PlantWorks leading the UK in sustainable soil treatments
Sittingbourne: Monday, 23rd January 2012 PlantWorks Ltd, based on the Kent Science Park, are starting 2012 with a bang by launching their new Empathy brand with their first delivery to B&Q. As the UK's only producer of Mycorrhizal Fungi, a proven biological and sustainable soil treatment, PlantWorks anticipate that the Empathy brand will give gardeners a realistic alternative to existing chemical treatments.Endorsed in the UK by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the new brand highlights the ongoing success that PlantWorks have had in this field. Their RHS Supreme Green lawn seed range has been selected as the only third-party product to be sold alongside the B&Q in-house range, meaning it will now be available in B&Q's 321 stores throughout the UK. On top of this, the PlantWorks RHS Rootgrow Mycorrhizal Fungi range has already changed the landscape of gardening culture in the UK. These fungi colonise plant and tree roots, extending the root system into the soil and extracting nutrients and water from a larger base of soil for the plant or tree. This also results in the plant roots linking with the roots of adjacent plants, leading to more efficient sharing of nutrients in the garden. The RHS Rootgrow Mycorrhizal Fungi range is now available in over 1,000 outlets in the UK. Robert Pattern, Managing Director of PlantWorks, said: 'In 2011 PlantWorks successfully explored new gardening markets with a range of new products that were very well received by retailers. 2012 sees the launch of our Empathy brand that will unify our existing products which are already well established in garden centres across the country. We have been able to make good use of a number of facilities on Kent Science Park left by Shell; including green-housing, laboratories, production space and offices. PlantWorks continues to expand its operation on site, encompassing manufacture, marketing, packaging and logistics offering us scalability to support our planned growth in the coming years.' James Speck, Site Director at Kent Science Park added: 'Like many companies on the park, PlantWorks have had a tremendous 2011 despite the tough economic climate and are now looking to leverage this success throughout 2012. One of the things that makes PlantWorks unique is that they control all elements of their production and distribution chain. I am fully expecting them to flourish over the next year, and we will continue to support their growth in any way that we can.' Pictured: The first PlantWorks delivery to B&Q being prepared for shipment. |