Tesco to buy Dobbies!!!!

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'd never even heard of Dobbies till this post came along...

Second biggest garden centre chain (21 stores) with only Wyvale being bigger. Our nearest one is in Hartshill, right next door to Nick the Grief.

[pigletwillie]

I bet the retaurants start selling Tesco gear in them in the very near future. A clever move on their part as they get an avenue from which to flog stuff they have no room for in store.

[nick the grief]

I think they think it will improve their green image if they sell plants trouble is Dobies a bloody expensive and sell anything but decent plants ( well our one is like that) if you want a towel of a telescope fine

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=902192007
http://www.dobbies.com/atherstone.aspx

[jacob marley]

Well good news for all of you nice people that do not like tesco's in our local paper tonight Sir Tom Hunter who owns Wyevale is talking with potential patners in to making a counter bid for dobbies will this be good for the gardening public you all complain about Tesco's and the like getting to big but if this go's through he will have a monopoly and i thought that tescos was going to turn some garden centre's into tesco stores what shake up that would cause jacob

[WiZeR]

I also noticed today that Tesco are investing heavily into Brogdale. It's good that they have got funding, but Tesco are evil aren't they?

[nick the grief]

Tesco have "sponsered" Brogdale for some time now Wizer. Bit ironic really that the supermarkets edict for standard shape tough fruit nearly killed off most of the vareties that they now help maintain!

[BayViewPlot]

Niomi Klein's book 'No Logo' got me very scared of American big business practices.

It took me a few years to fall out with tescos however, after a disagreement over a bottle of wine. I can see my local tescos from my window and now have the motivation to travel to my local greengrocers and butchers. I absolutely LOVE them! The food is fantastic and the welcome is fabulous.

The best argument over a bottle of wine I ever had!

[SueA]

Thought Tescos already 'owned' one of the 'Dobbys' (Mrs D's O.H ?)
Don't suppose it will matter who takes Dobbies over, it will become part of a huge chain anyway. Wyevale bought out most of the smaller garden centres & now own Bridgemere Garden World which was always a family run business & it's getting harder to find anywhere with any 'individual plants' that isn't dominated by gifts, furniture & Christmas decorations!

[Dobby]

If they do take it over and have one round hear I'm putting in for a transfer to be the boss cheap seeds

[Headfry]

I bought my first seeds from them long ago!

How do you pronounce their name.... please

[Dobby]

just got toled about this today at work they are of the understanding that they have bought it sined seald and deliverd

[Littleweeme]

Never heard of dobbies! But I do like Tesco's...sorry