Branded Garden Products has announced that Chris Wright has been appointed as its new CEO.

Chris held the role of Joint Managing Director for over three years and, together with Mel Upton, also Joint Managing Director, has steered the business through the COVID pandemic and the period of economic uncertainty that followed.

Appointing Chris as CEO will take BGP into the future – someone with over 16 years’ experience of its business and industry, with ambition and passion for continued success and profitability.

Mel Upton will become Chief Operating Officer, working with Chris as his second in command across all business areas.

Commenting on his promotion, Chris said: “I am hugely humbled and honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead Branded Garden Products. I have worked for this wonderful company and with these amazing people for 16 years, learning from each and every experience. I am extremely excited by the challenge of continuing to grow some of the UK’s most loved, respected and oldest brands.”

These changes cement the leadership team for BGP, creating the right structure to drive the business forward – with an emphasis on continued growth, building on the solid foundations of the Group’s recent trading. 

BGP is committed to product development, introducing new plant varieties and category-leading horticultural innovations. It aims to propel its marketplace, offering an increasingly wide range of products to the public via a network of partners.

T&M Marketplace is a custom-built platform that allows Thompson & Morgan’s partners in the horticulture industry, including garden centres and growers, to sell their products through the market leading T&M website. The groups websites generate over 20 million visits per year, providing a platform for the gardening industry to sell their products to an active buying audience.