Sale of Bayer Garden to French firm completes on Tuesday
 |
The sale of Bayer Garden to French firm SBM Développement (SBM) will be completed this October 4, meaning that the product range and all 250 positions in Europe and North America will transfer to SBM at the start of the month.
Bayer Garden is part of Bayer Environmental Science - a business unit of the Bayer CropScience division. The deal means that Bayer Garden in the UK and Ireland will transfer its amateur gardening business to be run independently as SBM Life Science Limited. The Bayer Environmental Science team will be re-structured and will solely focus on professional turf, amenity and pest control solutions, and will remain at the Cambridge Science Park.
The current head of Bayer Environmental Science for the UK and Ireland, Darren Brown, will move to head up the SBM Life Science UK and Ireland headquarters at TechnoPark in Cambridge. He is positive about the opportunity the move presents. “SBM’s deep experience with biologics, soils and fertilizer products compliments the Bayer Garden portfolio to help strengthen our position in the market.”
And taking on the position of Bayer Environmental Science country head is Alan Morris - moving on from his current role as professional products head of sales.
“Having led the sales team for Bayer Environmental Science for five years, I’m enthusiastic about the new role that will develop the direction of the business in sales and marketing, but most importantly, in solutions - from regulatory hurdles, to safeguarding products with stewardship initiatives and designing new technologies for the future,” he says.
“The future is bright for Environmental Science and with over 500 people fully dedicated to these areas of the business globally, we have a strong team and a wealth of experience to draw upon,” says Alan. “Our vision is to develop industry solutions in our Pest Solutions and Turf Solutions Teams. One of the key focuses for Bayer is to innovate by enhancing formulations so that less active ingredient is required to achieving high efficacy.
Neil Pettican is moving into the role of head of sales for the turf and amenity business and brings with him 20 years’ experience in the sector, and a master’s degree in sports turf technology. He’s worked on a number of international class events at Wembley Stadium and has also been involved with four European Tour golf tournaments.
“Bayer Environmental Science is not just about offering the best products, it’s about providing solutions and supporting professionals with industry advice and expertise,” adds Alan.
|
|
