BUZZ: July 2008

More than 2.5 million tires will be recycled by Wal-Mart in 2008 to manufacture garden mulch. Majestic brand rubber mulch mini nuggets hit store shelves earlier this spring, joining the mass merchant’s other eco-friendly offerings.

A special preview of research investigating Generation X and Y consumers will be presented at the Independent Garden Center Show, Aug. 19-21 at Navy Pier in, Chicago. “Gen X and Gen Y: What IGCs Need to Know to Profit from the New Gardener” will address several key questions about this demographic.

The popularity of fruit trees is on the rise, according to an article in The New York Times. Dwarf and semi-dwarf trees are showing up in suburban backyards and urban patios. Suppliers around the country have seen significant increases in fruit tree sales, like the 12 percent to 15 percent annual sales growth reported by Dave Wilson Nursery in Hickman, Calif.

U.S. workers are a sleepy bunch, and they’re costing companies billions of dollars in lost productivity, USA Today reported. Nearly 3 in 10 workers have become very sleepy, or even fallen asleep, at work in the past month, according to a study on sleep and the workplace by the non-profit National Sleep Foundation.

A group of Texas Gulf Coast activists is urging garden retailers not to buy or use cypress mulch because of the harm the mulch’s harvesting causes to the environment “We’re talking to our retailers, nurserymen and area builders, asking them not to use it,” Vivian Todd, incoming president of Magnolia Garden Club in Beaumont, Texas, said. “We’re trying to educate as many people as possible.”

Dobbies purchased Sandyholm Garden Centre, a leading Scotland retailer, for 8 million pounds. The purchase was announced around the same time the company reported it is raising 150 million pounds to pay off debt and fund expansion plans. In other news, Dobbies, which is owned by Tesco, reported a 21-percent increase in sales, yet a dip in pre-tax profit.

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July 2008