In This Issue
Aussie bid for Homebase could intensify competition
It's getting a bit Crowdered out there....
Winter weather fuels sales of cold-weather products
Rising Stars prepare for Brighton finale on Monday
Brantano crisis could impact garden centre concessions
'Golden Age' ahead as horticulture action plan is launched
Improved performance halts Thompson & Morgan sales process
Further growth for Harrogate Christmas & Gift
New Area Sales Manager for Town & Country
Future of garden centres in the hands of a new shopper
New training bursary at Thrive in memory of the late Charles Notcutt
Andy McIndoe appointed new Trustee at Greenfingers
Are You Still Loving Your Plot?
Christmas footfall helps lifts seeds and bulbs sales
Join GTN Xtra on the HTA Netherlands Retail Study Tour 17-19 February 2016
Third GROW London show aims to inspire city dwellers
The Greatest Awards go back on tour in 2016
Loose lbs and gain £'s for Garden Re-Leaf Day
Plant Area Manager (Full time, including alternate weekends)
Horticultural/Plantarea Manager (West Yorkshire)
Bedding Department Head (Full time, including alternate weekends)
Plantarea Manager/ Supervisory (Berkshire)
Plantarea Manager/Horticultural Manager/Garden Centre
Plant Area Sales Assistant (Full time, including alternate weekends)
Horticultural/Plantarea Manager (Somerset)
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Early-bird garden product sales are disappointing
Growing media sales off to a flying start
Onions set the pace in Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers
Pictures from The Greatest Christmas Gold-winning Teams
Brookside Garden Centre
Haskins West End
Hillmount Garden Centre
Mains of Drum
Premier Decorations
Bents and Le Friquet
The Greatest Christmas Display winners
Silverbirch (Small Garden Centre Gold)
Old Railway Line (Mid-sized Garden Centre Gold)
Barton Grange (Large Garden Centre Gold)
Le Friquet (Group Garden Centre Gold)
Matt's over the moon to be a Rising Star at Squires
Coolings Rising Star Sophie loves responsibility
From watching at Blackpool, Will Clark is now a Barton Grange Rising Star at Brighton
Jack Fillingham graduates from Sunshine training scheme to Rising Stars
Barton Grange Cookshop Rising Star Kath Bailey sets her goal on winning in Brighton
Sam Clark from Cowells is "chuffed" to be a Rising Star
'Make room for gnomes' urges Squire's
Groen-Direkt comes of age!
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
Situations Vacant
Plant Area Manager (Full time, including alternate weekends)
West Horsley KT24 6AR
 
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Horticultural/Plantarea Manager (West Yorkshire)
Salary: Dependent on experience
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Contact us with your news.  Email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk, or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700



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Aussie bid for Homebase could intensify competition

If Australian retailer Wesfarmers closes the deal to buy Homebase, the UK garden and home improvement market will have formidable new competition in short order.

Wesfarmers, whose £340 million offer for Homebase is believed to have blown away rival bidders (including a consortium led by former Garden Centre Group boss Nicholas Marshall) says it will roll out its Bunnings DIY and garden store brand to replace Homebase within five years. 

It could have a big impact on rival DIY chains and larger garden centre groups. The deal is expected to be wrapped up in the first three months of this year provided shareholders of Home Retail Group agree to the purchase.

Bunnings is by far the strongest player in home improvement in Australia, with one analyst suggesting that it controls a 63.9% of turnover in the hardware, home DIY/ plant & garden accessories sector, compared to 8.6% by its closest rival, the Masters group, which has just withdrawn from the hardware market.

Another source said Bunnings had 19% of the total home improvement market – a position secured with a massive marketing investment, including TV, radio and maildrops.

At a supplier meeting last summer, Bunnings was also reported to control 55% of plant sales nationally, with an 80% share in one state.

Leigh Siebler, who runs the Garden Centre Association of Australia, told GTN Xtra this week: “Their Price Match Promise – ‘Lower Prices are just the beginning’ – seems to have won customers over although most know they are not cheap across the board. However, they are well below garden centre pricing in most cases.”

Leigh believes Wesfarmers could find the UK market a tougher proposition, “but don’t under-estimate them”.

The Wesfarmers bid received by Homebase owners Home Retail Group (which is also likely to sell Argos to Sainsbury’s) is believed to be almost double the city’s expectations.

Nicholas Marshall is reported to have said this week the bid was “a knockout blow” for his interest, which had valued Homebase based at around £200m.



Pictures of Bunnings (above): Boyd Douglas-Davies


 

 

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