Tight cost control means that the Home Retail Group, parent of Argos and Homebase, will meet market expectations for profits despite falling sales; while B&Q is to withdraw from sponsoring the British Olympic Association. See more... Read more - members only

Leekes, the Welsh home and garden retailer, is to open four conservatory concessions on garden centres in the southwest. Three will be on Wyevale garden centres. See more... Read more - members only

With the market for repair and maintenance in domestic housing forecast to fall 15% this year, Marshalls, the landscape materials group, is reducing manufacturing capacity and the scale of its consumer initiatives. See more… Read more - members only

Wyevale has appointed a new purchasing director on news that Andrew Livingston, COO, is to return to his DIY roots. CX, Nicholas Marshall is pleased with Christmas and expects his new funding structure to be in place by the end of next week. See more... Read more - members only

With both Next and Debenhams reporting lower sales in the Christmas period, garden centres appear to have fared the festive season better than the high street retailers. See more... Read more - members only

The Pavilion Garden Centre, near Wolverhampton, is holding a closing down sale. See more... Read more - members only

The directors of Craft Central have applied to place the company in administration. The company has stores on 40 garden centres that supply materials for the craft hobbyist. See more... Read more - members only

A press report that Sir Tom Hunter's West Coast Capital would lose all of its investment in Wyevale is ‘erroneous’ according to WCC. See more... Read more - members only

Trees-for-rent: Forget where to buy your Christmas tree this year and start thinking about where to rent because the next big thing in the 'environmental' market place is Christmas tree rental. Read more - members only

103 employees of Forest Garden have transferred from Eardisley to the new expanded manufacturing site at Hartlebury, which will be operational in January. See more… Read more - members only

December's Gardening Which? warns against buying potted Christmas trees. It also carries a survey of mail-order plug plants suppliers. See more... Read more - members only

Two weeks after topping the Garden Retail evening with three awards, Sidmouth Garden Centre has been hit with an enforcement order to close its popular farm shop, despite receiving approval from planning officers. See more... Read more - members only

Discussions between Sir Tom Hunter and the board of Flying Brands that might have led to an acquisition have ended without being able to agree a price. See more... Read more - members only

The latest updates in Company Results show recovery at Roundstone Nurseries and a return to profit for Westland Horticulture. Several other companies reported lower profits or losses. See more (this article is open to all readers)... Read more - open to all

Demand continues to fall in commercial and domestic market says Marshalls. Only the public sector remains resilient. See more…
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The wholesale production arm of the Dorset-based Golden Acres Group is upping bedding plant production by nine per cent this year. Christmas was also a success for the retail arm. See more... Read more - members only

The HTA has asked the UK government for clarification after the EU today passed new plant protection regulation without assessing the impact it will have. See more... Read more - members only

The latest Gardening Which? survey of peat free compost shows that, with the exception of Sinclair's New Horizon Organic and Peat Free Growbag, consistency in quality is still a problem. See more... Read more - members only

Latest results from William Sinclair show the impact of difficult trading in 2008 and a poor peat harvest. However, margins are now recovering as inflationary pressures subside. See more... Read more - members only

Gardenforum reported on 18 garden centres changing hands last year. There was also the demise of wholesaler Spread, and a difficult year for Sir Tom Hunter’s investments in Dobbies, Flying Brands and Wyevale. For a review of 2008 and what to watch in 2009, see 'more'... (This article open to non-subscribers to see what you missed!) Read more - open to all

Klondyke has today completed the acquisition of Brookside Garden Centre in Poynton, Cheshire, which had been in administration. See more... Read more - members only

Proof that garden centres are recession resistant comes with news from New Zealand of record sales of plants and seedlings. The RHS is promoting Grow Your Own in 2009 as consumers look towards home for their leisure activities. See more... Read more - members only

The winners of the 2008 GCA Christmas display competition are Barton Grange, Brock, in the category for larger centres and Castle Gardens at Sherborne in the class for garden centres with sales under £3m. The judge said she was absolutely blown away. See more... Read more - members only

One of East Surrey's leading plant centres was targeted by armed raiders last Saturday. A woman employee suffered a broken arm in the attack. See more... Read more - members only

The finalists have been announced in the competition to find the GCA Garden Centre with the best Christmas displays. See more... Read more - members only

DIY sales hold up at B&Q despite economic backdrop and wet August. See more... Read more - members only

Figures from the GCA show another fall in the sales of gardening products with plants and bulbs most affected. See more… Read more - members only

All-In-One Garden Centre of Middleton Rochdale has become the latest member of the Future Marketing Group. See more... Read more - members only

The government’s 2010 peat reduction target will be missed. Now lobby groups, the government and the industry are to work together, through the Garden Media Initiative to speed the move to peat substitutes. See more… Read more - members only

Highlights of last night's Garden Retail Awards include 3 wins for the newly refurbished Sidmouth Garden Centre and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Whitehall Garden Centre's centenarian owner Phyllis Self. For all the winners, see more... Read more - members only