Notcutts suffer the credit crunch

Notcutts is one of the most established names in British horticulture and landscaping, but now they are no more after shutting their design service. Landscaping has already gone.

Jason Lock, puts on a brave face but one senses a huge disappointment. Hort Week quotes Lock: “I was made redundant so set up the new business Oxford was struggling to reach budget but might have done given 18 months, likewise Solihull. I don’t think Notcutts gave them enough time. It was partly due to the pressures of the credit crunch.

"At this week’s APL meeting a lot of contractors were saying £10,000-£15,000 projects were starting to dry up.

"But the upper end is still buoyant. Middle England people extended their mortgages to pay for gardens in the past but can’t get credit now. We’re aiming for the top-end £30,000-plus market.”

I don't want to keep ramming this down your throats or take on a 'told you so' air but the APL news comes as absolutely no surprise to me.

Their [APL] total lack of public statements told me a long time ago that the APL was not up with the times yet it apparently takes a public meeting for the landscaping members to tell the APL that the bread and butter has gone.

Damage to the economy was done months ago. In fact one could even say that the tipping point was over two years ago.

There has been a shuffle at the top at the APL recently with Adam Frost taking over the Chairmanship and Mark Gregory remaining vice chairman.

I spoke to outgoing APL chairman James Steele-Sargent this morning about the state of the landscaping market and James acknowledged that there is a problem with the £10-£30,000 project in that orders were drying up. However, the top APL earning companies, who make up the APL committee, report buoyant trade.

Mark Gregory, the managing director of Landform Consultants made an unfortunate comment "Although the bottom of the market is suffering, we're above the cloudline. However, a lot of big projects have been put on hold."