Wyevale wilts with a triple whammy

THE Jubilee celebrations and the World Cup turned gardeners into couch potatoes in June, costing Britain's biggest garden centres chain, Wyevale, £5m in sales. Bad weather last month also contributed to the woe with sales of garden plants, furniture and barbecues down compared with the May bank holiday period last year.

In a trading update today, chairman Brian Evans said Wyevale had started the year well thanks to a warm spring. Sales were boosted by 23.9% in the 17 weeks to 28 April when conditions for gardening were excellent. But May and June had caused setbacks so that like-for-like sales in the 26 weeks to the end of June were ahead by just 1.7%.

Evans said operating profit before tax and amortisation of goodwill for the six months to June would be 'not less than £16.5m, up 17.2% on the corresponding period last year'.

Higher gross margins and synergies from the acquisition of Country Garden centres in 2000 helped. Wyevale shares fell 22 1/2p to 442 1/2p.