Yorkshire Garden Centres has appointed Charlotte Watson as its full-time buying director.

In her new role, Mrs Watson will lead the buying team across all categories at all seven sites.  An experienced buyer and retail consultant, she previously held senior buying roles at ASDA and Wilko and will oversee key seasonal ranges and represent the business within the Tillington Buying Group. She will also play a central role in shaping the business’s sourcing strategy, developing its teams and supporting long-term commercial growth. Her appointment will also support former commercial director Sharon McNair’s transition into her new role as retail director, with a period of structured handover to ensure continuity across buying and retail functions.

Mrs Watson is looking forward to the opportunities her new role presents: “I’m excited about working with the team to improve processes and procedures and working with our supplier base to bring new and exciting products to the Yorkshire Garden Centres’ customers.

“I've recently renovated a house, so I can't wait to spruce up the outside space with lots of lovely Yorkshire Garden Centres’ products this summer.”

“This newly created role reflects our continued focus on strengthening our buying capability and range proposition across the Group,” said Yorkshire Garden Centres’ MD, Mark Farnsworth.

“We'd like to thank Sharon McNair, who has led the buying team alongside our retail team for the last 10 years. Sharon has been instrumental in our growth, but it became clear as the business grew that the role needed to be split, and I'm delighted Sharon has chosen to focus on our stores and will work closely with our managers to keep improving our offer.

“Charlotte brings extensive buying and commercial leadership experience across Home, Kitchen, Lifestyle and Seasonal categories, with a strong track record in developing profitable product strategies, driving supplier partnerships, and leading high-performing teams.

"Charlotte’s knowledge and experience will also be vital as we keep developing our business and our team. I'm really looking forward to working with her".

Outside work, Mrs Watson enjoys watching her sons play rugby and property renovation.

The Yorkshire Garden Centres group comprises Tong, Tingley, Otley and Bingley Garden Centres, plus Dean’s York and Scarborough and the recently acquired Pennine Garden Centre in Huddersfield.