Caulders has made the first garden centre purchase of the New Year, buying Cupar Garden Centre, Fife, the group’s fifth outlet and its first in the east of Scotland.

Founded by husband-and-wife team Colin and Mandy Barrie, who opened their first centre  – then a small plant centre – in Mugdock Country Park at Milngavie in 1999, the group have three other centres in the Glasgow area, at Kirkintilloch, Newton Mearns (Braidbar) and Erskine.

Still a family-owned independent business, the four centres now employ around 140 staff.

Kirkintilloch was opened in 2002, followed by the purpose-built Braidbar centre in 2009 and Erskine in 2014.

Cupar Garden Centre is situated near the Eden Valley Business Park on the A91.