Once a darling of the upscale good life, high-end garden retailer Smith & Hawken will go out of business by the end of the year. Liquidation is already underway at the company's 56 stores nationwide.
Smith and Hawken was founded 30 years ago in Mill Valley, California as a garden tool importer. It was purchased in 2004 by Scotts Miracle-Gro, but now it's closing its doors.
"With the economy and the markets the way they are, this is just something we needed to do for the overall business," said Scotts Miracle-Gro spokesman Su Lok from company headquarters in Ohio. Over 700 employees will lose their jobs, along with 130 associates and 70 employees at the corporate offices. Everything in the store has already been marked down by 20%, with discounts getting deeper as the December closing date approaches.
But what I want to know is: does this also mean an end to Smith & Hawken’s budget line for Target? Introduced in 2006, the line of patio furniture, garden accessories and home décor seems to have done well at Target, but whether it will continue now that the main brand is folding remains to be seen. I’m really hoping that Target continues it - perhaps in a similar move as they did with Nick & Nora sleepwear - in buying rights to the brand name once that company folded.
1 comment:
I hope they do. I have some lovely things from the Target/Smith&Hawken line and would definitely buy more!
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