Alan Titchmarsh’s B&Q contract comes to an end

After three years with Britain's biggest DIY and garden centre, horticulture celebrity Alan Titchmarsh is no longer working for the chain.

Titchmarsh had a three-year multi-million contract with B&Q but that has not been renewed for 2013.

A B&Q representative said of the ‘celebrity ambassador’: "He’s still very much an ambassador and a friend of B&Q. It still feels like Alan is with us.

"He was a big internal ambassador in terms of engaging staff too. The passion he gave to our stores and managers is still very much there. He’ll always be a friend of B&Q and he improved plants standards and quality.

"His motto that you’re only as good as your worst plant is still with us."

Titchmarsh attracted controversy when he signed his multi-million contract in January 2010 because of his role as a BBC presenter.

However B&Q said that because Titchmarsh was a brand ambassador rather than endorsing company products, rules about BBC presenters not promoting products to do with their specialisms did not apply.

Source : Matthew Appleby – Horticulture Week
www.hortweek.com