Garden centres concerned over supplies after Scotts-Solus split
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The dramatic news this week that negotiations between Scotts and Solus had broken down has left a number of garden centres concerned over future supplies of garden products.
GTN Xtra has spoken to a number of retailers since the shock announcement that Scotts was no longer in negotiations to join forces with Solus Garden & Leisure. See seperate story.
Although many didn't want to be named, the garden centres admitted they were dismayed by the developments and some even said they learned the news through stories in the trade press instead of being contacted by representatives of the two companies themselves.
But Scotts Miracle-Gro Managing Director, Martin Breddy, told GTN Xtra: "Our sales team are in contact with our customers to ensure continued supply of all products."
He admitted that the distribution agreement with Solus had expired but that Scotts products were available via Decco, Stax or Scotts themselves.
"Customers should contact a Scotts representative to agree new arrangements that suit them best. Our single-minded focus is on delivering outstanding service to all our customers for the balance of the 2014 season,” he said.
A statement from Scotts said: "No further stock will be dispatched to Solus. No further Growing Media orders will be invoiced by Solus." Solus Garden and Leisure had issued a statement late on Wednesday afternoon saying that "regretfully" it was no longer in negotiations to join forces with the Scotts Company (UK) Ltd. Solus CEO Mark Pearson said: “We are disappointed that our discussions with Scotts have not been fruitful but remain positive about the future of the company.
"The Board and the Shareholders are pursuing a number of other options for the business and we will communicate our plans in due course.’’
The shock news of the Scotts-Solus split broke on Wednesday. Initially, it was thought an agreement between the two parties would be finalised by Easter. How dramatic and quickly things can changes in business.
If you have any worries about supplies to your garden centre let us know by emailing trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk
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