New manufacturing plant to help garden company grow in Blackburn

A Lancashire manufacturer and supplier of garden products is set to create 10 jobs with grant support from Regenerate Pennine Lancashire.

G Plants Ltd manufacture and pack seeds and flower bulbs, produce growing kits and import garden ornaments for retail chains such as Morrisons and Aldi. They spotted an opportunity to grow and create additional jobs in Lancashire by investing in new packing machinery instead of sub-contracting to a supplier in Holland. To accommodate this growth, G Plants recognised they needed to move to a larger £600k facility in Blackburn.

G Plants contacted Regenerate, which was able to provide them with a £110k grant to contribute towards the machinery and the cost of the move. The grant was supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

As a result the company will take on 10 new jobs, bringing the staff level up to 18 and will be able to develop new product ranges.

Alex Reihl, Managing Director at G Plants, said: “The growth will give us the capability to become more competitive and respond quickly to new orders. The grant from Regenerate was a great help, as we would not have been able to get to this point as quickly. We predict that the project will help us to increase turnover by 50% in the next 18 months.”

Steven Cochrane, Director at Regenerate, said: “The investment will help G Plants reshore 95% of their production to Lancashire from Holland, which means they can continue to supply to some of the UK’s big retailers and procure even more customers.”

Businesses can apply for funding to help them start and grow at www.regeneratepl.co.uk