24 May 2000

Focus Doing It ALL

Focus Do-It-All may step in on an hostile bid being launched by Wyevale Garden Centres for rivals Country Gardens according to a report in the Times today. Focus, which is also involved in a £328 million bid for Wickes, hinted it may be interested in Country Gardens. Nicholas Marshall, chief executive of Country Gardens instructed Hoare Govett, its brokers, to find alternative bidders. He said: "We are the last chance for a DIY firm to enter the garden centre business." According to the Times, Bill Grimsey, Wickes chief executive, has ridiculed Focus's move into non-DIY areas saying: "Focus is into that. It would give them more gardens to put their hamsters in."