As I write this, the battle for Dobbies is only just starting, heralding huge changes for the garden industry.

The agreed takeover bid from Tesco confirms many of the strategies that have come out of HTA over the last two to three years.

HTA’s Competing for Growth programme, launched at the Annual Conference in October 2005, aimed to give independent garden retailers the tools to compete more effectively for their share of the garden leisure pound.

HTA believes that Tesco’s bid for Dobbies will only be the start as other High Street multiples seek to enter the garden retail market in order to maintain their competitive position against Tesco.

These changes will put more and more pressure on the independent garden retailers who are left, as well as putting even greater pressure on suppliers of plants, manufactured products and those who wholesale them.

Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, has unwittingly picked up on another HTA strategy in making his bid for Dobbies.

In Tesco’s statement, he is quoted as follows: “The increasing popularity of gardening, and in particular the trend towards environmentally friendly products, makes this an attractive sector for Tesco to invest in.”

In addition to the Environment Management Systems programmes and other environmental initiatives, HTA’s Annual Conference in the north west of England focuses on the benefits of green, both in attracting customers and cutting costs. The ‘Green light for the Garden Industry’ conference will be the first carbon neutral conference in the garden industry and will give an unprecedented opportunity to share thinking and experience with other delegates, to gain a new insight into how green issues can drive sales while using best practice to drive efficiencies and cost savings across your businesses.