Above: Sarah Squire (Chairman – Squire’s Garden Centres) with Oliver Turner (General Manager – Barnsfold Liss) at the West Sussex nursery site.

Squire’s Garden Centres has recently filed its account for financial year ending 31 July 2025. The year was one of significant activity and exciting progress for the business. After a challenging first half of the year, the company benefited from excellent spring weather and achieved strong sales growth in its core garden centre operations.

In December 2024, the company acquired Liss Forest Nursery, incorporating a well-established hardy plant grower into its nursery division, now operating as Barnsfold Liss Nurseries.

On 14 February 2025, the company launched its Friends of Squire’s loyalty programme and has seen rapidly expanded membership. This initiative has enabled the business to better understand its customers, communicate more effectively as well as target promotional activity with greater precision.

Also in February, the company completed the purchase of the freehold of Hare Hatch Garden Centre and welcomed colleagues into the Squire’s team. The centre was restocked and reopened in sharp turnaround, with doors opening on Valentine’s Day, supported by the strong efforts of the Hare Hatch team alongside colleagues from other centres and Squire’s Group Office. Investment is ongoing to enhance the customer experience, including a remodelled restaurant and other improvements, with further developments planned. The company believes the centre has strong potential for future growth.

The £5.6m capital expenditure programme for the year focused on existing sites and included completion of the roof replacement project at Twickenham and the extension of the Milford centre. Restaurant upgrades were also carried out at Stanmore and Cobham. These projects are delivering positive results in the current financial year.

Core garden centre sales increased by 9% to £70.7m (2024: £64.9m), including an initial contribution of £1.9m from Hare Hatch. Within this, garden centre sales rose 9% to £59.8m (2024: £54.7m), while restaurant sales grew by 7% to £10.9m (2024: £10.2m). E-commerce sales were £1.0m, remaining flat year on year. Barnsfold Liss contributed £2.2m in sales (2024: £1.9m), bringing total Group sales to £72.9m (2024: £66.8m). Like-for-like customer numbers increased by 5% in Garden Centres and by 6% in Restaurants. Underlying Garden Centre profit before tax rose to £3.6m (2024: £2.2m).

The company looks forward to continuing progress on its sustainability programme and remains committed to its charitable and community engagement.

Sarah Squire, Squire’s Chairman comments: “Once again, I would like to commend our hardworking and talented colleagues throughout the business, who have shown such commitment and worked so tirelessly in a very busy year for the business. 

“At the end of the financial year, we gave our Managing Director, Martin Breddy, our thanks and good wishes for his retirement and welcomed our new Managing Director, Sam Dickson, to the team.”

Above: investment in restaurant upgrades delivered refreshed dining experiences at, from left, Stanmore, Cobham and Hare Hatch.