Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Wyevale Garden Centres (WGC) has agreed the sale of five of its largest garden centres to Dobbies Garden Centres.
The centres are Gloucester, Heighley Gate, Huntingdon, Woodbridge and Woodlands. The sale is expected to complete in late October with the centres reopening as Dobbies soon after.
The acquisition brings more than 400 team members to Dobbies and takes the garden centre retailer’s estate to 39 centres across the UK.
Roger Mclaughlan, chief executive of WGC, said: “We’re pleased to have agreed the sale of five of our largest centres to Dobbies, one of the UK’s biggest and most experienced garden centre operators. We would like to thank our great colleagues at these centres, who have been central to our turnaround in the past few years, and wish them well for the next stage of their growth and development under Dobbies’ ownership.”
Graeme Jenkins, chief executive officer of Dobbies Garden Centres, said: “The acquisition of these five centres is in line with our strategic growth plan for Dobbies. We look forward to welcoming our new team members and to working with them to develop the centres over the years to come.”
Anthony Jones, chief financial officer of WGC, said: “Since the launch of the sale process in May we have already sold 23 centres and are currently evaluating a wide range of competitive offers from group buyers, regional operators and local entrepreneurs. We look forward to further positive discussions with all potential buyers.”
