Hillview Garden Centres acquire The Garden Store

Hillview Garden Centres have announced agreement to buy The Garden Store which trades from six sites. See more… Read more - members only

Tenax UK changes name to Treadstone Products

Following a management buy-out last February, Tenax UK has changed its name to Treadstone Products. The company retains its existing brands and is working to repatriate more manufacturing to the UK. See more... Read more - members only

Further links between Notcutts and Waitrose

Waitrose continues its quest to build stores next to garden centres, submitting plans for a store at a third Notcutts garden centre, this time near Nottingham. See more... Read more - members only

Marshalls points to better times for landscapers

Marshalls says sales of landscaping products have increased by 9% over the last 6 months and order books for domestic landscapers have stretched to 11 weeks. See more… Read more - members only

Forest Garden buys M&M Timber - UPDATED

It has just been announced that Forest Garden Group acquired the business of M&M Timber on December 23rd. See more... Read more - members only

Rush is in a rush to develop Ellesmere Port

William Sinclair raises £8.24m from investors to accelerate development of the Ellesmere Port supersite as new CEO Peter Rush seeks to re-position the company. See more… Read more - members only

Bents embarks on Phase 2 of 10 year plan

In January, Warrington based Bents Garden & Home will start phase 2 of its plan to become the North West’s ultimate garden, home and leisure destination. See more... Read more - members only

Strata buys Sankey

Fiskars has agreed to sell its UK garden container, propagation and water storage business, Sankey, to Strata Products which already owns Ward. See more... Read more - members only

Only 3 regional managers to survive in TGCG ‘realignment’

More details have emerged about operational changes at TGCG. It is understood that 6 regional managers will have left by Christmas, with 3 more leaving next year. Three are staying to become retail operations directors in the new structure. See more... Read more - members only

Kelkay buys Borderstone

Kelkay has bought the Borderstone brand from Aggregate Industries to add to its growing range of landscaping and garden ornament brands. See more... Read more - members only

Promising sales of Christmas and gifts

There are encouraging signs for Christmas in the October figures from the GCA. Sales of seeds and bulbs disappointed after early promise but the Christmas and gift categories have grown strongly . See more... Read more - members only

Innovation and style as Blue Diamond re-opens Redfields

I have just eaten some of the best cakes ever at a garden centre. They were baked at the Café Theatre in Blue Diamond’s innovative Redfields garden centre which re-opened yesterday. See more... Read more - members only

Notcutts opens two temporary stores to drive Christmas sales

Family-owned garden centre chain Notcutts has opened two temporary Christmas stores in Kingston and Cambridge in a bid to drive further sales for the business over the winter period. See more... Read more - members only

Stewarts garden centre expansion emphasises horticultural credentials

Work is to start next summer at Stewarts country garden centre to build a new interior landscaping greenhouse and two totally automated growing houses, with a public viewing platform. See more... Read more - members only

Fothergill’s to create map of growing conditions in UK

Mr Fothergill’s has recruited amateur gardeners across the UK to plant the same seeds at the same time to check how differently they grow. Already it has shown fascinating differences. See more... Read more - members only

Deco-Pak takes on the Living Stone sales team

Deco-Pak has taken on the Living Stone national sales team, following the announcement that Living Stone had gone into administration. See more... Read more - members only

2014 – A transition year for William Sinclair

2014 will be a transition year for William Sinclair as the new CEO, Peter Rush, implements a twin strategy to bring long-term changes. It also expects better trading conditions. See more... Read more - members only

Nick Davies starts building team at Crest

Nick Davies is being joined by former senior colleagues from Solus, Andy Abraham and Colin Smart, as he starts building his team at Crest Gardening. For full details see more... Read more - members only

Dobbies plans to expand concession space

Dobbies has submitted planning applications for additional concession space at two Scottish garden centres. See more… Read more - members only

The best and worst of composts for raising seeds

Which? Gardening has tested 22 composts for raising plants and found a shocking difference between the best and the worst. See more... Read more - members only

Varying fortunes for Garden centres seeking to build houses

Fortunes differ at three garden centres in environmentally sensitive locations. Yarnton, Highgate and Barlaston are all looking for permission to build houses on all or part of their sites. See more... Read more - members only

TGCG hubs will be in full swing by next season

The soft rollout of TGCG’s central distribution will continue to expand and should be fully operational by next season. See more... Read more - members only

Westland says it is backing Nick Davies

Westland reveals that it will finance the new garden product business, headed by former Solus MD, Nick Davies, that he promises will be a major force within 12 months. Read more - members only

Notcutts buys Garden Pride in Ditchling

Staff at Garden Pride in Ditchling have today been told that the garden centre is to be acquired by Notcutts. Completion is planned for December 6th. See more... Read more - members only

Mark Pearson becomes CEO of Solus

Former CEO of Gardman, Mark Pearson, becomes CEO of Solus Garden & Leisure with immediate effect as Nick Davies leaves. See more... Read more - members only

TGCG at St Mellon’s, Cardiff is destroyed by fire

It took five hours to control a blaze that has all but destroyed TGCG’s Blooms Garden Centre at St Mellon’s. The company says it will remain closed for the foreseeable future. See more... Read more - members only

Wind Turbines approval for Ribble Valley garden centre

Carr Hall Home and Garden Centre, in Wilpshire has won permission to build 3 wind turbines that will stand 46m tall on land just behind the garden centre. See more... Read more - members only

Landscape order books are the longest since 2004 says Marshalls

Marshalls, manufacturer of paving and landscape materials, says order books are longer and consumer confidence is higher than for many years. See more… Read more - members only

Westland overtakes Solus and Gardman in turnover

The latest results published in Gardenforum’s Company Results show 2012 was a difficult year. Sales fell 12% at Solus and 13% at Gardman. But the acquisition of Cranswick boosted Westland. The Gardens Group, Planters and Clifton Nurseries were all affected by the weather. See more (open to all)... Read more - open to all

Four more managers to leave The Garden Centre Group - UPDATED

The reshaping of The Garden Centre Group continues with four more prominent departures. These include Tom Martell, head of training and sundries buyer Tristan Sissons who are set to leave by the end of the year. See more... Read more - members only

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