It is 18 months since Tesco bought 65% of Dobbies and 8 months since it became the outright owner. Gardenforum asks Chief Executive James Barnes what influence the supermarket has had and about his expansion plans. See more... Read more
Whitehall Garden Centre has won planning permission, after many postponements, to double the size of its garden centre at Lacock in Wiltshire. See more... Read more
Homebase says sales in garden maintenance and horticulture saw particularly difficult trading conditions in January and February. Home Retail is to reduce store staff by 1000, mainly at Homebase. See more... Read more
William Sinclair has expressed disappointment at the level of compensation proposed by Natural England for Bolton Fell, which is due to become a Special Area of Conservation. See more... Read more
The March edition of Gardening Which? reviews slug and snail controls, tests growing bags and looks at seed mats and tapes. See more... Read more
Here’s the first round-up of news from British nurseries by Peter Dawson, former editor of Nurseryman and Garden Centre magazine. His new monthly ‘column’ will provide news and views from the growers across the country. See more... Read more
It is likely that the future of Hurrans Garden Centres will be decided by the end of March. However, it is unlikely that they will remain trading as a group. See more... Read more
The latest updates in Company Results include the most recent trading figures for Ball Horticultural Europe, Syngenta Seeds, Alexander Rose, Gardman, Haddonstone, Bents Garden Centre, Country Homes and Gardens, Haskins Garden Centres, Decco and Notcutts. For a summary, see more... (This article is open to all readers)... Read more
Scotts Miracle-Gro is to spend £6.3 million on TV and press advertising, the same amount as last year. Among the new adverts, there will be a new ‘Frog’ commercial for Evergreen. See more... Read more
All-In-One has acquired land that almost doubles the size of the garden centre. Finance director, Jason Stafford, has engaged Ernest Wertheim to advise on extending the garden centre. See more... Read more
The manufacturing arm of Wolf Garten, placed in the hands of an insolvency administrator last month, is to be bought by MTD of the US. See more... Read more
Woodthorpe Garden Centres Ltd has today completed the purchase of Spring Garden Centre, which lies a few miles north of Hull. See more... Read more
Gary J Corbett and Colin Burke of Milner Boardman & Partners were appointed joint administrators for Hurrans Garden Centres Ltd at 3.30pm this afternoon. See more... Read more
Bents claims the title GCA Garden Centre of the Year 2009, just ahead of last year’s winner, Webbs of Wychbold. All in One, Donaghadee, Poplars Nursery and Taylors Bulbs were among the other winners. See more... Read more
Wyevale is restarting its management training scheme and is looking for internal and external candidates for the programme that will prepare them for garden centre management. See more... Read more
Revealing more details of Wyevale’s refinancing, Nicholas Marshall says the position for suppliers has improved dramatically and that some credit insurers are providing cover for them again already. See more... Read more
Despite recession, snow and frozen ground, members of the Garden Centre Association will be pleased that sales were only 11% behind last year, which had been 21% up on 2007. Smaller centres were, however, more heavily affected. See more... Read more
Former Blooms of Bressingham chief executive, Jon Kitching, is to launch the Beckworth Emporium with his new partner, David Brown. It will be neither a garden centre nor a farm shop, but the best of both. See more... Read more
Despite seeing a shift to ‘Don't Move, Improve’, Marshalls is closing seven landscape design centres. It will decide on continuing sponsorship of Chelsea, after this year’s flower show. See more… Read more
Webbs Garden Centres has taken control of West Hagley, one of the Hurrans Garden Centres that are in administration. See more... Read more
Wyevale Garden Centres has tonight completed the refinancing of its business with Bank of Scotland and its major shareholders. “Everyone involved with Wyevale will be pleased to see the financial stability that this agreement brings,” said chief executive, Nicholas Marshall. See more... Read more
The GCA Barometer of Trade confirms that January was good for garden centres. Overall sales increased by 12.7%. See more... Read more
Tricia Killen, who became CX of Flying Brands last June, has been replaced by Stephen Cook, a nominee of Sir Tom Hunter. Hunter's recent quest to buy the group had been rejected. See more... Read more
New Era Aquaculture Limited, whose fish feeds to sell through gardens centres, has raised £300,000 investment to develop the business. See more... Read more
B&Q is celebrating the opening of its greenest ever store, at New Malden, Surrey. 50 per cent less carbon emissions and the biggest range of One Planet Home products in London. See more... Read more
Nicholas Marshall expects that completion of Wyevale's new financial arrangements will be delayed by a few days only, following the appointment of an administrator for Baugur. See more... Read more
Rumours that high street stores including Wyevale could be closed following news that Baugur Group has filed for bankruptcy protection, are "silly, ill informed and irresponsible" according to Wyevale CX, Nicholas Marshall. See more... Read more
The refinancing of Wyevale should be completed on Tuesday. This, says Marshall, will place the garden centre chain in a better position than any time since the company was taken private. See more... Read more
A notice has appeared in the Financial Times today, advertising Hurrans, one of the country's oldest garden centre groups, for sale. See more... Read more
The Scotsman has published what it claims to be an internal Dobbies memo, which suggests that Scotland's largest garden centre chain is passing on the government's VAT cut to customers only if they complain. To see the full article, click on the website button... Read more