Ames’ Antony Harker returns to garden centres
Antony Harker, formerly of Tong and Kelkay, is to step down as MD of Ames UK having acquired a stake in part of British Garden Centres. Read more - members only
Ames’ Antony Harker returns to garden centres
Antony Harker, formerly of Tong and Kelkay, is to step down as MD of Ames UK having acquired a stake in part of British Garden Centres. Read more - members only
Glendale Horticulture predicts a return to profit
Results from Alston Investments projects a return to profit for Glendale Horticulture in 2019 after posting a loss before tax of £-1.9m for 2018. Read more - members only
B&Q and France pull Kingfisher sales down
Departing Kingfisher CEO Veronique Laury reports a drop in sales and profits in the last 6 months as B&Q sales fell -3.2% (like/like). Read more - members only
Who's bought which Wyevale? As Elm Court is the last to go
The destination of all 145 Wyevale garden centres in the group in May 2018, has been decided. We list their new owners as Elm Court is returned to its landlord. Read more - members only
Sipcam, SBM and Neudorff change delivery methods
Sipcam and SBM have already announced that they have changed their distribution route to garden centres using T&M and Stax respectively. Neudorff pulled out of Glee, pending an announcement. Read more - members only
Stewarts invests £5m at Broomhill to entertain and inspire
Stewarts has started building a state-of-the-art agri-tech nursery, part of a £5m redevelopment at Broomhill garden centre. It will be as much about inspiring and educating customers as it is about growing. Read more - members only
What is next for Dobbies? The CEO reveals his plans
Having doubled in size what is Dobbies strategy and is it financially robust? Turnover already matches Wyevale’s before the sell-off. Graeme Jenkins explains his strategy. Read more - members only
WGC sells Bournville GC and transfers Swindon GC
Wyevale Garden Centres have sold Bournville Garden Centre to British Garden Centres. They will also transfer ownership of Swindon Hay Lane to the landlord in September Read more - members only
Hillier grows to 17 with John Browns
Hillier buys a fifth, John Browns, from Wyevale. The group also reveals that Thatcham garden centre will close at the end of September. Read more - members only
Squire’s takes control of Wyevale’s Heathlands GC
Wyevale’s Heathland garden centre has become Squire’s in Wokingham following the completion of the purchase announced last month. Read more - members only
Stax Trade Centres purchases MP Smith
Stax Trade Centres has announced the purchase of hardware and ironmongery manufacturer M.P. Smith and Co. Ltd, maker of security products under the SECURIT® brand. It has been a supplier to Stax for many years. Read more - open to all
Longacres and Maidenhead buy from Wyevale
Wyevale has announced the sale of 2 further garden centres: Springfield to Longacres and Par to Maidenhead Aquatics. This leaves 32 remaining to be sold. Read more - members only
B&M continues solid growth
A quarterly trading update from B&M shows +14% revenue growth, with 12 stores added. Seasonal products performed particularly well. Read more - members only
Wyevale announces the closure of Chichester GC
Wyevale has emailed customers to say Chichester Garden centre will close on August 4th, a little earlier than expected. Read more - members only
Woods of Berkhamsted under closure threat
Woods of Berkhamsted, a garden centre in the Capital Gardens group, claims it is facing the threat of closure because of the predatory practices of the neighbouring Waitrose supermarket. Read more - members only
What next for Wyevale?
What next for Wyevale? Why did Terra Firma choose to break up the group? Will the Wyevale name survive? Where did Wyevale go wrong? Are garden centres future proof? Gardenforum talks to Justin King and Anthony Jones. Read more - members only
Aldermaston hits £6m in year 1
Rosebourne is celebrating 'a fantastic first year of trading' at Aldermaston after turning over more than £6 million. Read more - members only
Wyevale buys Aviva annuity to secure pension benefits
Wyevale Garden Centres has paid £44m for a bulk annuity policy with Aviva to ensure the long term security of pension members’ benefits. Read more - members only
Trebaron Garden Centre has been sold
Trebaron Garden Centre at Newton-Le-Willows near Warrington has been sold for an undisclosed sum to Newbank Garden Centres. Read more - members only
Wyevale Garden Centres sells remaining trading business
Wyevale Garden Centres today announces that it has sold its remaining trading business to British Garden Centres. Read more - members only
Pennells withdraws planning application after local objections
Pennells has withdrawn plans to extend Four Seasons Garden Centre near Sleaford after objections from residents nearby. Read more - members only
Evergreen Garden Care reconnects with customers
Two years after Exponent launched Evergreen Garden Care, the new management looks to reconnect with customers and grow the overall gardening category with 3 new ranges at Glee. Read more - members only
Mr Fothergill’s raises £150,000 for charities and looks for growth
At yesterday’s open day Mr Fothergill’s revealed a strong performance from Darlac and that it is ready for further acquisitions. It also launched a sweet pea for next year's celebration of the sailing of the Mayflower. Read more - members only
Wyevale sells Findon but closes Rayleigh
The manager of Findon and his partner are the first management team to buy their garden centre from Wyevale. The group has also announced the closure of Rayleigh GC without a sale. Read more - members only
Tong eyes further expansion with new sites
Sales have trebled since the current owners bought Tong garden centre. Now they have reorganised to prepare for further growth and adding new sites. Read more - members only
Squire’s includes nature in new play area
Squire’s has opened an environmentally friendly children’s play area at Milford garden centre as part of a major upgrade that completes next spring. Read more - members only
Founder of Keydell Nurseries dies unexpectedly
We are sorry to announce John Strange, founder of Keydell Nurseries, unexpectedly passed away at the weekend after many years in the trade. Read more - open to all
Blue Diamond takes another 6 Wyevale garden centres
Wyevale has announced that Blue Diamond is to take another 6 garden centres, bringing their group total to 36 sites. Read more - members only
Profit improves at Notcutts
Notcutts has improved in the year ending February 2019 with operating profit up 52.5% to £1.5m. This represents 2% of turnover which is still low but Notcutts is investing heavily in upgrading its centres. Read more - members only
No more Wyevale sites for Dobbies
Speaking at the Dobbies Christmas launch, CEO Graeme Jenkins, said that Dobbies would not be buying any more Wyevale garden centres. But this will not be the end of their acquisitions. Read more - members only