British Garden Centres has acquired Dobbies Garden Centres in Gloucester and Reading, making it the UK’s largest garden centre operator by number of sites. This strategic move marks a significant milestone for the business. It further solidifies its position as the UK’s largest family-run garden centre group, taking the portfolio to 67 stores.
The two stores will join the British Garden Centres family following the Dobbies Restructuring Plan (RP) with plans 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.
Charles Stubbs, founder and director of British Garden Centres 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.”
The immediate priority is to work closely with the existing teams to restock and reopen the centres as soon as possible. British Garden Centres will be retaining all existing centre team members and look 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 www.britishgardencentres.com/careers and the Facebook and Instagram pages of each centre.
Further acquisitions of Dobbies sites by British Garden Centres are likely to follow.
British Garden Centres (BGC) is the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group with 67 centres around the country. The group is owned and led by The Stubbs family, who also own and operate Woodthorpe Leisure Park in Lincolnshire.
BGC was launched in 1987 with the opening of Woodthorpe Garden Centre by brothers Charles and Robert Stubbs. Since 2018 it has expanded rapidly with the acquisition of 50 garden centres allowing it to grow from its heartland to the business it is now with 67 garden centres spread from Carmarthen to Ramsgate, Wimborne to East Durham.
Top: British Garden Centre’s Charles and Amy Stubbs.
