Leading garden brand The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and wholesaler Solus Garden & Leisure have revealed plans that would see the businesses join forces in the UK.
Details of the deal are still unclear but Solus CEO Mark Pearson and Scotts vice president and general manager Martin Breddy are currently in negations to bring the two companies together this year.

The two businesses have enjoyed a close partnership over the past 25 years, out of which has seen Scotts grow to become a leader in the UK lawn and garden market and Solus become a leading supplier of garden, leisure and home decor products with sales of £96.1m in 2011.

Mr Pearson said: "The partnership that Solus has enjoyed with Scotts is now ready to take the next step forward - the two businesses would be much stronger together. We are passionate about driving the sales of all our brand partners' ranges as well as our own Solus brands. This, together with distribution excellence and the support that we can give each other, is what the market needs."

Mr Breddy added: "Scotts and Solus have looked at possible combinations for a number of years. We are delighted to finally work on this opportunity to bring the two businesses closer together. Such a union would create a fantastic opportunity to combine Scotts' innovation, advertising and marketing with Solus' service levels and complementary core gardening products, and we are excited to join forces to support the industry in its mission to drive a resurgence in UK gardening in 2014 and beyond."

The two companies have entered the due diligence stage, with the process expected to complete within six weeks.

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