Success for Green digit, first winner of Seed Corn Funding from GIMA
“Winning the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund has opened doors for us that we never imagined.” Launched in July 15, Green Digit’s Seedcell has over 175 stockists across the country. Multiple-retailers such as Homebase and B&Q will follow soon. Read more
Unofficially it’s the world’s biggest spade
In spades, Cardiff Wyevale is bigger than Percy Thrower in Shrewsbury and the official Guinness World Record holder in Texas. Read more
Jail warning for woman who stole £166,000 from a garden centre
Lynda Whalley helped herself to almost £166,000 over 9 years by falsifying the accounts at ACW garden centre in Bradford. Read more
Grovewell buys MacFarlanes, near Folkestone
Grovewell Garden Centre has added a third garden centre to its group with the acquisition of MacFarlanes at Hawkinge. Read more
Plans to redevelop Maple Ridge Garden Centre, formerly Aylings, are withdrawn
The new owners of Aylings Garden centre, now called Maple Ridge have withdrawn an application to redevelop the site as a tourist centre and local hub. Read more
Kevin Bradshaw to leave Wyevale
Terra Firma has appointed Toys “R” Us MD, Roger Mclaughlan, to succeed Kevin Bradshaw who is to move on from being CEO of Wyevale. Read more
Wyevale’s Ashford GC faces possible closure
A proposed Junction 10a on the M20 in Kent could see the closure of Wyevale’s Ashford garden centre. Read more
HTA launches Garden Centre Sales Benchmarking
HTA’s new Garden Centre Benchmarking service will get data flowing through garden retail, with the promise of predicting sales patterns based on the forecast weather. Read more
Telegraph opens online Garden Shop
Hayloft Plants has beaten bigger rivals to run The Telegraph online Garden Shop and is looking to add product. Read more
Ingatestone garden centre ceases trading
Ingatestone Garden Centre in Billericay, Essex has been closed by its owner saying the business was no longer financially viable. Read more
Consent for potential new Blue Diamond GC at Leeds
Consent has been granted for a Le Friquet style garden centre at Leeds, making it potentially the 18th garden centre for Blue Diamond. Read more
Poundland launches £1 gardening range by Charlie Dimmock
Poundland has just introduced the Charlie Dimmock gardening range with a wide variety of gardening essentials, both practical and decorative, all at its famous £1 price point. Read more
Confirmation that Wyevale has acquired Crowders
Wyevale Garden Centres confirms the purchase of Crowders Garden Centre in Lincolnshire. The Crowder family retain the nursery and online business. Read more
Squire’s at Twickenham wins top plant area award
GCA today revealed which garden centres are the best for plants, garden products, outdoor living products and garden furniture. Read more
Local speculation suggests Crowders will be Wyevale’s next purchase
Local news sources are speculating that Crowders in Horncastle will be the next garden centre to be purchased by Wyevale Garden Centres. Read more
Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre is to close in the autumn
The owners of Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre have decided it will close in the autumn having failed to find a buyer. Read more
Blue Diamond celebrates
Blue Diamond rolled out the red carpet on Wednesday, 16th March, hosting their 6th Annual Blue Diamond Awards, with Newbridge Nurseries taking the top award. Read more
Kingfisher gets ready for Bunnings
Kingfisher is following Bunnings’ plans closely and has given more information about One Kingfisher and how it will rationalise the number of suppliers and SKUs with bathrooms and garden being first. Read more
Council threatens Hare Hatch Sheeplands with an injunction
Wokingham Borough Council has threatened Hare Hatch Sheeplands with court action despite a planning appeal being scheduled for September and a local petition signed by 8500 supporters. Read more
Garden Centre Retail decides not to repeat Future Lines again next year
Eljays44, publisher of Garden Centre Retail, asks the people who preregistered for the Future Lines trade show why they didn’t attend. Read more
Customers hit by sickness at Old Railway Line GC on Mothers’ Day
40 people became unwell after visiting Old Railway Line Garden Centre on Mothers’ Day. The source of the outbreak is not yet known, but Norovirus could be the cause. Read more
Grower calls for quarantine system to prevent Xylella entering the UK
The MD of Barcham Trees warns, "Xylella is not in the UK yet, but if plant material keeps coming across from the continent without any thought to bio-security it is only a matter of time before this menace becomes a reality.” Read more
Tillington tops £200m
The Tillington Group that pools the buying power of some of the country’s top garden centres has broken into the £200m turnover band. Read more
Wesfarmers takes control of Homebase
John Gillam, MD of Bunnings looks at the next 3 – 5 years for Homebase, adopting a measured approach that will start with getting ‘wider assortments and stronger stock weighting into the existing network’. Read more
Brantano shoe concessions saved
28 of the 29 Brantano concessions within garden centres have been saved as the shoe chain is bought back by the company that put it into administration. Read more
Hands holds talks about selling Wyevale
The Sunday Times reports that Guy Hands is considering launching an auction for Wyevale Garden Centres having received takeover approaches. Read more
Rosebourne appoints experienced horticultural buyer
Rosebourne starts a recruitment drive before opening its first site in August, promising a new benchmark in garden centres. Read more
New Yankee Candle scam – More Calls UPDATE
Retailers have been receiving bogus calls seeking to place big orders for Yankee candles, paid for with cloned credit cards. THIS SCAM IS STILL HAPPENING. Read more
Garden Wise and Barton Grange are the top GCA garden centres
Barton Grange made it five in a row beating Bents and Burston by the narrowest of margins to be GCA large destination Garden Centre of the Year. Garden Wise was named garden centre of the year. Read more
Brantano has gone into administration
It has been reported that Brantano, the value shoe retailer that operates concessions on 29 garden centres has been placed in administration. Read more
