Bell Nursery Acquired by Central Garden & Pet
Yesterday it was announced that Bell Nursery Holdings LLC had been acquired by Central Garden & Pet Company, a leading producer and distributor of branded and private label products for the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets.
Central Garden & Pet Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has approximately 4,200 employees, primarily in North America. The company’s products are sold to specialty independent and mass retailers.
Bell Nursery is the largest commercial grower of flowers and plants in the mid-Atlantic region. The company is headquartered in Burtonsville, Maryland, and has facilities in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and Delaware. Gary Mangum is the CEO and president of the company.
Bell plants are available to the public at Home Depot stores in the following areas: Washington, D.C.; Maryland; Virginia; Delaware; Philadelphia; Raleigh/Durham, Greensboro and Winston Salem, North Carolina; and Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio.
The company has approximately 450 employees and an additional 900 seasonal employees.
“We are excited to add Bell Nursery’s live plant business to Central’s broad garden products portfolio,” said George Roeth, president and CEO of Central Garden & Pet.
“We view the live plant area as an attractive growth opportunity that is growing faster than the overall garden industry and is synergistic with our existing garden portfolio,” Roeth said.
He added, “In addition, Bell’s focus on quality and excellence in customer service are compatible with Central’s way of doing business. We look forward to working with the management team at Bell, who are remaining with the company, to grow the business profitably in the years ahead.”
Walmart Ramps Up Home Delivery Service
Walmart has announced plans to expand its online grocery delivery option to more than 40 percent of U.S. households by the end of the year. The service is currently available in six markets, and will grow to serve more than 100 metro areas across the country. Walmart Grocery allows customers to place their orders online at Walmart.com/grocery or on the existing Walmart Grocery App where they will find the same everyday low prices on items that they do in stores. Walmart employs more than 18,000 personal shoppers and will use crowd-sourced delivery services to fulfill customer orders.
The Home Depot Invests in Skilled Trades Training
The Home Depot Foundation has committed $50 million to train 20,000 tradespeople over the next 10 years to help fill the growing skilled labor gap in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 158,000 unfilled construction sector jobs. Last year, the Foundation launched a pilot trades training program for separating military members in partnership with nonprofit Home Builders Institute. The 12-week pre-apprenticeship program, which is provided at no cost to students, uses an industry-based curriculum recognized by the Department of Labor that integrates work-based learning with technical and academic skills.
Meijer to Add Small Format, Urban Stores
Michigan-based mass retailer Meijer plans to add six new small format stores in urban locations over the next three years. The company plans to open its first 40,000 square-foot store this summer on Grand Rapids’ West Side. Also this summer, Meijer will break ground on its second small format store in the Detroit area. It is scheduled to open next year. Four more stores are slated to open by 2021. The new neighborhood stores reportedly will not use the Meijer brand name; instead, their names will be reflective of their neighborhoods. Meijer currently has 235 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Kentucky.
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