The relationship is built on shared values, complementary strengths and a shared commitment to quality, service and customer relationships.
The acquisition comes to create opportunities and growth, which follows a long-standing relationship between the two businesses.
Harrowden has been a trusted supplier to George Davies Turf & Stone for many years.
Founded in 2001 by George Davies, the company has grown from a start-up business to supplying 1.4 million rolls of turf every year.
Davies will remain actively involved in the business as part of the senior leadership team as the companies join forces. He comments on the acquisition:
“After 25 years of building George Davies Turf & Stone, this was one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever had to make. When the opportunity arose, it quickly became clear that it was the right fit for the business, our customers and our team.
“Harrowden stood out because they share many of the same values and recognise the strength of the business our team has built together. They want to build on that success rather than fundamentally change it.”
Together, both companies will employ more than 130 people, operate over seven locations across the UK and have a combined turnover approaching £20m.
Chantall Ridd-Jones, director of Harrowden, also comments:
“What stood out to us during our conversations was how closely our values align, and we’re excited about what we can achieve together, while preserving the culture and standards that have made both businesses successful. This is about building on those strengths and creating new opportunities for our customers, employees and the wider business.”
Customers will continue to expect the same commitment to service, reliability and personal relationships.
Developers of large-scale strategic sites, Urban&Civic has completed the acquisition of family-run tree supplier, Todds Nursery Limited.
Based in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire Todds Nursery was founded in 2016 by Jon Todd, operating across 72 hectares holding over 22,000 trees.
The intention behind the acquisition is to bring tree cultivation in-house, in turn delivering cost savings and improve procurement timelines and enhance control over species and stock resilience to advance the company’s sustainability goals.
The nursery’s location within the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge corridor and Urban&Civic’s site heartland in London’s surrounding area will also reduce transportation distances and associated carbon emissions.
Nigel Hugill, chief executive of Urban&Civic says “the acquisition is a natural extension of our signature landscape-led master developer model and guarantees us direct and ongoing access to a vital resource – mature, climate-resilient trees.”
Jon Todd, chief executive of Todd Nursery also comments:
“Having supplied trees to Urban&Civic for a number of years, I am delighted that Todds is being acquired by a Master Developer that really appreciates the role of landscape in placemaking.”
Todds Nursery has worked on projects with Urban&Civic in the past, including its Waterbeach development in Cambridgeshire and the US Embassy building at Nine Elms, London.
Nationwide green services provider, Nurture Group has acquired Lancashire landscape maintenance company, Northern Estates Services Ltd (NESL).
The acquisition follows on from the Group’s £60m investment by All Seas Capital earlier this year, marking its ninth acquisition in the past twelve months and further operates as an important step to consolidating the Group’s national presence.
Peter Fane, Nurture Group founder and executive chairman, says: “NESL operates through four key service lines which have strong alignment with our own verticals: grounds maintenance services and extra works, representing some two-thirds of NESL’s revenue, winter maintenance & gritting, arboriculture services, and civil works comprising essentially hard landscaping and ad hoc works.
“This, together with a super client base which matches ours, and a shared vision for a more sustainable world and business, was always going to be the perfect match.”
Independent landscapers, NESL have sustainably operated primarily in the North of England, increasing annual sale figures to £4m in the past 15 years.
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 maintenance, and interior plants and floristry. It will also enhance the company’s offering in the North West.
Nicola Keach, Tivoli’s chief executive officer, says: “Greenfingers’ teams share the same passion as we do for self-delivering a high-quality service and building long term relationships with clients, and we look forward to welcoming great people to our team. There is a natural harmony between our work, our clients and our values, and we are very proud to welcome the employees and customers of Greenfingers to the Tivoli family.”
The transaction remains subject to satisfaction of certain conditions precedent customary in a transaction of this nature.
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 2022 and Mid-Cheshire Maintenance of Northwich in 2021.
Leigh Preston, managing director of UK Landscapes, says: “The acquisition of CNC will strengthen our footprint in and around the South West and integrate us into the local housing sector.”
The company received a significant investment from proactive specialist asset manager, Mercia in 2021, enabling its evolution into a national operator and a frontrunner in their sector.
The investment has seen an increased turnover of 30% a year, enabling the company to secure new contracts, including the maintenance of 60 sites for care home operator St John’s Care Trust and 500 sites for Progress Housing and Grand Union Housing.
Preston comments again, saying: “We believe there is a real opportunity to disrupt the landscaping sector and create a sustainable and reliable operator offering consistently high levels of service. Our aim is to become the leading partner in the ‘green services’ sector.”
