Blue Diamond CEO Alan Roper say almost 20,000 positive comments were posted on social media less than 24 hours after the group had announced its acquisition of eight large destination sites from Wyevale Garden Centres. 

Blue Diamond group managing director Alan Roper said the comments were from a mixture of potential customers and Wyevale staff, “some of whom were asking us to please buy their centres”.

Blue Diamond posted the news that they would be acquiring Bicester, Cadbury, Cardiff, Endsleigh, Melbicks, Percy Throwers, Sanders and Weybridge at 5pm Wednesday. By 1pm on Thursday, around 20,000 comments had been received. “Money can’t buy this,” Roper told GTN Xtra.

The Wyevale set takes Blue Diamond’s portfolio to 29 centres. Together with five planned new-build centres in the pipeline, they are expected to help grow the group’s turnover by £120m, taking the group past its ambitious £200m target.

Peter Gibbons, who manages Blue Diamond’s social media strategy using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, said: “Makes you feel proud knowing that so many people hold us in such high regard!”