Business
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Tivoli Group acquires Greenfingers Landscape
Tivoli Group Ltd has acquired Greenfingers Landscape Ltd as part of the company’s growth targets for this year and beyond. This marks the grounds maintenance provider’s second acquisition in two years following the purchase of Sodexo Horticultural Services in February of 2021. Based in the North West of England, Greenfingers was established in 1996 and has around 120 staff, bringing an annual turnover of over £4m to Tivoli’s existing £65m. It provides services for a variety of private and public landowners, including multiple housing associations. The acquisition will increase the scale of Tivoli’s service portfolio, grounds maintenance, landscaping, arboriculture, winter…
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Opportunity arises to buy North Yorkshire Garden Centre
CPH are delighted to bring to the market this highly successful freehold Garden Centre offer in excess of £575,000. The business has traded for 31 years by the same family and is run by the two owners + one full time member of staff and 4-6 part time seasonal staff. The business used to trade all year round but due to the owner’s intended retirement, it now trades March through to October. Clearly, any new incoming owner could choose increase the openings but according to the owners “it’s a pleasurable and relatively easy business to run with low overheads and…
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3 Essentials of Sustainable Site Design
This article was written by Carter Hartong, associate content marketing writer for Vectorworks. Read more from Hartong on the Vectorworks blog. Governments and lawmakers across the globe are increasingly introducing green initiatives to address the ever-growing importance of sustainable infrastructure. But not all change necessarily has to come from these higher institutions. Designers have the power to influence sustainable infrastructure as well. Consider Your Natural Surroundings As designers already know, before you begin any grading, planting, or hardscaping, you must first consider the project site’s existing conditions with an intent to make the least amount of adverse impacts possible. Aside…
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Nurture Group expands into east of England with its largest acquisition in five years
Following a £57m round investment by All Seas Capital, Nurture Landscapes Group, the nationwide green services provider, has completed the acquisition of Norfolk-based CGM Group in a deal that will considerably strengthen Nurture Group’s presence in the East of England. The acquisition – the eighth in the past twelve months alone – is the most significant since Windlesham-headquartered Nurture purchased Royal Warrant holder Gavin Jones Ltd in 2018, and allows the group to strengthen its footprint in East Anglia, while capitalising upon the local knowledge and deep customer relationships of CGM Group’s client teams. CGM Group was founded by husband-and-wife…
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Green-tech Specifier appoints new product specification manager
Seraya has worked in the water industry for the last seven years and has a wealth of experience and a thorough understanding of the importance of both blue and green infrastructure. Green-tech Specifier is the specification team of leading landscape supplier Green-tech that focuses on technical specification and creates landscape solutions for landscape architects, contractors, and garden designers, established The Green-tech Specifier team help at the specification, estimating and drawing stages of their projects. Business development director Mark Wood comments, “I am delighted that Seraya has joined the Green-tech Specifier team. Her primary role will be raising and developing the…
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London Stone opens new Hampshire showroom
One of the UK’s market leading suppliers of natural stone paving, London Stone has opened its seventh signature showroom in Hampshire. Situated in Eastleigh, Hampshire, the new 450m2 showroom boasts inspirational hard landscaping material displays, including natural stone, porcelain, clay pavers, composite decking and pergolas and planters. The showroom is located at Unit 3, Stanstead Road Trade Park, Goodwood Rd, Eastleigh SO50 4RZ. It is a stone’s throw away from the M3 and just 8 minutes from Junction 5 on the M27. Opening hours are Monday – Saturday, 8:30am – 17:00pm, excluding bank holidays. The facility is open to both…
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Apply To Join The Marshalls Register Installer Scheme And Enjoy The Rewards
At Marshalls we’re committed to working with installers to provide the support they need to help their businesses grow, as well as offering rewards and recognition for excellence in their work. Joining the Marshalls Register of accredited landscape contractors is as simple as it is rewarding. Introducing the Marshalls Register The Marshalls Register, established for over 20 years, is a national network of independent professional landscape installers, vetted annually by Marshalls. The Marshalls Register allows homeowners to find an approved installer who will complete their project to the highest standards. In total, more than 65,000 homeowners per year search the…
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Green-tech opens new depot in Ireland
Landscaping supplier Green-tech has announced the opening of a new depot in Derry, Ireland. Green-tech is one of the UK’s largest supplier of landscape products and consumables, delivering professional grade materials, wholesale garden supplies for contractors, architects, landowners and designers nationwide. Green-tech’s sales director Richard Gill comments: “I am thrilled to open up our first depot in Ireland. It’s a strategic move for Green-tech which will support our ambitious future growth plans.” The landscaping supplier is owned by Origin Enterprises PLC and will be working with their business partner Origin NI and operating out of their premises in Derry. Green-tech…
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UK Landscapes makes its third acquisition in two years
Grounds maintenance and arboricultural service provider UK Landscapes has acquired Wiltshire-based firm Cut N Clear (CNC) to further expand its presence in the South West. With more than 25 years’ experience in the landscaping sector, UK Landscapes provides services for several well-known clients including supermarket chains Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Asda. The deal will allow for the retirement of CNC’s owner Dave Gordon, who founded the business 20 years ago, and secure the jobs of all 12 staff. This marks the third acquisition in two years for UK Landscapes, and follows its purchase of Glasgow-based Euan Weir Landscaping in…
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“A valuable opportunity”: HTA joins government’s red diesel advisory group
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has grasped a “valuable opportunity” to become a signatory of the HMRC’s Memorandum of Agreement on rebated fuel. It follows the change in regulations governing the use of ‘red diesel’ in April 2022. “This establishes a formal route to engage on a policy change which has seen cost increases impacting HTA members and with key grey areas remaining,” read an HTA statement. Jennifer Pheasey, director of public affairs at the HTA, said, “This is a valuable opportunity and another step in increasing the role of horticulture in policy development. Becoming a signatory means that HTA…
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Hallstone relaunches as trade-only offering
Hallstone has been relaunched as a trade-only offering. The landscaping supplier, owned by Rolawn, said it is “taking steps to more effectively support the industry” by making products available only via stockists. “Having intentionally chosen to enhance its trade offering at a time when many in the industry are facing challenges, from supply chain issues to rising costs, Hallstone is confident it can help support its customers,” read a company statement. Ken Brewster, marketing director for the Rolawn Group, said, “Relaunching Hallstone is an important step for us in ensuring that we are moving in the right direction for our…
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UK Landscapes concludes Cut N Clear acquisition
UK Landscapes has completed its acquisition of woodland and arboricultural business Cut N Clear (CNC). The purchase, made possible by UK Landscapes’ investor Mercia, will “strengthen our footprint in and around the South West and integrate us into the local housing sector”, said managing director Leigh Preston. “With Mercia’s backing, we will continue our growth journey through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth whilst retaining our ‘family business’ ethos and continuing to directly employ 95% of our delivery team,” added Preston. “We believe there is a real opportunity to disrupt the landscaping sector and create a sustainable and reliable…
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LI “proud” as Landscape Character Assessment launches
The Landscape Character Assessment (LCA database for the UK and Ireland is now available. The database, developed by the Landscape Institute (LI) with the support of Natural England, NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and DAERA Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), includes over 500 LCAs from local to regional scale across the UK and Ireland. It is designed to offer “a single resource for the landscape profession”, providing “a starting point for the sector”. The database includes information such as the scale of assessment, publishing authority, author, format of data and date of last update and is organised into…
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fabrik becomes employee-owned trust as Rath confirms sale
fabrik Limited is now a 100% employee-owned trust. Founding director Johnny Rath confirmed the sale this week after 20 years at the helm. In a LinkedIn post, Rath stated, “fabrik is changing and evolving. Key to me from day one of setting up fabrik was the emphasis we placed on the people within the business. At the top of our core values is, and always has been, the principle that first and foremost, we respect and value the people who work for us. Those people are now the owners of fabrik.” He added that as part of the sale, an…
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idverde UK announces appointment of new CEO
idverde announced today that Doug Graham will step down as CEO of the UK company. He will be succeeded by Chris Pullen. Chris is an experienced leader who has worked in senior roles across the support services sector. Doug has led idverde through a strong growth phase. He joined the business in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer and has been CEO since 2017. Hervé Lancon, idverde President, said: “In Spring 2020 Doug Graham took a personal decision to stand down from his position of CEO at idverde UK. Doug led the business through a significant growth…
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Why a website is essential for your business
Pro Landscaper finds out why its essential that a business has a website. With the rise of the internet, the number of possibilities in terms of finding jobs and opening new businesses has expanded broadly. Not only that, but the internet made our lives much easier. We can now shop online, pay the bills, book flights and hotels, read the news, etc. We wanted to stick on the business side of the internet and focus on the importance of having a website for your business. With that thought in mind, we decided to name a few reasons as to why…
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DLA restructures to set clear path for succession
DLA Architecture has completed a restructure of the business with a re-brand and succession plan. The practice has evolved its brand from DLA Design to DLA Architecture, giving more clarity on its offering to commercial and public sector clients. It has also identified key people within the business to carry forward the succession strategy for the future DLA Architecture has been established for more than 40 years with offices in Leeds, Manchester and London. The award-winning practice employs over 75 architects, landscape architects, architectural technologists and graphic designers. During the last 12 months the DLA leadership team – comprising Mark…
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Trades’ Coach reached finals of UK’s Best Business Women
The Trades’ Coach, Alison Warner, has reached the finals of the UK’s Best Business Women awards for her work supporting trade and construction businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A former troubleshooter for global brands such as Starbucks, Alison founded Evolve and Grow coaching company in 2010, and has since transformed the fortunes of businesses across the UK dramatically increasing turnover. Alison is one of just two business coaches to make it to the finals, beating thousands of entries from across the UK. The awards, which celebrate female entreprenership, are considered one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for business women…
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How could coronavirus impact the commercial sector?
Phil Jones of ESL Landscape Contractors discusses the impact coronavirus could have on the commercial landscaping industry and how his company remains robust despite COVID-19 The current situation is worrying for all business owners and employees in the landscape industry. First and foremost, the responsibility we all feel for the health of our staff and their families is a burden above anything else in order of priority. It doesn’t help that some decisions are being left to landscape contractors to make for themselves, with some customers closing sites and others choosing not to. At the end of the day, however,…
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What help is available during the coronavirus crisis?
During these unprecedented times, it’s important that we come together as an industry to support one another. It’s often difficult to know where to turn, though, and what help is even on offer. Together with industry associations and charities, we have put together a list of useful resources to help get you through the coronavirus crisis. The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) Through the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), the APL is offering help in a number of ways. Members have access to financial support information, HR support for businesses, information on business grants available, member to member advice, and so…
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How do you respond when a coronavirus crisis hits?
Business coach for the Trades and Construction industry, Alison Warner, gives her expert advice. In recent weeks we have all been thrown into an unprecedented situation, one that we have never seen before in our lifetimes. For landscape gardeners, I would imagine that this couldn’t have happened at a worst time, just as you come into your busiest months. So how do you respond? Well, at times of huge challenge such as this, it is all about how you adapt, and the speed at which you do so. Here are the key things to think about: Plan for the worst,…
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Maternity leave – knowing your rights
Pregnancy in the workplace and maternity leave can be a difficult thing to get right, especially in our industry where so much of the work can be manual. But it is important that both the employer and employee do it get it right. When you are pregnant, you have four main legal rights that an employer must abide by: Paid time off for antenatal care This must be at your normal rate of pay and can include antenatal and parenting classes if they have been recommended by a doctor or midwife. Maternity leave Statutory maternity leave is 52 weeks made…
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National Living Wage set to increase from April 2020
Low-paid workers will receive a 6.2% pay rise with a new National Living Wage (NLW) of £8.72 per hour. The new rate starts on 1 April 2020 and results in an increase of £930 over the year for a full-time worker on the National Living Wage. Younger workers who receive the National Minimum Wage( NMW) will also see their pay boosted with increases of between 4.6% and 6.5%, dependant on their age. Commenting on this the chancellor of the exchequer, Sajid Javid, said: ” This latest rise will mean that since we introduced the National Living Wage in 2016, the…
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BALI launches Digital Marketing Masterclasses
BALI and Adtak have teamed up to launch a one-day digital marketing workshop for landscape industry professionals. It will provide the latest tools and tips on ways to stay ahead of the competition online. Join BALI’s marketing team, qualified digital marketing consultant Andrew Lloyd Gordon and digital marketing agency Adtrak for a six-hour workshop at BALI Registered Affiliate Majestic Trees in St Albans and Talasey Group in Doncaster. Exclusive to BALI members, this brand new BALI workshop has been designed to offer delegates who have an intermediate knowledge of digital marketing a chance to learn new skills and discover innovative ways to…
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