Hard on the heels of completing the aquisition of it's 140th garden centre, Terra Firma announced last night a new centralised retail operations structure for The Garden Centre Group with a senior leadership team of directors and managers with experience from other retailers including Marks & Spencer, Pret a Manger, EAT, Matalan, Asda Walmart, Budgens and Londis working alongside existing TGCG retail managers.

The announcement in full reads:

The Garden Centre Group announces centralised retail operations structure

1 April 2014 – The Garden Centre Group is pleased to announce its new centralised retail operations structure. Under the new structure, retail operations will be led by six Regional Operations Directors, each supported by Area Managers at the sub-regional level. Regional Operations Directors will report to Colin Hughes, Retail Operations Director for the Group.

The reorganisation streamlines the reporting structure within the Group, moving from twelve geographical groups to six peer groups of similar size and product range. In addition, to improve integration and operations across groups, the team includes a Head of Integration Operations and Central Operations Manager.

Colin Hughes, Retail Operations Director, said: “The new structure has been designed to improve communications across our current regions and centres, share learning and create synergies between similar centres and peer groups. This reorganisation will drive improved commercial performance, and ensure that appropriate levels of management resource are available in the right places and to support the right activities. I am pleased to have such a strong team of experienced retailers, horticulturalists and leaders to support our retail function across our estate.”

The senior leadership team within the Retail structure includes:

- Retail Operations Director – Colin Hughes

- Central Operations Manager – Jeremy Byfleet

- Head of Integration Operations – James Cockrell

- Regional Operations Director – Chris Brannigan

- Regional Operations Director – Symon Wooldridge

- Regional Operations Director – Stefan Swiatyj

- Regional Operations Director – Daniel Webb

- Regional Operations Director – David Longmore

- Regional Operations Director – Melanie Evans

About The Garden Centre Group

The Garden Centre Group, the nation’s largest group of garden centres, has 140 centres across the country, including Blooms Garden Centres, Country Gardens and Wyevale Garden Centres. Ninety per cent of The Garden Centre Group's plant stock is British-grown, and much of this stock is grown in their own nurseries. The Garden Centre Group employs more than 5,000 staff and runs its own gardening membership club, The Gardening Club, which has more than 2 million members. For more information about The Garden Centre Group, visit www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk