Scotts LawnService Buys Big - Again

MARYSVILLE, Ohio – There’s no question what company is making all the news in the lawn care industry these days – Scotts LawnService jumped into the headlines again with the Aug. 13 acquisition of the lawn care services of Centex HomeTeam Services. Scott’s acquisition of the approximately $20-million lawn care firm represents its third major deal this year, following the purchases of J.C. Ehrlich’s lawn care business, Reading, Pa., as well as The Lawn Co., Cape Cod, Mass.

These deals have pushed Scotts LawnService’s revenues to nearly $95 million for the year, representing growth of roughly 90 percent in 2002.

“This is a major step in our plans to continue growing this important part of our business,” said James Hagedorn, president and chief executive officer for Scotts. “This acquisition demonstrates our commitment to this business and propels our expansion into 10 more of the country’s top 100 lawn service markets.”

In particular, this deal gives Scotts a strong position in Florida, where it previously lacked even one office. Now, Scotts LawnServices operates in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Orlando, Ocala, Melbourne, Tampa and St. Petersburg. In addition, Scotts bolstered its Texas presence by picking up locations in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. The bulk of the remaining business is located in the Atlanta, Ga., area.

Centex built up its presence in the industry via a number of acquisitions in the last few years, but the company ultimately decided that it couldn’t benefit from the same strategic advantage of providing lawn care to the new home market as it enjoys with its structural pest control service.

The author is Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at bwest@lawnandlandscape.com.