Liquidation for Godfrey DIY

Godfrey DIY, the Norfolk based DIY chain with strong garden departments, has been put in liquidation. Two stores could be sold as going concerns. See more... Read more - members only

Smoke alarms save Houghton Hall

Quick reaction by the staff and fire brigade saved Klondyke from what may have been a second major garden centre fire. See more... Read more - members only

Home Retail shares bolstered by bid rumours

Christmas figures for Argos were better than expected, while Homebase disappointed with a fall in sales. However, the Home Retail share price has been strengthened by rumours of interest from private equity. See more... Read more - members only

Trebaron GC in Preston is sold

Trebaron Garden Centre in Preston has been sold to Duxbury Holdings. The site was owned separately from the other Trebaron garden centres. See more… Read more - members only

Which? trials compost for young plants

Don’t play Russian roulette with your seeds and young plants says Which? Gardening. The Jan/Feb edition tested 27 widely available composts and says it never ceases to be amazed by how quality varies. See more... Read more - members only

Compost prices to rise 10% says Sinclair

The wet of 2012 will impact compost prices in 2013 says Sinclair. The company also expects the UK professional growing sector to contract, due to cheaper plants sourced from the Eurozone. See more... Read more - members only

Gardenforum’s Review of 2012

Here’s a summary of the news that has filled the Gardenforum pages in 2012. It is dominated by the impact of the weather and perhaps the economy. The story is open to all our readers. See more... Read more - open to all

Gardman announces financial restructuring

Gardman has restructured its finances, reducing its burden of debt. This underwrites the operational streamlining of the last 18 months and gives the leading garden supplier a secure platform for the future. See more... Read more - members only

Former Hozelock MD to be new Sinclair CX

Peter Rush is to be the new chief executive of William Sinclair. He was the group managing director of Hozelock for almost 5 years. See more... Read more - members only

Planners recommend approval for Dobbies at Inverness

Planners are recommending that approval is given later this week for a New Dobbies garden centre next to Tesco in Inverness. See more... Read more - members only

Kingfisher in good shape despite weak consumer confidence

Kingfisher, the parent of B&Q and Screwfix in the UK, maintained trading profits while like-for-like sales fell by almost 3% in the August–October period when markets remained challenging. See more... Read more - members only

Large Norwich garden centre for sale

Highway Garden & Leisure, a large modern garden centre near Norwich, has been brought to the market by Quinton Edwards. See more... Read more - members only

Whiteleys Garden Centre appoints administrator

Whiteleys Garden Centre at Mirfield, West Yorkshire was placed into the hands of administrators yesterday. For details of the administrator - See more... Read more - members only

Shoot launches online marketplace for gardeners

Nicola Gammon’s Shoot Gardening is opening an on-line marketplace that it claims will ultimately offer a bigger range of plants and products than any other garden shopping destination. See more… Read more - members only

There's more life in The Westland

Westland's TV and national press campaign will reach 85% of UK households and will say that "There's more life in The Westland". The cornerstone for the campaign will be a new TV advert for the Aftercut spreader system. See more... Read more - members only

Latest figures show 2012 garden centre sales fell between 4% and 7%

The GCA and the HTA both show that sales were up 6% for December and went some way to claw back the revenue lost in the wash-out spring. But traditional gardening lines have been hit hard. See more... Read more - members only

Notcutts to share Bagshot garden centre with Waitrose

Notcutts hopes to build a Waitrose store on its garden centre site at Bagshot on the A30 in Surrey and to build a new garden centre alongside it. See more... Read more - members only

TGCG to introduce central distribution for plants

The HTA’s conference for growers, Contact 2013, heard today how The Garden Centre Group is to introduce central distribution for plants this spring as it seeks to become known as the best retailer for plants in the UK. See more… Read more - members only

Details emerge of Doff Portland rescue

A CVA has been approved by creditors of Doff Portland. This paves the way for new owners 151 Products to invest in the future of the business. See more... Read more - members only

Haskins looks for 5th Garden Centre

Recent investment and better buying have brought massive growth to Haskins this Christmas. It now wants a 5th site to develop. See more... Read more - members only

Thieves force Notcutts store to close on Xmas Eve

Ramraiders caused £10,000 of damage when they hit the Notcutts garden centre at Cranleigh on the night of the 23rd. See more... Read more - members only

Doff sold to 151 Products

Nottingham based Doff Portland has been sold to 151. News has also emerged that Neudorff, whose products were handled by Doff, has moved to Solus for its distribution to UK garden centres. See more... Read more - members only

Barton Grange and All in One top Christmas display competition

Barton Grange Garden Centre and All in One Garden Centre are the overall winners of the GCA Christmas display competition. See more... Read more - members only

NSPCC benefits from play area charges at TGCG

Since October, The Garden Centre Group has charged £1.50 for children to use its play areas.  Part of the proceeds will go to the NSPCC.  See more... Read more - members only

South East merger to form Provender Nurseries

Wyevale East Nurseries and East Horticulture have operated as separate businesses on the same site in Kent. In the New Year the companies, with long gardening pedigrees, are merging to form Provender Nurseries. See more... Read more - members only

Dobbies targets Harrogate

Dobbies is to exhibit plans for a new garden centre that it hopes to build two miles from the centre of Harrogate. See more... Read more - members only

Planners show their teeth to Sheeplands

Wokingham District Council has issued an enforcement notice against Hare Hatch Sheeplands for use of nursery land as a garden centre and a number of other planning breaches. See more... Read more - members only

Floods close Willowbrook 3 weeks after re-opening

Less than 3 weeks after Willowbrook Garden Centre re-opened after a devastating flood, it is again under water. See more... Read more - members only

Porters Horticultural has been placed in administration

Porters Horticultural Ltd, a large bedding grower based in Liverpool, has been placed in the hands of administrators. See more… Read more - members only

Water capture increases growth at David Austin Roses

Faced with exceeding its extraction limits, David Austin Roses has installed a system to harvest rain water and recycle the run off from irrigation. The result is that the company will grow faster having tripled its supply of water. See more… Read more - members only

To see earlier stories - Look in the News Archive