Derek Bunker of Altons Garden Centre, said:

“I am decimated by the sad news. Solus was such a good supplier for so long and previously of course as Gibbs Palmer. It is amazing the sadness throughout the whole industry, not least of all by many competitors.

“You need experience to run a business in the garden industry so I think the whole trade is praying that whoever takes over at Solus has the know-how to run it properly and that we can get some stability in the trade once again. Life without any form of Solus is not something I look forward to.”