Thetford Garden Centre has announced the completion of a significant development project, originally set to begin in 2020, now successfully finished on schedule.
Phase one, completed just before Christmas, included a side extension to the building, creating new offices, a modern meeting room, staff toilets, and a high-quality staff room featuring a patio area. This expansion also allowed for an increase in shop-floor space, enabling the Centre to offer a broader selection of garden tools, gloves, and footwear.
With phase one complete, phase two commenced in early January. This phase involved expanding the customer restroom facilities by repurposing the old offices and adding another extension to create a larger storage area for the restaurant, Lime Kiln Kitchen, as well as a brand-new bakery and development kitchen. The Food Department has also seen substantial growth, introducing dozens of exciting new product ranges with a focus on local suppliers and fellow B-Corps, including increased ranges of chiller and frozen produce.
Lucy Nixon, Managing Director, commented on the developments: “Each phase of this project has been essential and long overdue. We initially planned to start construction in 2020, but the global pandemic delayed our timeline. It has taken several years for the business to recover, and we are thrilled to finally invest in these much-needed improvements.”
“Our previous staff room was inadequate, and we are pleased to now offer a space that everyone values and utilizes, fostering increased social interactions among our teams. Additionally, our customer toilets have been upgraded to a high standard, perfectly complementing Lime Kiln Kitchen. We dedicated considerable time to designing the décor, and we hope our customers will love it—many still ask about the wallpaper from the restaurant that opened in 2017!”
With the introduction of the new bakery, Lime Kiln Kitchen will now produce all its cakes, traybakes, and desserts in-house, with plans to offer pre-ordered celebration cakes and catering services in the future. Lucy added, “We have always strived to make as much as possible in-house, but our previous kitchen size limited our production capabilities. While we sourced high-quality cakes, nothing compares to homemade. Now, we can create exceptional cakes in generous portions that we believe our customers will truly enjoy.”
To celebrate the completion of these developments, Thetford Garden Centre will host a ‘Celebration of Food’ on Friday 28th March, 5pm – 8pm, featuring a variety of food and drink suppliers offering tastings, along with an ‘Unlimited Cake Club’ in Lime Kiln Kitchen.
See gallery of pictures below...
