Tesco accused of confusion by Which?
A Which? Member has drawn attention to Tesco’s packaging of plant feed and weedkiller which look remarkably alike. Read more - members only
Tesco accused of confusion by Which?
A Which? Member has drawn attention to Tesco’s packaging of plant feed and weedkiller which look remarkably alike. Read more - members only
Uncertain future for Sinclair
Costs incurred during the commissioning of Ellesmere Port have led to a significant requirement to raise funds in the next few weeks. The company is in discussion with third parties and major stakeholders. Read more - members only
Hillier’s new garden centre team gets results
There has been a transformation at Hillier's garden centres in the last 18 months. Seven have a new look and feel and there is a new confidence in Hillier’s plant heritage. Read more - members only
Scotts puts Solus brands up for sale
After an extensive review of the Solus brands Scotts says that Chapelwood has a significant future but it will exit the remaining brands at the earliest opportunity. Read more - members only
Scotts calls time on Yeoman, Joseph Bentley and other Solus brands
Reports are circulating the trade, as yet unconfirmed, that Scotts Miracle-Gro has told its staff that all but one of the Solus brands are to be withdrawn from the market. Read more - members only
Expanding G Plants looks for sales personnel
G Plants has moved into new offices and warehousing covering 50,000 ft.² in Blackburn as part of a £600,000 expansion plan. It is looking to recruit new sales personnel. Read more - members only
Stax to open new, multi-channel trade centre
Stax called together over 200 suppliers to hear about a new multi-Channel trade centre, a new website and an autumn marketing campaign. Read more - members only
Toolbank digs into the garden market
Toolbank’s distribution agreement with Crest Garden has given it a platform to dig into the garden market. Garden centre buyers are being invited to register for the distributor’s spring trade shows. Read more - members only
B&Q’s horticultural buying team
B&Q highlights the new horticultural buying team it has assembled over the last year under Stephen Pitcher, director of seasonal. Read more - members only
More chat from the aisles of the Garden Press Event
A new website for Westland, Showa’s bio-degradable gardening gloves, Eden Project seeds, a 10,000 strong Facebook community of Garden Goddesses and Hozelock’s electric weed killer were some of the innovations on show at the Garden Press event. Read more - members only
Johnsons calls upon all suppliers to eliminate the use of unsuitable varieties in their lawn seed mixes
Continuing a campaign started last year DLF Trifolium accuses some competitors of continuing to cut corners by bulking out their lawn seed blends with unsuitable low grade seeds. Read more - members only
February 2015 long range forecast
February looks set to be sunnier and slightly colder than average Although drier, snow showers will often feature in the forecast. Read more - members only
December was the biggest month of the year for GCA members
The latest figures from the GCA show 2014 was the best year for 4 years with December beating May as the biggest sales month of the year. Read more - members only
Review of 2014 in the Garden Industry
2014 has been dominated by the repositioning of the major gardening goods distributors following the demise of Solus. The weather for once provided a good news story and towards the end of the year there was a flurry of activity from Wyevale as it picked up eight long established independent garden centres. See the full review – which is open to all… Read more - open to all
Hands confirms Wyevale is moving away from Plants
Guy Hands tells the Evening Standard, that Terra Firma has moved Wyevale from being plant- and horticultural-based to more like a leisure company. Read more - members only
B&Q responds to Which? Gardening’s campaign to date compost
B&Q is to test the lifespan of different formulations of compost in response to Which? Gardening’s campaign to date bags. Read more - members only
Stewart Plastics raises £11m for expansion
Stewart Group raises £11m to build stocks and invest in the latest, more efficient, pot making machines. Read more - members only
Taylors Bulbs invest in seed potatoes
Taylors Bulbs have announced a £200k investment in a new packing line and a further £160k investment in a 1400 tonne cold store facility both primarily for the supply of seed potatoes. Read more - members only
Vote now to recognise Gardening’s best buyers
Believing that good buyers have not been given the recognition they deserve, Glee is asking you to nominate people or teams that might qualify as the country’s best buyers for awards being introduced at the show. Read more - members only
Sinclair FD steps down
Peter Williams steps down after 10 years as finance director at William Sinclair. The company has appointed turnaround specialist, Sheryl Tye, as interim CFO. Read more - members only
Kelkay completes its new plant and head office
Kelkay completes its new plant and head office with an investment of £1 million in machinery to secure its market leading position, says its managing director. Read more - members only
GMA to set new standards for growing media
As peat consumption looks to have gone up again, two new tools will demonstrate the industry's commitment to producing growing media that is fit for purpose and sourced with environmental consideration at heart. Read more - members only
William Sinclair chief exec departs with immediate effect
William Sinclair has announced the departure of Peter Rush as chief executive with immediate effect. He is replaced by a turnaround specialist after a poor start to the spring.
Read more - members onlyScotts to spend £7.5m on four TV adverts
Scotts Miracle-Gro is spending £7.5m this spring and summer on TV campaigns to drive customers in store. The advertising will start to air week commencing 30th March. Read more - members only
Online retailers raise their profile
The growing presence of online retailers was clear at the Garden Press Event with two established sites and two newcomers, one launched at the show and one being mysterious about its launch plans. Read more - members only
What will the scribblers be viewing at Thursday’s Garden Press Event?
The country’s gardening press converge on the Barbican on Thursday to get fresh ideas to write about this spring. What will catch their interest at the Garden Press Event? Read more - members only
GCA names best garden centres for plants and furniture
Sunshine Garden Centre and Van Hage are the best GCA outdoor living retailers. Cowell’s and Bents are the best for plants. Read more - members only
Vitax buys manufacturer of 6x and Groworganic
Vitax has bought the shares of Organico Ltd, the manufacturer of 6x and Groworganic. The deal was announced today. See more… Read more - members only
Where to see the best Garden Centre Christmas displays
The GCA has named 13 regional winners in their annual Christmas display competition. To see where to go to see the best displays. Read more - members only
Looking ahead - It's not all doom and gloom
2013 turned out to be another disappointing year in all three key sectors of the garden retail market – garden plants, garden care and garden leisure – with all three sectors showing a steady decline in the five years to 2013 covered by the Analysis. Read more - members only