NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF


n Kingfisher confirms the remaining Shepton Mallett branch has now reverted to a Screwfix, as the business moves away from its trial of the dedicated DIY store format. The 5,000sq ft DIY Express store in Shepton Mallett opened on Haskins Retail Estate in March 2012, with Kingfisher announcing it would be trialling a DIY convenience format “designed to target consumers in smaller retail spaces”. n Dulux has opened its doors to its latest Academy at Leeds College of Building on June 17. Located at the UK’s only dedicated building college, the new Academy site is part of a national drive by Dulux Academy to upskill 10,000 professionals by 2020 across the country. n Business specialists, Fedden USP, will be leading three new Strategic SmartHort Centres that are being set-up by the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). Some of the topics covered will include process mapping and waste identification, practical problem solving techniques, how to encourage continuous improvement across the company and visual management boards and metrics to check improvements. The first workshop has been announced to be taking place at Volmary on 23-24 July. n Wildlife experts are concerned at the late arrival of swifts, which nest here after spending the winter in Africa. Many swifts have arrived up to two weeks late. Swifts would normally begin their journeys north from Africa in April. Their epic 6,000 mile journey is often fraught with hazards but weather conditions this year may have made migration especially difficult. n 57% of Brits now have at least one smart product in their home environment, per recent statistics from Smart Home Week. When it comes to consumer demand, an astonishing £10.8 billion is set to be spent on smart home devices/appliances by the end of this year, according to projections by auditing giants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).


4 DIY WEEK 28 JUNE 2019 WGC sells 12 more centres


Wyevale Garden Centres has announced the sale of 12 garden centres in five separate transactions to British Garden Centres, The Plant Area Limited (t/a Clandon Park Garden Centre), Coolings Garden Centres, Maidenhead Aquatics and Cherry Lane Garden Centre. British Garden Centres will


acquire eight centres: Albrighton, Birchencliffe, Bressingham, Gardenlands, Hemel Hempstead, Louth, Tarporley and Wolseley Bridge.


In separate transactions, The Plant Area Limited will acquire Woking garden centre, Coolings Garden Centres will acquire


Wych Cross garden centre and Maidenhead Aquatics will acquire Dummer garden centre. Podington Garden Centre has been sold to Cherry Lane Garden Centre, with the sale expected to be completed by the middle of August, and WGC continuing to operate the centre until this date. Cherry Lane Garden Centre also acquired Barnett Hill Garden Centre from WGC in March 2019 where it was announced the garden centre will be known as Barnett Hill by Cherry Lane and will retain all staff enabling them to remain in their existing roles. Cherry Lane has also said all staff at Podington Garden Centre will remain in their roles.


Anthony Jones, chief operating


officer at Wyevale Garden Centres, commented: “We are pleased to have agreed the sale of Podington Garden Centre to a well-established garden centre operator. I would like to thank our colleagues for their commitment and contribution since joining the group in 2014 and wish them all the best for the future.”


Wilko to open two new stores


British value home and garden retailer, wilko, will open the doors to its newly relocated store at Tameside One, Ashton-under-Lyne on 10 July at 9am, the company confirms, as well as announcing it has signed a lease for a new store at The Oaks Shopping Centre in Acton. To mark the special occasion at


Tameside One, Sally Backhouse, a representative from Alzheimer’s Society will lead a ceremonial ribbon cutting on behalf of the wilko Charity Partnership, along with wilko head of retail, Craig McGregor and wilko Ashton- under-Lyne branch manager, Sam Kavanagh. Wilko Ashton-under-Lyne manager Sam Kavanagh said: “The team is busy preparing the final touches to the store ahead of the official opening on 10 July. We are very excited to welcome our loyal customers in Ashton- under-Lyne to our new home at Tameside One. We know shoppers will be impressed by


Citizens Advice Bureau, credit union, welfare rights, college and Job Centre Plus within the Tameside One complex, and will soon overlook an upgraded market and civic square, and be close to the new transport hub which will make Ashton-under- Lyne much more accessible by public transport.”


the quality and value we have to offer this summer and it’s the perfect time to come and browse our collections.” Cllr Brenda Warrington, executive leader of Tameside Council, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome wilko back to the market place in Ashton- under-Lyne. They have one of the most popular stores in the town and I know the new site will be a magnet, attracting lots more shoppers into the area.


“wilko has been a valued partner in the Vision Tameside project which is transforming the centre of Ashton-under-Lyne. The store sits alongside the new library, customer services,


In Acton, the new 10,500 Sq


ft store is expected to generate more than 45 new jobs within the local area, with residents already keen to be a part of the wilko team. Craig McGregor, head of retail said: “We are delighted to have signed the lease at The Oaks Shopping Centre and can’t wait to open our doors this summer to our tenth store in London. “The Oaks Shopping Centre is in a fantastic location with great transport links to central London and we’re sure it will become the go-to place for locals looking to stock up on products for their homes and gardens for years to come.”


Parker Building Supplies acquires Stamco


Capital, which also has majority stakes in BSO, National Timber Group, Sentry Doors,


Stevenswood Group. Parker says the purchase is a key step in its strategy


to


The 15-strong independent builders merchant has taken over Sussex Turnery and Moulding Company Limited (Stamco)


in a deal


that accelerates the firm’s growth strategy and takes its new combined turnover to £100million.


The acquisition was supported by Parker Building Supplies’ strategic partner, Cairngorm


expand its business through a combination of acquisitions, new site development and organic growth, as it strives to become the market-leading independent builders’ merchant in the South East of England.


Stamco, which has been trading since 1957, is a privately- owned, independent builders’ merchant and wholesale timber processing and distribution business.


Headquartered in


Hastings, it has five branches in Eastbourne, Hastings, Hove,


and


Worthing and Rye and employs 180 people. Its latest accounts reported a revenue of £32million. The acquisition is strategically important for Parkers, as Stamco’s “highly complementary product range” provides the business with an opportunity for geographic expansion and to extend its offer. In addition to its heavyside offering, Parkers also supplies kitchens, plumbing, heating, bathrooms, joinery and architectural ironmongery. The business also recently opened two new plumbing centres, with its Crowborough and Tonbridge branches now able to offer customers the firm’s full range of plumbing, heating and bathroom products and accessories.


A Caulder & Co Limited, the owner of Caulders Garden Centres, has made two fresh acquisitions with financial backing from Clydesdale Bank. The company has acquired Dobbies Garden Centres in Kinross and Cumbernauld, growing its portfolio of garden centre businesses to seven from five, as it continues to expand its footprint across Central Scotland. The business has said it is now investing significantly to


refurbish both of the sites


to provide improved outlets for local communities in both towns. It has also retained all its staff across existing operations, now employing over 250 people across its outlets throughout the region.


Despite the sell, Dobbies


Garden Centres has expanded its own portfolio with the acquisition of 31 Wyevale centres, which increased its estate to 69 centres and made it the largest garden centre operation in the UK.


Colin Barrie, founder of Caulders, said: “Clydesdale Bank’s continued support as we looked to expand yet again into new territories was hugely appreciated as we worked with them on this transaction. “We are putting significant capital into enhancing the premises in Cumbernauld and Kinross, helping us to provide a strong alternative to large corporate retailers for customers in Scotland,” he said.


www.diyweek.net Nick Rubins, chief executive


of QD Group which owns Cherry Lane, said: “The acquisition of Podington Garden Centre


is


another step in the growth and success of Cherry Lane. We are a family run business and are very pleased to welcome the team from Wyevale Garden Centres and are looking forward to sharing with our customers our great value, excellent quality and ever-changing spectacular new deals.”


Christie & Co, the specialist business


property advisor is


managing the sale process on behalf of WGC. The company has said there still remains the opportunity to acquire a small group or a portfolio of well performing garden centres located in attractive locations.


Two Dobbies centres sold to Caulders


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