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Carpetright plans to raise £60m in fundraising

Carpetright has formally announced the fundraising as part of its restructuring plan to rescue the business.In a statement, Carpetright has said: "The Board of Carpetright is pleased to announce a fully underwritten proposed share issue to raise net ... 
18 May 2018

International journalists visit Squire’s in Twickenham

Gardening journalists from across Europe visited Squire’s Garden Centre in Twickenham last Wednesday 16th May on a study tour to look at some of the best UK garden centres. Delegates came from many European countries including Germany, France, The ... 
18 May 2018

Smart Garden opens new hub and makes the FT 1,000

Following last month’s listing in the Financial Times as one of the fastest- growing companies in Europe, Smart Garden Products announces it has opened its new 250,000sq ft warehouse in Peterborough.Smart Garden was delighted to be named in the FT ... 
17 May 2018

BHETA secures major retailers to speak at forums

The British Home Enhancement Trade Association’s forums this autumn will feature guest speakers from Lakeland and US giant The Home Depot.The Home Depot managing director of European sourcing, Massimiliano Zampella will present at the BHETA forum on ... 
17 May 2018

Wet weather dampens footfall in April

Retailers on the high street challenged by “thrifty consumer” and poor weather, as footfall drops 3.3% year on year, compared with 1.6% uplift last AprilThe decline is in line with the three-month average of -3.5 and below the 12-month average of -1.... 
16 May 2018

DIY and homeware stores the worst offenders in underage knife sales

Despite running the risk of facing penalties, a high percentage of high street retailers still failed mystery shopper tests last year, with homeware and DIY stores said to be the worst culprits, selling knives to four in ten young customers without ... 
16 May 2018

Wickes to cut 100 head office jobs

Wickes has announced it will axe 100 head office jobs from its base in Watford as a cost-saving strategy amongst difficult trading conditions.The retailer said: “In order to continue to drive growth for our business, we have been re-shaping our ... 
16 May 2018

B&Q celebrates “triumphant return” of busy Lizzies with garden at Hampton Court Flower Show

B&Q has revealed that its new Imara Bizzie Lizzie varieties have become its fastest-selling plants ever, with over one million sold in the last week. To mark the successful re-introduction of the bedding plant, B&Q will make a return to the ... 
15 May 2018

Retailers are losing online sales due to unhelpful websites 

Almost half of consumers said they would be more inclined to make expensive purchases online if websites were more helpful and contained better in-depth product information, according to new research.The survey of 1,000 shoppers, conducted by full ... 
15 May 2018

Hundreds of organisations getting involved with National Children's Gardening Week

National Children’s Gardening Week 2018 is just around the corner (26 May-3 June) and over 300 garden centres nationwide are joining in with events or the Facebook campaign that’s put fun gardening projects for children in front of nearly half a ... 
15 May 2018

DIY Week Awards 2018 winners announced

The best of the home improvement and garden industry gathered at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel in London on Friday, May 11 to recognise excellence across the breadth of the market, from forward-thinking companies to innovative products and ... 
14 May 2018

Blue Diamond acquires Orchard Park

Blue Diamond expands its estate to 21, with the addition of independent Dorset garden centre, Orchard Park, which also has planning consent to triple its current size.The garden centre, which is situated just outside Gillingham in Dorset has been ... 
14 May 2018

ERA acquires Zoo Hardware

UK security expert ERA has successfully completed the acquisition of Zoo Hardware, a supplier of architectural hardware including handles, knobs, locks and hinges. Based in Carlisle, Zoo has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2010 and today ... 
14 May 2018

Next plc reports rise in sales due to sunny weather boost

Next plc has reported full price sales for the 14 weeks to Monday 7 May were up by 6% on last year. Sales in its online business were particularly strong and increased by 18.1%, driven by the growth of NEXT branded stock and third party brands on ... 
10 May 2018

Last 50 tickets available for the Global DIY Summit 2018

Today is the last day to register for a place at the Global DIY Summit 2018. May 10 is the last day to place a purchase order when you register for the event. After this day it will not be possible to issue any invoice which could be settled by a ... 
9 May 2018

Garden industry backs national sun protection campaign

Celebrity gardeners are backing a national sun protection campaign, using humour to fight melanoma, with four of the biggest names in gardening agreeing to look ‘ridiculous’ to help punch the message home.David Domoney, Adam Frost, Mark Lane and ... 
9 May 2018

April's fall in prices marks five years of deflation

Shop price deflation held at 1.0% in April. Shop Prices have been deflationary for 60 months now and this is the deepest deflation since February 2017.Deflation in Non-Food prices was deeper in April than in March: prices decreased at a rate of 2.2% ... 
9 May 2018

Wyevale Nurseries provides plants for BALI’s stand at Malvern

One of the UK’s leading nurseries has said it will provide a selection of plants to The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) for its first ever garden trade stand at The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Malvern Spring Flower Show (May,... 
8 May 2018

Cherry Lane acquires David's Nurseries in Worcester

East Anglian value garden centre group, Cherry Lane, has acquired David’s Nurseries in Martin Hussingtree, Worcester.The acquisition of David’s Nurseries on Ash Lane takes place with immediate effect. Cherry Lane is already starting to stock the ... 
4 May 2018

Wilko signs lease for new store in Sheffield

The discount home and garden retailer is set to open a new 10,000sq ft outlet on the St James Retail Park in Sheffield next month.It will be one of the first retailers to open its doors at the new shopping destination when it launches in June, and ... 
3 May 2018
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