaemingk's Sander Tunissen and Julie Taylor with Michelle de Lavis-Trafford and Terry Maywood

Founder of Wildlife World hands over to Mark Pitman

Norman Sellers who started Wildlife World in the 1990’s is stepping back to become non-exec chairman.  The new managing director is Mark Pitman. Read more - open to all

Norman Sellers

Klondyke completes redevelopment of Polmont GC

Klondyke completes the redevelopment of Polmont Garden Centre that increases the size fourfold following the relocation of the head office. Read more - members only

Carbon Gold wins Best Eco-Friendly Product Award

Carbon Gold, the leading supplier of biochar products to professional growers, tree care specialists and gardeners around the world, has been announced as the winner of the Eco-Friendly Products Award in the 2021 Great British Growing Awards. Read more - open to all

Acquisition by Evergreen GC in Germany

Evergreen Garden Care has acquired GPI Green Partners International GMBH in Germany, a leading supplier of fertilisers and plant protection products. Read more - members only

Trade ahead of forecast in first BGC South accounts

The inaugural accounts for BGC South have been published for the period ending 31/12/2020.  This gives a first look at one of the two companies that comprise British Garden Centres. Read more - members only

Yellow dots for BGC South

Veolia innovation increases composting recovery

Following successful large-scale trials, Veolia has demonstrated a new way of treating the 25% of green waste that ends up being sent for disposal or re-composting. Read more - open to all

It’s August, so that means….Christmas!

Smart’s band of Singing Elves, a.k.a. The Wrappers, are already despatching seasonal deliveries to the UK’s garden centres….. Read more - open to all

Autumn bulb lifting delayed by torrential rain

The bulb harvesting programme is delayed 2 weeks leading to a delay in deliveries according to Taylors Bulbs, because of weather in the spring and now in August. Read more - members only

Plants Galore in free give away of plants worth £100k

Staff shortages are forcing Devon based Plants Galore to give away £100k of plants.  Customers can collect them from their garden centres this weekend. Read more - members only

Is T&M for sale?

The financial website, This is Money, has reported that the owners of Thompson & Morgan, are working with advisers from KPMG on 'strategic options', which could lead to a sale. Read more - members only

To see earlier stories - Look in the News Archive