SBM has appointed Stax as its exclusive distributor to the garden centre and nursery trade.

Nick Walton, who heads up the UK/I operation for SBM Life Science said the new route to market would help to achieve the company’s ambition to become a worldwide leader for home and garden solutions.

The Bayer Garden business was sold to SBM back in October 2016 and SBM Life Science in the UK was launched. “We have invested in new brands for the UK/I markets and will continue to do so over the coming years,” Walton said. “We also continue to invest in our field sales force and since launching SBM, we have moved to four employed territory account managers to enable our business to build more collaborative relationships with our partners”

From 1 October, SBM have agreed a sole strategic distribution partnership for the traditional trade business with Stax Trade Centres. Walton continued: “An enormous amount of work behind the scenes has gone into reviewing our current route to market and we strongly believe that Stax can help us achieve our vision. We have a fantastic relationship with the team at Stax and we have been exceptionally pleased with the commitment that they have shown our business over the last five years.”

Stax joint managing director David Hibbert said: “We’re delighted to have been selected as sole strategic distribution partner to SBM for the traditional trade market. They are a very significant player in the gardening solutions market and their decision to work with us reflects the growth we have made as a major distributor, both to independent garden centres and groups alike.

“Stax has worked extremely hard, to develop its own garden centre distribution capabilities, and to forge a strong and stable a relationship with SBM. This new partnership represents the reward for those efforts, and we’re very much looking forward to continuing our association with the SBM team and helping them achieve their vision.”

SBM are committed to servicing the UK/I markets and see this as a positive step forward in their strategic plans to allow a more coherent and effective way of collaborating with garden centres and nurseries.

UK Sales Manager for SBM, Scott Williams, said: “I have no doubt that this next step for our business is absolutely the right thing. I have personally managed the Stax account now for about eight years and have every belief that they will take on this challenge and excel. My team will be visiting garden centres after Glee as we embark on our pre-season campaign, so if you miss us at Glee, we will bring our 2020 plans directly to you.”

Simon Wright, Stax purchasing director, added: “I am delighted that SBM have a very clear vision of where they want to be within the market and have chosen Stax as a strategic distribution partner to help them achieve this. SBM have my full support in their route to market change and we look forward to helping them in achieving their vision of delivering excellent service”.

SBM Life Science Ltd are at Glee on stand 7G70-H71.