Wyevale Garden Centres' Demise
Posted on:Very often, when you read about a company closing down, you feel sad that something special has been lost for ever. In the case of Wyevale Garden Centres I think the opposite is really the case as they did the Garden Industry no favours.
Known for late payments to suppliers, not to mention driving hard bargains, Wyevale has reportedly never made a profit, although it continued to gobble up smaller garden centres to bring their total portfolio to more than 130 centres around England. Their arrogance was truly amazing in the way they approached new prospective suppliers and so, in my opinion, they lost out from some truly innovative products over the years. Their products for sale were over-priced and their garden centre layout was staid and unimaginative.
Thankfully the investors presumably became tired of throwing good money after bad and so Wyvale have now sold the majority of their centres either individually or to smaller groups with a more progressive outlook. The others will follow suit as buyers complete their purchases and Wyevale will, presumably, disappear from the garden centre scene. That means that we, and I am sure many other smaller suppliers, are getting back business from those old customers that were bought up by Wyevale in their mindless striving to be top dog. Now they have only 32 garden centres to dispose of according to Garden Trade News.
Adieu Wyevale, it was nice knowing you in the old days! Shame you lost your way.
