H E Knowles in administration for the second time in 3 years

HE Knowles (manufacturing) Ltd (10473767), maker of garden tools in the West Midlands, appointed RSM Restructuring Advisory as administrator in January 2020.  Read more - members only

Fron Goch to start major extension

Fron Goch garden centre in North Wales starts a £1.5m facelift next week, with a new main entrance, an shop extension and a larger external plant canopy. Read more - members only

BGC strengthens its senior management

The rapidly expanding British Garden Centre Group has added to its management board headed by Charles and Robert Stubbs. Other senior management, including buyers, have also been added to. Read more - members only

Haskins opens Snowhill

Haskins has opened Snowhill Garden Centre having completed a £15m redevelopment. The first weekend was very successful says Julian Winfield, despite the close attention of Storm Dennis. Read more - members only

Picture: Peter Dawson

Westland to launch the ‘Greatest Grow on Earth’

Westland has employed Quiet Storm as its new advertising agency. Its first output will be Westland’s biggest TV advertising campaign for peat-free compost. Read more - members only

Hillier and Squire’s make long-term commitment with The Planet Mark

Hillier and Squire’s Garden Centres have signed with The Planet Mark to develop a credible, measurable approach to sustainability.  Hillier has also been awarded ISO 14001 accreditation. Read more - members only

Sarah Squire and Martin Breddy

Notcutts to introduce car parking restrictions at Woodbridge

Fed up with town centre shoppers using Woodbridge garden centre as their car park, Notcutts will be rolling out a parking enforcement scheme within weeks. Read more - members only

The new restaurant at Notcutts, Woodbridge

Haskins to buy Forest Lodge at Holt Pound

Haskins Garden Centres is in the final stages of buying Denys E Head, the owners of Forest Lodge Garden Centre, Garden Style and Birdworld. Read more - members only

Caulders buys Loch Lomond Homes & Gardens Centre

Caulders Garden Centres is to buy Loch Lomond Homes and Garden, bringing the number of garden centres in the Central Scotland group to eight.  Read more - members only

Colin Barrie

Sue Allen steps into the shoes of John Ashley at Greenfingers

Sue Allen has succeeded John Ashley as chair of Greenfingers, the industry backed charity that creates gardens at children’s hospices to cheer patients and their families. Read more - open to all

Richard Jackson, Sue Allen and John Ashley

Further expansion planned for Thetford Garden Centre

A further £3m investment is planned for Thetford Garden Centre to include containerised catering in the style of the Wahaca Mexican street food restaurants. Read more - members only

Front row: Shane and Lucy Hinkley with Jean Nixon

Mr Fothergill's trial ground recognised with Fleuroselect status

Newmarket-based Mr Fothergill’s Seeds has been selected as a trial site for Fleuroselect, the international organisation for the ornamental plants industry. Read more - members only

Dobbies is to close Dalgety Bay Garden Centre

Dobbies is to close Dalgety Day garden centre, near Dunfermline, its smallest garden centre. Read more - members only

Ditchling opens Notcutts’ largest restaurant

Notcutts' Garden Pride Garden Centre in Ditchling, East Sussex has opened a new restaurant with dining for 300 as part of a centre-wide refurbishment. Read more - members only

Review of 2019

Here is a summary of the news stories published on Gardenforum during 2019:  Wyevale disintegration and the expansion of other groups, the environment, supplier consolidation and people in the news.  This review is open to all. Read more - open to all

Homebase is back in the black

Homebase has returned to profit ahead of plan; proposes to complete CVA 18 months early and will expand its product range to be a single destination for home and garden projects. Read more - members only

Growth continues at Tong

Tong sales grew +8.6% to over £9m last year. The Yorkshire garden centre has also completed the first phase of a major development project, which is performing strongly. Read more - members only

More about Haskins’ purchase of Forest Lodge

Haskins reveals its priorities for Forest Lodge Garden Centre, Bird World and Garden Style as it sets about getting to know the businesses and moving them onto their platforms. Read more - members only

An image from Garden Style

Floods close Winnersh garden centre

Winnersh garden centre has posted a notice to say that it has been flooded and that it and all businesses on the site will be closed, indefinitely. Read more - members only

Highfield has won outline consent to extend further

Leading Gloucestershire independent Highfield Garden World has gained outline consent to extend its rapidly growing business, with work due to start later this year. Read more - members only

Haskins seals deal for Forest Lodge and Bird World

Haskins has completed the purchase of Denys E.Head, the parent of Forest Lodge garden centre.  This is the group’s 5th site and will bring it into direct competition with the flagship sites of Blue Diamond and Squire's. Read more - members only

Opperman Plants secures £250k loan to accelerate growth

Family run Opperman Plants will use the loan to accelerate growth plans, diversify its customer base and take advantage of new market opportunities. Read more - members only

Klondyke acquires 22nd centre

The Klondyke Group is now 22 strong following its acquisition of Garden Wise Plant and Garden Centre in Dumfries. Read more - members only

Haskins to open Snowhill within weeks

Haskins' new Snowhill Garden Centre is to have a soft opening in mid-February before a formal ribbon cutting in March. Read more - members only

In the plant area: Warren Haskins, David Lilly - Snowhill general manager and MD Julian Winfield

Hillier gets green light for major extension project

Visitors to Hillier Garden Centre Newbury can look forward to a transformed experience as West Berkshire Council  gives green light for major extension project. Read more - members only

Newbury extension artist's impression

Dobbies sales up by 44% over Christmas

Dobbies chairman, Andrew Bracey said, “Dobbies Christmas performance with sales up 44% and like-for-like growth of 6% is very encouraging." Read more - members only

Bord na Mona changes name in UK

The UK retail arm of Bord na Mona will change its name to The Greener Gardening Company, effective 1st February 2020. Read more - members only

Wyevale head office moves from Syon Park

As announced in the autumn Wyevale’s head office has moved out of Syon Park to nearby Brentford, while the business is wound up. Read more - open to all

Sales up 15% at Squire’s

Results for the year ending 31 July 2019 show it was another record year for Squire’s with sales up 15% to £57m and profits up despite increased wages costs. Read more - members only

Badshot Lea Garden Centre

BGC completes the purchase of Hillview

Hillview Garden Centres has been trading as part of British Garden Centres since September, but only today has the deal been completed for BGC to buy them from the Hillview Group. Read more - members only

To see earlier stories - Look in the News Archive