Wyevale refinancing has been agreed according to reports
Press reports suggest Terra Firma is about to announce new long-term refinancing for Wyevale Garden Centres. Read more - members only
Wyevale refinancing has been agreed according to reports
Press reports suggest Terra Firma is about to announce new long-term refinancing for Wyevale Garden Centres. Read more - members only
Scotts UK has a perpetual license to sell Miracle-Gro
The Scotts Company (UK) reveals more about the buy-out from the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Investment in innovation backed by TV advertising is the way forward. Read more - members only
Notcutts reports a 58% jump in operating profit
Notcutts lifts sales and profit after 5 garden centres are modernised as part of their 5-year plan. A new leadership team has been recruited. Read more - members only
Wholesalers go hand in hand with competing glove brands
National wholesaler, Decco, has signed an exclusive partnership with Briers, while Stax has secured a deal with E. P. Barrus to distribute their brands including the newly acquired Town & Country. Read more - members only
Smart Garden celebrates a massive new logistics centre
The Mayor of Peterborough joined Paris Natar and the Smart Garden team to celebrate the opening of a massive new distribution hub that should see turnover grow to £100m. Read more - members only
SBM Company to market MaxiCrop in the UK
SBM Company, which bought Bayer Garden last year, has announced a partnership agreement with Italy-based Valagro to sell and market its garden brands in Europe and the US. For the UK these include MaxiCrop. Read more - members only
Briers launches Pignut, a new fashion company
Briers has launched a quality home textile range for garden centres with fashion conscious customers. The new company has been named Pignut. Read more - members only
The Orangery Collection launches in two garden centres
Lolly Lee was so convinced that her new venture would be a success that she sold her house to fund the launch of The Orangery Collection, introducing design led ranges from artisan producers around the world. Read more - members only
Squire’s plans a ‘Raffles style’ Café Bar at Shepperton, with a piano
Squire’s plans to open a new 'Raffles' Café Bar at Shepperton Garden Centre, which will include a new style of service - where orders are placed at the till then an electronic tracker is taken to the table. Read more - members only
Marshall unveils his 3-year plan for Dobbies
New CEO, Nicholas Marshall unveils his £40m, 3-year plan to re-establish Dobbies’ reputation as a quality retailer of British plants. He also has ambitions to expand. Read more - members only
Barton Grange begins construction of £8m leisure venue
The Barton Grange Group has started the construction of its £8m leisure development to be built alongside its award-winning garden centre at Brock on the A6 near Preston. Read more - members only
Bunnings names its first Homebase conversion in the South West
Two more Homebase stores to be converted as Bunnings pilots, bringing the total to 10. The latest include Weston-super-mare and Harlow. Read more - members only
Mr Fothergill’s Seeds has acquired Darlac Garden Tools
Mr Fothergill’s Seeds has acquired Darlac, the garden tools supplier based in Slough, to expand its offer to garden retailers. Read more - members only
EP Barrus buys Town and Country
EP Barrus has bought the gardening glove and footwear manufacturer, Town & Country. Its founder and chairman Barry Page is to retire. Read more - members only
Fatal Legionnaire’s Disease incubated in a hot tub display
The owners of a regional DIY chain await sentence after an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease that ‘probably’ come from a hot tub display in its garden centre led to two deaths. Read more - members only
Westland refreshes logo and aims for higher brand profile
Westland looks to raise its brand profile as the gardener’s champion after research shows there’s an opportunity to build consumer recognition. Read more - members only
Stihl’s pilot with Dobbies marks a major advance for cordless battery tools
The Stihl Group expects demand for Lithium-Ion products to grow exponentially and is to test the selling of cordless products through garden centres. The first pilot is with Dobbies. Read more - members only
Gardman’s field sales team visits its new National Distribution Centre
The Gardman sales team visited the almost completed 415,000 sq ft. National Distribution Centre last week to be briefed on Glee and the 2018 growth plans. Read more - members only
Another respectable year for The Barton Grange group
Garden centre sales in 2016 were level, with profit increasing slightly at the Barton Grange Group as construction of the Flower Bowl has started for opening in 2018. Read more - members only
Plans for new Honiton GC look set for approval
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
Exponent Private Equity completes purchase of Scotts Miracle-Gro brands worldwide
Sheila Hill is UK Country Manager and says, “We look forward to strong investments in our brands and categories with more media and innovation.” Read more - members only
New DC for Zest, plus a university link
Timber product supplier, Zest 4 Leisure, has just bought a new distribution centre in Saltney, Flintshire. It has also announced a collaboration with Cardiff Metropolitan University. Read more - members only
Investment pays off for Creative Gardens
Creative Gardens beats the GCA averages following improvement works. Overall, almost as many centres were down in July as up. Read more - members only
Trading to remain challenging for Bunnings UK
The historical poor performance of Homebase is expected to continue in the short term, despite encouraging sales growth in gardening categories, as customers continue to adjust to the Bunnings offer. Read more - members only
What is happening at Wyevale Garden Centres?
Following recent rumours and reports about the preformance and funding of Wyevale, Gardenforum talks to major suppliers and people close to the company and gets a better understanding of what is happening. Read more - members only
London’s Garden Bridge project is abandoned
The project to build a Garden Bridge over the river Thames has been abandoned, officially, following the Mayor of London withdrawing his support. Read more - members only
Innovation from Mr Fothergill's
As well as the acquisition of Darlac, Mr Fothergill’s revealed other innovations, including a new RHS AGM range, a starter range endorsed by David Domoney and the introduction Seasol and Optigrow. Read more - members only
Wyevale Garden Centres in possible re-financing deal
It has been reported that Terra Firma is negotiating a re-financing deal for Wyevale as the garden centre group has not met its trading targets. Read more - members only
La Hacienda has been sold to the Griffon Corporation for $11m (UPDATED)
It will be business as usual for La Hacienda, the global manufacturer, importer and distributor of outdoor heating and outdoor living products, after it became part of Griffon Corporation. Read more - members only
Wyevale is rated one of the 10 worst companies to work for
The Daily Telegraph listed Wyevale Garden Centres as one of the ten worst companies to work for, based on scores from the jobs website Glassdoor.co.uk. Gardenforum finds other garden retailers scored much better. Read more - members only