Poor summer not enough to wither garden centre performance
Blooms of Bressingham delivered a strong first-half showing, despite inclement weather.

Pre-tax profits spiked from£206,000 to£1.2 million at the AIM-listed garden centre chain, helped by an exceptional profit of£330,000 from the sale of New Plant Marketing.

Turnover slipped from£11.5 million to£9.8 million, as a result of small store disposals last year. Like-for-like sales were flat.

Blooms intends to drive supply chain efficiencies by getting closer to sources in the Far East, Holland and Italy.

Chairman Charles Good described a 'challenging trading environment', but expects a sales fillip over the next three months, helped by bolstered Christmas ranges.