On the same day as England played at Twickenham against Tonga, and CEO Graham Jenkins visited his newest Little Dobbies store, GTN Xtra braved the crowds and the horrendous traffic to see what Dobbies were bringing to a bustling South West London high street.

The timing of the opening of the newest Little Dobbies, in what was previously a Top Shop and Top Man store, has meant they have been able to lead of Christmas in the shop windows to draw crowds into a shop stacked with quality houseplants at the fore and a typical Dobbies Christmas offering as the backdrop.

The premise was certainly working on Saturday afternoon with a steady flow of people entering the store, browsing and buying plants, Christmas and pet treats (as with Dobbies garden centres the store is dog friendly, even on the high street.)

Compared with the other two London Little Dobbies, at Westbourne Grove and Chiswick, this store is huge and even has a small stock area at the rear.

The team is made up of managers from Dobbies garden centres in the south east and new young retailers all of whom have great confidence to answer customer questions about houseplant care.

From the customer reaction it's no surprise to learn that Dobbies are investigating up to 50 more sites across the country to bring the Little Dobbies experience to more city centre high streets.