TURF grower Rolawn of York has struck a deal to provide turf at 93 Wyevale garden centres throughout England and Wales.

As preferred supplier, Rolawn's deal, involving its Medallion turf, potentially could be worth several hundreds of thousands pounds over the next year. It means that the Wyevale chain will be Rolawn's largest single customer supplied from its 3,000 acres of turf in the Vale of York, primarily at Elvington.

Andrew Langford, Rolawn's marketing manager, said: "We were already supplying a group called Country Gardens whose 38 centres were bought out by Wyevale, making it the largest garden centre group in the UK.

"This will be our fourth successive year trading with garden centres, only now the extent of it has virtually doubled.

"It has all happened as our activities in other areas like supplying golf courses, landscapers and major housebuilders is going from strength to strength, particularly while the housing market remains buoyant."

Medallion turf was ideal, he said, because it can be harvested all year round, is a lush green and is very hard wearing - "just the sort of turf householders want in their gardens."

Rolawn employs about 100 people. The Wyevale deal will not increase numbers "but it will have a positive effect on hauliers who will have to cater for a geographically-wide network of deliveries," said Mr Langford.

Updated: 08:56 Tuesday, March 05, 2002