Significant investment promised for Compo as MBO completes

Duke Street has completed the acquisition of Compo, the largest European producer and distributor of consumer gardening soil, fertiliser, plant protection and lawn seeds. Read more - members only

Hillier Trees for Maggie’s new cancer support centre

Hillier Trees has supplied more than 100 British-grown trees, helping to create a tranquil oasis for visitors to the new Maggie’s cancer centre in Southampton Read more - open to all

Local MP demands answers from Dobbies over closure of Butterfly World

A local MP has urged Dobbies, in Edinburgh News, to provide answers and halt dismantling of the site of Butterfly and Insect World until all options are explored. Read more - members only

Dobbies to create around 1000 jobs over the next five years

Dobbies tells Environment Minister Rebecca Pow that the business is set to create around 1000 jobs over the next five years as it signs up for ‘Plant for our Planet’. Read more - members only

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow and Dobbies GEO Graeme Jenkins

B&M spring sales fail to match 2020

B&M, with 684 UK stores, says a pull-forward in Gardening demand boosted LFL in the final two weeks March and early weeks April and depressed the subsequent weeks. Read more - members only

Covid Closes Glendoick for a few days

Glendoick Garden Centre has been forced to close for a few days due to a small COVID outbreak amongst staff. Read more - open to all

Latest garden centre results hit by 1st lockdown (open to all)

Our latest company results show the impact of the first Covid lockdown on Frosts, Gordon Rigg, Highfield, Scotsdale and Van Hage. Suppliers such as Allensmore, Tom Chambers and Vitax grew sales. Read more - open to all

YouGarden buys Gardening Direct

YouGarden the multi-channel retailer of horticultural products has acquired Gardening Direct the mail order young plant supplier from Jersey. Read more - members only

Cherry Lane offers food bank collections in-store

Discount retail group QD has introduced food bank collection points in 24 of its stores including nine Cherry Lane Garden Centres. Read more - open to all

Blue Diamond tells BHETA the key qualifications for product listing

A team from Blue Diamond including MD Alan Roper outlined the key qualifications for potential product listing in its garden centres at BHETA’s retailer networking forum. Read more - members only

Alan Roper

Garden centre headlines around the country

Headlines around the country include a sale and lease back by Dobbies, controversy about breast feeding in a garden centre and thefts of catalytic converters at Bents. Read more - members only

Gary Plevey, a true gentlemen, with his family

LOFA warns that freight problems are escalating

With container costs approaching $20,000, LOFA warns that freight problems are escalating and asks if this is due to the greed of shipping lines and if they are colluding to increase prices. Read more - members only

Green light for new Perrywood garden centre at Sudbury

Planning permission has been granted for Perrywood’s £8-10m plans to build an inspirational new garden centre at the former Wyevale store at Sudbury.  Read more - members only

Bradford Garden Centre secures planning permission

The team at a Bradford garden centre have secured planning approval for a second site as part of their ambitious growth plans. Read more - members only

Members of the team viewing the plans for Tingley

ThinCats helps fund two acquisitions

ThinCats, the leading alternative finance provider to mid-sized SME, has provided £3m in funding to support two acquisitions for professional horticultural services to businesses and buildings provider, Urban Planters. Read more - open to all

Tom and Duncan

New opening roof to provide year-round shopping at Highfield

Highfield Garden World, a leading family owned destination garden centre in Gloucestershire, has secured permission to build a 3,362m² structure with an opening roof over its plant area. Read more - members only

Three generations of the Greenway family

Garden centres back launch of Sproutl

UK tech start-up, Sproutl, has launched an online gardening marketplace, with Polhill, Rosebourne and Millbrook as partners and $9m of seed funding. Read more - members only

Anni Noel-Johnson with Andy Done

Green-tech adds Rainbird Irrigation Systems to its portfolio

Green-tech has joined forces with Rainbird, a leading global manufacturer and provider of irrigation products. Read more - open to all

The first London-based little dobbies opens

The first London-based little dobbies has opened.  This will be the third little dobbies in the UK, after Edinburgh and Bristol. A fourth is in the pipeline. Read more - members only

Seiont Nurseries and Joy of Plants to promote new plants

One of the UK’s leading plug and liner suppliers has this month partnered with a plant information company to offer its customers a library of images for webshops and websites. Read more - open to all

Neil Alcock

Travel concession opens at British Garden Centres

Travel agency Holiday’s By Design will open this July inside Brigg Garden Centre, the flagship of British Garden Centres, offering bespoke holidays around the globe. Read more - open to all

Final approval for Blue Diamond at Scotch Corner

Councillors have given the green light to the proposed 10,700 sq ft. garden centre to be let to Blue Diamond at a designer outlet to be built at Scotch Corner.  Now Government must give final approval. Read more - members only

Two new non-exec directors for Squire's

Squire’s Garden Centres has appointed two new non-executive Directors.  Rob Collins recently retired as MD of Waitrose. Tony Perkins was Audit Lead Partner at BDO. Read more - open to all

Chairman Sarah Squire (centre) with new Non-Executive Directors, Rob Collins (l) & Tony Perkins (r)

Dobbies will be peat-free in six months

Dobbies has announced that it will be peat-free in six months, in relation to bagged compost, bringing forward the original target of 2022. Read more - open to all

Dobbies and Evergreen trial compost bag recycling

Waste-aware gardeners will now be able to recycle compost packaging thanks to a trial scheme from Dobbies Garden Centres and Evergreen Garden Care. Read more - members only

Hillier counts the cost of Covid-19

Results just published by Hillier Nurseries for the year ending August 2020 show the significant impact Covid-19 had on the second half of the year.  Read more - members only

Retail director David Morley with director Chris Francis

New alliance for Franchi and Mr Fothergill’s Seeds

Mr Fothergill’s Seeds announces a new partnership with Italian seed brand, Franchi Sementi and UK based Italian goods supplier, Seeds of Italy for the coming 2022 gardening season Read more - members only

Orders for 2022 furniture is 3X normal levels say Norfolk

Norfolk Leisure says retailer demand at their trade show was 3X normal levels.  They introduced a range of UK designed barbecues and warned of possible delays in Christmas deliveries. Read more - members only

Debbie Waudby and Nick Anderson

CEO reveals Dobbies latest progress

CEO, Graeme Jenkins, outlines Dobbies’ progress, including acquisitions, its migration away from Ocado, little dobbies, a new app and a new apprenticeship scheme. Read more - members only

Woodcote Green at Dusk

Harrogate Garden Centre is open!

The British Garden Centres Group have officially opened their 58th garden centre this week, located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.  Read more - members only

To see earlier stories - Look in the News Archive