Green fingers of
GROWTH
Smart Garden Products is flourishing as it celebrates 20 years of success
Jonathan Stobart , Founder and Managing Director , has taken an unorthodox route into the retail and gardening industry . After graduating in psychology in the 1980s , his first job was as a manager for the largest theater company in London ’ s West End . After subsequent stints working in the city and publishing , he then found himself working for a company that manufactured solar panels and solar-powered consumer goods . It was this position that gave him a grounding in manufacturing , sales , and product sourcing , which he used to good effect when he later established Smart Solar in 2003 .
“ Although I am really a sales guy , my previous role as a general manager gave me fantastic experience on both the supply and selling side of business , which proved invaluable when I started out on my own ,” he opens . “ Another beneficial byproduct , was the base of relationships that I formed , with retail customers , as well as suppliers in Asia . When four of us started out in a little room all those years ago with first year sales of £ 2.5 million , we never expected that we ’ d be turning over £ 100 million less than 20 years later .
“ Our 20-year history can be clearly divided into two equal halves . During the first decade we were a solar specialist , dealing with solar- powered lighting and water features , which was primarily focused on major retailers in the UK , EU , and USA . In 2011 , we started looking at non-solar products to broaden our portfolio . This piqued the interest of Paris Natar , a hugely successful entrepreneur in the gardening industry , who had built up a multiproducts gardening business called Gardman . He sold this enterprise in 2007 , and , not content with retiring , was keen to get back into the industry . Paris bought a controlling stake in Smart Solar in 2013 , which was then renamed Smart Garden Products ( SGP ).
“ He ended up buying into the company with two clear objectives ,” Jonathan continues . “ Firstly , to adopt a far more aggressive growth
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