Jackson and Perkins to be auctioned

13 years ago

I saw an article about Park Seeds that owns Jackson and Perkins. It said the Park Seeds, J&P, J&P Wholesale, are to be auctioned on August 23, 2010. With this auction, it said the future of J&P will be determined. Park Seeds purchased J&P in 2007. On July 22 South Carolina bankrupt courts allowed the companies to combine the companies making them one debtor. Their debts are 44.7 million and 8.3 million in assests. When J&P was sold in 2007 from Harry and David Holdings(also known Bear Creek) it was sold for 21 million. They had the company for 41 years. J&P said that the companyÂs troubles began 2008 with the economic decline. Bankruptcy trustee Stanley Neely told the Multichannel Merchant, an online trade magazine, he has received multiple offers to buy the company.

One group, J&P Park Acquisitions, which likely includes current investors in George W. Park Seed Co., has submitted a bid of $7.09 million. Bids will be accepted until Aug. 18

I hope that they can turn this company around. It has such a long history of having the best roses and in the past had excellent reputation (which I think they lost in the past few years). I remember back in the late 1950s and 1960s my mother only bought J&P roses and how I loved to look at their catalogs.

It must be hard for all companies during these times. I live outside of Kansas City and we are losing a company, Folgers, that has been in business here since 1908. They are moving this company to another location to save money after they just celebrated their 100 year anniversary in KC. I hate to see all the closing of the rose companies since the roses are such a bright and joyful part of our lives. Here is hoping that one of the giants of roses can turn their company around.

Linda in Missouri

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Comments (7)

Maryl (Okla. Zone 7a)
13 years ago
This is too sad. Parks in particular has been my main source for seed since I began gardening in the 80's. I may not buy a rose every year, but I sure buy seed. Makes you wonder about the decision to buy J&P in 2007 if they could tank so quickly...Thanks for posting the update.
anntn6b
13 years ago
The potential loss of Park Seed is terrible.

Back story:
Folks owned a major realty company in Florida bought a plant facility up the road from Park Wayside and that facility was into cellular culture.
Then Park and Wayside (which had already combined) were bought by the same people.
Those people then bought the non-real estate part of J&P.

That's one of the reasons behind the notice that they were going to group all the companies.

We went to Seed Day at the end of June and folks who worked for Park Seed thought they were getting their part of the business turned around.

I hate that people are getting involved who have great money sense but who may never had had good dirt under their fingernails.
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I do not understand why a possible ethical problem at another nursery should result in not buying roses from Jackson and Perkins. I have a very positive view of Jackson and Perkins. They tried to clean up their virused stock; and when they determined that they could not, they admitted it. ""I have an acquaintance here in Southern California. She is of the mentality, "absence of light black and Resurrection White", no gray areas in anything. She was, for many years, a rabid exhibitor, to the point of having multiple florist freezers in her home to hold her blooms for shows. She had dozens of portable gazebos to move around her garden to protect the buds as they formed. She was determined to grow uninfected varieties only as symptoms would disqualify her entries. J&P had begun their VI program and reserved the VI plants for specific states as the laws in those states had changed, making it illegal to supply virused stock across their state lines. She badgered J&P for their VI stock, then had it tested. Surprise! The results were that the VI stock was infected with the specific viruses tested for. She loosed her wrath on J&P and the PhD who ran the VI program. They replaced the plants, which, in turn, tested positive. When she contacted J&P again, she was told the program had been dismantled and the woman PhD in charge, reassigned as they found, even when grown in "sealed greenhouses with no possibility of spread, the viruses spontaneously regenerated". ------------------." https://sites.google.com/site/heattreatedroses/
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Oh boy you are in luck I just got mine! :) this is pure perfume . And here it is potted up . I was very happy with it . I was not happy that Jackson and perkins put a double hold on my account. First when I ordered it in January. The charges dropped off which was fine. Then this week when it shipped , I was charged twice . Once for the subtotal without tax . Then once for the total with tax . I called bc I thought surely I had ordered a rose and forgotten ? No , it was a hold to make sure I had the funds before they shipped. I don’t like that bc I am a sahm with a little spending money , that could have bounced something else waiting the weekend plus two days for the charges to drop off . I know you didn’t ask that part , but I found that really annoying. all in all I would compare it to a one gallon you’d get from roses unlimited or a little smaller than heirloom
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roseman
13 years ago
Part of J&P's problem was their customer service department. Some of the rudest folks I have ever dealt with worked there, and if you don't have good customer service, your customer base goes down the tubes. They never seemed to catch on to that.
triciami5
13 years ago
You are right roseman, I had some problems with that too. For years they were the ONLY one I bought my roses from, all their roses advertised as two yr roses and they were nice and healthy. The last time I ordered though I could tell it was not a two yr rose. Called and complained but it didnt do any good, my last time to order fromtthem. Felt bad they went out of business though, but I can see why, if they treated everyone that way. Tricia
york_rose
13 years ago
They will always have a prominent place in the history of American gardening. They introduced many of the most popular floribundas and hybrid teas back when they were in good shape and a dominant force in American roses.
Maryl (Okla. Zone 7a)
13 years ago
Just to divide the companies as they were for many years before the acquisition of J&P, the customer service at Parks and Wayside was always excellent and 90% of their customers said as much. People complained mostly about the plants when they did, but I still have roses growing that I bought from Wayside long before the J&P buy up (Caruso anyone?)... Last year I had a devil of a time getting a catalog from J&P even though I'd ordered a rose. I finally had to call a supervisor at Parks to have them mail me a catalog. Now it may be a collectors item. The guy I spoke to was so hopeful that Parks Seed would survive and that they would all keep their jobs. I'm sure the employees are more concerned about that then whether we will get plants/seeds from them any longer. They always did well by me so now all I can say is fingers crossed and God bless them...Maryl
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
13 years ago
Most likely it had nothing to do with the plant business, and everything to do with the debt load--cash flow was cited as the major problem, with debt payments probably more than the company could handle. It appears they are trying their best to save J&P. Since it's a private company, the info available is limited.

I feel for the employees most of all--many ordinary people wondering if they are going to have a job or not in a few weeks.

Here is a link that might be useful: bloomberg summary on J&P bankruptcy.

Jackson and Perkins to be auctioned

Comments (7)

Maryl (Okla. Zone 7a)

anntn6b

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triciami5

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