British Garden Centres (BGC) has acquired two Dobbies Garden Centres in Gloucester and Reading. The retailer says this move makes it the UK’s largest garden centre operator by number of sites, taking its portfolio to 67 stores.
The two stores will join the BGC family following Dobbies’ Restructuring Plan and hope to open in mid to late February. The Reading store will take the name Shinfield Garden Centre to better reflect the area and local community.
The immediate priority is to work closely with the existing teams to restock and reopen the centres as soon as possible. BGC will be retaining all existing centre team members and looks forward to working with them to ensure the continued success of these sites in the local communities they serve. Extra roles at each centre will be posted on the British Garden Centres website https://www.britishgardencentres.com/careers/ and the Facebook and Instagram pages of each centre.
BGC founder and director Charles Stubbs said: “We are thrilled to announce the addition of two fantastic garden centres to the British Garden Centres family. This marks a significant milestone for the group, as the acquisition of these former Dobbies stores cements us as the largest garden centre group in the UK by stores. We have a clear vision for the growth of these centres, and are excited to integrate with the local communities while building on the strong foundations that are already in place.”
He added that further acquisitions of Dobbies sites by British Garden Centres are likely to follow.
