Frosts to sell Millets Farm as well as Brampton UPDATED

News has been broken by Robin Skilling, that the Frosts Garden Centre group is to sell a second of its four garden centres, with both sales completing in Mid-July. Read more - members only

Millets Farm

Cherry Lane celebrates 17 garden centres in 21 years

Value garden centre group Cherry Lane is celebrating its 21st anniversary. The business has grown from three sites to 17 and has planned a month of events, activities and special treats. Read more - members only

Nick Rubins and team at Pulham Market

Blue Diamond to install 300+ EV charging points

Mer has entered into an agreement with Blue Diamond to provide over 300 electric vehicle charge points at its 39 garden centres across the UK. Read more - members only

Tong seeks planning consent for 3rd garden centre

Tong will open Tingley Garden Centre in the autumn and has submitted plans to Leeds City Council for a 3rd site to open in 2024. Read more - members only

Tom Megginson, Sharon McNair and Mark Farnsworth

Sales fall -18% in first quarter at resilient B&Q

B&Q sales fall -18% in Q1 compared to strong, lockdown affected, months last year.  It claims this was a good performance across all categories on a 3-year basis. Read more - members only

St Bridget Nursery destined for housing

St Bridget Nursery, a long established Exeter garden centre and nursery, could be replaced with up to 350 new homes according to Devon Live. Read more - members only

image: Google Maps

MP opens £6m factory expansion for Westland

East Yorkshire MP Sir Greg Knight has opened a £6 million factory expansion by Westland at the Driffield site that produces wild bird feed. Read more - members only

Image of Sir Greg with the Westland team courtesy of Driffield Post

Bloom and Wild pops up in London, Bristol and Edinburgh

Bloom and Wild is opening its first series of pop-up shops in London, Bristol and Edinburgh.    Read more - members only

Dobbies granted planning permission for new store at Reading

Dobbies has been granted planning permission to build a new 60,000 sq ft store in Reading.  It will be built on the land behind its existing garden centre at Hyde End Road, Shinfield. Read more - members only

Labour shadow minister visits Whartons

The HTA invited opposition Minister Daniel Zeichner to Whartons Garden Roses in Norfolk to see their business and highlight several challenges facing the industry Read more - members only

 Daniel Zeichner MP (centre) with Paul Wharton

BHETA networking webinar on new B&Q Marketplace

BHETA is to hold a networking webinar on the new B&Q Marketplace initiative, which is setting out to onboard some 100,000 new products within six months. Read more - members only

Tong prepares for second garden centre

West Yorkshire Garden Centre, Tong, has invested over £280,000 to treble the capacity of an existing warehouse in preparation for opening their second garden centre. Read more - members only

Andy Mears and Chancey Woodrow

WOLF-Garten celebrates 100 years of trading

WOLF-Garten, which specialises in garden tools for lawn care, soil and cultivation, tree and shrub care and general garden maintenance, is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this year. Read more - open to all

YPHA member names garden shop after grandparents

Former AV & Trials Coordinator for Allensmore Nurseries and member of the YPHA, Stacey Gibson, opens Dor’s Garden in memory of her grandparents. Read more - members only

BGC makes it 61 with Hatton in Warwickshire

British Garden Centres has taken over the lease of Hatton Garden Centre in Warwickshire this week.  The centre, which has been closed, is expected to re-open for Easter. Read more - members only

Hatton Country World

Blaze at Grosvenor Garden Centre

Today at around 3.30am in the morning the warehouse at Blue Diamond's Grosvenor Garden Centre in Chester caught fire damaging a large amount of stock.  The garden centre remains closed. Read more - members only

Fire at Grosvenor Garden Centre

All-In-One garden centre to close

The Stafford family has announced that the All-In-One garden centre in Middleton, Manchester is to close in July after more than 51 years serving the community. Read more - members only

Pandemic made B&M an even better retailer

Despite a -4.1% sales fall in the last 12 months B&M says it has sustained the step up in sales and profit compared to pre-pandemic levels. Read more - members only

Cherry Lane acquires Riverside Nursery & Garden Centre in Hockley

Cherry Lane, the value garden centre group owned by QD Stores, has acquired Riverside Nursery & Garden Centre in Hockley, Essex, bringing its stores number to 17. Read more - members only

Product of the year win for Dobbies at Chelsea

Dobbies new peat free John Innes compost range has been named the sustainable product of the year at the 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Read more - members only

Frosts and Notcutts in discussion over Brampton

Frosts have announced that they are in discussions with Notcutts about the potential sale of their garden centre in Brampton. Read more - members only

Pandemic boosts sales and profits at Blue Diamond

2021 accounts from Blue Diamond show sales rose 27% to £255m during the pandemic with profit before tax up to £39.5m and net debt down to only £5.8m.  But the company expects 2022 profits will fall. Read more - members only

Sales growth at Blue Diamond

Studley Grange Garden Centre continues its development

The new owner of the former Wyevale near Swindon, Studley Grange Garden Centre, working with Malcolm Scott Consultants, has planning permission to expand. Read more - members only

Elho opens second distribution facility

Sustainable plant pot manufacturer, elho, has opened the doors of its second distribution centre in Tilburg, Holland. Read more - members only

Elho

Dobbies to recruit senior management for Tewkesbury

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, has announced the recruitment for three senior managerial roles, at their brand-new flagship store in Tewkesbury, ahead of the store opening in autumn. Read more - members only

Proposed Dobbies at Tewkesbury

Petface launches the Petzone in Asda

LeisureGrow, the parent company of Petface, have announced a pet partnership to create Petzone in select Asda stores. Read more - members only

STIHL GB remembers Eva Mayr-Stihl

Eva Mayr-Stihl, a businesswoman, philanthropist and dedicated entrepreneur passed away on the 9th April 2022. Mayr-Stihl was instrumental in the success of STIHL. Read more - members only

Eva Mayr-Stihl

‘Keep Growing’ - EGC’s fresh perspective on gardening

Evergreen GC has put a £ multimillion investment behind the creation of a media campaign, in the hope of bringing positive change to the market and leading the way in modernising the industry.  Watch the video. Read more - members only

Sales of Peace Rose fund medicine to Ukraine

The Blue Diamond Group is supporting the relief effort in Ukraine with money raised from the sale of the Peace rose.  Around 8 aircraft will depart today and tomorrow full of medical supplies. Read more - open to all

Equipment being loaded

A further 5 garden centres join Sproutl

Tates of Sussex, Fakenham and Hollybush are three of 5 garden centres to join the existing partners of Sproutl, the curated online garden marketplace. Read more - members only

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