Smith & Hawken to Shut Down

Smith & Hawken to Shut Down
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Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. said it would shut down its 56-store Smith & Hawken chain by the end of the year.

Storewide sales for the Novato-based Smith & Hawken chain will begin Thursday and will be managed by an outside firm. Orders on Smith & Hawken’s web site, catalog and call center have been discontinued. Smith & Hawken has only one location in the Sacramento area, in Roseville.

Jim Hagedorn, CEO of the Marysville, Ohio-based Scotts, said in a statement that “the combination of a weak economy and the lack of scale proved too great to overcome.” For a year, Scotts had been exploring options for the high-end garden brand it bought in 2004 for $68.5 million but decided closing the business was the “best option available,” Hagedorn said.

The company in its last annual report said the chain has consistently underperfomed since it was acquired. Scotts’ “corporate and other” segment, which consists of Smith & Hawken and administrative expenses, posted a 23 percent decline in sales at $51.2 million for the six months ended March 29.

Smith & Hawken to Shut Down