Two garden centres in London and Buckinghamshire are to close this year.

Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre in Bucks, opened in 1995 by Martin and Stuart Hammond, will close in the autumn. The brothers plan to retire to pursue other interests.

They said approaches from other operators interested in carrying on the £1m-plus turnover business had come to nothing and they could not justify the substantial investment required to develop the three-acre site. They said they would do all they can to help the centre’s two full-time and 10 part-time staff to find other jobs over the next few months.

Nine other businesses that rent premises on the site will continue to trade there. They include a children’s nursery, conservatory company, hot tub and pool supplier, aquatics centre, beauty therapist, pet shop, car wash, craft centre and dog groomers.

Phoebe’s Pet and Garden Centre at Catford will shut its doors in the summer after seasonal sales have finished. A stock sale is already being advertised on the website.

The centre started life as a nursery growing chrysanthemums for a flower shop run by a lady called Phoebe in the early 1900s and was developed as a garden centre by her grandson in 1978. A petshop added in 1988 was opened by Johnny Morris of BBC TV’s ‘Animal Magic’ fame.

The owners will continue their landscaping business but hope to sell the 9000 sq.ft.shop site.