Restructuring completed at Forest Garden

The UK’s leading garden timber manufacturer, Forest Garden, has confirmed that it has completed its three-year programme of operational restructuring and is looking forward to a strong 2010 based on healthy financial and operational foundations.The company, which underwent a management buy-out from 3i in 2006, has progressively streamlined its previously fragmented structure and now operates the UK’s largest garden timber products assembly and distribution facility complemented by two dedicated fencing sawmills. Confirming its continued confidence in Forest Garden’s long-term progress The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which has supported Forest Garden throughout, has renewed and enhanced its financing support for the Group going forward.Guy Grainger, managing director of Forest Garden confirmed: “We are at the stage where the major restructuring programme and associated disruptions are well behind us, and we can now focus exclusively on delivering the innovative ranges and services that continue to deliver profitability for our customers. Continual improvement remains our watchword, but I’m pleased to say Forest Garden has successfully concluded an essential period of change. In 2006 the buy-out team inherited seven, disparate manufacturing operations across the UK providing excess capacity and many logistical challenges. We satisfy an annual demand of over 1.5million fence panels and 120,000 garden buildings to name but two ranges, so it’s been critical to get Forest Garden’s business model absolutely right. Today we are rightly proud to have both retained and refined our UK manufacturing heritage in the form of a simplified, vertical, and highly efficient operation on which to build a market leading service.”The effect of initial infrastructure changes was swift; in 2007 Forest Garden was nominated by RBS for the ‘Private Turnaround of the Year’ award for its improved financial performance. Since then progress has continued with the consolidation of Forest Garden’s financial turnaround, despite the recent tough economic climate – as evidenced in the financial outturn for 2009 which will show a trading profit of over £1m.Guy added: “Our management team is excited looking forward. We have both confidence and enthusiasm, on the basis that we are single-minded in our focus on improving the service and products we offer to our customers. These include:• The market’s strongest distribution solution – Our customers do not need to order inconvenient half or full loads, only what they need backed up by one of the markets most frequent delivery cycles,• Our growing Home Delivery offer – giving even greater sales potential whilst taking further pressure off the retailer,• Increasing market representation – we continue to expand our UK sales force and merchandising teams to further improve our customer service and optimise in-store product presentations,• Enhancing market support – through the creation of our new and dedicated after- sales function,• Forest Connect - the revolutionary web based retailer ordering system, and• Newly launched “Grow Your Own” ranges - representing our ongoing ambition of leading the market in terms of matching today’s market trends with mainstream, value for money new products.”Forest Garden’s 2010 portfolio includes more than 530 quality timber product lines including garden buildings, sheds, fence panels, pergolas and arbours, grow-your-own ranges, planting ideas and decorative landscaping – 75% of which are manufactured by Forest Garden in the UK.To enquire about Forest Garden’s 2010 ranges and services, please call 0844 248 9801 or go to www.forestgarden.co.ukEndsWord count: 550Images attached:Aerial shot of one of Forest Garden’s two centralised distribution hubs based in Hartlebury, WorcsFor more information, interview or images please contact:Michelle Whitefoot or Kimberley Hornby, Forest PR Team, Whitefoot-Forward PRTel: 01299 250588 Fax: 0870 751 9295312 Oak Drive, Hartlebury Trading Estate, Hartlebury, Worcestershire, DY10 4JB

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