Westland has reported that the acquisition of Gardman, taking it from administration, is developing well and that real progress is being made.
Westland operations director Peter Madden, sales director John Mcdowell and Crest managing director Nick Davies are working tirelessly to bring the Gardman business within the Westland structure and ways of working, and have issued a statement to update on the progress over this period.
“Acquiring Gardman from administration has been a complex and challenging process, but what is clear is that the loyalty and support the customer is showing Gardman is beyond all expectations,” the statement noted. “Within just a few short weeks order volume is returning and is now close to that of last year’s levels, highlighting the industry support for Gardman and the relevance of the product offer.
“Gardman has a strong product range with exceptional positioning and quality, which is sector leading in many areas. The opportunity across all categories is significant in each and every area, from lighting, garden decoration to bird food. We can already see that the products have far exceeded our expectations and have a strong fit into the Westland ethos. There is an exciting future ahead for all our categories.”
The statement continued: “For the past few years, retailers and customers have not been able to maximise the Gardman portfolio to its full potential. It is our job now to turn this around and make every brand from Cole & Bright, Grow-it, Gardman bird through to Eden Bloom a success for all retailers and consumers.
“We have already made significant progress in key areas – stock availability is getting stronger by the day and we are in a strong financial position to secure stock when required. This initial progress and the support from our suppliers will deliver over 95% availability for the coming season.
“We feel very confident that our customers’ day-to-day requirements are ready to be serviced by the existing Gardman sales team. We have spent a significant amount of time with the team and a strong emphasis is now placed on pre-season and delivering the 2019 plan. The team is very well equipped to fully support retailers and all the inaccurate gossip in the trade around Gardman can now be put to bed!
“We are also pleased to announce our ongoing support of the Royal British Legion Poppy appeal. It is a fantastic initiative and we, as an industry, should maximise the opportunity to support such a worthwhile cause.
“We have an outstanding and dedicated Gardman team and we are fully focused on delivering the best possible for 2019 season.”
