YouGarden buys Gardening Direct

YouGarden the multi-channel retailer of horticultural products has acquired Gardening Direct the mail order young plant supplier from Jersey. Read more - members only

Cherry Lane offers food bank collections in-store

Discount retail group QD has introduced food bank collection points in 24 of its stores including nine Cherry Lane Garden Centres. Read more - open to all

Blue Diamond tells BHETA the key qualifications for product listing

A team from Blue Diamond including MD Alan Roper outlined the key qualifications for potential product listing in its garden centres at BHETA’s retailer networking forum. Read more - members only

Alan Roper

Garden centre headlines around the country

Headlines around the country include a sale and lease back by Dobbies, controversy about breast feeding in a garden centre and thefts of catalytic converters at Bents. Read more - members only

Gary Plevey, a true gentlemen, with his family

LOFA warns that freight problems are escalating

With container costs approaching $20,000, LOFA warns that freight problems are escalating and asks if this is due to the greed of shipping lines and if they are colluding to increase prices. Read more - members only

Green light for new Perrywood garden centre at Sudbury

Planning permission has been granted for Perrywood’s £8-10m plans to build an inspirational new garden centre at the former Wyevale store at Sudbury.  Read more - members only

Bradford Garden Centre secures planning permission

The team at a Bradford garden centre have secured planning approval for a second site as part of their ambitious growth plans. Read more - members only

Members of the team viewing the plans for Tingley

ThinCats helps fund two acquisitions

ThinCats, the leading alternative finance provider to mid-sized SME, has provided £3m in funding to support two acquisitions for professional horticultural services to businesses and buildings provider, Urban Planters. Read more - open to all

Tom and Duncan

Longacres at Bagshot remains open despite Covid cases

Longacres at Bagshot has revealed that some staff have tested positive for Covid-19.  The store remains open and staff are self-isolating. Read more - members only

Westland sales hit £208m

Results just published by Westland Horticulture Ltd show sales up 14% and operating profit up 42%.  At 30/8/2020, after the first lockdown, Westland had a strong cash balance. Read more - members only

Leading European compost supplier sold

Compo, the market leading garden media supplier across continental Europe, has been sold to a Duke Street Capital backed management buy-out. Read more - members only

Dobbies celebrates National Children’s Gardening Week with refreshed Little Seedlings

Dobbies has announced the online relaunch of its Little Seedlings Club, to support and celebrate National Children’s Gardening Week (29 May – 6 June). Read more - open to all

St Peters Garden Centre creates ‘an adventure into nature and wildlife’

Tony Blake first dreamt about creating a wildlife area on St Peter's Garden Centre back in 2012... Last year, his son Will, now the MD, began to make this a reality. Read more - open to all

Will with Poppy and Olie at Poppy’s Farm

Dobbies announces plans for 2nd Northern Ireland store

Dobbies has announced plans for a second store in Northern Ireland, at The Junction Retail and Leisure Park.  A public consultation will commence in the coming weeks. Read more - members only

Two London locations announced for little dobbies

Dobbies Garden Centres, announces the next two little dobbies stores that will open this year: Chiswick High Road and Westbourne Grove. Read more - members only

Bristol

Two new non-exec directors for Squire's

Squire’s Garden Centres has appointed two new non-executive Directors.  Rob Collins recently retired as MD of Waitrose. Tony Perkins was Audit Lead Partner at BDO. Read more - open to all

Chairman Sarah Squire (centre) with new Non-Executive Directors, Rob Collins (l) & Tony Perkins (r)

Dobbies will be peat-free in six months

Dobbies has announced that it will be peat-free in six months, in relation to bagged compost, bringing forward the original target of 2022. Read more - open to all

Dobbies and Evergreen trial compost bag recycling

Waste-aware gardeners will now be able to recycle compost packaging thanks to a trial scheme from Dobbies Garden Centres and Evergreen Garden Care. Read more - members only

Hillier counts the cost of Covid-19

Results just published by Hillier Nurseries for the year ending August 2020 show the significant impact Covid-19 had on the second half of the year.  Read more - members only

Retail director David Morley with director Chris Francis

New alliance for Franchi and Mr Fothergill’s Seeds

Mr Fothergill’s Seeds announces a new partnership with Italian seed brand, Franchi Sementi and UK based Italian goods supplier, Seeds of Italy for the coming 2022 gardening season Read more - members only

Orders for 2022 furniture is 3X normal levels say Norfolk

Norfolk Leisure says retailer demand at their trade show was 3X normal levels.  They introduced a range of UK designed barbecues and warned of possible delays in Christmas deliveries. Read more - members only

Debbie Waudby and Nick Anderson

CEO reveals Dobbies latest progress

CEO, Graeme Jenkins, outlines Dobbies’ progress, including acquisitions, its migration away from Ocado, little dobbies, a new app and a new apprenticeship scheme. Read more - members only

Woodcote Green at Dusk

Harrogate Garden Centre is open!

The British Garden Centres Group have officially opened their 58th garden centre this week, located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.  Read more - members only

An exceptional year for B&M

With sales up 30% at B&M UK, Simon Arora, chief executive said the last year has been an exceptional one but warned of a decline in revenues this year.  Read more - members only

Industry newcomer, Ian Hepburn talks about trading and reducing peat

It was a steep learning curve for Ian Hepburn who joined Evergreen Garden Care a few months ago as marketing director,  having worked previously for Mars.  Read more - members only

Ian Hepburn

The professionals’ best kept secret comes to your garden!

Carbon Gold, which has recently been added to all Dobbies stores as part of its sustainability strategy, is launching a new range of products for home-growers and gardeners. Read more - members only

Wildflowers for first new Homebase for six years

Wildflowers feature in the carpark of the first new store in 6 years for Homebase, which has just opened in Cheltenham. Read more - members only

B&Q sales up 83%

The doubling of weather-related sales in the last quarter and growth of ecommerce has powered B&Q to record sales.  However, Kingfisher is planning for lower sales this autumn. Read more - members only

Rapid growth continues at Blue Diamond despite Covid

Blue Diamond results for 2020, a year dominated by Covid, show sales up 11% to £210m and a 64% jump in profit before tax to £23.5m. Read more - members only

MD, Alan Roper

99% increase in domestic sales boosts Marshalls

Marshalls, the stone and concrete specialist, reports strong sales in the last 4 months.  Trading continues to improve and order books are currently strong. Read more - members only

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