It looks very much like Sir Tom 'Crocodile Dundee' Hunter is in the mood for a fight after upping his already considerable holding in Dobbies in what informed observers believe is a strike to counter the £150million Tesco bid.
Hunter is now trailing Tesco by just 2% so it looks to be going to the wire.
What does all this mean to the consumer I wonder? If Tesco swallows the group it means another scalp for this corporate juggernaut but perhaps the same can be said for the not inconsiderable acquisitions of Sir Tom's investment vehicle West Coast Capital.
Will either companies monopoly be helpful to the man in the street and will it give cause to improve products and prices or will quality drop and prices soar?
Meanwhile it appears that the Horticulture Trades Association has welcomed the move by Tesco and in a statement say's that it provides evidence that there is potential for growth in the sector and that demographically the shift towards outside living is a tangible one.
The HTA did also add a caution that Tesco could be a driver in the way that garden centre trade is handled from here on in.
It looks to me as though we will now see a shift by the large multiples towards the garden as the next growth area. I am at a loss, with interest rates expected to grow why they have entered now and not waited a couple of years just to make sure that there isn't a downturn in consumer spending or wider recessionary influences.
Is it time to watch Sainsbury's etc now for a copycat deal?
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