Sinclair have merged their retail and professional sales teams to create a single sales force they claim will bring service and logistics benefits.

The annoucement came yesterday as the company prepared to commission their new state-of-the-art £15m growing media facility at Ellesmere Port.

Commercial director Richard Carr (right) said the new integrated hub made a unified supply chain not only possible but highly advantageous in terms of efficiency, flexibility and service levels. A raft of major new products are being readied for 2015.

Mr Carr said: "With many of our customers buying both retail and professional  products from us, and those products soon to be made and shipped from a world-class supersite, an integrated sales team will help both them and us. In many cases, we will be able to ship both retail and professional products on the same lorry so logistics benefits will accrue from a more dynamic, agile and efficient supply chain."

The restructuring has also meant new appointments. Chris Hepburn, formerly with Hozelock, fills the new cross-company role of horticultural  sales director, while Jon Watson takes on the new role of national retail sales director with responsibility for national accounts. Tony Nelson joins from Westland to become northern regional sales manager and Tara Truman assumes a new role as southern regional sales manager.

A number of sales executives have been given more senior roles as  cross-company area sales managers, nine of whom will cover the country with back-up from local distributors as needed.

Growers who require more technical support will be serviced by three new dedicated senior professional sales managers – Jon Evans (west), Cliff Day (east) and Hayley Perrin (south).

The company say they have removed the barriers segregating their retail and professional businesses and that all customers can now buy and sell both ranges.

Ellesmere Port, which houses leading edge technology for the production of high performance peat-free retail compost made from composted wood, comes on-stream this month following a five year research, design and building programme.