Garden Centre

Monday, November 12, 2007

Where there's muck, there's money

Muck

A frustrated Blackpool pensioner says he has been left gob-smacked after being told by council workers to wash the roots of the plants he puts in his recycling bin.

Gordon Caddy, 73, was not sure if he was being wound up when his garden waste was left behind because there was mud on his plants. He found a warning slapped to the top of his bin warning against putting soil in. Now the pensioner, who has called the council's refuse staff fussy, is looking for tips on how to grow plants without getting soil on them.

And brass …

Billionaire Sir Tom Hunter has again increased his stake in Dobbies Garden Centres.

Sir Tom has spent £500,000 on new shares, taking his total holding to 3.02 million hares, or 29.16 per cent of the garden centre chain. The entrepreneur's West Coast Capital vehicle withdrew from an acrimonious battle to takeover Dobbies earlier this year, after Tesco made a £155.6 million cash offer to gain a 65.5 per cent share.

Since then, Sir Tom, who owns rival chains Wyevale Garden Centres and Blooms, has signalled his intent by gradually increasing his stake in the group. His shareholding is now large enough to stop Tesco delisting Dobbies.

Roots photograph by Orin Optiglot, used under a creative commons attribution licence.

Labels: Blooms, Dobbies, garden news, tesco takeover, Wyvale

The All Seasons Gardener at 9:41 AM

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