In This Issue
We'll speak to key suppliers next week say Solus administrators
“Thursday was very painful for the family and the staff." Ross Yealland
Solus: too much change, too soon?
Choice stick with Solus but plan a back-up
We can handle upturn says Decco CEO
We didn't want it to happen like this says Stax MD
Town & Country 'full stocked'
Solus news will hit many GIMA members hard
'Sad...but trade will survive'
'This has saddened the whole industry'
Keeping calm and carrying on...
Capitalise on the Roundup Gel Revolution
TGCG owners Terra Firma sponsor Chelsea exhibit
Half-year sales figures for garden products set to be 6% higher than 2013
Customer feedback no longer a mystery at Bents
Scotts' Chelsea display features plants grown by 10,000 Miracle-Gro’wers
Click and collect compost service launched at Monkton Elm
Coletta & Tyson's relaunched pet shop sets high standards
If catering and food are your growth areas our new Food Xtra will help you
Regional Business Manager
Buyer - Gifts, Living & Home
Garden Centre Manager
Plant Manager
Georgie Boy daffodil to star at the Chelsea Flower Show
Tulips for Liberators
Young plants dominate Veg-2-Gro sales
Wyevale re-organises to offer ‘one-stop-shop’
Smart Solar reorganises sales team to manage sharp increase in sales
Compost sales get a welcome boost
Rising Stars reach round two of GCA competition
Floralabels colour labels launched in UK
Striking the best deal when buying and selling plants
Titchmarsh to launch wildflower campaign with Plantlife
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
Situations Vacant
Regional Business Manager
Northern Ireland / Scotland, £30,000 - £40,000 per annum
Read more»
Buyer - Gifts, Living & Home
Hampshire, £30,000 - £35,000 per annum
Read more»
Garden Centre Manager
London, £30,000 - £35,000 per annum
Read more»
Plant Manager
Berkshire, £21,000 per annum
Read more»
Send us your news and great ideas

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

 


Solus: too much change, too soon?

Only the directors will ever be able to shed full light on why one of the garden industry’s pivotal and most-admired businesses – which only two years ago was voted the GCA’s supplier of the year in the GIMA Awards (see picture) – should have today found itself in administration.

Solus - GCA Supplier of the YearFor now, all we have to go on is an assurance (less than 24 hours after the news broke) from the commercial director that the stakeholders are still supportive while the administrators continue their bid to sell the company as a going concern. As is his prerogative, chief executive Mark Pearson, appointed after the departure of MD Nick Davies (who had worked for Solus for 29 years) has remained silent, except to tell us that they would be investigating a complaint received from one garden centre that their regular delivery had not turned up.

So the events leading up to this week’s dramatic development remain the subject of conjecture. But when the post-mortem begins, these will surely be among the issues on the agenda.

1.The balance sheet… Why did a business with turnover in the range of £84m to £96m in the years 2010 to 2012 (the latest published accounts) take such a turnover hit in 2013/14. Turnover for the six months to March 2014 had slumped to £29.3m (according to PwC, the administrators), which some believe is around £20 million adrift from where you might expect it to be. That would be a big hit. The Garden Centre Group’s decision to set up its own distribution centre may well have contributed to the pain. Ironically, good weather has produced one of the best trading springs for years…

2. The sales force… Solus began shedding experienced sales staff at this time last year and by the year end had parted company with Davies, who announced he was setting up a new joint venture, backed by Westland. We can only assume that Solus had identified a need for big change. But will it have turned out to be too much, too soon…? The loss of so many experienced, senior staff in such a short space of may well have upset the balance of the business, to the detriment of its sales performance.

3. Re-inventing the wheel… If Solus saw the need to ‘modernise’ to meet the needs of younger consumers now widely courted by the retailers, were they aiming at the right target? The garden retail market is still largely driven by the ‘grey pound’ and will probably continue to be so. Its needs are pretty basic. “Let the retailers do the polishing,” some might argue. “Just deliver in the products.”

4. The Scotts saga… Retailers and suppliers alike agreed that Scotts and Solus would have made a strong partnership, giving Solus the extra investment it needed. After the prospect of a deal had been made public, Solus withdrew. If the directors were waiting for a better deal around the corner, this may turn out to be the biggest regret of all.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Del.icio.us Digg
Newsletter Marketing Powered by Newsweaver